As dawn broke, there was commotion in Qingxi Pavilion.
Xu Wanying had already been woken up. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly into space, letting the maids do her hair and makeup.
Normally, she would have gone to sleep, but today she had to go to a banquet with her mother-in-law.
After arriving in ancient times, she was finally able to go out, so she was naturally excited. Therefore, even though her biological clock had not yet adjusted, she still got out of bed.
When she finished getting ready and walked to the vicinity of the courtyard gate, she saw that Cen Shi and Jiang Jinyu were already waiting.
Both mother and daughter were dressed modestly and elegantly; Cen was dignified and noble, while Jiang Jinyu was fresh and refined.
The two women also carefully examined Xu Wanying. They saw that she was wearing a lake-blue cloak, and as she walked, a blue-purple silk skirt was revealed underneath. The hem of the skirt was embroidered with intertwined plum blossoms in gold thread, which was very eye-catching.
The embroidered shoes, faintly visible, with large pearls inlaid on the toes, exuded an air of wealth and extravagance.
Today, she wore her hair in a bun styled like a gold ingot, adorned with a ruby filigree hairpin and a dangling hair ornament on the side, perfectly complementing the ruby earrings beside her ears.
Unlike the understated style of the Cen family, Xu Wanying embraced a beautiful and luxurious style. Without close inspection, one could immediately tell that her outfit was extremely expensive.
Although it doesn't use any bright red or purple base colors, but only embellishes with rubies, it still catches the eye at a glance, bright and lovely.
"Third Sister-in-law, you look absolutely stunning! You're more beautiful than any flower!"
Jiang Jinyu immediately praised her, and she meant it sincerely.
Before coming, she was very afraid that Xu Wanying was another Li Chunlan, knowing that her sister-in-law's taste was really not flattering.
Every time Li Chunlan tried harder to dress up, she appeared more and more vulgar. The hair ornaments on her head looked like an overturned jewelry box, with her head full of glittering gold and jewels, piled up excessively.
She doesn't need to be polite when speaking to her eldest sister-in-law, but she can't be polite to her third sister-in-law.
She went out today just to please Xu Wanying, and no matter how outrageous her sister-in-law's clothes were, she had to flatter her.
Fortunately, Xu Wanying has a good sense of aesthetics, so even the somewhat ostentatious luxury doesn't affect the overall effect.
"Shall we get on the bus?" Xu Wanying asked.
"No, we still have to wait for someone. My sister-in-law hasn't arrived yet." Jiang Jinyu shook her head.
The system couldn't help but speak up: "Host, I told you before, the wealthy and powerful families of the Great Li Dynasty believe in understated luxury, not flaunting their wealth. That's why Li Chunlan's overly extravagant attire was met with disdain. While your clothing is more restrained, the pearls on your shoes and the rubies on your hairpins are the size of a child's fist, and they're immediately visible. In the eyes of these noble ladies, this is nothing more than the vulgar behavior of a nouveau riche."
Xu Wanying scoffed, unconcerned: "What do you know? Isn't Jiang Jinyu a noblewoman? Didn't you hear what she just said praising her?"
The system didn't believe it: "[Jiang Jinyu was just being polite. Didn't you see she only said a very simple sentence, glossing over it lightly? It was because it was your first time out, and she didn't want to embarrass you.]"
Third Sister-in-law and Shenqi got into an argument over dressing up, leaving Jiang Jinyu feeling a bit lost, unsure of who to side with.
She was only trying to appease Xu Wanying for the sake of energy, just so that the artifact would say a few more useful words.
If it weren't for the divine artifact protecting her, Jiang Jinyu would never have been so eager to flatter Xu Wanying.
But now that this one person has caused a conflict, she was completely bewildered.
As if sensing her predicament, Madam Cen spoke up in time: "Wanying, this hairpin of yours is exquisitely crafted and uniquely designed. It must have been made by a master craftsman, right?"
Old ginger is spicier.
The Cen family knew how to choose sides. Although it was for the sake of the divine artifact, what kind of trouble the artifact could actually produce still depended on Xu Wanying's attitude and emotions. When the two conflicted, the Jiang family had to firmly choose Xu Wanying.
Xu Wanying's happiness is what gives the system the energy to continue releasing information; otherwise, nothing is worth discussing.
"Mother is truly amazing. This was a gift from my sister-in-law, crafted by Master Mingji. And this pearl was also a gift from my sister-in-law. She said it would look nice nailed to the toe of a shoe. I had the maids make it a few days ago, and it is indeed beautiful and interesting!"
After receiving Cen's affirmation, Xu Wanying seemed even happier. As she spoke, she lifted her leg, revealing an embroidered shoe. The round pearl was exceptionally eye-catching and had a great luster, making it hard to ignore.
Jiang Jinyu felt a mix of emotions. She wondered why her two sisters-in-law had similar styles; it turned out that her eldest sister-in-law had taught them, and her third sister-in-law seemed to like it quite a bit.
She really wanted to say, "Don't let your sister-in-law lead you astray; people will laugh at you for dressing like that."
But when she recalled her conversation with the magical artifact, she backed down, since her sister-in-law genuinely liked this luxurious style.
[Hahaha, System, I told you, you electronic idiot, you don't understand human aesthetics. This outfit of mine is definitely good-looking; even my mother-in-law, a lady of high birth, praised it.]
Besides, do you think those wealthy ladies don't want to dress like me? They just want to show off. The love of wearing gold and silver is ingrained in their genes, passed down from generation to generation.
The system immediately retorted: "Host, your statement is too narrow-minded. Different strokes for different folks. Human aesthetics vary greatly. For example, Cen Shi and Jiang Jinyu genuinely prefer a fresh and simple style; it's impossible for everyone to be like you."
Xu Wanying chuckled lightly: "System, you've finally said something sensible. Different strokes for different folks. You may disagree with my taste, but you can't criticize me! Otherwise, don't blame me for scolding you."
Look at Cen Shi and Jiang Jinyu, their tastes are different from mine, but they still praise me, while you only make me unhappy. Are you doing this on purpose? Making me angry prevents me from recharging and from enjoying the gossip.
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