Chapter 209 Plea
Zijuan refused without hesitation.
“Miss Xue, the exam is tomorrow. Mr. Yuan is busy preparing things for you to take to the exam, and you are also busy. I’m afraid we won’t be able to meet today. How about we wait until after the exam, when my daughter and Miss Xue become classmates, then we can meet at the academy.”
Zijuan dared not make decisions on her own again and said that she would invite the Xue family mother and daughter over after the exam.
Their daughter is a shoo-in for tomorrow's exam; she'll definitely get in.
As for the Xue family's daughter, if she can get into the school and become classmates with them, it will be natural for them to meet.
If Miss Xue fails the exam, then that's a different story.
Upon hearing this, even with her excellent composure, Xue Baochai couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
If it were an exam for a girls' academy, which only consisted of a written test, Xue Baochai was confident that she could pass it easily.
But she heard that the exam included not only a written test but also an interview.
Many women who passed the written test were ultimately rejected during the interview.
What will the interview cover? Will they dig up any personal details? My brother is a convicted criminal whose household registration has been cancelled; will that affect me?
Although her mother had already prepared fake household registration information for her and taken care of everything, Xue Baochai was still very uneasy.
Xue Baochai had no way of finding out these things. If she let her mother spend money to ask people at the academy, Xue Baochai was afraid that the academy would directly judge her as unqualified.
She had heard of such things before, so she dared not let her mother act rashly.
Yuan Hongqu was the only person she could contact who was related to the girls' academy. Although Xue Baochai knew that Yuan Hongqu seemed to dislike her for no apparent reason, she still came.
If her brother's situation really affected her, Xue Baochai felt that her ambitions might be thwarted. From then on, she would obediently follow her mother's arrangements and focus all her efforts on winning over Baoyu.
She was determined to see Yuan Hongqu today, no matter what.
"Sister Zijuan, Lin Daiyu's birthday is after the exam. We are of lowly status and I'm afraid we won't be able to attend the birthday banquet. I have a gift that I would like to give to Lin Daiyu in person. It won't take much time. Please inform her."
Baochai adopted a very humble posture, but Zijuan, remembering the attitudes of her mistress and Granny Yuan earlier, still dared not agree.
“Miss Xue, how about I pass it on for you? Our young lady has spent the whole day studying except for meals, and nothing can disturb her. Please don’t make things difficult for me, Miss Xue.”
"Hehe, I never knew you were so sharp-tongued. Spending so much time with your young lady has certainly honed your tongue," Aunt Xue chuckled. "We used to live in opposite parts of the Rongguo Mansion, so we saw each other all the time. Now that your young lady is a princess, she's naturally more noble than us. Does she not even want to see her old relatives anymore? I'll have to have a good talk with her when I get out..."
"Mother, please don't say that. Lin Daiyu isn't that kind of person." Xue Baochai sneered, staring directly at Zijuan.
"I wonder if it was you, Zijuan, who made this decision on your own? I used to visit you often when you lived in Rongyue Courtyard. You young ladies were always so humble and kind. I still have the tea set that Lin Daiyu had sent over there. It's been so long since we last met. Is it really that difficult to see each other again?"
"Miss Xue's words are unreasonable." The curtain at the door moved slightly, and Yuan Hongqu walked in.
"Zijuan has already told you that Daiyu is studying, so if you know what's good for you, you shouldn't disturb her anymore. Why are you still bothering her here?"
Xue Baochai never expected that Yuan Hongqu hadn't heard any of what she had said before, but she had heard this one sentence.
Xue Baochai always felt that Yuan Hongqu could see through her little thoughts and the subtleties in her words at a glance. So Xue Baochai had been very careful, but in the end, she made a mistake and all her previous efforts were in vain.
I guess this trip today will be a waste of time, and I'm afraid I won't get any guidance.
With this in mind, Xue Baochai steeled her resolve and bowed to Yuan Hongqu, who had stopped standing there.
"Mr. Yuan, I have never had any ill intentions, nor have I ever slighted Princess Lin or you. Why do you always dislike Baochai?"
"It's strange, Granny Yuan. My Xue family is a prestigious family, with an ancestor who served as a Ziwei Sheren. We have repeatedly tried to curry favor with you, but you have ignored us and trampled on the Xue family's reputation. Today, we came to your door to request an audience, but this little girl kept making excuses for us. It's really too much. How can a mere governess like you be in charge of the Lin family?"
After Aunt Xue came to the capital, she became a mistress in the Rongguo Mansion because of her sister, Lady Wang. The mother and daughter had money, and when they spent money, many people came to flatter them, so they had some influence in the mansion.
Unfortunately, she suffered a setback at Rongyue Courtyard, and she never received a kind word from Yuan Hongqu.
Yuan Hongqu glanced at Baochai indifferently, seeing her face full of shame and indignation.
"Miss Xue, we are an honest and upright family, and we don't want to have too much contact with families that harbor criminals. Is there a problem with that?"
Xue Baochai stumbled and almost knelt down:
It's my brother again, and it's because of him again!
"Mrs. Xue, Miss Xue, everyone knows about this matter. If you both behave yourselves and live your lives peacefully, we will keep to ourselves and no one wants to bring it up."
Yuan Hongqu said meaningfully,
"I heard that Young Master Xue broke a leg. The man who was beaten to death in Jinling also had his leg broken first. Alas, what goes around comes around. No one escapes the wrath of Heaven."
Aunt Xue was so frightened that she slumped into a chair, trembling.
Xue Baochai was a little better off; she knew it was because of her brother that she was implicated.
But there are many sons of wealthy families in Jinling who are not as good as her brother, so why is it that her family is the only one who is unlucky, or rather, why is it that she is the one who is unlucky in the end!
After her brother arrived in the capital, he continued to eat, drink, and have fun, living a more carefree life than in Nanjing.
And because of him, I lost my chance to be selected. Now, does that mean I can't go to the girls' academy either?
Xue Baochai looked up, her face already streaked with tears. She was determined to fight for this opportunity.
“Mr. Yuan, I have been implicated by my brother and am no longer qualified to participate in the selection. Now that I have applied to take the entrance exam for the Girls' Academy, is there no chance at all? Mr. Yuan, this world is so unfair to women. For the sake of being a woman myself, I beg you to show Baochai a way out.”
Yuan Hongqu sighed inwardly. She didn't want to help Xue Baochai, but the girls' academy enrolled female students, and she felt the most pity for women like Xue Baochai who were implicated by their families.
Given Xue Baochai's knowledge and the refined demeanor she displayed as a lady of high birth in the Rongguo Mansion, she might actually be able to pass the exam and enter the academy.
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