Being harassed
How could Ya Dan not understand these principles?
But she knew that Fu Zhi Qiao was different in the prince's heart. The prince would not say "I will not give her anything but a title" for no reason. From the moment she knew of Fu Zhi Qiao's existence, Yu Ya Dan knew that she could never treat Fu Zhi Qiao as an ordinary concubine.
“She and the Crown Prince have known each other for a long time. It’s true that the Princess Consort likes me, but the Crown Prince…”
Yu Yadan told Tang Yuying about Xie Zhuo being captivated by a woman from the common people, saying that the woman was still clinging to him despite knowing he had a fiancée, which was causing her great distress.
After she finished speaking, a look of sorrow appeared on her face.
Tang Yuying was a little surprised, but she did not doubt the truthfulness of Yu Yadan's words. Compared to Fu Zhiqiao, a stranger she had only met a few times, Yu Yadan, whom she had known since childhood, was more trustworthy.
Tang Yuying and Yu Yadan have known each other since childhood and have a very good relationship. She also knows a little about the inside story of Yu Yadan's marriage. It is true that she is favored by the Princess Consort, but the young master does not seem to be very satisfied with this marriage.
Yu Yadan's embellished description made Tang Yuying feel very sympathetic towards Fu Zhiqiao's plight, directly labeling her as shameless. This also negatively impacted her impression of Xie Zhuo. Since Xie Zhuo was rarely in the capital, Tang Yuying didn't know much about him and basically believed everything Yu Yadan said.
Moreover, Fu Zhi Qiao's eyes were like stars, and her skin was as white as snow. Just standing there, she was as beautiful as a white plum blossom in the snow. Her cool and aloof temperament was perfectly blended with her. This kind of temperament was very attractive to men. In her opinion, Fu Zhi Qiao did have the capital to bewitch men.
Tang Yuying had previously drunk red date and lily milk tea at Fuyun Pavilion. When she learned about Fu Zhiqiao's background as an orphan and widow, her opinion of her actually changed somewhat. However, after hearing what Yu Yadan said, her impression of her worsened.
"This shameless person deserves to be taught a lesson."
Yu Yadan hesitated, looking slightly unsure, "But...but..."
Tang Yuying patted Yu Yadan's hand to comfort her, determined to help Yu Yadan vent her anger: "No buts, watch me!"
The image of Xie Zhuo's handsome face flashed through Yu Yadan's mind, and her heart pounded. Watching Tang Yuying walk towards Fu Zhiqiao, she pursed her lips but ultimately did not choose to stop her.
Zhou Miaosi is currently in the mid-to-late stages of pregnancy, and the frequency of her urination has increased. She needs to go to the bathroom from time to time, so Fu Zhiqiao is alone at this moment.
Tang Yuying walked up to Fu Zhiqiao and said, "Miss Fu, I've heard that you're very good at makeup. Why don't you help us sisters try out the makeup today?"
Fu Zhiqiao remained silent. In her memory, she did not seem to have offended Tang Yuying.
"Does Miss Fu's silence mean she looks down on me?" Tang Yuying continued her aggressive questioning.
Fu Zhi Qiao caught a glimpse of Yu Ya Dan's barely concealed excitement out of the corner of her eye, and also recognized the person standing next to Yu Ya Dan and Tang Yu Ying. Her name was Lin Xuan Yu, and Fu Zhi Qiao had helped her with her makeup before at Fu Yun Ge.
Upon meeting Fu Zhiqiao's gaze, Lin Xuanyu immediately looked away, twisting the handkerchief in her hand as she stood behind Yu Yadan.
Seeing this, Fu Zhi Qiao understood everything; Lin Xuan Yu had revealed her situation to the two of them.
Tang Yuying's disdainful attitude immediately aroused whispers among the others.
Fu Zhiqiao knew without a second thought that Tang Yuying's sudden targeting of her must have been influenced by Yu Yadan. Not wanting to cause a conflict, she said indifferently, "Miss Tang is joking."
She just wanted to attend the banquet quietly and didn't want to get involved in the squabbles among these young girls. Today was Qin Xiyu's birthday banquet, not her own event. If she retaliated, it would definitely cause trouble for Qin Xiyu.
Fu Zhiqiao silently recited in her heart: "Taking a step back opens up a vast sky and a calm sea."
The commotion between the two was noticed by the purple-clad maids nearby. They were all specially arranged by Madam Qin to serve Qin Xiyu. This year's birthday was Qin Xiyu's last birthday before her coming-of-age ceremony, and she insisted on making her own arrangements. Madam Qin could not persuade her otherwise, so she arranged for several steady maids to follow her.
Seeing that the atmosphere between the two was a bit off, the maid in purple quickly ran to Qin Xiyu's side: "Miss, young lady!"
Seeing the slightly flustered look on the maid in purple's face, Qin Xiyu knew what was going on. She smiled and said a few words to her friend, then pulled the maid in purple aside and asked, "What's wrong?"
The maid leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Miss Yu and Miss Fu are arguing!"
Qin Xiyu was taken aback. What was going on?
The luxurious private room was divided into a dining area and a rest area. When Qin Xiyu rushed over from the next room, she overheard Tang Yuying making an impolite request to Fu Zhiqiao. After all, Fu Zhiqiao was a guest she had invited. As the host of the banquet, she immediately stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Today is my birthday. Could you ladies please give me some face?"
Tang Yuying's face turned cold, and she glared at Fu Zhiqiao. Considering that today was Qin Xiyu's birthday, she decided not to make too much of a scene and ultimately said nothing more.
Fu Zhiqiao gave Qin Xiyu a slightly apologetic smile. She didn't want to get into a fight at Qin Xiyu's banquet, but she couldn't stay in this atmosphere any longer. She said to Qin Xiyu, "Xiyu, I have to go now. I'll apologize to you another day."
"Miss Fu, please wait!" Just as Fu Zhi Qiao was about to avoid her, a voice came and stopped her from leaving.
The speaker was Yu Yadan.
She first went to Tang Yuying's side: "Yuying, I know you want to stand up for me, but today is Qin's birthday banquet." Then she went to Fu Zhiqiao's side, her tone filled with self-reproach: "Miss Fu, Yuying is a bit too straightforward, please don't blame her."
Tang Yuying frowned, then let out another cold laugh, her disdain growing stronger: "It was just helping with a makeup test, who would have thought she'd be so petty."
Tang Yuying was arrogant, while Yu Yadan was very humble. The two of them worked together perfectly, putting on a convincing act.
Fu Zhi Qiao felt a bit of a headache facing the pretentious Yu Ya Dan. Their intention to embarrass her in public was all too obvious.
She was a guest invited by Qin Xiyu to the banquet, but Tang Yuying rudely asked her to try on makeup for others in public, treating her like a maid.
A thin layer of frost rose on Fu Zhiqiao's face, and she straightened her back: "Miss Tang, it's not impossible for me to do your makeup myself if you want."
Fu Zhiqiao countered, "Is Miss Tang a member of Fuyun Pavilion?"
"What?" Tang Yuying didn't understand.
Weren't we talking about makeup trials? Why did we suddenly veer towards memberships?
Qin Xiyu understood what Fu Zhiqiao meant and explained with a smile, "Sister Fu only does makeup for members of Fuyun Pavilion."
Fu Zhiqiao touched her lips with a handkerchief to hide the smile on her face: "As long as you spend over a thousand taels at Fuyun Pavilion, you will automatically become a member, and then you will have the opportunity to have me do your makeup personally."
What a boastful tone! He just opened his mouth and asked for thousands of taels of silver.
Tang Yuying's face flushed red and then paled, her expression changing several times. She was so eager to stand up for Yu Yadan that she had completely forgotten about this. She had been to Fuyun Pavilion twice; the food there was indeed delicious, and the red date and lily milk tea had truly helped replenish her blood and improve her sleep.
But these are nothing compared to the grievances suffered by my friend.
Tang Yuying bit her lip. This Fu Zhiqiao actually embarrassed her in public, saying to Qin Xiyu rudely, "Sister Qin, you saw it too. It's not that I don't want to give you face, but this Miss Fu only talks about money. She's so vulgar!"
Fu Zhi Qiao didn't want to become the subject of gossip among the noble ladies, but the situation before her left no room for retreat: "Since Miss Tang thinks talking about money is too vulgar, why don't you give me all the shops and jewelry under your name, and let me bear this vulgarity for you, how about it?"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
"Sharp-tongued, no wonder she's a merchant's daughter." Tang Yuying was indignant and directly pointed out Fu Zhiqiao's identity, "Sister Qin, how could you befriend someone like this?"
Although the luxurious private room was large, their argument still attracted the attention of the other noble ladies.
The noble ladies were adept at reading people's expressions. They exchanged glances and saw curiosity in each other's eyes. They were all eager to see what would happen, so they quietly perked up their ears.
"Some people, even knowing that the young master has a fiancée, still cling to him. Ya Dan, it's only because you're kind-hearted that you don't bother with such a despicable person. If it were me, I would definitely teach her a lesson."
Tang Yuying curled her lips into a smile, her eyes naturally taking in Fu Zhiqiao's expression. She deliberately raised her voice to attract everyone's attention, her words clearly pointing directly at Fu Zhiqiao.
What? A look of surprise flashed across everyone's eyes.
There is currently only one heir in the capital, and his fiancée is Yu Yadan.
The ladies' eyes swept back and forth between Fu Zhiqiao and Yu Yadan.
Yu Yadan lowered her eyes, concealing the fleeting look of triumph in them. She neither agreed nor disagreed, but the aggrieved expression on her face said it all.
Those present instantly understood, and their gazes toward Fu Zhi Qiao turned disdainful.
Qin Xiyu was also shocked by the news. She stared wide-eyed and stammered, "Ah? Sister Fu isn't that kind of person."
Seeing this, Tang Yuying revealed a mocking smile and said, "Sister Qin, I advise you to befriend other people like this, lest you ruin your reputation."
Qin Xiyu turned to Fu Zhiqiao anxiously and asked, "Sister Fu, what exactly happened? Is what she said true?"
All eyes were on Fu Zhi Qiao.
Noticing the burning gazes fixed on her, Fu Zhi Qiao rolled her eyes inwardly. Continuing to tolerate it would only lead to more severe suppression. She had reached her limit and there was no need to endure it any longer.
Suppressing her displeasure, Fu Zhi Qiao put on a faint smile: "Miss Tang, please watch your words! Do you have any evidence that I'm clinging to the young master? It doesn't matter if I'm insignificant or have little power, but the young master's reputation cannot be tarnished by you."
Tang Yuying's face instantly turned ugly.
The eldest daughter of the Duke of Anguo's mansion already held the highest status, but she was still slightly inferior to the daughter of the Prince Duan's mansion. Moreover, discussing such romantic topics in private was harmless, but talking about them openly would make one appear gossipy and rude.
"Miss Fu, are you admitting it without being asked?" Fu Zhi Qiao's words made her feel awkward, and Tang Yu Ying immediately retorted with a cold look.
"Everyone knows who Miss Tang is talking about. You're just trying to make me the subject of gossip. I'm upright and honest, and I'm not afraid of any rumors. It's you, Miss Tang..."
Fu Zhiqiao paused, then glanced at her with disdain: "This act of pretending to be stupid is just like a vulgar shrew from the streets."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gasp was heard from the crowd.
"You!" Tang Yuying was provoked by these words, her eyes fixed on Fu Zhiqiao as if she were about to spit fire.
Seeing this, Yu Yadan's eyes flashed with malice, but her tone was extremely gentle: "Miss Fu, I didn't want to argue with you. You really shouldn't have spoken so arrogantly to Yu Ying. Yu Ying is the most righteous person. She just wanted to help me get revenge. Besides, you and I both know what your relationship with the young master is really like. Why pretend to be so humiliated here?"
Then, she turned to Tang Yuying and said, "Yuying, you are a pampered young lady from the Duke of Anguo's mansion. There is no need for you to argue with some lowly merchant girls."
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