Gu was now unable to hide from the other ladies' gazes, so she could only bite the bullet and speak: "Xiaoyan, what's wrong with your room? Why don't you tidy it up? And why don't you wear your clothes properly? It's so rude!"
As soon as Gu opened her mouth, she put all the blame on herself, as if she was so ignorant.
Xu Yixing also hurriedly stepped out of the door, bowed to everyone, and then explained: "Mother, I didn't know you and the ladies were coming today. I apologize for being rude.
The room is in this state because I thought the things my mother sent yesterday were too valuable. I was afraid the maids would be careless and break them, which would be troublesome, so I covered them up."
This was actually the truth, but when she said it, it didn't sound so good to the ladies.
The highest-ranking lady in the group, Princess Xu, the mistress of Prince Cheng's Mansion, stood at the head of the group. She was now observing with her eyes and nose, not saying a word.
You're hosting a banquet today, and you just gave something to your own daughter yesterday? And your daughter actually hid everything away, fearing punishment for breaking it. It's hard to believe that Gu, for once, was so attentive to letting everyone into her little daughter's room, only to see such a huge joke. It's truly hilarious.
Siqin suddenly stepped forward, bowed, and explained to the ladies, "Ladies, it's not that the young lady is being negligent today. It's just that she was a little late copying the Buddhist scriptures last night, so she's a little tired today. Please forgive me, ladies."
Wow, adding fuel to the fire. Gu Shi was completely embarrassed. Although she didn't mention anyone by name, who would let the second young lady copy Buddhist scriptures in the middle of the night?
So Gu quickly spoke again: "Xiaoyan, you are too sincere. Although we are going to the temple to worship Buddha at the end of the month, your intention is good, but please don't overwork yourself!"
Well, she said that copying Buddhist scriptures was her own will.
"Yes, but I thought I'd copy some more for you, mother, so I can burn them in front of the Buddha to bless our family with peace."
"No, no, no! I can just copy mine myself, don't worry about it."
Okay, that's what I want. "Yes, daughter, obey."
After this conversation, Xu Yixing had achieved his goal, so he just stood aside humbly without saying a word, waiting to hear what the ladies had to say.
Everyone is an expert in the affairs of the mansion, so how could they not know what this scene meant? Therefore, although they did not say it on the surface, they were very contemptuous of such things in their hearts.
Everyone knows that the eldest daughter of the Xu family is like a treasure in the palm of General Xu's hand. Even after her marriage, he has to take care of her in every detail. He never expected that the youngest daughter would be in such a situation. How could Gu Shi keep her face?
It was the kind-hearted Mrs. Wang who came to the rescue. She asked everyone to go back and listen to the opera, and even asked Xu Yixing, who was standing at the door, to go with them.
Xu Yixing didn't like this kind of occasion, but since he could make Gu feel uncomfortable, he was happy. So he sat happily among the guests, occasionally instructing the maids to add tea and water for the lady, and he was quite happy.
"Yi Yan, your sister is married now, and you are not much different from her. Have you found a place to go with your affairs?" This was the question asked by Mrs. Li from the family of the General of Cavalry.
"Marriage is a major matter and is decided by our parents. I dare not say anything careless." Xu Yixing lowered his head and did not give a direct answer.
Mrs. Li nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. It's in accordance with the rules."
"You have no one to keep you company at home, so why don't you come to my house when you have time? Your sister used to love coming here." This was an invitation from Mrs. Feng, the wife of the Minister of War.
"Yes, when mother passes away, she will naturally take me with her." Who would be willing to go to your house? In the past, it was your daughters who insisted on pestering me, so I didn't like to go.
Mrs. Feng had a smile on her face. In the past, everyone only paid attention to Miss Xu. She was bright and flamboyant, and among the many noble ladies in the capital, no one could overshadow her.
But in the eyes of some people, this limelight seemed a bit too glaring. Now it seems that her sister is not bad...
The ladies present had their own thoughts. Some secretly laughed at Gu Shuang for not being able to control a concubine's daughter; some sympathized with Xu Yiyan's situation; and some secretly shook their heads and thought that the Second Miss Xu was too smart. After all, she was the face of the Xu family, and it was not very sensible of her to embarrass her stepmother like this.
Xu Yixing doesn't care about all this. If anyone makes her feel uncomfortable, she will fight back. It's that simple.
My father said that if someone punches you, you should punch him back. If someone kicks you, you should kick him back. If that person provokes you again and again, there is no need to spare his life.
Now, it just made Gu family look a little embarrassed, that’s not a big deal.
There was a person on the scene. She did not approach Xu Yixing, but just sat at the farthest end of the guest table, looking at Xu Yixing calmly.
Madam Jing was delighted. This child was quite good. She was born out of wedlock, so she wouldn't act like a legitimate daughter. She'd experienced hardships, so she wasn't too fragile. She also had a gentle temperament. If she was given to that person, it wouldn't be bad either. This trip today was worth it!
Fortunately, Xu Yixing did not use his mind-reading skills, otherwise, if she knew that Mrs. Jing evaluated her in this way, she would probably laugh out loud.
After the banquet, Xu Yixing followed Gu to see off the guests one by one. The two of them held hands, and to anyone who saw them, they looked like a close mother and daughter.
Even after seeing off the last guest, Gu was still holding Xu Yixing's hand. The moment she turned to enter the house, the smile on her face immediately disappeared. Before even entering the room, Gu almost gritted her teeth and said:
"Xiaoyan, you're fine."
Xu Yixing seemed completely clueless and replied, "Thank you for the compliment, mother. This is what I should do."
"Do you think I can't do anything to you? Instead of reciting the Buddhist scriptures a hundred times, you should recite them two hundred times!"
"Huh? But didn't Mother say that she didn't need me to copy Buddhist scriptures for her?"
"There's really no need to copy it for me. These 200 copies are for you, and have nothing to do with me. On the day of burning incense, the Bodhisattva will see that it is your merit."
Gu had recovered, let go of Xu Yixing, and spoke less stiffly.
Yes, I asked you to copy, do you dare not copy?
"Yes." Xu Yixing had no objection. Since he had to copy scriptures when he went to worship in the temple, he could just not go on the day. No one would copy them two hundred times.
Seeing that she agreed so readily, Gu was a little surprised. Could it be that her suspicion was wrong? This girl didn't mean to embarrass herself, but covered it up because she really thought the thing was valuable?
"Mother, why don't you take those things back? I always feel uneasy leaving them with me."
"What makes you think that?"
"It's too expensive. My parents and brother's rooms don't even have so many valuable things. I naturally don't dare to use them. Please take them back, mother."
Gu Shuang looked puzzled, but she still said casually: "What is given to you is yours, don't worry."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
