After seeing the Empress Dowager and the others leave, Lin Sayu pulled Wen Jin, Hu Mengyao and the others to surround Xia Tian.
A lady I didn't recognize also came over.
Shen Lan, who was sitting nearby, was pushed aside by the ladies who gathered around.
Chen Lan was so angry that the handkerchief in her hand was almost twisted into a hemp rope.
When had she ever been treated like this? As the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an, she had always been surrounded by others.
Now, seeing all the young ladies who used to come to talk to her when they saw her, now all gathered around Xia Tian, she didn't know how angry they were, but now she could only be secretly angry.
Here, Xia Tian saw that there were so many people surrounding her that it affected other people around her.
He quickly pulled Wen Jin and the others out to talk.
As soon as they left the house, Hu Mengyao complained, "Xia Tian, you're so mean. You hid such a big thing from us. I still consider you a friend!"
"That's right, if you had told us earlier, we could have dealt with County Master Yunying on your behalf!" Lin Sayu also said quickly.
Xia Tian cleared his throat and joked, "I'm just trying to be in the spotlight."
Wen Jin chuckled, "Everyone knows about your popularity now."
"I didn't intend to be so high-profile, but who knew this talent was unstoppable."
"Indeed, I am ashamed of your talent." Wen Jin also praised with a smile. Xia Tian's painting skills really made her ashamed. It seemed that she had to give up the title of the most talented woman in the capital.
"Hehe, just kidding." Xia Tian smiled embarrassedly, "I didn't intend to be so high-profile. I just wanted to paint a portrait to please the Empress Dowager, but who knew it would turn out like this."
Xia Tian explained that although this was part of her plan, she couldn't tell Wen Jin and the others directly.
"I don't care. If you draw me a picture, I will forgive you for hiding this from us." Hu Mengyao grabbed Xia Tian's arm domineeringly, as if she would not let go unless he agreed to her request.
"The portrait is fine, as long as the money is in place." Xia Tian laughed and rubbed two fingers together.
"Hmph, you money-grubber! But you have to give me a discount." Hu Mengyao snorted.
"No problem, I'll give you a 10% discount!"
"It's only 10% off, you cheapskate!"
"Hey, who can complain about having too much money?"
Wen Jin and Lin Sayu looked at the two people bickering again and smiled helplessly. Whenever these two people met, there was no peace.
The other ladies who followed out watched their interaction, looked at them enviously, and couldn't get a word in.
Those ladies, proud of their status, were too embarrassed to hang around Xia Tian, so they could only come and try to get close to Liu.
"Mrs. Shen, your wife is really a secretive person! Has she really never revealed anything to you?"
"Yes, Madam Shen, my master's birthday is coming up in two months. Could you please make peace and draw a portrait for my master as well?"
"Yes, yes, that portrait looks just like the real person. I want to draw one for myself too."
The ladies surrounding Liu were talking at once, giving Liu a headache.
But she couldn't refuse directly, and she couldn't agree directly.
She knew that she had already broken up with Xia Tian. If she agreed to these ladies, that wild girl would not give her face.
So he could only say vaguely, "Ladies, if you like that girl's paintings, I can ask for you, but I'm not sure if she will agree."
As she spoke, she sighed and took the opportunity to flatter Xia Tian, "You guys know I'm not her real mother-in-law, otherwise why would she not tell us anything about such a big thing?"
When the other ladies heard this, they realized that it was indeed the case. Otherwise, why would Liu and Shen Lan have said so confidently that Master Shen's wife couldn't paint at all!
These ladies are all shrewd people. After hearing what Liu said, and combining it with what was said before, it became clear that they must have a bad relationship, otherwise the family would not only not protect each other, but also sabotage each other in front of outsiders.
Some ladies started to feel sorry for Liu, "Why aren't you a proper mother-in-law? You took care of Master Shen and raised him. You can't just disown him as your mother just because he got married, right?
As a daughter-in-law, Lady Shen is not on the same page with her in-laws, and she even dares to disobey you, her mother-in-law? That's really uneducated."
"Yes, as a daughter-in-law, how can I not listen to my mother-in-law? I think it's because you, the mother-in-law, are too kind that you indulge her. The wife of Master Shen is not from a high family. As a mother-in-law, you should teach her more rules."
These ladies all have daughters-in-law, and their daughters-in-law dare not say anything against their mothers-in-law. Naturally, they look down on daughters-in-law who do not listen to their mothers-in-law.
When Liu saw that the lady was on her side, she was secretly proud in her heart, "Hmph, little guy, you are still a little naive to fight with me."
Smart people like Madam Xu and Madam Wen naturally heard the implication in Liu's words. Seeing that the other ladies were still following Liu's words to denounce Xia Tian, they looked down on Liu even more.
Thinking of this, he became less enthusiastic towards Liu.
And it is even less likely that those elderly ladies would come over and ask Xia Tian questions like Wen Jin and the others did.
But they also have a target. Old Madam Shen is now entangled by a group of old ladies.
Especially Old Madam Xu, who directly took the hand of the old lady of Wu'an Marquis Mansion and asked, "Old sister, you have such a great granddaughter-in-law, why are you hiding her from us?"
"That's right, elder sister, you are not very kind. We also want a portrait, and it's not like you won't pay for it."
"Yeah, how much is a portrait? Just ask directly. You have to queue up for me!"
The old ladies also looked like they were about to get Madam Shen's approval, which made it very difficult for her.
If she said directly that she didn't know that wild girl could draw, it would seem that it would be beneath her status as the head of the family.
She said she knew, but she really had no idea.
If she agrees now, she's afraid that wild girl will make trouble and embarrass her even more.
The old lady was in a dilemma when Shen Hui came over.
Shen Hui smiled and said, "Ladies, please don't embarrass my grandmother. You don't know how tight-lipped my sister-in-law is. She really didn't reveal a single word to us. We only learned about it today.
If any of you old ladies want your portraits painted, I'll ask her when the time comes. However, she only paints two a month at most and won't take more than that. I guess you'll have to wait a long time."
Madam Wen continued, "I heard from my second son that Mr. Xuanying only paints two paintings a month at most. The painting he gave me was something he paid extra for and used his connections to get me."
Since Lady Shen has a good relationship with her eldest granddaughter, it is only right for her to say a few words for them, so that some people won't think she is so great that she won't even want to spend more money.
Since that girl comes from a poor family, she definitely doesn't have any dowry. It's not okay to just take advantage of her status and make people work for free without paying them.
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