Yu Siting was furious, but she didn't dare to talk back. Even Bai Weiwei had been outmaneuvered, so how could she dare to be the first to speak up?
Lili suppressed her subtle thoughts, tugged at Xia Ning, and said sweetly, "Sister Xia Ning, Fufu is so chubby now, do you want to come home with Lili to see him?"
Xia Ning glanced at her sideways and smiled helplessly: "You."
This means they want to settle things peacefully.
Xia Ning naturally knew that Lili was not one to take things lying down, but Bai Weiwei's identity was indeed somewhat special. Lili wasn't afraid; on the contrary, if she really wanted to fight back, she wasn't afraid at all.
Not to mention that Lili has her own way of dealing with it, even His Highness wouldn't let Lili suffer any injustice.
But Lili wasn't alone; she had so many family members behind her. She didn't want anything to go wrong, and after much thought, she realized that minimizing the problem was indeed the best solution.
Xia Ning suppressed her smile and said to the two of them, "Let it go this time. But if I find anyone else bullying others outside, don't blame me for being impolite."
Bai Weiwei forced a smile: "What are you saying? Weiwei has never had such thoughts."
Xia Ning didn't speak, but Bai Weiwei tightened her jaw and maintained her smile: "Since this young lady knows Sister Xia Ning, then my cousin and I will not disturb you any longer."
After saying that, Bai Weiwei kept her gaze on the ground, but spoke to Yu Siting beside her: "Cousin Yu, you are the one who offended this young master. Cousin, please apologize to him. Xia Ning's friend is also our friend. Please don't let any misunderstandings arise."
Xia Ning didn't speak, but her eyes kept changing.
The way she put it, all the relationship troubles were caused by Yu Siting, while Bai Weiwei became the innocent one offering advice, and then she didn't forget to try and strengthen their relationship.
Yu Siting was unwilling to give up. She looked at Chen Ye's cold face again and again, hesitant to speak, as if she still wanted to try.
Bai Weiwei smiled at Yu Siting, but her eyes held a warning, colder than ever before, which startled Yu Siting.
Yu Siting was a little scared, so she had no choice but to take the money bag from Xia Ning's hand and said in a high-pitched voice, "I'm sorry, I was being presumptuous."
Xia Ning looked at Lili, her eyes questioning her.
Lili poked Chen Ye with her finger and leaned her head towards him: "Brother Chen Ye, do you want to vent your anger again?"
Shen Ye shook his head. He hadn't taken this person seriously from the start; she was just a spoiled and willful young lady, and he didn't care about her.
He wouldn't have been so angry if she hadn't called Lili a "bitch" later on.
Shen Ye pointed his chin at Li Li: "Apologize to her."
Yu Siting instinctively wanted to retort, but in front of her, Shen Ye and Xia Ning were both incredibly cold, protecting Lili in the middle and staring straight at her.
The "Why should I?" that was on the tip of her tongue was abruptly replaced by: "I'm sorry..."
Xia Ning and Shen Ye's expressions softened, and they uttered a soft "Mm."
Bai Weiwei clenched her fist, her long nails digging into her flesh, before she came to her senses and put on a nonchalant smile: "Then we won't disturb you any longer."
After saying that, he pulled Yu Siting away without waiting for Xia Ning to say anything.
Yu Siting's maid followed tremblingly behind her. When Lili saw the group disappear into the bustling city, Yu Siting seemed to slap the maid hard.
"Lili, let's go."
Xia Ning patted Lili.
"Hmm?" Lili snapped out of her reverie.
Yang was still reeling from the recent commotion and had no desire to buy new clothes.
"Lili, you two finally get to see each other, so why don't you take Ningning and stroll around here for a while? I won't join in your activities, I'll go back and make you some snacks."
Lili nodded: "Then Mother, you should go back quickly. It's time for Father to return home. He said yesterday that he wanted to eat osmanthus cake."
"Alright." Madam Yang smiled, gave the group several more instructions, and then left with Cui Liu.
As soon as Madam Yang left, the shopkeeper, his face pale, cautiously asked the group, "Miss Chen, this young lady, this dress..."
"Wrap them all up and send them to the county magistrate's office." Lili took out a silver ingot and gave it to him. "I'm sorry to trouble the shopkeeper."
The shopkeeper, upon seeing the large silver ingot that was worth several times more than the clothes, immediately beamed with joy and instructed his servants to get to work: "No trouble at all, you guys hurry up and deliver these clothes to Miss Shen's residence!"
Leaving the clothing shop, Xia Ning smiled and asked Lili to show her around Liucheng: "Two years ago, when I heard that Lord Shen had become the magistrate of Liucheng, I thought that I must have you take me around the area under your father's jurisdiction if I had the chance. Well, I actually got the chance."
"I haven't asked Sister Xia Ning yet. Did Sister Xia Ning come with the heir's wife from the Marquis of Chongbo's mansion?"
"Yes, the Crown Prince's wife and heir have a very good relationship. The Crown Prince's wife has not been able to conceive for a long time and feels extremely guilty. Five years ago, when the Crown Prince's wife returned to Nanlin County to visit her grandparents, she discovered that she was six months pregnant. The Crown Prince's wife felt that Nanlin County was a place she had a special connection with. Now that the young master is four years old, the Crown Prince's wife is thinking of returning to her hometown to fulfill a vow or something." Xia Ning smiled.
Lili nodded. "And who were those two just now?"
"The one in the white dress is Bai Weiwei, the legitimate daughter of the third master of the third branch of the Bai family in the capital. The eldest master of the Bai family has two younger sisters. The elder sister is married to the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and the younger sister is married to the heir of the Marquis of Chongbo's mansion. In the capital, the elder sister is called the eldest heir's wife, and the younger sister is called the youngest heir's wife. The youngest heir's wife is the one I came with. Bai Weiwei calls the heir's wife 'aunt,' and the heir's wife specially brought her along to keep us entertained on the journey."
The woman in the orange dress is Yu Siting, Bai Weiwei's cousin; their mothers are sisters. Yu Siting was able to come along because of Bai Weiwei.
As for me…
Xia Ning frowned, somewhat confused: "Although I call the eldest prince's wife 'aunt,' I don't really have much interaction with the young prince's wife. I don't know why the young prince's wife would specifically bring me along. But it's rare to have the opportunity to travel so far, and I thought I might be able to see Lili, so I came."
Lili nodded, having sorted out the complicated family relationships involved.
The two sisters walked hand in hand in front, with Xia Ning's maid, Green Ivy, and Chen Ye following behind.
After strolling leisurely through the streets, I finally got thirsty and found a teahouse to sit down and have some tea. That's when I had the chance to introduce myself to the two of them.
"Sister Xia Ning, this is Brother Shen Ye. Brother Shen Ye's uncle is very skilled in martial arts. Big brother is learning martial arts from Brother Shen Ye's uncle."
Sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves, like golden threads weaving in the air, and streamed in through the half-open window.
Xia Ning looked up and their gazes met across Lili, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.
Xia Ning listened to Li Li's introduction with a calm gaze and a hint of curiosity.
On the contrary, Chen Ye looked as if she had been burned, and rarely showed a little embarrassment.
Shen Ye turned his head slightly and gave Xia Ning a stiff smile.
The young man stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his long black robe fluttering in the wind, his black hair tied up with a jade crown, his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes revealing a deep and untamed spirit.
The sunlight outlined his silhouette with a golden edge, making him look like a boy who had stepped out of a painting.
Xia Ning was slightly taken aback, then a faint blush rose on her cheeks.
In that instant, something seemed to gently touch their hearts, and the gears of fate began to slowly turn.
Lili found it a bit strange, not quite understanding why the two of them just stared without saying hello.
"Sister Xia Ning, Brother Chen Ye?"
Xia Ning immediately snapped out of her daze. Her good upbringing allowed her to instantly conceal her earlier lapse in composure. She gave a slight curtsy and smiled gently, saying, "Young Master Shen."
"Miss Xia."
Xia Ning remained calm and composed: "Young Master Shen is exceptionally handsome and has a dignified appearance. He must be a man of outstanding talent. I am unworthy to have the honor of knowing you."
These were perfectly normal polite phrases in the capital, but they were the first time Shen Ye had ever heard them.
Chen Ye stammered, "No, no, Miss Xia is exceptionally beautiful, it is my honor."
Even after Shen Ye grew up, her appearance was still slightly different from that of the people of Southern Jin.
The people of the Southern Jin Dynasty were gentle and graceful, while the people of the Jin Dynasty had a touch of wildness.
Especially Shen Ye, the young prince who can be considered a playboy since childhood, has an unrestrained and arrogant nature in his bones. Although he has been a diligent bodyguard by Li Li's side for the past few years, his sharp jawline still retains some of the perseverance and tenacity from the desert.
Xia Ning considered herself to have seen all kinds of princes and nobles, and there were quite a few handsome young men in the capital. However, Xia Ning always seriously believed that she was still young and had never felt anything other than admiration, even though she would be of engagement age in two years.
Perhaps because it was the first time she had encountered something so different from the people of the capital, Xia Ning was somewhat taken aback.
Lili: ...I think I should be under the car instead of here.
What's with this sudden pink bubble?
You two are actually being modest?
Lili glanced at the two of them with a slightly bewildered look, while Xia Ning sat down somewhat flustered and changed the subject.
"Do you know that after I returned to the capital, my father went to His Majesty for five consecutive days to thoroughly investigate the eldest prince? But the eldest prince is His Majesty's eldest son. How could my father, a mere Minister of Rites, investigate him as he pleases?"
Even after the Zhou family fell from power, although everyone knew the First Prince was involved, the Xia family could only suffer in silence.
Lili now really enjoys listening to these kinds of things, like a village gossip plus version, like listening to an audiobook of a palace intrigue novel.
Moreover, the main character here is the eldest prince, who is currently the Crown Prince's number one enemy, so Lili is even more concerned.
After all, given the secret animosity between the two, if the Crown Prince gains power in the future, she won't fare well either.
"And then what?"
Lili remembered telling Gu Ziyi to go find Madam Bai.
"Later, didn't the young prince's wife happen to be returning to the capital from visiting relatives in Nanlin County? After returning to the capital, the young prince of the Chongbo Marquis's mansion took the young prince's wife to the palace to meet the emperor, and they had a private conversation with His Majesty for three whole hours. After they came out, His Majesty urgently summoned the eldest prince, who was then in Xixiang County providing disaster relief, back to the capital. I'm sure Lili knows what happened after that, right?"
Lili nodded: "Yes, Your Highness told Lili everything."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ning glanced at Chen Ye.
Lili smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sister Xia Ning. Brother Chen Ye is one of us. He knows all of this."
Shen Ye nodded quickly.
Xia Ning didn't ask any more questions, and then pulled Lili aside to talk about many private things that girls usually talk about. Chen Ye consciously left the private room and stood guard at the door.
The two girls talked about the capital city and Nanlin County. Xia Ning smiled and teased her, "Lili is rich now. I even saw your family's shop in the prefectural city."
"Hehe, it has nothing to do with Lili."
Those shops all belong to the Shen family. The eldest and second eldest Shen brothers had previously discussed giving one of the shops to Lili as part of her dowry, but Lili declined.
"However, Sister Xia Ning, the demand for wooden beds in the capital has become saturated over the years. Lili is planning to explore a new market. Does Sister Xia Ning have any suggestions?"
"A suggestion?" Xia Ning pondered for a while. "Uncle Shen's craftsmanship goes without saying. Over the years, Uncle Shen's reputation has been firmly established in the capital. However, it's still inconvenient to buy things there. His shops are all in Nanlin County, so the nobles in the capital can only order things by order. Lili, have you ever thought about opening a shop in the capital before exploring any new avenues?"
"ah?"
This was something Lili hadn't thought of. Lili had been busy farming, and the affairs of these shops were managed by Boss Shen and Shen Jialu.
"I was just saying it offhand, it doesn't count." Xia Ning's eyes darted around, her dignified little face turning mischievous. "Why don't you tell me, Lili, what's the background of Young Master Shen?"
Lili has lived for over thirty years. Although she has never been in a relationship, she has seen it all. She didn't watch idol dramas for nothing.
Upon hearing Xia Ning's words, Lili immediately became somewhat teasing: "Sister Xia Ning, could it be that you..."
"Don't talk nonsense. I just noticed that Young Master Shen's appearance is somewhat different from that of the people of Southern Jin, and I was just curious."
"Really?" Lili asked doubtfully.
“It’s absolutely true,” Xia Ning said earnestly.
Seeing that she didn't seem to be lying, Lili stopped teasing her.
However, it was hard to say what Shen Ye's background was, so I could only say vaguely, "Brother Shen Ye's family is from the border region, so naturally they are different from ours."
"Yeah."
Xia Ning lowered her eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then pretended to be nonchalant as she started talking about other things.
*
Before they knew it, it was the Dragon Boat Festival. It was only yesterday, when Xia Ning went to the prefectural city, that Lili learned that the distinguished guests that the prefect's wife had mentioned would be attending the Hollyhock Banquet were none other than the young master's wife and Xia Ning and her other daughters.
It is said that the young master's wife has already gone straight from her hometown to the prefectural city, and Xia Ning and the other two also returned to the prefectural city by carriage yesterday.
Early this morning, Madam Yang took Lili and boarded a carriage to the prefectural city.
Because a distinguished person from the capital was attending the Hollyhock Banquet, Madam Yang attached even greater importance to this occasion.
Although she had even met people of the higher status of the Crown Prince, this was the first time she had attended such a banquet as the wife of a county magistrate, and she was very nervous.
"I wonder what kind of personality this young master's wife has. Most of the other wives have had this kind of experience, but your mother has not. She's really worried to death."
Lili chuckled and grasped Madam Yang's hand: "Mother, don't be nervous. You're no less capable than the other ladies. Sister Xia Ning also told me that the young master's wife is very kind and wouldn't make things difficult for others."
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