The Purple Bamboo Courtyard was reached quickly, with many maidservants guarding it, yet the atmosphere remained quiet and orderly. The courtyard was elegantly and richly constructed, perfect for a girl’s family to reside in.
A charming maid dressed in onion-green bijia standing under the veranda saw Fei’er and her party approaching. She hurriedly lifted the curtain and said, smiling, "Young Madam, you’ve had a tiring journey. You’ve brought two young ladies with you; please co inside."
Fei’er said, "You all have worked hard too. Once the Second Lady’s birthday has passed, I’ll surely reward everyone well."
Saying this, she led Ning Huaixiu and Juhua into the room. Upon entering, they were t by a wave of warmth. The room was not only warm like spring but also fragrant. Around ten young ladies of varying figures were either seated or standing, bustling with laughter and conversation. Upon seeing Fei’er enter, they stopped their chatter and promptly stood.
Ning Huaixiu was a well-known socialite in the Capital; everyone recognized her. Only Juhua had seldom appeared in public, only making an appearance at the palace’s gathering years ago when she first t Cai Wei. However, at that ti, everyone was focused on paying tribute and dared not lift their heads, so very few noticed her appearance. As such, the young ladies in the room did not recognize her.
Fei’er said, "No need to stand on ceremony, everyone. Please, sit down and chat!"
Saying this, she proceeded to introduce everyone. She didn’t ntion Juhua’s specific identity, only saying she was the legitimate daughter of Lord Shen’s family. The young ladies, unaware of Shen Juhua’s background, saw her wearing an exquisite mutton fat jadeite and mandarin duck jade pendant and dressing in a misty cotton yarn jacket worth several hundred taels per piece, associating with Ning Huaixiu, and assud she was a noble woman of so family; they greeted her warmly and humbly.
After ushering them in, Fei’er exchanged a few words of banter before heading upfront to busy herself.
The daughters from General Zhongyi’s Mansion and Duke Wu Qing residence approached, warmly surrounding Shen Juhua and chatting. A young lady around ten years old stepped forward and grabbed Juhua’s hand, lifting her face to ask, "Sister Shen, are you the young lady of Lord Shen’s family, recently reassigned to the Capital as the Inspection Envoy of Fengzhou? Why haven’t I seen you before?"
The Inspection Envoy of Fengzhou was indeed a third-grade official, not differing much in rank from Juhua’s father, so Juhua quickly shook her head, smiling at the young girl, "No, my father was reassigned to the Capital from the north, previously serving as a county magistrate in Qing County of Bianzhou!"
Just as these words fell, the young girl’s smile abruptly disappeared, and her voice turned cold.
"So you’re that Shen Juhua!"
Juhua was taken aback. She didn’t know this young girl, nor did her family hold any grudge against her. Why did the young girl harbor such animosity towards her?
"Uh, yes, what’s the matter?"
Upon hearing this, the young girl angrily let go of her hand, saying sharply, "My cousin nearly lost his life because of you, and my uncle almost died of illness in the north, and now here you are rushing to marry as soon as my cousin beca disabled. You truly are heartless and cold-hearted! If you’re like this, then why co to Duke Li Guo’s Mansion? Do you still think my cousin isn’t hurt enough?"
The speaking young girl was Lady Bai’s niece, who had overheard adults gossiping about Mo Zili and Shen Juhua’s affair and rembered it. She considered Shen Juhua to be an ungrateful and profit-driven woman. Being young and impulsive, upon recognizing Juhua, she turned hostile and directly confronted her.
Juhua blushed at the accusation, coughed, and said, "Little sister, you’ve misunderstood. There’s really nothing between and your cousin; it’s your imagination!"
"Bah, who is your sister? My father is a third-ranking official of the court, and your father is... what? With your lowly status, you’re not even fit to serve ! I’m only for my cousin’s murder—then my jewel—now let ask you, you repeatedly claim there’s nothing between my cousin and you, but if there’s nothing, would he have jumped off a cliff to save you? He isn’t the kind who would risk his life to save others out of righteousness. If it were you, would you jump off a cliff to save soone you just knew?"
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