Hearing this, Xia Tong couldn't help but frown slightly. Doesn't God allow her to help the heroine?
After hesitating for a moment, she suddenly approached Qing'er and whispered a few words. The latter's expression changed when she heard it, and her face was full of confusion, "This... if the old lady knew..."
Glancing at Lin Qin who was chatting with someone else, Xia Tong immediately looked at Qing'er and whispered, "Of course I have my own plans, just go ahead."
Qing'er didn't understand why her master did this, but since it was her master's order, she had to obey. She gritted her teeth and quietly left the hall.
Seeing her leave, Xia Tong breathed a sigh of relief. This was all she could do to help the heroine.
"Sister Tong, I heard that Yu Defang has just received a batch of fabrics from the Western Regions. I heard that they are very smooth. If you want, can I help you order a few pieces first?" Lin Qin suddenly came over with great interest.
The conversations between women were nothing more than gossip and clothes and jewelry. Xia Tong naturally smiled and nodded, but she was thinking about other things in her heart.
Not long after, the empress dowager and the emperor arrived, and everyone came to pay their respects. But if Xia Tong had not known in advance, she would have thought that the emperor was of the same generation as the empress dowager. People in ancient times aged early, but this old emperor, who was in his forties or fifties, looked like he was in his sixties or seventies. His eye sockets were sunken and his expression was decadent. The imposing dragon robe was loose on him, and to put it bluntly, it looked like he was about to ascend to heaven.
The hall was very large. The eunuch was holding a list and reading out the gifts for this time. The queen at the top was talking to the queen mother. After hearing what she said, the queen mother was a little unhappy. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Nowadays, the daughters of noble families are getting worse and worse. You can do whatever you want. Just don't bring shame to the customs of the palace."
"I understand." The queen nodded slightly.
There was music and dancing going on below. Suddenly, a palace maid approached the queen and whispered, "Today, the old lady from Xiahou Mansion came to pay a visit to you. She also brought a strange girl with her. She should be the fourth girl who recently returned to the capital. She was very humble and polite, and her appearance was also outstanding. However, the Crown Prince was there at that time, so I did not let them in."
Listening to the whispers in her ears, the queen just raised her hand and used her armor to brush away the non-existent dust on her sleeves. Her narrow and long phoenix eyes slightly raised, "What's the use of having a long symbol? Don't be like the girl from the Shen Mansion and disgrace the family's customs."
Seeing that there was an empty seat over there and seeing that the traitor had disregarded etiquette and left first, the Queen could not help but shake her head slightly. Now that treacherous ministers were in power and the Emperor did not accept loyal advice, there was resentment in the court. At this time, she could only rely on her son. She must carefully consider the choice of the Crown Princess.
Xia Tong was watching the singing and dancing below. They couldn't hear what was said above. They just found that the pervert had left early. Obviously, he had done such things too many times. Those old-fashioned censors must have been so angry that they vomited blood.
However, Qing'er came back soon and nodded to her to indicate that the task had been accomplished. Only then did Xia Tong watch the entire dance and music with peace of mind. Without the pervert present, the hall was still peaceful. She followed the old lady back home after the banquet and did not watch the subsequent interrogation of the heroine.
In the carriage, the old lady who had been pretending to be asleep suddenly raised her eyes and asked leisurely, "Where did you go before?"
Xia Tong blinked when her name was suddenly called, but her fair face remained unchanged: "Grandma, I felt a little uncomfortable in my stomach earlier, so I went to the side hall to rest for a while."
She didn't believe that the old lady would go to the palace to ask the palace maid in the side hall!
After he finished speaking, the old man didn't say anything, but just looked at her meaningfully.
Xia Tong felt a little uneasy. This old lady was an expert at house fighting and she didn't know if she could see through her.
When she returned to the mansion, she didn't know how the heroine was doing, but she had done what she should do. Everything depended on whether the heroine's Mary Sue halo was strong enough.
The next few days were very calm and she could not hear any news from the palace, but Xia Tong was not idle. Surrounded by enemies, she had to prepare to escape, so she asked her father for five hundred taels.
"What do you need so much silver for?" Xia Zhian frowned and put down the document in his hand.
The study was filled with a faint scent of ink. Xia Tong came up behind her father in a flattering manner, patting his shoulders diligently and said coquettishly, "You don't know, things in the capital are very expensive. I can't even buy some nice clothes or jewelry. Don't you think this is embarrassing for our Xiahou Mansion?"
His daughter was still complaining coquettishly. Xia Zhian pondered for a moment and felt that it was true. Things in Suzhou could not be compared with those in Beijing. His daughter must not be wronged. After thinking for a while, he waved his hand and said, "I will ask Uncle Zhang to send it to you later."
The Xiahou Mansion has a strong foundation, and the salary is definitely not enough, so everyone owns some shops and farms. As the prefect of Suzhou, her father made a lot of money.
"Thank you, Dad!" Xia Tong's eyebrows curved, and she patted her father's shoulders enthusiastically. Suddenly, she rolled her eyes and continued, "Also... have you ever thought about dividing the family?"
"What did you say!" Xia Zhian suddenly turned his head with a serious face.
Xia Tong pursed her lips and said worriedly, "You have seen that grandma doesn't like mom and targets her all the time. Mom must feel uncomfortable. Besides, there are so many rules in this mansion. It's better to separate the family. I don't want to be covered in rashes again."
As she spoke, she lowered her head, her voice full of grievance. The first step to kidnapping her parents and running away must be to divide the family!
Hearing this, Xia Zhian just frowned and fell into deep thought. This was not a trivial matter. He had also thought about his daughter's considerations. However, if the family was divided, he, as a second-rank official in the court, would definitely cause criticism, and it would also have an impact on the Xiahou Mansion.
After a moment of silence, he waved his hand and said, "Dad will consider this matter, don't think too much."
Knowing that he had to rush, Xia Tong nodded and left the study.
When she returned to her room, she immediately took out all the jewelry she didn't like.
"Find a chance when no one is around, go out and pawn all these, and then deposit them in the bank for me." Xia Tong said as she picked and chose at the dressing table.
Hearing this, Qing'er was also shocked. She was stunned for a long time and didn't understand why her master did this.
Looking at the old-fashioned jade bracelet in the drawer, Xia Tong threw it into the small box without hesitation, saying in a clear voice: "These are useless. I want to save some money so that I can use it as a dowry in the future."
Are you kidding? Of course she has to be ready to run away at any time. With money, you can travel thousands of miles, but without money, you can't take a single step. If she really has to, she can only abandon her parents and run away by herself. After all, she has done what she should do, and there is nothing she can do if the other party is unwilling to escape with her. At worst, she will have a chance to wait for the villain to be cannon fodder in the future, and then she will come over and stab his body a few times to avenge her parents.
Qing'er blushed upon hearing this, "You... you really think long-term."
After closing the box, Xia Tong put the things under the bed and said in a sad tone, "You can tell I'm not far away by looking at your grandmother's expression."
At this point, Qing'er naturally nodded seriously. After all, the old lady's recent actions were too obvious.
"Miss, the old lady wants you to come over." The maid's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
Xia Tong was stunned and immediately adjusted the red hairpin on her temples. This old lady suddenly came to see her, it must be something bad.
When she arrived at the main hall, she heard bursts of laughter coming from inside. When she entered the room, she saw the old lady sitting at the top, showing a rare "kind" smile, and a familiar figure was standing next to her.
"Sister Tong!"
Seeing the person coming, the girl with dimples came over immediately, took her hand and shook it vigorously: "My mother has been asking me to learn painting from my master these days. I finally came out to play with you today."
Lin Qin was wearing a glittering Shu brocade, and the butterfly-wing gold-thread red hairpin on her temples was swaying very eye-catching. At this moment, her little face was full of complaints, as if she had a very good relationship with her.
Xia Tong was stunned. She obviously didn't expect that this fake sister would actually come to her to reconnect with her.
There were quite a few people in the hall, including Xia Min and others. Seeing that the two had such a good relationship, the old lady smiled with satisfaction. Being on good terms with the Duke's Mansion was naturally a very good thing.
Zhang and the others felt a little uncomfortable and could not help but secretly glare at their daughter. This little girl had just arrived in the capital and had made friends with a noble lady like the daughter of the Duke's Mansion, but their daughter only associated with those people with humble family backgrounds!
"The Duke's wife is naturally doing this for your own good. You're just a naughty person." Xia Tong tapped the other person's forehead in a reproachful manner, looking like a loving sister.
"No way, I'm just thinking about going to Yu De Fang with Sister Tong." Lin Qin pouted and rubbed her arm coquettishly.
Seeing this scene, the old lady also laughed out loud, "In that case, Tong'er, you and Qin'er can go out for a walk and buy whatever you like."
After she finished speaking, Nanny Liu immediately handed Qing'er a box. No one knew how much money was inside, but Xia Tong naturally took it without hesitation. It was a rare opportunity to suck the blood of this old lady.
"Great, let's go." Lin Qin couldn't wait to take her hand and leave.
But Xia Min over there couldn't help but suddenly said, "Grandma, I want to go out for a walk too."
After saying that, she couldn't help but glance at Lin Qin. She naturally wanted to make friends with the Duke's Mansion's legitimate daughter.
But without waiting for the old lady to say anything, Lin Qin directly pulled Xia Tong away without even paying any attention to her. As the legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion, she naturally had the capital to ignore outsiders.
Seeing this, Xia Min's face suddenly turned pale, and she clenched her handkerchief tightly in her palm. The old lady glanced at her with dissatisfaction. People are divided into different classes. With the character of her own granddaughter, which noble lady would be willing to be friends with her?
After leaving Xiahou Mansion, Xia Tong was a little confused. She didn't expect that her fake sister was so arrogant and refused to even put on a show. Now Xia Min must hate her to death.
In the carriage, Lin Qin seemed to see through her thoughts and snorted unconsciously, "In our mansion, I always say what I mean and I hate people who say one thing to your face and another behind your back. Before you came, your cousin kept saying bad things about you. I hate people like this the most. But don't worry, I will definitely stand up for you. As long as I spread the word, no one will be willing to befriend her in the future."
The carriage was shaking and the outside was filled with the shouts of vendors. Xia Tong didn't know what to say. It seemed that it was not easy to get into this socialite circle, but she felt good to be able to suppress Xia Min.
"By the way, you left early that day, so you didn't know that Chen Xin was really good at scheming. The evidence was already solid, but then a palace maid appeared out of nowhere and said that she saw her just arrived at the West Palace. Chen Xin was very good at making excuses, and in the end she was acquitted. But even so, she must have left a bad impression in front of the ladies in the other palaces, and I'm afraid no prince will dare to marry her in the future." Lin Qin showed a trace of relief on her face.
This last sentence was probably what she wanted to say, but Xia Tong was not moved at all. If the heroine was so easily in trouble, then she was not the heroine anymore. She was the hero's chosen daughter, the future queen.
"Who can tell what the future holds?" She smiled indifferently.
As the carriage stopped, it was obvious that we had arrived. As soon as we got off the carriage, we saw a bustling scene outside. The capital was indeed different and much more prosperous than Suzhou.
The three big characters of Yudefang stood prominently in the bustling area. Xia Tong lifted her skirt and walked in with the enthusiastic Lin Qin. However, as soon as she entered the door, she heard some sarcastic ridicule.
"She has the nerve to walk around like this after doing something so disgraceful to the family. If it were me, I would have cut off my hair and become a nun."
"Sister Yu, how can you compare yourself with some people? Some people have no sense of shame, how can they care about face?"
The hall filled with red hairpins and jewelry was filled with women in elegant clothes. At this moment, several noble ladies who had been seen at the banquet were seen making sarcastic remarks about another woman.
The woman who was ridiculed had a beautiful face, wearing a red dress that was as scorching as the sun, but her expression remained unchanged. Who else could it be but the heroine!
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