After calming down, Li Chunlan resumed her eloquent and articulate manner.
“Cousin, you may not know this, but Master Hongbo did indeed take on a disciple before, and he taught him diligently for more than ten years before he graduated. After Zhang Fan graduated, his skills were astonishing. He used colors boldly and his ideas were novel. He quickly became a hot commodity among the elite families, and everyone considered it a hot topic to have him manage their gardens. There were even countless families who held banquets for their gardens, vying to invite guests to admire the flowers.”
Before she could finish speaking, Wei Jiao couldn't help but interrupt: "Isn't that a good thing? The craftsman we hired for our garden is surnamed Zhang, and he should be the Zhang Fan that my cousin-in-law was talking about."
Li Chunlan said bluntly, "Really? Zhang Fan has been dead for over a year."
Xu Wanying couldn't help but laugh out loud, which immediately drew a furious glare from Wei Jiao. She quickly suppressed her laughter and put on an expression of utmost admiration.
"Cousin, your Wei family is really amazing! They actually managed to get someone from the King of Hell's palace. As long as your Wei family wants a craftsman, even if he's dead, the King of Hell will let him go and have Zhang Fan finish your garden before you go back to the underworld, right?"
"Your uncle and aunt are really amazing! Even the King of Hell would have to give your family face!"
Xu Wanying immediately adopted a affected tone, speaking in a cloying, affected voice, while clapping her hands, her face full of feigned innocence.
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone except Wei Jiao, who was furious, burst out laughing. Even Wei Jiao's girlfriends couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The system couldn't help but chime in: [Yue, host, you've disgusted me to the point of vomiting. You must compensate me for my emotional distress!]
Xu Wanying immediately flew into a rage: [Get lost, you electronic fraudster who steals energy!]
"What nonsense are you spouting! Is what my cousin-in-law said really true? Maybe she even made up the name Zhang Fan. He's a disciple of Master Hongbo, whom my father personally invited. How could he be fake?" Wei Jiao said angrily.
Li Chunlan immediately explained, "Cousin, don't be in such a hurry, I haven't finished yet. Zhang Fan was so popular at such a young age that he inevitably became arrogant. Later, he was invited to work on the gardens in the palace, but he offended some nobles and dared not flaunt his abilities anymore. No one asked him to repair the gardens anymore. So he took in a bunch of apprentices and, under the guise of being Master Hongbo's closed-door disciple, sent his apprentices to repair gardens for wealthy and noble families."
“Zhang Fan studied for ten years before becoming a master, so he was truly skilled. However, the apprentices he took on afterward didn't care about talent; they were just people who paid him. The quality of the apprentices varied greatly, and they quickly became skilled and started taking on jobs. Even though he died of illness later, his apprentices continued to use this name to make money.”
“Even a layman like me can see the flaws in this garden, let alone an expert. My uncle must have been deceived.”
She quickly explained the whole story, and everyone fell silent.
Wei Jiao's face was pale, clearly convinced, but she didn't want to lose face in front of others, so she could only stubbornly argue, "I don't believe a single word my cousin-in-law said. My father is a fifth-rank official in the imperial court, while my cousin-in-law is just a woman from a merchant family. Do you think you know more about these things than my father? I don't believe it!"
Li Chunlan's expression also turned sour. In aristocratic circles, her merchant background was a constant source of pain for her, and she could easily be taken advantage of.
Seeing her silence, Wei Jiao became smug, thinking she had guessed correctly. This fueled her arrogance, and she said in a haughty tone, "Sister-in-law, are you feeling guilty? Why aren't you saying anything? It's all thanks to my mother's constant teaching that one should be lenient when possible. Otherwise, I would definitely have invited my father over to confront you face to face."
Xu Wanying was very annoyed: [Tsk, that's ridiculous. System, isn't my sister-in-law right? The Wei family just found an imposter.]
The system remarked: "She's an imposter, but Li Chunlan's identity is undeniable. Even if Wei Jiao brings up her father, the only one who will be ridiculed is Li Chunlan."
Li Chunlan was in a dilemma. She couldn't stand being ridiculed like this, especially since she was in the right. But when she heard the divine artifact say such a thing, she immediately lost her spirit.
Yes, a merchant's daughter is up against a fifth-rank imperial official; no one will help her.
Xu Wanying declared fiercely to the system: "I refuse to believe this nonsense!"
"Sister-in-law, forget it, you shouldn't argue with your cousin anymore," she said casually.
Upon hearing this, Wei Jiao's face immediately lit up with a smug smile: "Third cousin-in-law, you finally said something right. Eldest cousin-in-law, look, Third cousin-in-law admits her mistake and corrects it. I won't hold it against her. You should also learn from her and bow your head to me to admit your mistake. Then I'll leave with my men, and that'll be the end of it. We won't make a fuss about it."
"But if you remain so stubborn, don't blame me for calling everyone over to judge this matter together. How can you, as a guest at someone else's house, be gossiping behind their back!"
“Yes, sister-in-law, it seems the Wei family is really in trouble. Not only did Master Hongbo’s closed-door disciple take leave, but my cousin even wore a fake gold hairpin for her birthday. Look at the pearls inlaid on her hairpin, they’re of very poor quality, obviously rejected by others.” Xu Wanying moved closer to Li Chunlan, gently tugging at her sleeve, seemingly worried and telling her to stop talking.
However, at the same time, when he said that someone was wearing counterfeit goods, he spoke very clearly, almost as if he was shouting at the top of his lungs, as if he was afraid that the person would not hear him.
"And her clothes, the embroidered satin was just so-so. And her embroidered shoes..."
Xu Wanying's voice grew louder and louder as she critiqued Wei Jiao from head to toe, criticizing her outfit and saying she was dressed in counterfeit goods.
Only later did she seem to remember something, and she quickly covered her mouth, exclaiming in astonishment, "Oh dear, my mouth! Cousin, it's your birthday, you should be happy, and as a guest I shouldn't say anything, but this outfit of yours, I just can't stand it, how could it be like this—oh!"
Xu Wanying covered her mouth with her embroidered handkerchief, her face full of sympathy, as if Wei Jiao in front of her was a pitiful little thing, and she was the kindest woman in the world, feeling sorry for her poor little cousin who was wearing counterfeit clothes.
"Hey, you surnamed Xu, what nonsense are you spouting! My entire outfit was custom-made at Shuiyun Pavilion. What's wrong with the pearls on this hairpin? They're as big as almonds! Many people want to buy them but can't! You're just a lowly concubine's daughter from a humble family. What good things have you seen? How dare you say my clothes aren't good quality!"
"I thought you knew a thing or two, but I didn't expect you to be just as ignorant as that merchant girl!"
Wei Jiao was so angry she was almost going berserk. She stretched out her neck and roared at them like an enraged dragon.
If it weren't for the girls around her holding her back, she probably would have rushed up and started attacking Xu Wanying.
She had never seen such a despicable woman!
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