Seeing that the other party was indeed inconvenienced, Shen Xin naturally did not try to persuade him to stay, but smiled faintly, "Then we'll have to do it next time."
Hearing this, Xia Tong immediately turned around and quickened her pace to leave. Her eagerness was obvious, but Chen Xin glanced at the man on the second floor with interest, then rolled his eyes, smiled in vain and ignored him.
The capital city is neither big nor small. Xia Tong didn't expect that her luck was so bad. She always ran into acquaintances. After she got the clothes, she immediately rushed back home and dared not stay outside again.
Maybe it was because of her relationship with Lin Qin. Over the next few days, people from other mansions kept sending her invitations to various gatherings. After attending a flower-viewing banquet, Xia Tong completely lost interest in such gatherings of the socialite circle. They were nothing more than all kinds of gossip or showing off. She found an excuse of being unwell and turned them all down.
Because the old lady treated her very well, no matter what she needed, she would give her what she needed. Xia Tong was not polite and asked for a lot of jewelry. On the other hand, she asked Qing'er to pawn it. They were both using each other. It would be a waste if they didn't take advantage of it.
"Five hundred... one hundred... two hundred and five..."
"Miss, the old lady wants you to come over." Qing'er suddenly walked in.
Xia Tong was clumsily calculating on an abacus while writing down the accounts on paper. She decided to go to her aunt tomorrow to get some money. After all, the more money the better. It was really unfair that the heroine, an unfavored legitimate daughter, was richer than her.
"Grandma, what's the matter?" Xia Tong didn't even raise her head. She was used to the old lady calling her over to brainwash her often.
At this point, Qing'er couldn't help but walk a few steps closer and whispered in her ear, "I heard that the Duke's wife is here."
The jingling abacus suddenly stopped. Xia Tong frowned slightly, and her heart suddenly became nervous. Why did the Duke's wife come to their Xiahou Mansion for no reason?
But no matter what, she didn't dare to delay. She straightened her clothes and went to the old lady's yard immediately.
As soon as she arrived at the yard, she heard Lin Qin's coquettish voice coming from inside. When she walked to the door, she took a quick look and saw that there were many people sitting in the room. Xia Min and others were dressed up, and opposite the old lady sat a middle-aged woman with a graceful appearance. She had a faint smile on her face and was wearing a crabapple brocade dress woven with crimson purple brocade. She had a luxurious and generous temperament and a very easy-going smile.
"Granddaughter greets grandmother and the Duke's wife." Xia Tong took small steps forward and bowed.
The woman was wearing a lotus green silk dress that trailed on the ground, looking graceful and charming. She had a small, oval face and was pretty. She did not have the arrogance of other women from wealthy families. She was indifferent and noble, indeed a rare beauty.
Seeing a faint smile on her mother's face, Lin Qin didn't understand anything. She immediately smiled and went over to hold Xia Tong's hand, "Sister Tong, you are so late. I must punish you to take me around."
After he finished speaking, everyone chuckled, but Xia Min's eyes were full of jealousy.
"Qin'er, don't be rude." The Duke's wife said with a light scolding.
"It doesn't matter. I, an old lady, like this girl's lively personality." The old lady laughed beside her.
Xia Tong didn't know what was going on today, so she could only stand quietly by the side and not say anything.
"Old Madam Xia is always fond of joking. If my girl could be as obedient and sensible as the fourth girl, the master and I would be very satisfied." The wife of the Duke shook her head helplessly.
Hearing this, the old lady just smiled faintly and glanced at Xia Tong with satisfaction, "Tong'er is indeed a sensible girl. She has never made an old lady like me worry about anything."
It was another round of business flattery. Xia Tong sensitively realized that the sudden visit of the Duke's wife today must not be that simple, and it might be related to her.
"Sister Tong, can you take me out for a walk?" Lin Qin pulled her arm and shook it.
Xia Tong couldn't help but glance at the old lady. Seeing that she didn't object, she raised her hand and tapped her forehead, "You're just too playful."
"No way!" Lin Qin started to act coquettishly again.
Watching the two people leave one after another, Zhang over there immediately winked at her daughter, who immediately followed them upon seeing this, as if she had never given up the idea of making friends with Lin Qin.
At this time, the old lady gave everyone a look, and everyone understood and retreated. For a while, there were only a few servants in the room.
Without Lin Qin, the room was indeed much quieter. The Duke's wife slowly put down the teacup in her hand and raised a faint smile. "The old lady is really good at educating her granddaughter. If I had a daughter as sensible as the fourth lady, I don't know how much worry I would have to save."
"No, Qin'er is also very good. If my grandsons hadn't already married, I would like to become your in-law." The old lady smiled with a look of regret.
Hearing this, the Duke's wife's eyes flickered slightly, and she gently stroked the jade bracelet on her wrist, with a serious look on her charming face, "Actually, this is not impossible. Although the old lady's grandson has already married, my Yi'er is still unengaged. He is only a few years older than the fourth young lady, so they are a perfect match. This in-law can be arranged."
After she finished speaking, the old lady just lowered her eyes slightly, and did not reply immediately. However, she felt a little dissatisfied in her heart. It turned out that Liu came here just for this matter. She said that one would not visit a temple without a reason, so why would the other party come to visit suddenly?
It was a very careful calculation. With their looks, the fourth girl could be a candidate for the Crown Princess. Although the Duke's Mansion was good, it was not as good as the Crown Princess. As long as the position was not decided, the fourth girl would not marry anyone easily.
Seeing that the other party remained silent, the Duke's wife secretly cursed the old fox in her heart, but she said very sincerely on the surface: "To be honest, Yi'er will be transferred to Shanxi in the near future. If the old lady is willing, we can settle the matter first, and our master can also ask the emperor for an imperial decree to grant the marriage. He will never treat the fourth lady unfairly."
Hearing this, the old lady still didn't say anything, but just sipped her hot tea one sip after another, with an unchanged expression on her old face.
"Tong'er is still young. Actually, her cousins are not bad either." The old lady suddenly said.
At this point, the Duke's wife couldn't help but smile, "You must be joking. Who can compare to the Fourth Young Lady in appearance and bearing?"
At this point, it was already very clear. The wife of the Duke was a little annoyed. This old woman would always use some inferior people to fool her. Xia Min was not outstanding in appearance, and her temperament was noisy and stupid. Although Xia Ning was smarter, what the Crown Prince's Consort in their Duke's Mansion wanted was tolerance, not the tricks of a concubine.
Besides, it was her son's fault for falling in love with Xia Tong. She knew what the old lady was planning, but the Crown Princess could only be her daughter Qin'er. Marrying Xia Tong now would kill two birds with one stone.
"I'm not bragging, but Yi'er was born as a top scholar, and his literary talent is outstanding among the young generation in Beijing. In the future, he will inherit the entire Duke's Mansion. If the fourth girl marries, my master and I will treat her as our own. To show our sincerity, the shop in the west of the city will be regarded as a betrothal gift to the fourth girl. In addition, we are willing to give up 30% of the profits from the salt tax in the future. What do you think?"
The powerful words made the old lady's heart skip a beat. She had to admit that she was indeed a little shaken. The salt tax in the capital had always been controlled by the Duke's Mansion. This was a huge profit. If they could get it, it would definitely be extremely beneficial to the Xiahou Mansion.
The aroma of tea wafted in the air, and the atmosphere in the house was eerie, as everyone had their own plans in mind.
——
Different from the game here, Xia Tong was having a lot of fun over there, because Xia Min had no idea what was wrong with her and insisted on following them.
When they walked to a pavilion, Xia Min was still chatting with Lin Qin there, trying to push Xia Tong away. Finally, Lin Qin couldn't help it anymore, and suddenly looked at her with displeasure and said, "Third Miss, Sister Tong and I have something to say in private, can you step aside?"
Seeing the smile on Xia Min's face gradually freeze, Xia Tong couldn't help wanting to laugh, but thinking of how she had ridiculed herself before, she blinked innocently, "Cousin, you are wearing such a beautiful outfit today. Wouldn't it be a pity if you don't go out for a walk?"
After saying this, Lin Qin couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Only Xia Min glared at Xia Tong fiercely, and then left reluctantly.
After the other person left, Lin Qin sat in the pavilion, fanning herself with a round fan and said with a smile, "Your cousin is really stupid. Look at her clothes, which are almost bright red. She looks like she is getting married. It's really funny."
The other party was still laughing, and Xia Tong only echoed a sentence or two. In fact, Xia Min just wanted to leave a good impression in front of the Duke's wife, but she just tried a little too hard.
"By the way, I forgot to tell you that my brother will be transferred to Shanxi in a few days. I don't know what the emperor is thinking. He is so anxious to transfer my brother. I heard that life in Shanxi is very hard. I don't know if my brother can bear it." Lin Qin sighed with a worried look on his face.
Xia Tong comforted her with a few words but didn't say much, as it was none of her business anyway.
Thinking of something, Lin Qin suddenly looked around, quietly came over, blinked her eyes and said, "Do you know why my mother and I came here today?"
Shaking her head slightly, Xia Tong looked puzzled.
"Why are you so stupid? Actually, my mother came here to marry into the Xiahou Mansion. From now on, we will be a family, and I have to call you sister-in-law!"
Lin Qin became more and more excited as he spoke, with a joking look on his face, but Xia Tong was completely confused, as if struck by a bolt from the blue. What a joke!
"Don't make such jokes. I'll be angry if you say that again." Xia Tong frowned slightly and turned her head away from her.
She was also preparing to run away, but she had no interest in those lifelong house feuds.
Seeing that she didn't believe him, Lin Qin immediately became anxious and said in a hurry: "I didn't lie to you, this is my brother who specially asked my mother to come over to talk about the marriage."
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