Chapter 260 Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road
After the servants of the Wen Mansion harnessed the carriage, Wen Li'er took Liang Qingyou, Liang Qingning, and her elder and second sisters-in-law out of the mansion.
The third sister-in-law couldn't let go of Chen Ge'er, so she didn't go out with them today.
The capital was covered in silver after the snow. The carriage carrying Wen Li'er and her group moved slowly forward on Zhuque Street.
A corner of the car curtain was lifted by the wind, and Liang Qingning looked curiously at the dazzling shops on both sides of the street, her eyes shining as if filled with broken stars.
"Cousin, that 'Linglong Pavilion' looks so impressive!"
Liang Qingning pointed to a building with flying eaves and pointed corners not far away. The gilded plaque hanging under the eaves sparkled in the winter sun.
Wen Li'er looked in the direction of her finger, with the corners of her lips slightly raised.
"That's the most famous jewelry shop in the capital. Many young ladies from wealthy families in the capital buy jewelry at Linglong Pavilion."
She turned to look at Liang Qingyou who was sitting quietly beside her.
"Cousin Qingyou and the two sisters-in-law, would you like to go inside and take a look?"
Liang Qingyou pursed her lips and smiled, two faint dimples appearing on her cheeks: "It's all up to my cousin."
The eldest and second sisters-in-law also said, "Listen to my cousin."
So Wen Li'er had the carriage parked in front of Linglong Pavilion.
She had specially changed into a plain lilac-colored skirt today, and pinned only a single pear blossom-patterned gold hairpin in her hair, fearing that her outfit would put pressure on her cousins.
But when she helped Qingmei Qingzhu get out of the carriage, she still attracted the attention of passers-by.
A passerby whispered: "This girl is so fair and looks a little unfamiliar. I wonder where she comes from? She goes out with such dignity..."
Wen Li'er quickly covered her face with a handkerchief and whispered to Hua Zhan, "Tell the guards to stay away and not disturb the people."
When she left the palace, the emperor ordered a group of guards to accompany her and protect her.
Although they changed into casual clothes, they were all tall and strong, and looked very heroic, and they did not look like ordinary people.
She originally didn't want to bring the guards today, but they only obeyed the emperor's orders.
After much persuasion, only ten people came out.
But with the addition of her Qingmei Qingzhu, Huazhan Qiuying, and her cousin and his wife, the team is not small.
The Imperial Guards were bombarded by Hua Zhan several times in a row, and then they reluctantly went to the teahouse opposite to drink tea.
Wen Li'er let out a long sigh and led everyone into Linglong Pavilion.
There was a charcoal fire burning in the Linglong Pavilion, making it as warm as spring. Various jewelries were displayed on the treasure pavilions on the four walls.
As Liang Qingning entered the room, she was attracted by a golden filigree butterfly hairpin. The butterfly's wings were as thin as cicada wings, and trembled slightly with her breathing, as if it was about to flap its wings and fly away at the next moment.
The shopkeeper was very discerning and immediately said, "This young lady has good eyesight."
He came up to introduce it with a smile, "This is a new style that we have in our store. There is only one of its kind in the whole capital."
Liang Qingning carefully felt her purse and asked in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "I wonder...how much silver do you want?"
The shopkeeper made a three-sign gesture and smiled kindly, "Three hundred taels."
Liang Qingning and Liang Qingyou: "..."
Eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law: "..."
Three hundred taels? Even if I sold all of them, I couldn’t buy it.
Liang Qingning tightened her fingers under her sleeves and smiled awkwardly: "Boss, please go and greet other customers, we'll just take a look around."
The shopkeeper has been doing business for so many years that he knows what it means to make money through harmony.
Even though Liang Qingning only asked and didn't say she wanted to buy anything, he still greeted her with a smile.
"Ladies, feel free to browse around. If you see something you like, just ask our shop assistants to pack it up."
As the shopkeeper finished speaking, there was a sudden commotion at the door.
Eight servants in shorts led the way, and two women in gorgeous clothes walked in slowly, supported by their maids.
Both women looked to be in their early twenties.
The one on the left was wearing a crimson-purple horse-faced skirt with gold weaving, her hair was surrounded by pearls and jade, and her expression was somewhat nonchalant.
The girl on the right is wearing a maroon dress with pomegranate flowers, and has a somewhat arrogant look on her face. The most eye-catching thing is the black mole the size of a soybean between her eyebrows.
When Wen Li'er saw this woman, her pupils suddenly contracted.
Could this be the evil woman that my cousin Qingning described yesterday who forced my grandmother to kneel and kowtow?
She looked at Liang Qingning and asked with her eyes: Is this the woman?
Liang Qingning nodded: Yes! It's her!
My goodness, they kept guessing last night but couldn’t figure it out.
As a result, they came to my door today!
Wait, she looks so familiar, she must have seen her before.
"Get out of the way! Can't you see our lady is coming?"
A maid screamed and reached out to push Liang Qingning away who was standing in front of the counter.
Qiu Ying was quick to act and supported the staggering Liang Qingning.
Wen Li'er frowned slightly, but did not make trouble on the spot. Instead, she pulled her cousin and cousin-in-law to the side and made way.
The woman with a mole between her eyebrows glanced at Liang Qingning, Liang Qingyou and the others and frowned.
The maid beside her obviously recognized the person and whispered a few words to the woman.
The woman with the mole suddenly sneered, looking at the Liang family with malicious intent: "I thought it was someone else, but it turned out to be the country girl who knelt in the snow begging for mercy a few days ago."
She stretched out her nail-painted fingers and fanned them in front of her nose, saying contemptuously, "Are you poor bastards worthy of looking at such a fine thing?"
Liang Qingyouning's face turned pale and she subconsciously clutched Wen Li'er's sleeve.
The eldest and second sister-in-law stepped forward and protected the two girls in the family and Wen Li'er behind them.
"Madam, please be kind in your words."
"Hey, you dare to talk back?"
The woman with the black mole sneered and said to the shopkeeper beside her: "Shopkeeper, how dare you let these poor people touch such valuable items? They can't afford to pay for them if they break them."
The shopkeeper didn't respond, but stepped forward and bowed, saying, "What brings Madam Xie Si and Madam Luo to our Linglong Pavilion today? They are truly a great honor to our humble home."
Most of the onlookers knew the Fourth Madam Xie and the First Madam Luo mentioned by the shopkeeper. They were whispering to each other, wondering how these plainly dressed girls had offended the two.
When Wen Li'er heard the word "thank you", she immediately thought of the queen.
Fourth Madam Xie? The Queen's younger brother, Xie Zhenbao, was the fourth child in the Duke of Rong's mansion.
It’s just another Madam Luo, which Luo family is she from?
Qiu Ying seemed to see the confusion in her heart and whispered in her ear, "Master, these two are the eldest daughter of Duke Wen's family, Liu Ziling, and the third daughter, Liu Zixuan."
"Liu Ziling married into the Rongguo Mansion and became the Crown Prince's wife. However, Xie Zhenbao's title of Crown Prince was later abolished, and she went from being the envied Crown Prince's wife to Xie's fourth wife."
"And because of her appearance, Liu Zixuan was married off to Luo Wenxian, the eldest son of Luo Fuyang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice."
Wen Lier: “……???!!!”
It's true that enemies often meet on a narrow road.
No wonder she looked so familiar. Before she entered the palace, she had seen this Miss Liu San from a distance...
Liu Zixuan's husband, Luo Wenxian, had discussed marriage with Wen Li'er.
The two of them were about to go through the three books and six ceremonials, but then a noble lady from a high-class family intervened, and her marriage to Luo Wenxian ended in vain.
Because of this incident, her parents scolded all eighteen generations of the Luo family's ancestors.
Her brother was worried that she was sad, so he took her to Zui Xiang Lou for a big meal.
Then, at Zui Xiang Lou, he met Luo Wenxian, who was having dinner with Liu Zixuan.
Her brother wanted to go over and beat Luo Wenxian up, but she forcibly pulled him away.
She really wasn't sad at all at the time, but her family members believed that she was sad.
In order to prove himself, he insisted on finding her a better husband than Luo Wenxian.
After not finding it, she had no choice but to enter the palace...
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