Sheng Mimi was eager to see Gu Qinlan's predicament, so she insisted, "In that case, let's have someone invite Aunt Gu over. But I must make it clear beforehand: if you dare to use your status to suppress others, don't blame me for being impolite."
Upon hearing this, her maidservant hurriedly tugged at her sleeve and said anxiously, "Miss, please don't act rashly."
The eldest daughter of the Gu family is now in a different position than before. Although she has not been granted an official title, her status is well-deserved. In fact, to be honest, their daughter has now violated a taboo.
Sheng Mimi impatiently waved the maid's hand away, "Go and invite Aunt Gu over, immediately!"
Unable to disobey her orders, the maid had no choice but to leave with a sorrowful expression.
Today's farce was clearly her young lady's unreasonable behavior. What business was it of hers for her to interfere in the private affairs between the Gu sisters? Besides, the eldest daughter of the Gu family was now the esteemed wife of the heir apparent, not someone her young lady could easily offend. What on earth was her young lady's reason for insisting on meddling in this trivial matter?
Today's disaster seems unavoidable. When she returns to the manor, she and the maids who accompanied the young lady will likely not escape unscathed.
Sheng Mimi's personal maid was as pale as paper, but dared not disobey her master's will in the slightest, so she hurriedly went to find Song Shi.
While Madam Song was busy entertaining a group of officials' wives in the courtyard, she heard Sheng Mimi's summons, especially since it concerned Gu Qinlian's dowry arrangements. She replied, "I am currently very busy and cannot leave. Let's talk later."
The maid's eyes reddened with anxiety, and her voice trembled: "Madam Gu, please make this trip. This matter involves Miss Gu."
She hoped that Ms. Song would step forward and fight for a chance for her daughter.
Upon hearing this, Madam Song immediately realized the seriousness of the situation, so she stood up and said, "Then I will go with you. Ladies, please allow me to take my leave for now."
The officials' wives, however, became very interested in this matter: "Is the Crown Prince's wife here too? Let's go over and say hello."
Gu Qinlan's status was clearly higher than theirs. The Zheng family used to be in charge of social interactions by the second wife, but since the second wife's unfortunate suicide, the Zheng family remarried and entered a period of mourning. Therefore, the Zheng family had not been involved in social occasions for three years.
Now that the third wife of the Zheng family has entered the household, they finally have the opportunity to establish contact with the Zheng family.
Unable to refuse, Madam Song had no choice but to lead several officials' wives to Gu Qinlian's residence.
Sheng Mimi's maidservant tried to appeal to Madam Song along the way, hoping to persuade her to help persuade Sheng Mimi, but she could not find a suitable opportunity. Madam Song was carefully trying to please the officials' wives.
Soon, the group arrived at Gu Qinlian's courtyard.
As soon as the officials' wives stepped into the courtyard, they went straight to Gu Qinlan.
Sheng Mimi rushed forward and affectionately took Song's arm.
“Aunt Gu, you’ve finally arrived. You have no idea how stingy Gu Qinlan is. The dowry she gave Qinlian was so meager, it was like giving alms to a beggar. I couldn’t bear to see it, so I asked her to bring out her own jewelry to make up for it. I didn’t expect her to insist on inviting you over. She obviously wants to use your name to make you think that those worthless trinkets can also be considered a token of her affection.”
She spoke first, to see how Gu Qinlan would respond.
Madam Song was eager to see Gu Qinlan embarrass herself, so she smiled and said to Sheng Mimi, "You always feel so sorry for Qinlian. Actually, the most important thing about a dowry gift is the sentiment, not the value of the gift. Besides, Qinlan has always been frugal. The value of the gift she gives is not important. As long as she is there, that's enough."
Sheng Mimi's words revealed her dissatisfaction. On the surface, she praised Song's generosity, but in reality, she had already revealed the undeniable fact that Gu Qinlan could not give a good gift.
Sheng Mimi said indignantly, "Aunt, you are so tolerant, but I can't stand it! She is now the wife of the Crown Prince, yet she is still so stingy, which is unacceptable. Qin Lian is my confidante, and I can't bear to see her suffer such injustice."
Madam Song gently patted her hand and comforted her with a smile: "Alright, Mimi, this is just a trivial matter, no need to worry about it. Besides, Qinlian is not lacking in these things."
Gu Qinlan stepped out from among the ladies and gracefully bowed to Madam Song: "Greetings, Madam."
Madam Song's face beamed with a virtuous smile: "Get up quickly. I've been thinking of you for days, and I'm so glad you're back. It's good that you're back; everything else is just dust and need not be mentioned again. Have you gone to see Qinlian? She's been looking forward to your arrival every day."
She didn't mention the dowry in her words, but her words implied that she was stingy with Gu Qinlan.
How could Gu Qinlan possibly let her have her way?
She smiled gently and replied, "I haven't visited her yet. I was planning to go after I finished my makeup, but Miss Sheng insisted on teasing me. Madam, it's not that I'm stingy with these jewelry and headdresses. They are not treasures, and I could easily give them away as gifts on ordinary days. But today is different. I'm here to add to Qinlian's makeup, and I believe this gift is impeccable. If I include these headdresses, it might embarrass you."
Sheng Mimi couldn't help but scoff, "You're talking nonsense. If the gift isn't appropriate, how can Aunt Gu feel embarrassed? Gu Qinlan, you're already a married woman, do you still want to rely on Aunt Gu?"
Gu Qinlan ignored Sheng Mimi's provocation and simply turned slightly to the side, displaying the box full of gifts.
Following her gaze, Madam Song noticed the box looked familiar, but didn't pay much attention. After all, the box wasn't particularly unique; similar boxes were commonplace in the Gu family's storeroom.
Sheng Mimi's eyes flashed with excitement as she pointed to the box and said, "Aunt Gu, look, the dowry she gave to Qinlian is all in there."
Gu Qinlan said calmly, "Miss Sheng, let me repeat myself, the value of feelings should not be measured by material things. The amount of a gift cannot erase someone's sincerity. Moreover, I do not think that what I give is insignificant. On the contrary, each of these items is extremely precious to me."
Sheng Mimi's lips curled into a mocking sneer: "Sweet talk! You're just stingy, why bother using 'a small gift carries great meaning' to cover it up? You keep saying these items are priceless, today I'll show everyone just how much these so-called treasures are really worth."
As soon as she finished speaking, Sheng Mimi decisively stepped forward and abruptly lifted the lid of the box.
The moment the box lid was lifted, the smile on Song's face froze, turning into utter astonishment.
She was all too familiar with these old objects before her!
These were all treasures carefully selected from her storeroom, some of which were even purchased by the Lin family ancestors before she became the mistress of the mansion, when they arranged residences for her outside. These items, filled with memories, were even older than Gu Qinlan herself.
Song rushed forward involuntarily and quickly closed the box, as if afraid that someone would discover the sealed history.
Sheng Mimi looked at her in confusion: "Aunt Gu, what's wrong?"
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