Chapter 83
You might say she is timid, but no matter who the person is, she treats everyone equally and gets along with everyone easily. No matter whether you are happy or not, she will not hold back and will speak without restraint. She will always speak freely and her words are sharp, even unpleasant.
She was audacious, but always afraid of everything, often scaring herself half to death, wanting to stay in her own little corner. While others who had achieved high positions would flatter her, she rode like a horse, afraid to be discovered if she slowed down.
"Ah, did I? I've always been timid and can't stand up to the public. Just say that about me."
"Let's go, don't dawdle."
Lanzhi listened to the person who belittled her without caring, and wondered what this person was thinking.
When they arrived outside the palace gate, Wu Xiuniang's carriage had already arrived at the agreed place.
"Greetings, General's wife." Zhang Yunniang followed the etiquette she had hurriedly practiced over the past two days and performed the greeting properly.
"Naughty." Wu Xiuniang now looked much more wealthy and graceful. Her gestures, demeanor, and temperament already had the charm of an official's mansion. However, she was still as easy to get along with as before.
They exchanged a few pleasantries and then entered the palace together.
After entering the palace gate, there were eunuchs and palace maids leading the way. The group talked in low voices as they walked. Although the distance they had to walk was long, they did not feel very tired.
"Lord Jun has always been someone who makes a splash when he does. This is true in both his career and his marriage. There hadn't been any rumors before, but today, surprisingly, he went public and brought you before everyone. I'm not surprised it's you. After all these years of companionship, congratulations on finally achieving your goal."
"Aren't you here to pray for the Emperor and His Majesty?"
"What kind of blessing?" Wu Xiuniang wondered.
"Oh, today is Mid-Autumn Festival, a good day, suitable for praying."
Zhang Yunniang quickly fooled him and spat in a low voice: "You bastard, you're pretending to be pitiful and deceiving me again."
"Zhang girl, what did you say?"
"The palace is so beautiful with its carved beams and painted buildings."
The banquet was arranged in the Imperial Garden. Many people had arrived early and were enjoying the garden.
Cao Pijiang held military power and was effective in the court, so Wu Xiuniang naturally gained face among the many noble ladies.
As soon as I arrived at the Imperial Garden, someone came to chat with me.
"Mrs. Cao, who are these two girls?"
Wu Xiuniang was a little unsure how to introduce them. It was better for the real person to disclose the matter himself, so she said, "This is my good friend Miss Zhang, Li Zao Zhang. This is Miss Lan, the owner of Shuyuxuan."
Almost everyone here has been to Shuyuxuan, and they are no strangers to Lanzhi.
They exchanged greetings and praised Shuyu Street again, asking about the upcoming new activities and places worth visiting.
Lanzhi's eloquence made everyone happy.
More and more people gathered around.
Zhang Yunniang watched them deal with people with different thoughts with ease, and complained silently in her heart. Fortunately, no one paid attention to her. This place was really not a place for people to stay.
She followed silently without saying a word, but instead attracted the attention of others.
Gradually, people began to notice Zhang Yunniang. This was the first time they had seen this girl.
"Which family does the young lady come from? Is it the family of Mr. Zhang, the head of the Ministry of Revenue?"
"No, no, I,"
"Sorry, sorry, that's the home of General Kyoto Yingzhang."
"No, no, I'm just a commoner."
"This dress is obviously from Yunxiang Pavilion. Yunxiang Pavilion only produces unique pieces. A single piece of clothing costs a thousand taels. How can ordinary people afford it?"
"So expensive?" Zhang Yunniang looked down at her clothes, a little shocked. This dress is so expensive? One piece of clothing is enough to support her in her old age? Also, how did they know that?
"Young lady, please stop keeping me in suspense. Where is the mansion from?"
"I'm really a commoner."
"What a funny little girl! How could a commoner possibly attend a palace banquet? Is there any other lord in the court with the surname Zhang?"
"Which other official above the sixth rank, Lord Zhang?"
"I haven't heard of it, girl. Where are you from?"
"It seems there are none below the sixth rank?"
"Are you stupid? How can anyone who follows Madam Cao be an ordinary person?"
"Miss Lan, you must know, just tell us."
Seeing that everyone was not giving up, Wu Xiuniang led them behind her and said, "Mrs. Gu said she wanted to go play mahjong with you guys a while ago. She said it's been a while since we last met. I just saw you over there. Let's go say hello."
"Hey, hey, don't push me."
Zhang Yunniang leaned over and whispered in someone's ear, "Sister Wu, I'll go over there and take a look. I'll come find you later."
She'd better stay alone. Wu Xiuniang is now the wife of a third-rank official. If she stays with her, she will be questioned by many people and no one will believe her even if she tells them.
Wu Xiuniang looked in the direction she pointed. It was a sparsely populated path, mainly planted with some green plants. There were no rare flowers, and almost no one went there to appreciate them.
She was being pestered by everyone and couldn't get away for a while, so she nodded, thinking of exchanging pleasantries for a while and then going to find her.
Lanzhi was surrounded by several people asking her all sorts of questions. They saw her walking to the side. There was no one there, and since all the people here were her usual customers, it was not appropriate to ignore them.
Zhang Yunniang ran out of the crowd and breathed a sigh of relief. That huge crowd of people was really not a place for people to stay.
Why is there always chattering in places where there are many women?
She squatted obediently at the edge of the flower bed, waiting for the two men who were surrounded by a group of women.
After sitting alone for a while, I couldn't sit still anymore. I looked up and saw that there were not many people on this path. Should I walk? Let's walk!
She walked straight along the path. There was no one here, and she was happy and at ease.
Hmm? This craftsman is a big liar. This is clearly a quiet place with winding paths leading to secluded places, right? How did he end up in a place full of flowers after all this wandering?
The path connected with another road, and she bumped into a girl with a veil covering her face.
Fortunately, she was quick-witted and quickly hugged the person around the waist.
But her other hand accidentally brushed across the girl's neck, removing the white veil covering her face.
Zhang Yunniang's eyes lit up, she was impressed by the profile in front of her, and blurted out: "Wow, girl, you are so beautiful, like a fairy."
The woman had a beautiful face. Even though she had seen Xu Shuying, who was as stunning as her, she was still attracted by the face in front of her.
The woman was frightened, struggled to her feet, and slapped her in the face, as if she had suffered a great humiliation.
There was a burning pain on my face. This girl had really strong hands.
Only then did she notice that there was a long scar on the right side of the girl's face, from her ear to her jaw, as if it had been caused by something.
"How dare you." Shen Miaoyu's eyes were filled with anger.
"Miss, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." Zhang Yunniang also felt wronged. She was walking straight, and the girl turned around.
She was also in the wrong, so she quickly went to look for the gauze that had fallen to the ground.
The people who were enjoying the view nearby also noticed the commotion here and couldn't help but walk over here.
Panicked, Shen Miaoyu raised her hands to cover her face, trying to block the gazes that kept coming at her. She kept backing away, and in panic, she fell to the ground.
"Don't look at me, don't look at me, ah, don't look at me."
Shen Miaoyu covered her face with her hands, crystal tears rolling down her face.
"Go away, go away, go away. Get out of here, everyone."
"Isn't that the most beautiful woman in the capital?"
"It's quite pitiful. It's said that on her way back to the capital, she saved an orphan girl from a gangster who was about to bully her. The gangster, realizing he couldn't escape, became furious and threw a dagger at her, intending to kill her. Fortunately, the orphan girl noticed and leaped to tackle him. Although her life was saved, the dagger had sliced across her cheek, completely ruining her appearance."
"She was once incredibly prosperous and even engaged to the Prince of Ruyang. But since her appearance was ruined, the marriage proposal was called off. Now, in her twenties, she still hasn't found a husband."
"Who would want such an ugly woman as their mistress? If I were to look like this, I would rather become a nun in a temple."
"Today's Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet is, to put it bluntly, an opportunity for unmarried men and women to meet each other. What is she doing here?"
"Tsk, you're in such a state, and you still dare to come out to attend the palace banquet? You don't even consider what kind of occasion it is. All kinds of people are attending."
"Look at that scar, it's so long and thick, so ugly."
"As a woman, if you don't even have good looks, what's the point? What good man would marry an ugly woman?"
"Looking at a disfigured face every day is really a turn-off."
......
The veil was thin and light, and when it fell to the ground, it was blown up by the wind and landed at the feet of a noble lady.
Zhang Yunniang reached out to pick up the gauze, but a foot stepped on it before her.
She looked up and was met with a scornful smirk, "Oh, the wind is so strong, how come it blew right under my feet." After saying that, she stomped hard on the ground.
"You, how could you do this." Zhang Yunniang was furious. How could such a thing happen?
She picked up her veil, and the gorgeous veil was covered with dust.
"I'm sorry, young lady, the veil is too dirty."
Shen Miaoyu looked at the dirty veil and didn't know what to do for a moment.
“Chen Miaoyu, ah Shen Miaoyu, weren’t you very majestic back then? Why don’t you even dare to show your face now?”
The noble lady walked towards the woman sitting on the ground step by step, her eyes full of disgust.
Zhang Yunniang wanted to take action after hearing this.
She looked at her clothes. There was a shawl-like design on the shoulder instead of a scarf. It was made of gauze, which was different from the cloud shoulder and was light and soft.
It has embroidery and tassels on it, which looks very beautiful and can be used as a veil.
The back part is sutured and needs to be torn apart.
There was a tearing sound, and everyone saw her tearing the cloth off her clothes.
"Girl, can you just use it for a bit? I'll find a way."
Shen Miaoyu nodded.
Zhang Yunniang's dress was made with extreme finesse, and every thread of the fabric was of exquisite quality.
She looked at the girl who had covered her face again, and the panic she had just felt was gone. The moon-white cloth covering her face again seemed to be more in line with her cold temperament.
"You little bitch, your clothes are in disarray. Who told you to meddle in other people's business?" Jiang Liuyue looked at Shen Miaoyu who had regained her composure. She hadn't seen enough of her panic-stricken and embarrassed look.
He pulled Zhang Yunniang over and was about to tear off her veil.
Seeing her movements, Zhang Yunniang gave her a light push and knocked her to the ground.
Tsk, weakling.
She has endured it for a long time.
"How dare you, bitch, be so presumptuous! My father is the current general of the imperial guards, commanding the imperial guards and guarding the entire capital and the palace. How dare you push me? I think you are really brave."
Jiang Liuyue was helped up. She was furious and was about to slap someone, but Zhang Yunniang grabbed her arm and held her back.
"So what if I'm the current general? I'm the only one left in my family tree. Even if I kill you, the most I'll lose is my own life. Oh, the barefoot are afraid of the ones wearing shoes?"
Zhang Yunniang grabbed her neck, her eyes full of cruelty.
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