Chapter 674: Equal Wife
Whose is it?
Lin Yuesha stood up and asked in confusion.
"The Wei family, the Wei family that is engaged to Miss Yue'e."
Bai Cha was also baffled. The Wei family must have come here after failing to find anyone at the Lin residence.
While the mistress and servant were talking, Zhuang Wanjun brought the maid in.
“Miss Yue Sha, I am Mo Dong, a maid from the Wei family. I have come to deliver this invitation to you. My mistress has asked me to wait for your reply.”
After Mo Dong finished speaking, he held the invitation with both hands and respectfully handed it over.
Lin Yuesha quickly took it, opened it, and saw that the Wei family wanted to hold a banquet and wanted to invite Lin Yuesha to their home to cook. The price was based on the highest standard of private customization that Lin Yuesha had given.
The Wei family claimed they were sending someone to deliver invitations, but in reality, they were there to discuss business.
With business coming in, they were sure to make money. The timing chosen by the Wei family was also quite interesting; it was the second day of the Cold Clothes Festival, the second day of the tenth lunar month.
"good."
Lin Yuesha nodded in agreement and asked, "Is it a banquet hosted by the Wei family or a feast that your young lady is preparing?"
If it's a banquet hosted by the Wei family, the dishes should be more expensive. If Wei Lan is inviting her girlfriends for a gathering, the dishes should be prepared in a way that caters to the tastes of the women.
"Miss Yue Sha, the pastries you made at the last flower viewing banquet at the Prince's Mansion were quite good. My young lady would like to add donuts to them. Also, could you please make some snacks, such as peanuts as a side dish with drinks?"
Mo Dong took out another list and handed it to Lin Yuesha. It was the menu that Wei Lan had ordered.
"Having a recipe would make things much easier."
Lin Yuesha quickly glanced at the recipe and noticed that in the most prominent position, there were seven or eight ways to cook peanuts.
"These kinds of products are sold in my shop in the North. How did your young lady find out about them?"
The wealthy families in the capital prefer dishes made with expensive ingredients. Peanuts are too common, and there are several kinds that Lin Yuesha has never made before.
"It was probably Young Master Bai who told me."
Mo Dong gave a perfunctory reply, unwilling to bring it up again.
Lin Yuesha frowned. She remembered that Bai Dingfeng did indeed love peanuts the most, and he had come to her several times to mention it.
Wei Lan invited her girlfriends to a gathering. Could it be that she invited Bai Youran as well, just so she could bring peanuts for Bai Dingfeng? What a thoughtful person.
"Don't you know? Our young lady is engaged."
Mo Dong was quite surprised to see that Lin Yuesha knew nothing about this. Her young lady's marriage had spread throughout the capital, and everyone said that Young Master Bai was very lucky with women.
Wei Lan and the Bai siblings were strolling around Wenjun Tower when they were arrested by the Jingzhao Yin government. There were many witnesses to this incident, and the Wei family tried their best to silence the gossip, but in the end, they were caught in a dilemma and had no choice but to grant Wei Lan's wish and arrange a marriage between the two families.
Everyone knows that Bai Dingfeng has a legal wife, and the Wei family represents the Empress's face, so they can't put pressure on the Bai family.
Wei Lan was, after all, the legitimate daughter of the Wei family, and it was impossible for her to become a concubine. In the end, the Empress intervened and arranged for Wei Lan to become Bai Dingfeng's secondary wife.
Lin Yuesha was dumbfounded. She never expected things to turn out this way. The Bai family got all the good things. Bai Dingfeng married Li Ruoxue, which was like marrying a god of wealth. He was also having an affair with Wei Lan. He had both wealth and power.
After Mo Dong left, Zhuang Wanjun said, "I only heard about it yesterday. I thought it was just a rumor in the capital."
Miss Wei is of noble status and is the Empress's own sister. How could she possibly become a concubine to the son of a minor official? Only after confirming with Mo Dong did Zhuang Wanjun believe it.
I heard that the wedding date is set for the end of the year, and both families are making preparations for the marriage in full swing.
"It won't be too soon. Bai Dingfeng's parents are in Beidifu City and will have to come eventually. Moreover, after they arrive this time, they might even get a promotion."
Lin Yuesha pouted, having long seen through the Bai family's snobbishness and Bai Dingfeng's freeloading.
It's not uncommon for men to rise in rank by relying on their wives' families, but Bai Dingfeng is a prime example of someone who lives off his wife's wealth and acts helpless and forced into it. He's incredibly manipulative. If he really does climb the social ladder, he'll surely end up like Lin Shusheng—getting promoted, making a fortune, and losing his wife.
"Miss Wei, have you gone mad? How could you be willing to become Young Master Bai's concubine?"
The title "equal wife" is just a nicer way of addressing someone; their status is only slightly higher than that of a concubine, and they must at least address the principal wife as "elder sister."
If the principal wife gives birth first, the secondary wife's position becomes awkward.
"Maybe they're afraid my cousin will propose marriage?"
Lin Yuesha smiled, looking at Xu Da, how he had forced Miss Wei into this situation, making her get engaged so quickly and resolutely refusing to give Xu Da a chance to propose.
If Madam Xu were to actually come to propose marriage, the Wei family would definitely choose Xu Da as the one to take over and suppress the matter; it would not be something that Wei Lan could resolve by crying, making a scene, or threatening suicide.
"ah?"
Zhuang Wanjun did not understand the meaning behind Lin Yuesha's words.
Lin Yuesha shook her head and said no more. Only she knew the joke, and she was just teasing herself when she had nothing better to do.
It rained lightly in the evening, but the rain stopped and the sky cleared up in less than an hour.
Feeling stifled, Lin Yuesha took Qingxing for a walk in the garden.
“Qingxing, Zhuang Shi spends an hour every day copying scriptures in the Buddhist hall. She has already come today, so why don’t we make our move tonight?”
Lin Yuesha was anxious and unwilling to wait any longer. In addition, she was tormented by the fact that she was preparing food for Zhuang Shi every day and seeing Zhuang Shi get better day by day.
Those who commit evil deeds should be tortured and punished; otherwise, how can they face the lives of hundreds of people in the Qi family?
If Madam Zhuang checks those letters every day, it might be difficult to handle. Therefore, Lin Yuesha's idea is to wait until she successfully steals them, then have Pockmarked Face forge letters as quickly as possible and return the fake letters to avoid arousing Madam Zhuang's suspicion.
"It's too late to find the master, but don't worry, this servant has the ability."
Qingxing could forge the handwriting flawlessly on her own, but she needed her young mistress's help to create the seal.
"Then let's divide the work and cooperate."
After observing for several days, it was found that Mr. Zhuang only came to the small Buddhist hall once a day, and he did so very regularly.
After dark, Lin Yuesha wrapped her hair in a handkerchief and walked with Qingxing into the garden.
Few people move around the mansion at night, and the garden is pitch black.
Qingxing took out a wire and skillfully turned the large lock on the door. After a moment, the door opened with a click.
Lin Yuesha gave Qingxing a thumbs up, and the two of them put on shoe covers and tiptoed into the room.
The ground was wet from the rain, and Lin Yuesha was afraid of leaving shoe prints, so she paid attention to details, which puzzled Qingxing, who wondered why her young lady seemed so experienced.
Inside the small Buddhist shrine, there were several Buddha statues, and the smell of incense and candles lingered for a long time.
Next to the Buddhist hall was a side hall with simple beds and bedding, presumably for Zhuang's overnight stay. Apart from that, there were tables, chairs, and benches, but no other decorations.
At least the small Buddhist shrine appears to be perfectly normal.
"Could the walls be hollow?"
Lin Yuesha knocked on the walls everywhere and took down the decorative paintings, making Qingxing's mouth twitch. She was convinced that her young lady was not just experienced, but professional.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
