She pointed to one of the pieces of silk brocade and said, "This one will do."
It was a piece of lotus-green material, a material most girls wouldn't choose. Because lotus-green is so discerning, it would easily make an ordinary girl look too old-fashioned. If someone wasn't dressed in a noble manner, wearing this color would make them look overpowering and unattractive.
Chen Ruoqiu's eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled, "Why did Xiaowu pick such a dark color? Girls like your two sisters all wear bright and colorful clothes. I'm afraid such a dark color would make them look old-fashioned."
"That's right," Ren Wanyun also said. Although she also enjoyed seeing the eldest wife's people make a fool of themselves, this lotus green color was too extreme. If outsiders saw it, they would think that the girls of their Shen family were all old-fashioned. Qing'er still wanted to show her skills at the Chrysanthemum Banquet, so how could she let Shen Miao hold her back?
Shen Yue and Shen Qing laughed secretly. Shen Qing said, "I think this lotus green color is also quite good. Fifth sister has never worn such a dark color before, right? It's worth giving it a try. I heard that this color is also very noble."
"If I hadn't already picked out the material, I would definitely try the lotus green color." Chen Yue said with a smile.
Li Niang looked at the two sweet-mouthed, treacherous daughters of the Shen family, then at the calm Shen Miao, and sighed inwardly. Shen Miao, the daughter of Shen Xin, the eldest son of the Shen family, was known to everyone in Dingjing. But who could have known that those two seemingly kind and gentle cousins could harbor such vicious hearts? They were finding ways to embarrass Shen Miao.
She felt a little sympathetic towards Shen Miao. General Shen was out there defending his country, but his own daughter was being schemed against by her relatives back home. It was truly pitiful. Thinking of this, she said tactfully, "This lotus green is indeed a bit too solemn. If it's a chrysanthemum viewing banquet, why not choose a lighter color? Miss, why don't you choose this jade white one?"
Shen Miao glanced at Li Niang. She was a rare honest person. She had reminded herself of this in her previous life, but at that time, Shen Miao had trusted her two cousins and aunt so much that she hadn't listened to her at all. Upon hearing this, she politely declined, "No need. I just like this lotus green material."
Her answer actually made Shen Qing and Shen Yue, who had just frowned, breathe a sigh of relief. Shen Yue smiled and said, "Fifth sister, your taste is indeed good. In that case, I'll trouble Madam Li to take our measurements and tailor the clothes for us."
Li Niang sighed inwardly, but couldn't say anything more. She continued to measure the girls as instructed.
From beginning to end, Old Madam Shen reclined on the couch, eyes closed, feigning sleep, oblivious to everything before her. As long as it involved money, she was always happy to feign ignorance. Today's tailoring and fabric were all paid for by the public treasury, and the public treasury's money was all managed by Ren Wanyun.
After the clothes were measured and Li Niang left, Ren Wanyun smiled and said, "The children are all grown up now. The girls of our Shen family can't be looked down upon when they go out. I have made some jewelry for the girls, so they can use them on the day of the chrysanthemum viewing banquet." As she spoke, she ordered Xianglan behind her to bring out a few boxes, one for Shen Qing and one for Shen Miao.
Chen Miao's box was heavy. Ren Wanyun looked at her with an especially loving tone, "Second Aunt saw that you've been busy preparing for the Guangwen Hall these days, so I made this for you while I was browsing jewelry shops. They're all made according to the best styles. I just hope you like them."
On the high seat, Old Madam Shen frowned, as if she wanted to open her eyes, but after a pause, she continued to pretend to be asleep.
“Thank you, Second Auntie,” Shen Miao returned the gift. Shen Qing and Shen Yue were both able to choose their own styles and have them sent back, but they hadn’t brought her along when they went shopping, even claiming they didn’t want to bother them. In the end, they just gave her a hasty gift, and now it was too late to change it.
"Then let's go back and take a look." Shen Yue pulled Chen Ruoqiu and winked at Shen Miao: "Fifth sister's jewelry must be the most important one."
Shen Miao smiled slightly but said nothing.
Returning to the west courtyard, Shen Miao threw the box aside without taking a closer look. Seeing this, Jingzhe asked curiously, "Young lady, why don't you open it and take a look?"
"What's there to see? What's the difference anyway?" Shen Miao answered without even turning her head.
Jingzhe hesitated to speak. Every time his daughter received jewelry from the second and third wives, she couldn't let it go. Unfortunately, even the servants could see that the jewelry was indeed a bit nouveau riche. Shen Miao had been brought up by the second and third wives to be ostentatious, and her favorite thing was these rather tacky gold and silver items.
Shen Miao thought about it, then reached out and opened the box.
As soon as it was opened, a golden light hit me. Inside were bracelets, necklaces, and even hairpins made of gold and silver. The rubies inlaid on them were large, but of very low quality.
Jingzhe couldn't help showing a hint of anger.
Shen Miao almost burst out laughing. These were all her jewelry before she got married. Even a country girl wouldn't wear such gold hairpins and silver necklaces. Whenever she wore brightly colored clothes and those dazzling gold jewelry, she looked like a moving box. In front of the gentle and graceful Shen Yue and the generous and bright Shen Qing, she really looked like a foot-washing maid.
Now, when these things fell in front of Shen Miao, they just felt ridiculous. Jing Zhe observed his daughter and was surprised to find that she did not show the same excitement as before. Just as he was wondering, he saw Shen Miao close the box and push it to Jing Zhe: "Find a pawn shop to pawn it, and buy a silver hairpin by the way. It doesn't have to be too good, just something with engraving will do."
“Miss…” Jingzhe said in surprise, “Just pawn it like this. If the people in the East Courtyard find out, they will inevitably use it to make a raft.” Although she was also very happy that Shen Miao finally didn’t like these gold and silver as much as before, she still felt that acting like this was too bold.
"Since these jewels can no longer be worn, what's the point of keeping them? It would be better to pawn them into real money. It would be more convenient for daily tasks." Shen Miao replied calmly. Practicality was the key to everything; this was the truth she had learned as Empress. The Shen family paid a monthly stipend, with each young lady receiving two taels of silver. However, how much did Shen Yue and Shen Qing actually receive from their own family? Shen Miao had no idea, but one thing was certain: she didn't receive any.
She was clearly a daughter of the general's family, but she wasn't as generous as her two sisters. She used to think it was because Second and Third Aunts were willing to support their daughters, but what about now?
The money in the public treasury was all controlled by Ren Wanyun, but Shen Gui and Shen Wan were busy with their work in the court, and their own salaries were not enough, so how could they have any extra money?
On the other hand, Chen Xin, because he fought on the battlefield with his life and blood and sweat, was rewarded a lot by His Majesty. However, Chen Xin never embezzled any of these rewards, but gave them all to the public.
Only the old lady's family could be so shameless as to take their family's money and treat herself like this.
She would always find a way to divide the family.
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