Fang was so angry that she laughed back: "Okay, I will give you a chance now. Princess Qiongshu's birthday will be next month. No matter whether it is Prime Minister Zhou's residence, Minister Xu's residence or Duke Li's residence, the wives of the heads will be present. If you have the ability, you should know how to seize this opportunity."
Princess Qiongshu has another identity, that is, the daughter of Grand Princess Jinghe, and the sister of Wei Junhang, the prince of the Duke of Ying. Now she is also the wife of the prince of the Duke of Wei.
Although the Duke of Ying's Mansion has not had a male heir who can serve in the court in recent years, the eldest princess is deeply respected by the emperor, and the crown prince Wei Junhang was considered a semi-companion of the emperor in his youth and is also quite favored by the emperor.
According to the regulations of this dynasty, only the daughter of a prince can be given the title of a princess. Even if the daughter of a princess is granted the title, she can only be given the title of a county lady. The fact that Wei Qiongshu was given the title of a princess as the daughter of a princess shows how much the emperor cares for her aunt's family.
This is also the reason why no one dares to underestimate the Duke of Ying's Mansion since Duke Ying was seriously injured and withdrew from the court, and since the death of the former prince Wei Junting.
As for those who mocked the Duke of Ying's Mansion, a family of famous generals of the Great Chu, which now had to rely on women for support, they could only say a few sour words in private.
Fang Birong bit her lower lip tightly and stared at Fang's leaving figure, her body shaking constantly with suppressed anger.
One day, one day...
Shen Xinyan did not take Shen Xinlan seriously, but because of her experience in her previous life, she naturally knew that Fang would never let Qi Liuxiu off easily if he dared to seduce her only sister.
Although Pingliang Hou had been away from the capital for many years, he was still a marquis of the Great Chu Dynasty after all, and he more or less retained some power in the capital, and this power was now in the hands of the Fang family.
Therefore, it was easy for Fang to deal with a small editor of the Hanlin Academy. If she had not been so cautious as to attract attention, she would have wanted to kill Qi Liuxiu directly.
In the previous life, when Fang discovered her sister's affair with Qi Liuxiu, the two had already been secretly dating for a long time, and their feelings were much deeper than when they just met in this life.
Therefore, when Fang Birong realized that her elder sister was planning to take action against Qi Liuxiu, she used her own marriage as a threat, forcing Fang to temporarily give up the idea of teaching Qi Liuxiu a lesson.
Shen Xinyan actually still had some respect for Fang Birong. This woman quickly found her feet after marrying into Minister Xu's mansion in her previous life. Later, when the third son of the Xu family died of illness, she continued to stay in Minister Xu's mansion as a widow. Not only did she thrive, she even managed to help Qi Liuxiu get promoted several levels with the help of Minister Xu.
Using her husband's family power to pave the way for her lover, it must be said that this woman is also a very "remarkable" character!
It’s a pity that they are not destined to be on the same side, otherwise Shen Xinyan really doesn’t want to be her enemy.
Although Fang Birong has fallen in love with Qi Liuxiu, they only met at first sight. She doesn't believe how deep the feelings are. But once Fang Birong knows that her own sister is plotting against the man she fell in love with at first sight...
Shen Xinyan's eyes suddenly showed some anticipation.
When she saw Fang's angry face coming towards her, and then looked at the direction she came from, her mind moved and the corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily.
"Sister-in-law." She took the initiative to step forward and greet her.
When Fang saw her, she tried to suppress her anger and forced a smile: "It turned out to be my second brother's wife. She has been chanting sutras in front of the Buddha all night, and she looks a little more peaceful."
"Thank you for the compliment, sister-in-law! I see that you've been worrying a lot these days, and even a little anxious. It would be better for you to be calm and work less, so that you can live a long life." Shen Xin advised sincerely with a beaming face.
Fang was choked by her words and said with a fake smile: "Thank you for your concern, second sister-in-law. But I was born to be a hard worker. I am not as lucky as you, second sister-in-law, who is destined to enjoy a leisurely life!"
"What my elder sister-in-law said does make some sense. I am destined to live a peaceful life! I have a kind and loving mother, a smart and sensible son, and someone as capable as my elder sister-in-law who takes care of the chores in the house for me. I am really lucky!" Shen Xinyan replied with a smile.
Although she definitely could not be called lucky in her last life, and this life probably has little to do with "good luck", but she could as well lose as she could, so she'd better take as many points as she could!
Who has the heart to think about the future? If this life is destined to be the same as the fate of the past life, it is better to live life to the fullest while it is alive!
The word "for" deeply hurt Fang's heart. She was supposed to be the mistress of this house. Since when did she become someone else's boss in charge of household chores?
She could no longer maintain her calm expression, and sneered, "Then I wish my second brother and his wife can have such a good life!"
Having said that, she no longer wanted to stay and see this face that made her hate. She glanced at her, raised her head and walked away.
How rude! Shen Xinyan shook her head and suddenly felt a little bored. She turned around and met the sparkling eyes of Chunliu who had been standing quietly behind her.
The light inside was so bright that it made her scalp tingle.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Madam, the smiling face you showed just now looks very similar to the Crown Prince. Could this be the legendary couple look?" Chunliu held her face with both hands, blinked her bright eyes a few times, and looked intoxicated.
Shen Xinyan: “…”
"That must be the case!" Chun Liu didn't care about her answer and nodded vigorously to enhance credibility.
Shen Xinyan gave her a slap on the face and said unhappily, "You spend the whole day thinking about nonsense. Be careful, Qiutang will spit at you if she finds out!"
Chun Liu covered his forehead with his hands in grievance and retorted in a low voice: "Why is it a boring thing? It is clearly the most serious matter!"
After a pause, he said with some reluctance: "You scare people with Qiu Tang every day. Humph, one day, I will make that bitch Qiu Tang call me sister!"
Shen Xinyan pretended not to hear.
There were few maids around her who were not afraid of Qiutang, so Chunliu could only say a few words behind her back to save face.
***
The eldest princess did not plan to go to Princess Qiongshu's birthday. Strictly speaking, since the death of her eldest son, she has rarely shown up except for the palace occasions she had to attend.
But it was her biological daughter's birthday, and although she had no intention of going, she still had her thoughts. So on this day, she went to Lingyun Temple with Shen Xinyan to ask for a peace amulet for her daughter.
Shen Xinyan and Wei Qiongshu's relationship as aunt and sister-in-law can't be said to be good, but it can't be said to be bad either. Wei Qiongshu and Fang have known each other since childhood, and compared to her, the second sister-in-law, she is naturally closer to the eldest sister-in-law Fang.
But Shen Xinyan was still quite grateful to this aunt who looked like the eldest princess. At least in her last life, when she was almost deserted by her relatives and friends, Wei Qiongshu had spoken for her.
Although those words did not help change her outcome, they did not affect her gratitude to her.
After all, helping someone when they need it is always more valuable than adding icing on the cake!
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law got up early in the morning and had some simple porridge and side dishes. Yang, who had learned the day before that they were going to Lingyun Temple and expressed her desire to go, also came with her maid.
In the carriage, Yang's gaze alternately looked at the eldest princess who was resting her eyes, and then looked at Shen Xinyan who was obviously distracted, trying to see something from the two of them. But no matter how she looked, she could not feel that there had ever been any conflict between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
At this point, she had to admit that if the Grand Princess wanted to hide something in the mansion, it was really not something she, a concubine's daughter-in-law, could find out.
"What is the second sister-in-law thinking about? Why don't you bring the fourth girl here as well?" She didn't dare to disturb the eldest princess, so she could only lightly touch the arm of Shen Xinyan who was sitting next to her and asked in a low voice.
Shen Xinyan rubbed his forehead and answered in a low voice: "Don't mention her. She was so sleepy yesterday that she didn't go back to sleep until midnight. How could she get up this morning? I think she hasn't woken up yet!"
"No wonder, if the fourth girl knew you were going out, she would definitely follow you like a little tail. It is said that a daughter is a mother's sweet little cotton-padded jacket, which is really true. Look at how the fourth girl sticks to you, unlike my two little monkeys who never come home all day." Yang covered her mouth and chuckled.
Shen Xinyan smiled helplessly.
The two talked in low voices for a while, and in less than a moment, they arrived at Lingyun Temple.
In addition to accompanying the Grand Princess, Shen Xinyan also had another purpose in this trip, which was to seek a talisman for her daughter. Since she found herself alive again, she had dreamed of her daughter's death in the previous life for countless nights, which kept her awake at night.
She was not afraid that she would suffer the same fate in this life as in her previous life, but she absolutely could not let her daughter follow the same path as in her previous life.
The Grand Princess did not come with a big fanfare this time, so in addition to the ladies of the Duke of Ying's Mansion, there were many other pilgrims in the temple.
Shen Xinyan asked for a peace amulet and donated incense money in the name of her daughter. Because the eldest princess did not like them to be by her side, Shen Xinyan and her sister-in-law Yang left the hall first.
In the early morning, the Lingyun Mountain is shrouded in mist, which lingers around the mountain peaks layer by layer. From a distance, it looks like an immortal riding the mist in the clouds in mythology. When you walk on the mountain path, you will be greeted by the fresh air with the smell of green grass.
"The scenery of Lingyun Mountain is quite unique." Yang sighed as he gazed at a mountain in the distance surrounded by layers of clouds.
Shen Xinyan took a deep sniff of the fresh air that filled the mountain, nodded and said, "It is indeed so, and it is no less beautiful than the famous rivers and mountains."
The two of them walked slowly side by side, occasionally chatting to each other in low voices, which was a rare moment of peace.
Before they knew it, the two had walked a long distance. When they came to their senses, they found that they had walked out of the temple gate without realizing it and were in the bamboo forest behind the temple.
"We have come such a long way, sister-in-law, let's hurry back, or mother will come looking for us."
Shen Xinyan nodded, and the two decided to return the same way.
But after walking for a while, when passing by a quaint little tree house, I suddenly heard strange noises coming from inside, like a woman's suppressed sobs and a man's endured gasps.
“…Don’t, don’t touch there, ah…”
"Good boy, my sweetheart..."
…
After the two listened carefully, they immediately turned their heads away in embarrassment.
"Bah, what a shameless pair of dogs!" Yang spat with a red face.
Shen Xinyan wished she could leave right away, so she held her hand and walked quickly forward, fearing that she would disturb the pair of wild birds and cause unnecessary trouble.
When she reached the corner, she looked back inadvertently and saw a pair of exquisite gold-embroidered shoes inlaid with oriental pearls scattered beside the tree house, emitting a rich light in the morning light.
A woman who can afford to wear such expensive shoes must not be from an ordinary family.