Chapter 130 Xi Qingtong Visits Madam Xu
In the dead of night, Prince An stood alone in the courtyard, gazing at the starry sky. He saw a dim star next to the Purple Star, and he couldn't help but shudder.
"Who is it..." he muttered to himself, "King Wu? King Wen? King Ning? Or..."
But before he even uttered the name, Prince An denied it himself, "Impossible, he can't even take care of himself..."
But they don’t know that the impossible person is the most possible person.
At that time, Xiao Ji, the mastermind behind the incident, was reading a farming book under the lamp. Zhao Tong hurried in and whispered, "Master, there's news from the capital. His Majesty has changed the imperial physician for Prince An after hearing the rumors."
Xiao Ji gently closed the book, and the candlelight cast a swaying shadow on his handsome face: "My fourth brother must be having a headache now, right?" He chuckled.
"Master, this is a brilliant plan." Zhao Tong bowed and said, "Should we bribe someone to take action in Prince An's medicine?"
The young man under the lamp shook his head. "We don't need to take action on this matter. There are people eager to try. For now, we should focus on...farming."
Everyone in the palace was indeed busy during this period. Shanshan went back to find many agricultural books and asked many old farmers, and decided to cultivate the 30 acres of land in the palace carefully, starting with growing rice seedlings.
She would come to the palace every two or three days, which made Xu Zhuangyuan a little jealous of the seedlings. Fortunately, he had just entered the Hanlin Academy and was very busy. The couple each had their own careers, so there were no conflicts.
However, after entering the Hanlin Academy, Xu Huaiyu could not avoid frequent contact with Song Yunhe. If his wife had not learned about Song Yunhe's true character, Xu Huaiyu would probably have been deceived by his appearance. After knowing Song Yunhe's true face, Xu Huaiyu always kept a distance from him, which made Song Yunhe feel uneasy.
If it were someone else, it would not be a problem and Song Yunhe would not have to pay any attention to it. However, Xu Huaiyu came from a prominent family in Jiangnan and was the top scholar. The two of them were colleagues at the same table. According to previous years' practice, they would have worked together for at least a year or two. Song Yunhe wanted to make friends with him, but Xu Huaiyu was always indifferent to him, so he had to find another way.
"Tong'er, how about you make some friends with Xu Huaiyu's wife for me?"
Xi Qingtong heard this, and a reserved arc appeared on the corner of her lips. Her slender jade fingers gently stroked the pearl hairpin on her temples: "Don't worry, my husband. Just leave this matter to me."
A hint of complacency flashed in her eyes. "The Xi family has been a family of distinguished scholars for generations, and I am also one of the best ladies in the capital. Wouldn't it be easy to make friends with the wife of a newly arrived top scholar in the capital?"
Seeing this, Song Yunhe felt greatly relieved. He took Xi Qingtong's hand and said with a gentle smile, "Thank you, Madam. If it were Qingwu, this would definitely not be accomplished. Madam, you have the demeanor of a lady of a wealthy family."
Hearing him belittle Qingwu, Xi Qingtong felt relieved, and raised her chin even higher. "Of course. Xi Qingwu doesn't even know the basics of poetry and song. How can she get along with the wives of officials?"
Being praised to such a high acclaim by Song Yunhe, Xi Qingtong was overwhelmed with emotion. She immediately turned around and walked to the desk, pulling out a piece of gold-sprinkled paper. "I'll write a visiting card right away and go to the Xu residence to meet Madam Xu in the next few days."
Song Yunhe stood aside, watching Xi Qingtong write the calligraphy with an elegant and calm posture, neat and beautiful handwriting, and gentle and appropriate wording. He felt that his original choice was right.
Although Qingwu is thrifty, gentle and virtuous, she is ultimately no match for the social skills of the noble ladies from aristocratic families.
Now that he is valued by His Majesty, he will have a successful career in the future and will not lack gentle and virtuous people around him. However, he needs a noble lady like Qingtong who is proficient in socializing with aristocratic families to support his family.
It took less than a quarter of an hour to easily write a visiting card. As he blew away the wet ink, a glimmer of determination flashed in Xi Qingtong's eyes.
"Send it to the Xu residence." She handed the visiting card to Yinzhu, "We must make sure Madam Xu feels our sincerity."
She thought that this matter would definitely succeed, but she didn't know that Mrs. Xu in the Xu Mansion was not a stranger but an old acquaintance.
In less than an hour, the visiting card was delivered to Shanshan.
At the time, she was reading a collection of agricultural books that her husband had borrowed from the palace library. When she heard someone wanted to visit her, she instinctively refused: "Didn't I tell you? I don't want to go to any unnecessary banquets."
"But my lady, this visiting card is from the Song family, that is, Madam Song..."
The maid had been with Shanshan since she was little, and she knew about the Xi family's twin sisters' exchange. Thinking of the grievances her own wife had suffered in front of this new "Madam Song", the little maid specially handed over the visiting card.
As expected, Shanshan was stunned for a moment, then she reacted and took it immediately: "Is this from Xi Qingtong?" She opened the gold-embossed post with her slender fingertips, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth after reading it.
"Madam, do you want to refuse?" the personal maid asked in a low voice.
Shanshan gently closed the visiting card and asked, "Why are you rejecting it?"
Whether for herself or for her friends, she would not refuse. Thinking of the rejection she received at the Song family the first time she went there, and the cold stares she received at the weaving workshop last time, even Shanshan, who had a kind personality, could not suppress her anger.
"Since Madam Song has personally sent the invitation, I must naturally entertain her well."
*
Xi Qingtong was dressing in front of the mirror when she received the reply. She raised her lips slightly, and gently stroked the delicate reply with her fingertips: "Look, isn't it done?"
Jin Zhu flattered, "With Madam's help, nothing is impossible. I heard that Madam Xu was just a merchant, and even as the wife of the top scholar, she didn't have any high-ranking ladies to associate with. Madam is a daughter of the Xi family, so naturally she can't wait."
Xi Qingtong snorted softly, clearly in a very good mood. "Go to the storeroom and get that tea set from Rainy Sky Blue," she instructed. "And prepare some popular snacks from Jiangnan. The Xu family is from Jiangnan, so I'm sure they'll like it."
The maid hesitated and said, "Madam, that tea set was given by the emperor..."
"That's why I show my sincerity." Xi Qingtong pursed her lips and smiled, "Xu Zhuangyuan is currently in the emperor's good graces. If we can make friends with him, it will also be beneficial to my cousin's career."
After giving these instructions, Xi Qingtong took out a few gold hairpins from her dressing table and said, "Wear these tomorrow." She paused and said, "Go get the new brocade skirt I made for you. Wear it to the appointment tomorrow."
Although you're making friends, you shouldn't always lower your profile—after all, there's a difference in status between aristocratic families and merchants. If you're too humble, you'll end up being looked down upon.
The next morning, Xi Qingtong carefully dressed herself up and put on gorgeous clothes. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror to make sure everything was in place. Then she took two maids and came to Xu's house in a sedan chair.
Seeing that there were already two maids waiting at the door of the Xu Mansion, Xi Qingtong nodded with a smile, feeling pleased. She thought that the Xu family was quite polite, but she did not see the maid who led the way lowering her head and lowering her lips.
As Xi Qingtong entered the Xu Mansion, he suddenly saw that the courtyard was filled with flower pots of various kinds, about a hundred in number. Although they were properly placed, there were too many of them. It looked more like a florist's home than an official's residence.
Especially those pots in front, why do they look familiar?
She couldn't help but frown, thinking to herself: The Xu family is indeed a newly rich family, lacking the heritage of aristocratic family. Thinking this way, she couldn't help but feel a little more proud.
When they arrived at the reception room, Xi Qingtong collected her thoughts, put on a perfect smile, and walked in slowly.
However, when she saw the person sitting there clearly, she paused and the smile on her face slowly froze.
The same thing goes for the golden beads beside her.
This Madam Xu seems familiar...
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