"Good sister-in-law, I heard that you are going to take Yue'er to the hairpin flower banquet in a few days?" He hurriedly took Shen Lijiao's hand, "How about..."
In fact, as soon as He entered the door, Shen's mother knew what her sister-in-law, who never came to visit for no reason, wanted to do.
Mother Shen sighed in her heart that He was too impatient. Shen Liyue was only thinking of taking her with her after she reached the age of marriage. The two from the second house were one or two years younger than Shen Liyue. Why was there such a rush?
But since He had spoken, there was no reason for Shen's mother to refuse. If the news got out, she would think that she was afraid that other girls would steal her daughter's limelight, so she agreed.
Seeing that Shen's mother agreed so readily, He couldn't help but be delighted. Although she couldn't go this time, her daughter and niece could go. If they were chosen by a family, it would not be impossible to marry them and make them noble ladies.
The Shen family's hereditary title is different from that of the royal family. It was passed down to the third generation, that is, Shen Wangqiu's generation, and then it disappeared. The descendants after that had to earn their titles on their own. If they were all incompetent, the family would decline.
Of course, He wanted to find a good marriage for her daughter while the Shen family still had the title of Lord. If she could marry someone better than Shen Liyue, then the second branch would be able to get rid of the resentment of being suppressed by the first branch for so many years.
Hearing that Shen's mother agreed, He said yes repeatedly and prepared to take the girls to the street to make new clothes tomorrow.
Just as He was about to leave, she heard Shen Liyue’s crisp voice: “Aunt, don’t worry.”
Shen Liyue smiled, turned around and said to Shen's mother: "Mother, since Jiao'er and Xue'er are both going, why not take Zhao'er with you?"
He's good mood was mostly ruined when she heard this.
Chen Lizhao was born to Concubine Gao of the Second House, and was the same age as Chen Lijiao. If He Shi had not been busy with her pregnancy and childbirth at the time, she would definitely not have allowed Concubine Gao's child to be born. Fortunately, after the birth, it was just a girl, so He Shi let it go and let Gao Shi raise him until now.
But what kind of occasion is the Hairpin Flower Banquet? That is a place where noble ladies and daughters go. Even He's daughter has to ask Mother Shen to attend. So who is Shen Lizhao?
Just as He was about to refuse, Mother Shen spoke.
"That's fine. Your sister Qing'er is still young, so we won't bring her this time. It won't be considered partial if you go with your sister Jiao'er and the others."
"Okay, mother." Shen Liyue smiled sweetly at her mother.
Shen Liyue didn't have much impression of Shen Lizhao. She always followed Shen Lijiao submissively. It must have been difficult to make a living under the shrewd temper of mistresses like He and Shen Lijiao.
Anyway, several of my sisters of the right age are going, so I might as well do Chen Lizhao a favor and take him with me. I can also disgust He Shi at the same time. Why not do it?
When the market opened the next day, He took Chen Lijiao and He Yinxue to the street to cut clothes.
There were so many clothing stores on the street, but she chose Jiang's instead. This store happened to be the one on Shen's mother's dowry list.
When the shopkeeper sent his clerk to find Shen's mother to answer, Shen Liyue happened to be there.
Shen Liyue sat at the table fiddling with the abacus beads. In front of her were the account books of her mother's dowry shops. When she heard the servant talking, Shen's mother didn't avoid her and spoke directly to Shen Liyue.
"Boss, today the second house brought two girls from the mansion here and had two sets of dresses cut for them. They said they would put them on the Shen family's account."
"Why should it be put on the Shen family's account?" Before Shen's mother could speak, Shen Liyue spoke first.
The servant didn't dare to answer. He knew the wife of the second house, but she was not his boss after all. How to deal with her depended on the boss's decision.
Chen Liyue was aware of these twists and turns. Originally, two sets of clothes were nothing, but Chen Liyue remembered that Chen Lijiao had deliberately cut up her coming-of-age dress, and she felt unfair, so she ordered: "Since they are relatives, then give them the cost price. The payment will be made when they pick up the clothes. If they don't pay, they won't get the clothes."
Although Shen's mother did not quite approve of Shen Liyue's approach, she had plans for Shen Liyue's wedding in the future. These shops would be her dowry. Helping her establish her prestige now would prevent her from being bullied in the future.
So he said lightly: "Listen to the young lady."
The servant took the order, bowed respectfully and left.
After the servant left, Mother Shen sat next to Shen Liyue, looking a little unhappy.
"Why do you care so much about them?" Mother Shen felt that Shen Liyue was too calculative and lacked the demeanor of a lady.
"Mother, you don't know." Shen Liyue told her mother how Shen Lijiao sneaked into the warehouse and cut the clothes, deliberately wanting to embarrass herself at the coming-of-age ceremony. Fortunately, she was smart and switched the clothes in advance. Shen Lijiao didn't know what was cut in the dark, and in the end her evil plan failed.
Mother Shen was shocked when she heard this, "Is this really the case?"
"How could a daughter lie to her mother!" Shen Liyue pouted aggrievedly.
Cutting a piece of clothing is a small matter, but losing face at the coming-of-age ceremony is a big deal. "I didn't expect that Chen Lijiao, at such a young age, has such a heart." Shen's mother sighed.
"But you're also wrong. You should have informed your parents immediately upon discovering this. Why would Miss Qianjin handle such a dirty matter personally?"
"You and Dad were busy at the time," Shen Liyue saw that her mother looked unhappy, and hurriedly hugged her arm and acted coquettishly: "I know~ If I am wronged in the future, I will come to Dad and Mom first!"
That day, Chen Wangqiu took his wife out, and Chen Liyue was looking at the account book at home. Suddenly, she heard a noisy noise in the front yard. Lian Dong hurried to the window and found that it was He who came and was standing in the yard asking for an explanation.
He had happily taken Chen Lijiao and He Yinxue to the shop to pick up clothes today, but unexpectedly the people in the shop said that the owner had ordered them to pay at cost price, and they were not allowed to take the clothes if they didn't pay. The two argued with each other and neither gave in, which attracted a lot of onlookers for a while.
He had never been treated so harshly before, and her face turned purple. The two young ladies hid in the carriage and dared not show their faces. Coincidentally, they did not bring much money with them when they went out today. The two sets of clothes were made of the most fashionable and finest materials, and were of course very expensive.
The onlookers said all sorts of things, "Maybe you don't have any money?"
"The Shen family also wants to buy on credit?"
As luck would have it, Lu Xingzhou had nothing to do today, and he had just invited a few good brothers to sit by the window on the second floor of Cuifu Building to drink. This scene happened to fall into Lu Xingzhou's eyes. Originally, he didn't want to listen to the noise, but he saw that they were from the Shen Mansion, and thinking of Shen Liyue, he couldn't help but watch this farce from beginning to end.
Fang Zhiran happened to be on duty that day and was patrolling the street. When he saw that the Shen family had a dispute with someone, Fang Zhiran's heart moved slightly.
The Fang family and the Shen family are of comparable status. The Shen family is good at literature, while the Fang family is good at martial arts. Fang Zhiran's father followed the old emperor to fight in the battlefield and made great achievements. He is also a noble family. In terms of titles, I am afraid that he has one more generation than the Shen family.
Besides, Fang Zhiran's father became ill due to overwork, and the battle wounds he suffered in his youth had long since eroded his body. He passed away two years ago. Therefore, Fang Zhiran should now be the youngest marquis in Wangjing City.
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