Chapter 41

"Miss, aren't we here to buy clothes?"

Chun Xing followed Jiu Yingying, looking at the shops on the roadside, and asked with some confusion.

In the capital, every time there was a gathering among noble ladies, they would compare clothes and jewelry. Jiu Yingying always prepared carefully. Her clothes might not be the most gorgeous, but they were definitely carefully thought out. But this time, Jiu Yingying did not mention anything about clothes and jewelry from beginning to end. Even now that she went out, she did not go into those shops to have a look.

"No, I have other things to do." Jiu Yingying didn't explain much and took her around and around until they came to the busiest market in the capital.

It's very lively here with people coming and going. Street vendors are constantly shouting, and each stall is full of people.

After Jiu Yingying arrived at the market, she slowed down her pace and strolled leisurely with Chun Xing.

"Miss, what are you doing here?" Chun Xing became more and more confused.

She really couldn't understand why a girl of such noble status as her young lady would suddenly want to go to the market here.

Jiu Yingying opened her beautiful eyes and slowly stared at the people around her, and replied nonchalantly: "I want to hire a maid."

Chun Xing was stunned. "Miss, there are so many well-trained maids in the mansion. If you want to add a maid, just tell the steward directly. The maids sold here are not trained. They have no rules and don't know how to serve people. They are not as good as the people in the mansion."

Jiu Yingying shook her head and said thoughtfully: "The maid I want to buy is a little different. The maids in the mansion are too well-behaved."

Chun Xing was even more confused. A servant had to know the rules in order to serve the master well. The more knowledgeable a servant was, the more valuable she was. So why did her mistress want a maid who didn't know the rules?

Seeing that people were coming and going around her and it was inconvenient to talk, she reluctantly suppressed her doubts and did not ask any more questions.

Jiu Yingying took Chun Xing for a walk. There were many people at the market and disputes were inevitable. Within half a minute, they saw two women quarreling over a box of rouge in the rouge shop in front of them. Each woman cursed more fiercely than the other, swearing and almost coming to blows.

Jiu Yingying paused and watched silently for a while. Seeing that the two women were arguing more and more fiercely, she shook her head and left.

After that, every time Jiu Yingying passed by a place where people were quarreling, she would stop and look for a while. She looked very seriously, as if she was examining goods. Sometimes she would clap her hands happily, sometimes she would sigh in disappointment. She picked and chose, but never found the right one.

Chun Xing couldn't help but wonder in her heart, when did the young lady like to watch people quarrel? And why did she come to this place to watch them quarrel?

Even though she didn't like asking too many questions, she couldn't help but be curious. She wondered what Jiu Yingying wanted to do this time.

It was not until Jiu Yingying walked to the door of a steamed bun shop and looked for a while that she stopped completely. The owner of the steamed bun shop was standing in front of the steamed bun stall, pinching her waist and scolding a wretched-looking man next to her. The man was scolded so hard that he was sweating coldly.

"You shameless bastard, you dare to take advantage of me, you are so shameless."

"You have three white eyes, pale skin, and look like a stupid chicken. You don't even take a piss to look at yourself. Even if I die, my man will not look down on you."

"He has shifty eyes and looks like a chicken, and he has a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, which makes him ugly!"

...

The thin man who was scolded by the bun shop owner was not only unable to fight back, but was almost sweating coldly.

Jiu Yingying stopped with interest and stood aside, watching quietly.

Chun Xing couldn't help laughing after listening for a while, "Miss, this bun seller's scolding is still interesting."

The quarrels they had just heard were filled with all kinds of dirty words, which sounded extremely vulgar and made their ears callused. However, this woman did not use any dirty words, nor did she repeat herself, but she was able to make people unable to refute her. It sounded extremely interesting and not annoying at all.

The two people were watching with great interest. The lady boss of the bun shop was still cursing, "A widow is always surrounded by gossip. It's not easy for me to raise a daughter, but I won't let you, a jerk, bully me. You look like a jerk. You don't look like a decent person. Everyone come and take a look. Good women should never marry such a thing. Watch out for him stealing and eating your chickens."

Chun Xing looked at it for a while and couldn't help asking, "Miss, what do you want to buy a maid for?"

"I want to buy a maid to take back..." Jiu Yingying looked at the boss lady of the bun shop who was getting more and more excited as she scolded, and smiled faintly, "Help me scold."

Chun Xing was stunned and opened her mouth in surprise. She never expected that Jiu Yingying's statement of hiring a unique maid would be so unique.

Jiu Yingying smiled gently. In her previous life, she suffered because of her mouth. Jiu Hongdou said all kinds of bad things about her behind her back, but she would not say these. Others ridiculed her in front of her, but she felt that she would marry the Second Prince in the future and must not embarrass him. She had to be a qualified princess in the future, so she always cared about her face and could not refute. Every time someone scolded her or ridiculed her, she felt wronged.

Although she didn't want to repeat the same mistakes in this life, she was too lazy to argue with them. Instead of wasting her breath, she might as well hire someone to go back and help her curse. She would be happy to be relaxed and comfortable.

All she wanted in her life was to eat, drink, and watch shows happily, and never waste time on unimportant people.

The proprietress of the bun shop continued to curse the man in different ways. Jiu Yingying became more and more satisfied as she watched. The proprietress had a decent appearance and a slightly plump figure, and was very pleasing to the eye. Although she was cursing loudly, she did not say a single dirty word, which was exactly what Jiu Yingying required.

Those noble ladies like to speak in a sarcastic tone. If they find someone who is full of foul language to scold them, it would seem like a shrew scolding on the street, as if they are being bullied. This proprietress is just right, not too vulgar, nor too weak.

The thin man couldn't bear it anymore after a while. He was scolded so hard that he was confused and ran away with his head in his hands.

Jiu Yingying waited until everyone had dispersed before walking over.

The proprietress scolded the man away and breathed a sigh of relief. She turned around and picked up her daughter who was standing timidly behind her. She picked up a freshly baked bun and fed it to her daughter, teasing her softly. Compared to her ferocious look just now, when she looked at her daughter, her eyes were soft and gentle, like water, she was completely different from before.

Jiu Yingying felt a little sad when she looked at the little girl. There were always a lot of gossips around a widow, and it wasn't easy for the proprietress either.

The proprietress saw a gorgeously dressed lady coming over, her eyes lit up, and she quickly greeted her, "Miss, would you like to buy some buns? Today's buns are delicious, they're still hot from the pot."

"What's your name?" Jiu Yingying asked with a smile.

"Li Caihua." The proprietress answered cheerfully and took out a handkerchief to wipe her daughter's mouth.

Jiu Yingying asked again: "How much silver can you earn a year selling buns here?"

Li Caihua looked at Jiu Yingying suspiciously. Seeing that she was wearing silk and satin, she didn't look like someone who would take advantage of her money, so she replied, "Two taels."

"I'll give you ten taels." Jiu Yingying smiled, "You come back with me, and you can take my daughter with you."

Li Caihua was stunned. Such a large amount of silver was undoubtedly a huge temptation for her. However, the hardships she had experienced over the years had taught her that there was no such thing as a free lunch. She couldn't help but become alert.

She looked Jiu Yingying up and down, and asked in confusion: "Why do you want me to go back with you? I tell you, I, Li Caihua, can't do anything else except making steamed buns."

"You can also curse."

Li Caihua knew that Jiu Yingying must have seen her scolding that stinky man just now, and thought she was deliberately teasing her, and she couldn't help feeling embarrassed and angry.

"Why do you, a young lady from a rich family, come here to tease me?"

"I'm serious." Jiu Yingying touched her daughter's hair, raised her head and smiled, "After you come back with me, you should stay in the mansion and take good care of your daughter. You don't have to do anything else. When I need you, just come and help me scold people."

Li Caihua's eyes lit up, "Are you serious?"

Although she still had some doubts, her daughter was young and timid, and it was not a long-term solution for her to keep her daughter here. Now faced with such a great temptation, she couldn't help but want to take a gamble. If she won the bet, she and her daughter would have a good life, and her daughter would have a stable future.

Jiu Yingying nodded, "Well, don't worry, I will never lie to you."

Li Caihua thought about it briefly and decided that this deal was a good one no matter how she looked at it. She couldn't help but pat her chest and said, "I know how to do this!"

Jiu Yingying smiled, "Then it's settled. You go back and pack up, and you just need to be at Jiufu before tomorrow night."

Li Caihua was stunned. "Nine Mansions?"

Seeing her shocked look, Chun Xing couldn't help but smile and interrupted, "It's the Marquis's Mansion. Our young lady is the young lady of the Ninth Mansion. If you follow our young lady in the future, our young lady will definitely not treat you and your daughter badly. You and your daughter will be blessed in the future."

Li Caihua was a little worried just now, but now that she knows Jiu Yingying's identity, she is completely relieved.

She immediately thanked him profusely and agreed repeatedly, and was so excited that she was a little incoherent, "Miss Jiu, this is really a great thing! I, I, I...how can I thank you? In the future, I will work like a slave and swear allegiance to you until death, and repay you well!"

"Just help me curse!" Jiu Yingying took out some silver from her purse and handed it to her, smiling, "Your daughter just got frightened, buy her two candied haws."

Li Caihua's eyes turned red with excitement. She refused for a long time before accepting the silver. She hugged her daughter and thanked Jiu Yingying repeatedly.

Jiu Yingying gave a few more instructions and set the time for her to arrive at the mansion and the person to contact. Li Caihua nodded repeatedly with a smile on her face, holding her daughter in her arms, thinking that this might really be a pie in the sky.

She was originally a girl from an honest family, but her husband died later. As a woman with a child, she had to show up here and was often bullied by those nasty men. However, she didn't know how to do anything else except selling buns. If it weren't for raising the child, she would never have shown up here and been gossiped about.

She loved her man so much that even if he died, she never thought of remarrying. But just because she didn't want to, didn't mean no one cared about her. She was always worried when she set up the stall here every day. Now that she can finally change her career, she is both happy and wants to cry.

Jiu Yingying was willing to hire her, not only giving her so much money, but also willing to let her bring her daughter with her, which was saving her from a dire situation. She now looked at Jiu Yingying as if she were a living Bodhisattva, and was filled with gratitude.

Chapter 42

Jiu Yingying solved the maid's problem and understood Chun Xing's worries. She took Chun Xing to the teahouse on the next street. After entering the teahouse, she directly asked for a private room.

The door to the private room was half covered with a bamboo curtain, and the soundproofing was not very good, so one could hear people talking outside.

Jiu Yingying sat for a while, ordered a pot of Biluochun, and drank tea quietly while enjoying the scenery. Sure enough, after a while, she heard the sound of conversation from next door.

"The prince's wedding is approaching, why is there no joyful atmosphere in the capital?"

"You all know the prince's temperament. Who knows whether this is a happy event or a sad one?"

"Are you going to die? Keep your voice down."

"It's okay, I can't hear you. I think this happy event can still be successful. The Crown Princess's father is the Ninth General. No matter how sinister the Crown Prince is, he wouldn't dare to kill the general's daughter directly. At most, he would ignore the Crown Princess after the marriage and torture her when he's in a bad mood."

Jiu Yingying smiled softly, today was the day of rest for Nanzhai Academy, the largest academy in the capital. When these scholars had nothing to do, they liked to come here to drink tea and talk about love and romance, so she had guessed that they would gather here today and talk about the most talked-about rumor in the capital now - her marriage.

When these literati and poets are excited about talking, they don't care about anything else. They always think that others will automatically close their ears and can't hear what they say.

Fortunately, people are open-minded now, literary inquisition is not popular, and no one wants to make a fuss about their words, otherwise they would have been arrested long ago for being so presumptuous.

"It's a pity to say that. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was a man of outstanding appearance and grace. I was lucky enough to see him when he returned to the court. I was amazed by his beauty. I thought that with such a wise ruler in the future, the people of our dynasty would surely enjoy a hundred years of peace. I didn't expect that in just a few years, the Crown Prince has become what he is now."

"The prince was very popular at the beginning. The young general was like a green pine and a bright moon. He was a legend for a while. Most of the women in the capital wanted to marry him. I thought that when he got married, many girls would fight for him. I didn't expect that he would fall to the point where everyone avoids him today."

"It's fate, man proposes, God disposes."

"Everything is determined by fate. Who can tell for sure? Instead of sighing over the prince, why not have a drink for our own lives? No matter how miserable the prince is, he is still the prince of the emperor. We don't need to worry about him."

"Yes, yes, let's have a drink of tea instead of wine."

...

Jiu Yingying ate snacks while listening silently to the conversation of these literati and scholars. He Huailing was so successful that he surpassed his master and had a high reputation among the people, which made the suspicious Emperor Jing wary of him, so he was forced to cut off his arms and recuperate.

Now people's opinion of He Huailing has taken a sharp turn for the worse, and He Huailing himself has to send someone to guide them.

He deliberately spread rumors of sinister and cruel behavior and ruined his own reputation, just to make Emperor Jing less wary.

There is gain only when there is sacrifice. This method of his has bought back a few years of peaceful life and allowed him to temporarily avoid the spotlight. Now it seems that although he was cruel to himself, it was indeed a good method. Otherwise, he would have become a thorn in the side of Emperor Jing and he would not be able to sleep peacefully unless he got rid of him.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is lucky. Although everyone avoids him, he was able to marry the most beautiful girl in the capital. He should be content."

"Your Majesty has suddenly given the Crown Prince such a Crown Princess. I don't know if the Crown Prince will be stimulated and his mood will become even worse. When we walk these days, try not to go to the East Palace, so as not to accidentally cause trouble when passing by the gate. After all, the Crown Prince is moody. Who knows if he will catch and kill anyone he doesn't like on the street."

"What's wrong with the Crown Princess? His Majesty has granted the Crown Prince this marriage, and the Crown Prince should be happy. The Crown Princess is the legitimate daughter of the Ninth General and comes from a noble family. I heard that she is also known as the most beautiful woman in the capital. Such a beautiful lady from a noble family would be worthy of the Crown Prince even if she married him when he was not injured."

"You don't know, the problem is not the identity of the Crown Princess, but the problem is..." The man looked around and said in a low voice: "The Crown Princess already has someone she loves, and that person is the Crown Prince's younger brother, Prince Jin!"

"This matter is of great importance, you can't talk nonsense!"

"I've heard about it too... It's true. I heard that the Crown Princess and Prince Jin were childhood sweethearts. Prince Jin had already given the Crown Princess a token of love and promised to be together forever. It was an imperial decree from His Majesty that tore them apart."

"Yes! I heard that the token of love is a pair of lotus flowers. You must know what the pair of lotus flowers represent, right? If the prince knew about this, he would definitely be furious and who knows what he would do."

Jiu Yingying's face darkened. She came here just to listen to how people talked about her and He Huaijin, but she didn't expect that the people knew it so clearly.

"Could it be that the Crown Princess and Prince Jin are really having an affair?"

"I don't think so. I heard that... the Crown Princess had already smashed the token of love that Prince Jin gave her!"

"Broken? Could it be that the King of Xiang is interested but the Goddess is not?"

"I also heard that the Crown Princess said in front of everyone that the so-called token of love only represents the relationship between brother and sister! It is not what everyone thinks at all."

"In fact, I also think that the fact that Prince Jin and the Crown Princess have communicated with each other is very suspicious. His Majesty has issued the decree for several days. After the Crown Princess knew about the marriage, she not only accepted the decree with pleasure, but a few days ago, I also saw her in a good mood accompanying the Ninth Old Lady to the temple to burn incense. It can be seen that she is not sad about the marriage. If she was in love with Prince Jin, she would have been crying her heart out by now. How could she have the mood to burn incense?"

"Yes! My wife saw the Crown Princess fighting with another woman for fabric a few days ago. She seemed to be in a good mood and was not affected at all by the marriage."

"The Jiu family has already started actively preparing for the wedding. No one objects, and I haven't heard of any incidents in the mansion, so the rumors from the past cannot be trusted."

...

The people outside the bamboo curtain were discussing the matter with great interest.

Jiu Yingying listened silently and felt slightly relieved. It seemed that the rumors between her and He Huaijin, although not completely dissipated, were much better than those in her previous life.

At least there is still room for improvement. As long as she marries He Huailing smoothly, she will be able to shut everyone up over time.

In her previous life, she did not pay attention to the fact that her reputation was being ruined, and she allowed the first wife to maliciously smear her. In the end, not only did she implicate the Nine Families, she also unknowingly implicated He Huailing, making them lose face.

In this life, she must never bring shame to the Jiu family again, nor must she hold He Huailing back again.

This time, before she marries He Huailing, she must find a way to dispel these rumors.

"Is Miss Jiu really that beautiful? She's so beautiful that even the Second Prince is attracted to her? In my opinion, among all the princes, except for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the Second Prince is the most capable of taking on the responsibility. Miss Jiu is so lucky to have such a fate with both of them at the same time."

"Of course the most beautiful woman in the capital is beautiful. Every time the Ninth General returns victoriously, she will go to the city gate to greet him. Everyone who has seen her is attracted by her."

"The prince is so lucky. Even though his legs are crippled, he can still marry a beautiful woman. We are so envious of his good fortune."

...

Jiu Yingying knew there was no point in listening any further, so she stood up, put the silver on the table, and walked out with Chun Xing.

After leaving the teahouse, Chun Xing said angrily with a sullen face, "These scholars are so rude that they actually talked about the young lady behind her back. I will tell the old lady when I go back and ask her to send someone to punish them so that they will understand that the mouth can bring disaster."

Jiu Yingying said: "Don't pay attention to it. You can shut up one person, but you can't shut up thousands of people."

Chun Xing felt sorry for Jiu Yingying, her eyes turned red with anger, and she said unconvincedly: "Are we just going to let them say that?"

Jiu Yingying lowered her head and thought for a while, then said to Chun Xing, "Tomorrow, when Li Caihua arrives at the mansion, you will first help her get familiar with the rules of the mansion, and then assign her the first task."

"What mission?"

"She often walks around the market, so she must be familiar with the men, women, and children there. Those people in the market are experts at passing messages. Ask her to go back and chat with them. When she chats, ask her to pretend to mention me by accident."

Jiu Yingying thought for a moment and said, "Just say that I am very eager to marry the prince, and I prepare my dowry at home every day, waiting to get married with peace of mind. The more I say that I want to marry the prince, the better."

"Okay, Miss." Chun Xing's eyes lit up. She thought this method was very good and couldn't help asking, "Should we ask Li Caihua to clarify the relationship between Miss and the Second Prince?"

She felt that saying one word was no different from saying two words, so it would be better to let Li Caihua say more. It would be best if she could completely distance herself from the young lady and the second prince. That would be the best.

Jiu Yingying shook her head. "If you say too much, it will arouse suspicion. This is how the world is. The more you try to clarify, the less people will believe you. If you secretly tell others a little bit as if you know some secret, people will actively want to know more. The more secretive it is, the more real it will seem to them."

Chun Xing nodded, thinking that what the young lady said made a lot of sense.

Jiu Yingying continued, "The Second Prince and I are innocent. As long as there is no involvement in the future, the rumors will naturally be dispelled."

"Yeah!" Chun Xing couldn't help laughing, "After the young lady marries the crown prince, she won't have much chance to see the second prince. Everything will naturally be fine then."

Jiu Yingying smiled. Things would never be as smooth and beautiful as Chun Xing had imagined.

After she marries He Huailing, she will be a member of the royal family and will have more opportunities to meet He Huaijin. At that time, even if she ignores He Huaijin, He Huaijin will not let her go and will naturally find a way to find her.

However, there will always be a solution. At least now everything is moving in the right direction.

Jiu Yingying looked up at the warm sun in the sky and squinted her eyes slightly.

Tomorrow is Madam Song's birthday banquet. Madam Song is highly respected and all the wives of officials in the capital will come to her birthday banquet to pay their respects. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which is perfect for exposing the true face of the eldest wife.

She smiled and walked forward.

The most important thing is that her father will be back tomorrow.

Chapter 43

On the birthday of Old Madam Song, the sky was clear and the entrance to the Duke's Mansion was bustling with activity. Many dignitaries gathered in the courtyard. The stone lions at the entrance were hung with colorful cloths, and they looked majestic from afar.

To celebrate, the Song family invited people to perform lion dance, beat drums and gongs, and set off firecrackers. People gathered around, making the place very lively.

Several luxurious carriages were parked next to the stone lions. Jiu Yingying and Jiu Hongdou got off one of the carriages. The maids hurried forward to support them, and after they stood firmly, they helped them take off their cloaks.

Both of them had pretty faces and attracted the attention of people around them as soon as they got off the car. Jiu Yingying wore a red silk dress with white crane beads, looking gorgeous; Jiu Hongdou wore a pink light-colored dress, looking like a beautiful girl from a small family. When they stood together, they looked like two shining pearls, one radiant and dazzling, the other gentle and petite.

Song Shulan stood at the door, looked at them and sneered softly. Jiu Yingying had been beautiful since she was a child, with bright eyes, white teeth, charming eyebrows and eyes, and every part of her body was exquisite.

She had thought that Jiu Yingying would be dimmed by the blow she suffered because of the arranged marriage, but she had not expected that Jiu Yingying would still look so radiant and beautiful, making people unable to take their eyes off her.

She was angry but also felt somewhat relieved. Looking across the entire capital, only Jiu Yingying could compete with her. If Jiu Yingying were to fail from then on, she would lose her opponent, which would be meaningless.

Now Jiu Yingying is so energetic, she also feels motivated when she sees her.

Jiu Yingying adjusted her skirt and glanced at Li Caihua and Chun Xing who were following behind her. Her eyes deepened. She raised her eyes inadvertently and saw Song Shulan standing on the stone steps looking at her. She smiled faintly at Song Shulan.

Everyone saw Jiu Yingying and Song Shulan, one standing on the steps and the other standing at the bottom of the steps. The two looked at each other from a distance and smiled gently. Everyone couldn't help but shift their eyes to them.

Jiu Yingying was standing next to Jiu Hongdou just now. Although Jiu Hongdou had pretty features, she was still inferior to Jiu Yingying and looked pale in comparison.

But when Jiu Yingying and Song Shulan stand together, they are evenly matched and each has their own strengths.

Jiuyingying is famous in the capital for her stunning looks, and Song Shulan is famous in the capital for her talent in poetry and calligraphy.

Everyone felt pleased when looking at the two beauties, each with her own unique characteristics.

Jiu Hongdou noticed the change in everyone's gaze and couldn't help but stamp her feet in annoyance. It was always like this. As long as Jiu Yingying was around, even if she tried hard to dress more beautifully than Jiu Yingying or wear more expensive jewelry than Jiu Yingying, it was useless because everyone's gaze would still be focused on Jiu Yingying.

Jiu Yingying looked at Song Shulan without any hostility in her eyes. She always used to look down on Song Shulan, thinking that Song Shulan was putting on airs and that he seemed to be immersed in pedantic poetry and prose, always behaving in a very formal and incoherent way.

But now Jiu Yingying has changed her mind. She feels comfortable to have an upright opponent like Song Shulan. She is at least a hundred times better than Jiu Hongdou who only does tricks behind the scenes.

Jiu Yingying thought so and smiled at Song Shulan with eyes like peach blossoms, which made Song Shulan confused.

Song Shulan stared, unable to help but ask, "Jiu Yingying, are you overstimulated and have gone stupid?"

Jiu Yingying walked up the steps gracefully, looked at her with a smile and said, "Shulan, long time no see."

After her family passed away in her previous life, she hid in the East Palace and complained to herself, refusing to see visitors. Song Shulan came several times but didn't see her, so she wrote a letter and asked someone to give it to her. Song Shulan comforted her word by word in the letter and showed her tender care.

In her previous life, Jiu Yingying saw the true faces of many bad people, and also saw the true faces of many good people.

Song Shulan is a good girl.

When Song Shulan heard her words, she couldn't help but widen her eyes and looked at her as if she had seen a ghost, stunned.

Jiu Yingying was always reserved and arrogant in front of her, and had never spoken to her in such a soft voice. She almost suspected that she was dreaming.

Jiu Hongdou didn't hear what they said, but saw Song Shulan with her mouth wide open, looking extremely frightened. She thought that Jiu Yingying had said something shocking again and made Song Shulan so angry, and she couldn't help feeling happy.

She walked over in small steps, looked at Song Shulan, and said hesitantly, "Alan, my sister is in a bad mood. If she has offended me in any way, please forgive me and don't take it personally."

When the noble ladies standing around Song Shulan heard Jiu Hongdou's words, their eyes changed and they all turned to look at Jiu Yingying with teasing eyes and a hint of disdain in their eyes.

By now, everyone in the capital city knew that the beautiful Jiu Yingying was about to marry a cripple. Many people were secretly laughing at her in their hearts, and they were no exception.

Everyone is secretly waiting for the day when the crown prince becomes deposed, and then they can completely trample the proud Jiu Yingying into the dirt.

Now when they heard Jiu Hongdou say that Jiu Yingying was in a bad mood, the smiles on their faces deepened involuntarily. They knew without thinking why Jiu Yingying was in a bad mood.

If the Jiu Yingying of the past had been surrounded by so many people, her cheeks would have blushed and she would have been extremely angry, but the current Jiu Yingying's expression remained unchanged. She ignored everyone's gazes and just smiled faintly.

She turned her head and looked at Jiu Hongdou and said, "Sister, who told you that I was in a bad mood? Today is the old lady's birthday. I came to celebrate her birthday, so of course I should be in a very good mood."

Jiu Hongdou looked embarrassed for a moment. Jiu Yingying had never refuted her in public like this before. She was used to pretending to be a "good sister" who apologized for her ignorant sister in front of everyone. She didn't expect Jiu Yingying to be so flawless in her words today.

Jiu Yingying looked at her indifferently and continued to smile: "What's more, the old lady is a blessed person. I am about to get married now. I am so happy to be here to enjoy the old lady's joy. How can I be in a bad mood? Sister, you are really wronging Yingying by saying this."

Jiu Hongdou stared at Jiu Yingying blankly, not knowing if it was her illusion. She always felt that Jiu Yingying looked a little different today. Although Jiu Yingying was smiling, the look in her eyes was exceptionally cold.

"Yingying, you said it well." The old lady of the Duke's Mansion came out at some point. After hearing Jiu Yingying's words, she waved to her with a smile on her face, "Yingying, come here. Let me take a good look at you."

Jiu Yingying walked over with a smile and bowed, saying sweetly: "Old Madam, I wish you a happy birthday, long life and good fortune."

"Good!" Old Madam Song smiled brightly, "Yingying is thoughtful."

Jiu Yingying held the old lady's hand affectionately, "May you live a long and healthy life, and the Duke's Mansion will prosper. Yingying must take advantage of your blessings."

Old people love to hear happy words, especially those about having many children and grandchildren and a prosperous family. When the old lady heard Jiu Yingying praising her like this, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

She smiled and said, "The so-called blessing is the cause and effect of how you behave. If you are kind to others, you will naturally get good results. If you are evil to others, you will naturally be hurt. As long as Yingying cultivates a kind heart and does good deeds, she will definitely be blessed."

"Yingying understands." Jiu Yingying nodded, looking like she was being taught, and the younger generations around her also nodded in agreement.

The old lady's eldest grandson, Song Minglang, stood nearby and had been listening in silence. Only when he heard Jiu Yingying's soft reply did he look up and glanced at Jiu Yingying.

Jiu Yingying was also looking at him. Song Minglang had a handsome appearance and a tall figure. He was the eldest son of the Duke's Mansion and also He Huailing's study partner.

He has been good friends with He Huailing since childhood. When He Huailing decided to go to the battlefield to lead the troops to fight, Song Minglang, despite his family's opposition, followed He Huailing to give up military service and pursue literature. Although he came from a family of literati, he did not disappoint. He was also a fierce general on the battlefield and made great military achievements.

He Huailing and he had a deep relationship. He Huailing once saved his life on the battlefield, so they were friends for life and death.

After He Huailing was injured in the leg, Song Minglang broke with He Huailing for the benefit of the family, and took advantage of He Huailing's illness to snatch the military power from He Huailing.

Over the years, he has held a high position and received great attention from Emperor Jing, becoming the leader of the imperial guards in the capital. However, he has also been cursed behind the scenes. Everyone thinks he is an ungrateful villain and despises him behind his back. Even the reputation of the Song family, which has been accumulated for hundreds of years, has been damaged.

But Jiu Yingying knew that He Huailing and Song Minglang had always been of the same mind. This was just a secret plot by He Huailing and Song Minglang. They pretended to break up in order to keep the military power in their hands.

Song Minglang is loyal to He Huailing and is willing to bear the blame to help He Huailing. He is a loyal minister and a good general, as well as a close friend of He Huailing. He is open and honest and a true gentleman.

Jiu Yingying admired him from the bottom of her heart. Seeing him now, she couldn't help but smile and nodded slightly.

Song Minglang's expression did not change. He took a step back respectfully, bowed to Jiu Yingying, and then personally led everyone inside. He behaved politely, with the demeanor of a young master from a noble family.

Jiu Yingying personally stroked Old Madam Song as they walked into the courtyard, where many female relatives were already sitting, talking and laughing in a lively manner. There were operas being performed on the stage, and all the operas were festive ones. Even the maids and servants in the Song mansion wore red brocade clothes with a big "Longevity" character embroidered on the front. Everyone had a happy smile on their face, and the air was filled with joy and laughter.

Jiu Yingying glanced over and saw a face among the female relatives that she had not seen for a long time. Jiu Hongdou's biological sister Jiu Hongmei was sitting among the female relatives.

Jiu Hongmei has a round face, willow-shaped eyebrows, dark skin, and is a few years older than them. She married Chen Shifei, the second son of the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion, a few years ago.

Marquis Yongchang is from He Huaijin's faction. Chen Shifei is a well-known playboy who spends his days in debauchery. Even after marriage, he still likes to linger in brothels and have affairs with other women, often neglecting their husbands. Jiu Hongmei's mother-in-law is extremely harsh to her daughter-in-law, so Jiu Hongmei does not have an easy time in Marquis Yongchang's mansion.

Chen Shifei was not a good man, but the first wife chose this marriage for Jiu Hongmei without hesitation in order to win over the Marquis of Yongchang for He Huaijin. Jiu Hongmei agreed immediately because she thought that the family status of the Marquis of Yongchang was relatively high. She had always been clear-headed and she did not need her husband to be nice to her. She just needed to continue to be a noble in the Marquis's mansion.

Jiu Hongmei's in-laws were not only overbearing, they also did not allow her to return to her parents' home often, so she returned to the Jiu Mansion very rarely. This was the first time Jiu Yingying had seen her since her rebirth.

The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-05-24 23:17:10~2020-05-26 08:29:25~

Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: Lu Han will release 2 albums on 0527;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 7 bottles for Lu Han's album released on May 27; 5 bottles for Sample; 1 bottle for Ewha-ryeon;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!

Chapter 44

The biggest difference between Jiuhongmei and Jiuhongdou is that Jiuhongdou can disguise but Jiuhongmei cannot.

No matter how much Jiu Hongdou hated Jiu Yingying in her heart, she still acted like a loving sister in front of everyone. She plotted against Jiu Yingying in secret, but she always smiled on the surface.

Jiu Hongmei never concealed her tit-for-tat towards Jiu Yingying. Her favorite thing since she was a child was to snatch Jiu Yingying's things, no matter how small they were, such as pearl hairpins and rings or how big they were, such as silk and satin. She would pick the best ones. As long as Jiu Yingying wanted something, she would definitely snatch it away. No matter what, she would never let Jiu Yingying get what she wanted.

If Jiu Yingying gave things to her, she would take advantage of the situation and say that Jiu Yingying was not worthy of using those good things.

If Jiu Yingying didn't give her the things, she would tell everyone that her grandmother was not her real grandmother and that was why she was partial to Jiu Yingying.

In order to save her grandmother's face, Jiu Yingying had to swallow her anger. This kind of life did not end until Jiu Hongmei got married.

Jiu Hongmei smiled immediately when she saw Jiu Yingying coming over. Usually, she would frown when she saw Jiu Yingying, so this was the first time she smiled so brightly, but this smile was full of sarcasm and gloating.

She herself had married an unhappy marriage and had always felt dissatisfied. If Jiu Yingying pretended to be better than her, she would have been so jealous that she couldn't sleep. Now that Jiu Yingying married someone no worse than her, she couldn't help but gloat and suddenly felt balanced.

Her husband could at least run and move, which was better than Jiu Yingying marrying a cripple, a cripple who could be deposed at any time. If Jiu Yingying married him, her future would be ruined.

Jiu Yingying pretended not to notice the smile in her eyes that was about to be hidden, nodded gently, and helped Madam Song sit down.

Old Madam Song was delighted by what Jiu Yingying said just now. Now seeing that Jiu Yingying looked respectful and docile, and not at all domineering because she was about to become the Crown Princess, she couldn't help but like Jiu Yingying more and more. After sitting down, she held Jiu Yingying's hand without letting go, and with a kind face, let Jiu Yingying sit next to her.

Jiu Yingying smiled and did not refuse, and sat down next to Old Madam Song.

Jiu Hongdou frowned and looked at her, feeling uncomfortable. The elders always liked her to be well-behaved and sensible, but this time Jiu Yingying took the lead. She was naturally a little unhappy and sat down next to Jiu Hongmei reluctantly.

After the group sat down, they chatted happily for a few minutes.

Jiu Hongmei endured for a while, but could no longer control her desire to mock. She looked at Jiu Yingying and said in a mocking tone, "Yingying, you don't look too well, but did you not sleep well last night?"

What she said was pure nonsense. Jiu Yingying's skin was moist and glowing, and her little face was pink and cute. She must have slept very comfortably last night.

It's just that everyone had preconceived ideas, and they all thought that Jiu Yingying must be sad about her marriage, so when Jiu Hongmei said that, even if Jiu Yingying looked normal, everyone could see a bit of haggardness on her face.

Several noble ladies looked at Jiu Yingying. The more they looked at her, the more they felt that Jiu Yingying was sad and haggard, and they couldn't help but speak.

"Yingying, you do look a little haggard, your face is so pale that it's almost transparent. Alas... it's pitiful."

"Your eyes look watery too. Are you sleepy? Or have you been crying? Why do the corners of your eyes look a little red..."

"Yingying, you have to take care of yourself. Even if you are unhappy or have something on your mind, don't make yourself sick."

"You have to live your life no matter what. Even if there are things that don't go your way, you have to keep going. Everything is determined by fate. If you have a bad fate, you should accept it quickly. After all, it's good to get over it sooner rather than later."

...

Everyone started talking in a few words, not giving Jiu Yingying a chance to speak at all, and they automatically began to mock, pity, and regret... A big drama began with the sound of gongs and drums.

Jiu Yingying knew that if she directly refuted now, everyone would just think she was showing off, so she didn't speak in a hurry, but just looked at them with a smile.

Chun Xing stood behind Jiu Yingying and couldn't help but clench her handkerchief anxiously. She knew that her young lady would definitely be bullied when she came to the Song Mansion today, but she didn't expect that the first person to embarrass her young lady would be the eldest daughter.

Li Caihua next to her was also very anxious and eager to speak. Jiu Yingying was her master and her benefactor. She couldn't bear to see Jiu Yingying being bullied or suffering any loss.

Now she just wanted to speak up and retort to these noble ladies who spoke coldly to her. It would be best if she could make them speechless and force them to shut up.

But Jiu Yingying had instructed them before they came that none of them could speak without her instructions.

Jiu Yingying thought about it secretly for a while, and when everyone had finished speaking, she looked up at Jiu Hongmei and smiled softly.

She showed a shy look on her face and said in a soft voice, "To be honest, Yingying's wedding is coming soon. Because I had to work overnight to embroider the dowry, I did go to bed a little late last night. I may look a little haggard. I didn't expect that you have such good eyesight that you could see it."

Song Shulan was stunned and couldn't help asking, "Do you still need to prepare your dowry yourself?"

This is the key point of Jiu Yingying's words. Since Jiu Hongmei wants to embarrass her with ill intentions, she will just go with the flow and turn the tables.

When everyone heard Song Shulan's question, they couldn't help but look at Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou. Everyone in the capital knew that Jiu Yingying's grandmother was old, her mother passed away early, her father was stationed at the border all year round and seldom returned home, and the mistress of the Jiu family was Qin.

Logically speaking, Qin should have arranged Jiu Yingying's dowry, and the sisters Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou should also help with personal items such as embroidery. But now Jiu Yingying is the only one who is making it overnight, which cannot help but make people think too much.

Over the years, Qin has been secretly saying outside that the Ninth Old Madam is the second wife, so she is partial to her own son and grandson and granddaughter. She and her husband are respectful and filial to the Ninth Old Madam, and treat Jiu Yingying better than their own daughter. But what mother would not prepare a dowry for her own daughter?

Jiu Hongmei felt everyone's gazes and was stunned. She didn't expect that her casual question would bring up the issue of dowry.

Jiu Yingying nodded gently and said briefly: "Aunt is busy, Yingying will prepare it herself."

Jiu Hongdou saw that everyone's eyes changed after listening to Jiu Yingying's words. She couldn't help but look at her eldest sister anxiously and was secretly angry in her heart, but she was smarter than Jiu Hongmei and quickly calmed down.

She pursed her lips, forced a smile and said, "Sister, mother originally wanted to help you prepare the embroidery, but I heard from grandmother that you can prepare it yourself, so I didn't start."

Jiu Yingying did refuse to let Qin prepare embroidery for her. That was because in her previous life, although Qin agreed to help her prepare it, she later found all kinds of excuses to refuse, saying that she was sick today or busy tomorrow. Anyway, until the day of her wedding, there were only a few embroidery pieces, and those that were available were all defective.

Because of this incident, she was often ridiculed by the eunuchs and maids in the East Palace.

Although He Huailing would not see her dowry, the eunuchs and palace maids saw it clearly when her dowry was delivered to the storehouse of the Eastern Palace.

Later, this incident spread and became a joke in the capital.

Jiu Yingying frowned slightly, and said in a low voice, hesitant to speak: "Second sister is right... I couldn't bear to see my aunt work so hard for me, so I refused..."

Jiu Hongdou looked at Jiu Yingying in shock and blinked in disbelief. She almost suspected that Jiu Yingying was possessed by her.

Isn't Jiu Yingying's current look of being considerate, hesitant, and pitiful her usual behavior?

She had used this trick against Jiu Yingying countless times. Although she didn't say anything, she still aroused everyone's sympathy for her.

Now that Jiu Yingying also showed this look, she realized how hateful it was. She couldn't help but feel so angry that her teeth were itching, but she couldn't say anything.

Song Shulan frowned and said in confusion, "Now that the Ninth Madam is getting older, all these tedious matters in the Ninth Mansion should be handled by Madam Qin. Even if Jiu Yingying can prepare the embroidery herself, what about the other dowry? Does Jiu Yingying, an unmarried girl, have to handle all of them?"

Jiu Hongdou was angry and annoyed in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. She tried to be calm and said, "Miss Song is right. It's just that my mother was a little upset about Yingying's marriage recently, so she was sick and didn't have time to help prepare the dowry. As for the embroidery, my eldest sister and I were too worried and forgot about it. We neglected this matter. When we get back, we will help Yingying prepare the dowry."

She turned to look at Jiu Yingying, with an expression of deep sisterly affection, and said in a concerned voice: "Yingying, just tell us what embroidery you need, and we will definitely embroider it for you by hand. With our sisters working together, we will definitely be able to make it in time."

Although Jiu Hongmei didn't want to help, she knew that everyone was looking at them, so she forced a smile and said in a shrill voice: "Hongdou is right, Yingying, don't be anxious. With my mother here, you don't have to worry about anything."

Jiu Hongdou and Jiu Hongmei said in unison: "Yes, Yingying, our mother has always loved you and treated you better than she did us. When she recovers from her illness, she will personally prepare your dowry and will definitely let you marry in style."

She said this in front of everyone. If Jiu Yingying got married with a generous dowry, everyone would definitely attribute it to Qin, saying that Qin was generous and treated Jiu Yingying better than her own daughter.

But in fact, Jiu Yingying's dowry had nothing to do with her. She didn't pay a penny. The dowry left to her by Jiu Yingying's mother was already quite large. Even if Qin gave her some more, the money came from Jiu Yixing and was the dowry given to her by Jiu Yixing.

Over the years, every time Jiu Yixing returned victorious, Emperor Jing would reward him according to his merits and give him a lot of things.

Jiu Yixing was at the border for a long time and lived in the military camp. He had no place to spend the money, so the money was kept in Jiufu for Jiufu's spending.

Jiu Mingxing only has a title but very little land. He has taken advantage of Jiu Yixing a lot over the years. His family has taken a lot of Jiu Yixing's property and squandered it everywhere. It is obvious that Jiu Yixing is supporting everyone in the Jiu family, but outsiders do not know these things. They think that Jiu Mingxing is taking care of Jiu Yixing's two children and mother and is getting all the good names.

Jiu Yingying's eyes darkened when she thought of this. Today, she must reveal the true identity of the Ninth Family's eldest branch in front of everyone!

The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-05-26 08:29:25~2020-05-27 09:49:44~

Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: Eleven 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Eighteen Farewells, 2 bottles of Heart Mustard Seed;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!

Chapter 45

When the people around heard Jiu Hongdou say this, they all praised Qin.

"Hongdou is right. Madam Qin has been kind to Yingying all these years, and she will definitely not treat Yingying unfairly."

"I remember that Hongmei had quite a bit of dowry when she got married. If Madam Qin prepared more dowry for Yingying, it would be really enviable."

"It is a blessing to have such a kind-hearted aunt. Although General Jiu is doing great in the war, Madam Qin and Lord Jiu are not any less relaxed in the capital. Thanks to them for taking care of General Jiu's children, General Jiu should be very grateful to them."

...

Jiu Yingying's eyes were calm, she smiled calmly, and slowly said: "Aunt's love, Yingying is grateful in my heart, but my mother left me a lot of dowry. My father has made many military achievements over the years, and His Majesty is generous and benevolent, and has rewarded many good things according to merit. I should not be short of dowry..."

Jiu Yingying paused, then changed the subject, "Uncle only takes a salary. Although the land left by our ancestors was given to him by my grandmother, he suddenly sold the land a few years ago for unknown reasons. Now there is only a small amount of land left, and the rent is not enough to cover the expenses. Yingying knows that Aunt has already worked hard to manage the expenses of the house. How dare Yingying trouble Aunt again?"

When everyone heard her words, they couldn't help but show a little surprise and turned to look at her.

The Jiu family's eldest branch has always been generous in spending money outside over the years, and Jiu Mingxing has been living a life of debauchery all day long. He doesn't look like a poor man at all, but it turns out that he is already short of money?

"Yingying!" Jiu Hongdou called out hurriedly, trying to stop it.

Jiu Yingying never paid attention to the matter of money before, nor did she talk much about it outside. Now that the matter of money was suddenly mentioned in front of everyone, she couldn't help but be caught off guard and her heart started beating rapidly.

Jiu Yingying chuckled, looking at Jiu Hongdou's pale face with a smile, and continued in a soft voice: "Speaking of which, when my elder sister got married, her dowry was insufficient, and my aunt and elder sister cried every day. My grandmother was kind-hearted and felt very distressed when she saw it, so she gave most of her dowry to my elder sister, which made up for my elder sister's dowry and allowed my elder sister to get married in a grand manner."

As soon as she said this, Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou's faces changed, knowing that something bad was going to happen.

The smile on Jiu Yingying's lips widened, her beautiful eyes were dark and bright, with a cold light flashing in her eyes, shooting straight at Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou.

She continued to speak slowly, "Yingying has seen all of this and understands your difficulties. How could she ask you to buy more dowry for Yingying? Besides, the dowry that her parents left for Yingying is already enough."

Although she spoke lightly, everyone in the room was shocked because her words contained so much information.

Qin has always told others that they are taking care of Jiu's entire family. Everyone has always thought that they are responsible for the food, clothing and other expenses of Jiu's family. Qin also said that Jiu Yixing only knows how to fight, and neither supports the elderly nor educates children. He has never cared about how much the elderly and children would cost in a year.

But now it seems that Jiu Ming Bank obviously doesn't have much money, but the Jiu family has been wearing gold and silver all these years. Where did the money come from? Everyone has a vague guess in their hearts, could it be that they used the money from Jiu Yi Bank?

Since Jiu Yixing left all his money in Jiufu, why should he care about how much the elderly and children spend in a year? Anyway, the entire Jiufu is spending his money!

The Ninth Old Lady gave the ancestral land and most of the dowry to the First Wife. It can be seen that she has done her best for the children left by the original wife. How can there be any bias? This bias is also biased towards the First Wife.

They were just saying that Jiu Hongmei had a large dowry. It turns out that the dowry was given by the Ninth Old Madam, which is obviously better than that of her own grandmother.

Qin was clearly vague about the concept before, only saying one thing and not the other. Everyone's understanding of the internal affairs of the Nine Families has always come from Qin and the two sisters of the first house. Today is the first time they have heard of these things, and they can't help but be shocked.

Jiu Hongdou and Jiu Hongmei didn't expect Jiu Yingying to say such a thing suddenly. They were caught off guard and stunned. Their hearts sank suddenly. They clenched the handkerchiefs in their hands with gloomy expressions, not knowing how to refute for a moment.

Jiu Yingying admired everyone's expressions, smiled faintly, picked up the teacup, and pretended to lower her head to drink tea.

Jiu Mingxing has always been lustful. He got into trouble a few years ago. He insulted a girl and beat the girl's father to death. The girl was unwilling to be humiliated and jumped into a well and died. Although the girl's fiancé was a scholar, he was a tough guy and went everywhere to redress the girl's grievances.

In order to settle this matter, Jiu Mingxing sold a lot of land, but the eldest wife had kept the reason a secret from Jiu Yixing and the Ninth Old Lady.

Jiu Yingying later learned the truth by accident. The girl's fiancé was named Chen Bing. After being forced into a desperate situation by Jiu Mingxing, he chose to join the army. He performed bravely and was highly valued by He Huailing, working for He Huailing.

After Jiu Yingying married He Huailing, he would glare at her with resentment every time he saw her. Jiu Yingying was confused and after several investigations, she finally learned the truth. However, it had been several years since the incident and it could not be verified.

The eldest wife spent a lot of money on this matter, and their treasury had long been emptied.

Song Shulan couldn't help but ask, "Hongmei, Hongdou, what on earth is going on?"

Jiu Hongmei was completely stunned. She opened her mouth, not knowing how to answer. She now regretted very much that she had said too much. If she had known earlier, she would have kept quiet and not provoked Jiu Yingying.

Jiu Hongdou clenched her teeth, feeling extremely angry. Old Madam Jiu had devoted herself to worshipping Buddha over the years and seldom left the house. Jiu Yingying, under the instigation of her two sisters, was not close to these noble ladies, so everyone knew everything about the Jiu Mansion based on what they said.

Now that Jiu Yingying suddenly laid all these things out in front of everyone, all their previous efforts were in vain.

Jiu Hongmei is already married, Jiu Yingying is already engaged, and she is the only one who has not been betrothed. If everyone knew that she didn't have much dowry, who would dare to come and propose marriage in the future? Although she only has He Huaijin in her heart, it would be too embarrassing if this got out.

The most important thing was that her mother had originally planned to tamper with Jiu Yingying's dowry when she got married, picking out some things that looked good but were not useful for Jiu Yingying, and leaving the rest for her as her dowry.

Now Jiu Yingying has repeatedly mentioned her dowry in front of everyone, so when Jiu Yingying gets married, everyone will definitely pay special attention to her dowry. It will not be easy for them to tamper with it. This is almost equivalent to her future dowry being greatly reduced. How can she not be annoyed and angry!

But she has always been dignified and gentle in front of outsiders, and she absolutely cannot confront Jiu Yingying on the spot. She rolled her eyes, barely suppressing the anger in her heart, and looked up at Zhao Xiaoxiao, the daughter of the Shangshu family next to her.

Zhao Xiaoxiao has always been on good terms with her. She has a reckless personality and always speaks without considering the consequences. It was just right for Li Xiaoxiao to speak up and help her out.

Zhao Xiaoxiao understood, straightened her skirt, stood up and pointed at Jiu Yingying, glaring at her and said, "Jiu Yingying, you are so shameless! Your mother died early, and your father is not in the capital. Who has taken care of you all these years? If it weren't for your uncle's family, where would you be today? You are getting married now, but you only care about your dowry. Have you ever thought about how to repay your parents before you get married? You really have no conscience, you are an ungrateful person!"

Her words were so confident that they instantly turned the situation around. The eldest branch had been friends with everyone for a long time, and they had always portrayed themselves as selfless and kind, which had long been deeply rooted in people's hearts. Everyone unconsciously believed their words more and felt that Jiu Yingying was being unreasonable.

Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou secretly curled their lips in satisfaction, and when everyone looked at them, they pretended to be sad and helpless, and sighed softly, acting as if Jiu Yingying was making a scene and they, as sisters, could only tolerate her unreasonable behavior.

Jiu Yingying watched coldly, pulled the corner of her mouth sarcastically, and was too lazy to talk to them any more.

She raised her chin to Li Caihua who had been standing behind her, and said to everyone, "My throat is not feeling well today. If you have any questions, let my maid answer them for me."

Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou glanced suspiciously at the unfamiliar maid behind Jiu Yingying, not sure what Jiu Yingying was up to. Jiu Yingying's voice was clear and sweet, and she looked very normal, but she was clearly lying with her eyes open.

Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou looked at Li Caihua's excited look, eager to try, and for some reason, they both had a bad premonition in their hearts.

Li Caihua has settled down in Jiufu, which has a quiet environment. Jiu Yingying also sent her daughter to a private school so that she can study. She is extremely grateful to Jiu Yingying, and when she heard Jiu Yingying's instructions, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she rolled up her sleeves, determined to do her best.

Zhao Xiaoxiao looked Li Caihua up and down, and sneered with disdain: "Jiu Yingying, you don't have the face to answer yourself, so you let the maid answer for you? Well, I want to see what you, a maid, can say to confuse right and wrong."

Jiu Yingying slowly picked up a piece of fresh and juicy watermelon, took a light bite, and sat back to watch the show.

With Chun Xing's introduction, Li Caihua had already inquired about the situation in the Jiu Mansion and knew everything about the First House. She had long disliked Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou, and when she heard that it was finally her turn to perform, she walked to the center position with confidence.

She was a little plump, and she looked very confident with her hands on her hips. She first glared at Zhao Xiaoxiao, and then spoke in a hoarse voice. She was experienced in quarreling and spoke very quickly, throwing out questions one after another, leaving people overwhelmed.

"Our young lady has a grandmother to take care of her, and a group of maids to serve her. Who do you think took care of her when she grew up?"

"Our young lady is a very upright lady. She uses the money of our general and has never spent a penny on other people's food and clothing. How can she be asked to repay the favor?"

"Our young lady is about to get married. Since you mentioned the dowry, she said she would answer you. How can she be worried about it? Besides, even if she is worried about it, our young lady is worried about her own dowry. She is not like others who are always worried about our young lady's dowry. Our young lady is open and aboveboard. What is there to hide?"

"It's the other two Miss Nine sitting here." Li Caihua turned to look at Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou, "Do you dare to say that you have never spent a single ounce of silver from our general since you were little?"

Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou were stunned at the same time. Facing Li Caihua's sudden questioning, their faces turned pale at the same time and they were speechless.

The author has something to say: He Huailing, who was sitting upstairs, looked at the watermelon in Jiu Yingying's hand, silently reached out and took a piece of watermelon to eat, and watched the show together.

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-05-27 09:49:44~2020-05-28 10:25:40~

Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: Eleven, YXL 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 42172819 10 bottles; Duzhuoqianchang 2 bottles; Shuying, 41139827 1 bottle;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!

Chapter 46

Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou naturally didn't dare to say this. Have they ever used Jiu Yixing's money? Of course they have.

Before Jiu Ming Xing sold the land, Qin had used her power as a housekeeper to embezzle a lot of money from Jiu Yi Xing. After Jiu Ming Xing sold the land, Qin went even further, trying to secretly get the money into the hands of the eldest wife without anyone noticing.

If this matter is investigated, it will probably become an ugly mess.

Jiu Hongdou thought about it for a moment and felt that she could not refute or discuss the matter in detail, so as not to arouse Jiu Yingying's anger and make the matter worse. She could only smooth things over and try to get past the matter.

She tucked the loose hair behind her ears, forced a smile and said, "It's strange for a family to talk about money. Since we live together, how can we divide it so clearly?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao nodded and immediately continued, "Jiu Yingying, are you obsessed with money? Although you have your grandmother and maids to serve you, and your uncle's family doesn't take care of you personally, they have been caring for you all these years, asking about your well-being every day. Are you going to forget every bit of kindness?

The noble lady next to her echoed: "Yes, one should not be so heartless..."

Li Caihua stood in front of Jiu Yingying and looked at Zhao Xiaoxiao and said, "My lady, how do you know that the eldest wife is very concerned about our lady? Did you see it with your own eyes? Or did you plant a spy in my lady's house?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Zhao Xiaoxiao couldn't help but get angry.

"Is it me who is talking nonsense, or are you? I have been in the mansion for a few days. During these days, I have been living in the young lady's yard, but I have never seen anyone from the main house in the young lady's yard."

She paused for a moment and continued, "According to what you said, the people from the nine big houses would ask about our young lady's well-being every day, so how come I didn't even see their shadows?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with any refutation. After all, she had never been to the Ninth Mansion, so naturally she didn't know how they got along.

Another noble lady behind her who was on good terms with her couldn't help but say, "What do you, a new servant, know? You've only been in the mansion for a few days and you dare to speak nonsense here. I think you want to be beaten!"

She has an average relationship with Jiu Hongdou and Jiu Hongmei, and just wants to take the opportunity to step on Jiu Yingying. After Jiu Yingying becomes the Crown Princess, no matter whether the Crown Prince is in name only or not, as long as Emperor Jing does not depose the Crown Prince, Jiu Yingying will be the Crown Princess.

Then, they would have to bow and be respectful to Jiu Yingying when they saw her in the future, and there would be a huge difference in their status from then on.

This might be her last chance to be on an equal footing with Jiu Yingying, so she must of course seize the opportunity to mock Jiu Yingying and satisfy herself first.

Jiu Yingying's expression did not change. She remained indifferent no matter who spoke. She had experienced these taunts and ridicules in her previous life, so she had expected that coming here today would not be an easy task. That was why she hired Li Caihua. Fortunately, Li Caihua performed outstandingly, so she didn't have to waste her breath.

Li Caihua is experienced in quarreling in the vegetable market. She is loud when necessary and sarcastic when necessary. This is more than enough to deal with these noble ladies.

When she heard what the noble lady said, she did not get angry, but just rolled her eyes and said, "I really don't know. I only know what I saw with my own eyes."

She turned to look at Old Madam Song and said, "I just saw something. When the two young ladies went out, the weather suddenly turned cold and a cold wind blew. The eldest lady had two cloaks delivered. The second young lady's cloak had a white plush collar and red brocade peony embroidered on both sides, and our young lady's cloak had a brown satin cloud pattern stand-up collar."

Li Caihua stopped talking and did not say anything else. The two cloaks were still in the hands of the maids behind Jiu Hongdou and Jiu Yingying. Li Caihua did not lie, and Jiu Hongdou could not refute even if she wanted to.

Everyone looked at the two cloaks at the same time. Chun Xing spread out the cloak for everyone to admire. Xiao Zhi was holding Jiu Hongdou's cloak in her hand. Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she didn't know what to do, so she had to lower her head.

At first glance, these two cloaks are both windproof cloaks, and both come from Qin's care and love. However, it is obvious that Jiu Hongdou's cloak is more beautiful and gorgeous, while Jiu Yingying's cloak is dark in color and does not look like something a teenage girl would wear. If Jiu Yingying was not so cute, she would probably look a few years older for no reason.

Everyone unconsciously recalled that when Jiu Yingying and Jiu Hongdou got off the carriage just now, the reason they looked at Jiu Yingying and Jiu Hongdou at the same time was because they were extremely conspicuous.

Jiu Yingying was chosen because of her outstanding face which made it hard to ignore her, while Jiu Hongdou was chosen because of her gorgeous cloak which made her look more eye-catching and prevented her from being outshined by Jiu Yingying at first sight.

If, as Jiu Yingying just said, the Jiu family's main house is already stretched to the limit, then why is Jiu Hongdou's cloak better than Jiu Yingying's?

Everyone present here has lived in a large mansion for a long time. Who wouldn't understand Qin's little thoughts?

After they figured out the whole cause and effect, they couldn't help but curl their lips. It seemed that although Qin was full of benevolence and morality, she was actually always greedy for the second house's money. She said that she treated Jiu Yingying better than her own daughter, but in fact she was secretly tripping Jiu Yingying.

Today is Old Madam Song's birthday, and everyone is dressed in festive attire, except for Jiu Yingying's dark cloak which looks out of place.

Fortunately, the weather had just turned warmer, so they took off their cloaks after getting off the car. Otherwise, people who didn't know would think Jiu Yingying came to cause trouble for Old Madam Song on purpose.

On the other hand, Jiu Hongdou's cloak was covered with brightly colored flowers, like peonies in full bloom, which symbolized prosperity and auspiciousness at first glance, making people happy. It was most appropriate to wear it on an occasion like today.

What kind of storms and waves has Old Madam Song not seen, what kind of struggles within the house has she not seen? She naturally understands the reason.

Although she didn't say anything, the look in her eyes when she looked at Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou couldn't help but fade.

Jiu Hongmei became anxious when she saw that the situation was not good. She said angrily, "Don't listen to this bitch's nonsense. My mother has always treated all the daughters of the Jiu family equally. This cloak is a misunderstanding. It must be because my mother was too anxious, so she took the wrong one!"

Li Caihua showed a surprised expression, "You just said that the eldest lady favored our young lady, how come she treats us equally now?"

Jiu Hongmei's breath was choked, and she realized that she had said the wrong thing again, and she couldn't help but frowned in annoyance.

Li Caihua smiled and said, "Miss, you just said you took the wrong cloak? Then I want to ask, even if the lady took the wrong cloak, can she also take the wrong gift?"

Madam Song was stunned. "What gift?"

"Madam, let me show it to you." Li Caihua said.

She walked over and took the brocade box held by the maid behind Jiu Yingying, and then walked over and snatched the brocade box from Xiao Zhi's hand. Xiao Zhi was weak and was caught off guard by her and the brocade box was taken away.

Li Caihua was quick and agile, and it was too late for Jiu Hongdou to stop her. She could not help but glare at Xiao Zhi fiercely. Xiao Zhi was startled and quickly knelt down in fear, sweating coldly.

Jiu Hongdou stared at Li Caihua angrily. If her eyes could shoot out sharp arrows, she would have shot Li Caihua through long ago!

Jiu Hongmei knew that the situation was not good and wanted to step forward to snatch the brocade box back, but Jiu Hongdou grabbed her arm in time and shook her head gently.

Now they are in the center of the storm. If they act rashly, everyone will just think they are guilty, so now they can only keep their troops in place and respond to all changes with the same attitude.

Jiu Hongmei shook her head in annoyance, but she knew that Jiu Hongdou was always smarter than her, so she could only stay where she was and watch Li Caihua take the two brocade boxes away.

Li Caihua placed the two brocade boxes on the table in front of Old Madam Song and opened them in front of everyone. Everyone couldn't help but become curious and stretched their necks to look over.

Jiu Yingying finished eating a piece of watermelon, picked up another piece, and like an outsider, she watched everyone's reactions with a calm look.

The two brocade boxes were placed side by side. In the Jiuhongdou brocade box was a white porcelain statue of Guanyin. The white porcelain was delicate and smooth, and the Guanyin Bodhisattva had kind eyes and a benevolent look, which was obviously a top-grade product at first glance.

Old Madam Song, like Old Madam Nine, likes to worship Buddha. This gift is thoughtful yet not too vulgar. It is just right for a daughter to give such a gift to an old person. Everyone knows that Old Madam Song will be satisfied.

In Jiu Yingying's brocade box was a golden statue of Guanyin. At first glance, it looked golden, valuable but vulgar. If it were just that, it would be okay, but when everyone looked closely, they found that there was something else going on.

"Isn't that... the Guanyin who brings fertility?" The wife of an official nearby couldn't help but exclaimed after seeing the Guanyin statue inside.

Everyone gasped in surprise, and when they looked carefully, they found that it was indeed a statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth.

Today is Madam Song's 60th birthday. Madam Song is already old, so giving her a statue of Guanyin is obviously inappropriate and even a bit rude.

The official's wife said hesitantly: "She is really the Goddess of Childbirth..."

Everyone couldn't help but look at Old Madam Song, their faces looking a little embarrassed.

Old Madam Song's expression suddenly turned ugly, and the expressions of the other members of the Song family also darkened. This gift was really disrespectful.

Normally, people would not open the brocade in public like this, because if they did, only the Song family would know what gift Jiu Yingying had given.

If Old Madam Song didn't know the reason, after receiving these two gifts, she would only think that Jiu Yingying was vulgar and extravagant, and that she was not careful enough when choosing the gifts. Not only would she not be happy, but she would feel disgusted.

Qin's behavior was really cunning. A small gift was enough to create a rift between the Song family and Jiu Yingying. It could be said that she had good intentions.

Jiu Yingying looked quietly at the white porcelain Guanyin and the golden Guanyin in the brocade box and sighed softly.

So that's how it was. Old Madam Song was good friends with Old Madam Nine. Originally, Old Madam Song had always taken good care of her, but after this day in her previous life, Old Madam Song suddenly changed her attitude towards her and became indifferent.

At that time, she trusted Qin very much, so she had no idea what the gift Qin prepared for her was, let alone where the problem lay.

Before attending the birthday party this time, she thought carefully and felt that the problem should be with today's gifts, so she asked Li Caihua to find a way to open the two gifts on the spot.

Qin really did not disappoint her at all. There was indeed a mystery behind these two gifts.

The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-05-28 10:25:40~2020-05-28 22:56:26~

Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: Eleven 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 4 bottles of Tomatoism; 1 bottle of 39441998;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!

Chapter 47

Li Caihua waited until everyone had a clear look at the two gifts before she spoke, "In the past two years, the old lady has grown old, and the affairs of the Ninth Mansion have always been managed by the eldest lady. The gifts the two young ladies brought were also purchased by the accountant. The two gifts look similar, but the level of care put into them is worlds apart."

"According to the records in the mansion's account book, the gifts given by the two young ladies are of the same price." She took out the fertility-giving Guanyin and handed it to Old Madam Song. "Look, Old Madam, although this fertility-giving Guanyin is made of gold, it is actually just painted with gold paint. But the white porcelain Guanyin was made by Master Nanping and is worth a fortune. How can these two items be of the same price?"

Everyone had different expressions. Master Nanping was a famous craftsman, and the things he made were definitely worth a lot of money. A Buddha statue painted with gold paint could not possibly be worth so much silver.

Where did the difference go? Was it embezzled by the accountant in the mansion, or was it pocketed by Qin? This is really thought-provoking.

Some people couldn't help but think of the gifts they had received from Jiu Yingying. Those gifts were cheap and vulgar. Many people started to dislike Jiu Yingying, or even hate her, from that time.

Jiu Hongmei could no longer bear it, and stood up in a rage, cursing: "You slut! You have ulterior motives! These things must be the accountant deceiving my mother. My mother has always been fair in managing the household, and she would never embezzle a penny."

Jiu Yingying smiled, looked at her with curved lips, and slowly said, "Big sister, my second sister and I have already taken out the gifts. I wonder what gift you have prepared for the old lady?"

Jiu Hongmei chuckled, took the brocade box, walked forward proudly and opened it, and said with a smile: "Hongmei personally selected a coral red agate Buddhist bead for the old lady. Do you like it, old lady?"

Old Madam Song did not move. Song Shulan glanced at her and said calmly, "This coral red agate Buddhist bead is very valuable."

Jiu Hongmei's lips curled up immediately, and she said proudly: "Of course, this item is precious and worthy of the old lady."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Jiu Yingying arrogantly. The smile on Jiu Yingying's lips deepened, and her pair of clear black and white eyes were full and dark.

Jiu Hongdou suddenly realized something and shouted, "Sister! The old lady has received your kindness. Please put the gift aside and don't disturb the lady."

Jiu Hongmei was not as smart as her and wanted to show off, but Song Shulan had already looked up at her with a sharp gaze and said, "Grandmother has received Madam Chen's kindness, but there is one thing I don't know, may I ask you?"

"What's the matter?" Jiu Hongmei smiled, her attitude gentle and flattering.

She came here this time just to establish a good relationship with the Song family, so she chose such an expensive gift. Her husband was not ambitious, so she wanted to ask the Song family for help to get him a position so that he would not just spend his days in debauchery.

Song Shulan said calmly, "Excuse me, Madam Chen, where did you get the money to buy the gifts?"

Jiu Hongmei was stunned for a moment, "Of course I got it from the account office in the mansion."

Song Shulan smiled and asked sarcastically, "Which mansion?"

Jiu Hongmei paused, her face gradually became ugly, and she finally realized that she had been accidentally trapped by Jiu Yingying.

Although she married into a family of equal status, the Chen family had many children, so she could only get a monthly allowance. Everyone knew that her husband liked to frequent brothels, so the monthly allowance was basically taken by her husband for fun, leaving very little.

She had been blessed with the support of her natal family over the years. Every time she went out to give gifts, Qin would secretly give her some money to help her save face. She just didn't expect to be exposed in public this time.

She looked at the mocking eyes of the crowd, bit her lower lip in embarrassment, and said with a lack of confidence: "Of course it is the Chen Mansion."

Obviously, everyone didn't believe it. The fact was very clear. There was a big difference between the silver actually spent on Jiu Yingying's gift and the silver recorded on the books. The difference in silver was obviously used for Jiu Hongmei's gift.

Qin is very resourceful and her actions are clear and obvious behind the scenes. If she used her own money to help her daughter, no one would say anything. However, not only did she use Jiu Yingying's money to help Jiu Hongmei, but the whole family also told lies one after another, which is a bit embarrassing.

Jiu Hongdou felt that everyone's gazes were like icy blades shot towards her and Jiu Hongmei. Those gazes were sarcastic and disdainful, which she had never felt since she was a child. Her cheeks were burning with pain, and she could only endure her embarrassment and anger in silence.

She raised her head and looked at Jiu Yingying with an uncertain expression. At this moment, she was sure that Jiu Yingying had changed.

She had been feeling that Jiu Yingying was a little strange recently, but now she understood that Jiu Yingying had planned this all along. She knew clearly that her mother had embezzled money, but she did not mention the matter in the mansion. She deliberately waited until today to bring it up in front of everyone, and she also found Li Caihua, a lowly maid, from somewhere to spread the matter.

She knew that with the development of the situation, soon everyone in the capital would know about it.

They were all fooled. Jiu Yingying was well prepared!

Jiu Yingying looked at Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou coldly. She knew Jiu Hongmei and Jiu Hongdou were feeling very uncomfortable because it was the first time that they were surrounded by these malicious gazes. Now everyone's eyes were like sharp swords that hurt them.

It was the first time for them to experience this kind of feeling, so naturally the feeling was unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but Jiu Yingying had experienced this feeling countless times.

Under their careful design, Jiu Yingying has tasted this sadness and grief time and again since she was a child, as if she was isolated from everyone.

She is now simply giving him a taste of his own medicine.

However, her two sisters' tolerance was worse than she thought. Jiu Hongmei's face turned pale, and Jiu Hongdou was not much better. She could not hide the anger in her eyes.

Jiu Hongdou closed her eyes, took a deep breath, calmed down a little, and quickly analyzed the current situation in her mind. Now that her mother and sister's reputations were ruined, she had to at least find a way to protect herself. She still had to be the queen in the future, so her reputation must be preserved.

She made up her mind, lowered her head and secretly rubbed her eyes until they turned red. Then she slowly stood up, walked to the center, bowed to Jiu Yingying in front of everyone, and spoke with red eyes.

"Yingying, don't think too much. Mother has been too worried about you these past two days and has become a little confused due to her illness. She truly loves you and the sisters are also sincerely doing good for you. It's just that there are too many servants and it's inevitable that there will be times when we fail to be careful. Please forgive us."

Jiu Yingying smiled and said without comment: "I didn't think much about it."

Others can just think more about it.

This was not the first time that Qin had done such a thing. She often withheld her money and secretly gave it to Jiu Hongmei. Then when Jiu Yixing returned to Beijing, she showed the general account to Jiu Yixing, saying that Jiu Yingying was spoiled and needed the best food, clothing and other expenses. Anyway, Jiu Yixing had always spoiled his daughter, and seeing his daughter spend so much money, he was not angry but happy and satisfied.

Jiu Yingying had never paid attention to these things before, so she didn't even know how she had offended all the famous families in the capital.

The women of these officials' families did not care about the value of the gifts, but cared more about the thought and respect. Jiu Yingying's gifts were impolite in the slightest details, which was a big taboo.

Qin often tampered with Jiu Yingying's gifts, making people think that Jiu Yingying was vulgar, ignorant, arrogant, and did not respect them at all. Over time, they developed a grudge against Jiu Yingying. Although they would not say anything openly, they kept it in mind and became increasingly cold towards Jiu Yingying, but Jiu Yingying was completely unaware of it.

Today Jiu Yingying wants to lay these things out in front of everyone and make those dirty things known to the public. After this incident, she believes that everyone present will recall the past and understand something, and their misunderstanding of her will gradually disappear.

Song Shulan looked at Jiu Hongdou's hypocritical face, turned to look at Jiu Yingying, and sneered: "I do sympathize with you a little."

Her parents are still alive, and she has only one brother in the family who loves her very much. The relationships in the Song family are simple, without so many twists and turns, and not so many things that need to be thought about and calculated. She always thought that Jiu Yingying was the same. Now that she saw Jiu Yingying being plotted against by the eldest wife, she couldn't help but feel a little sympathy, and suddenly realized that Jiu Yingying's life was not as easy as she imagined.

Jiu Yingying smiled bitterly. Song Shulan only saw these now and felt pity for her. If she knew that her whole family was killed tragically in her previous life, she didn't know how to sigh.

She did not speak any more. She had said everything that needed to be said today. It was enough to stop here. The more curious people were, the more they would pay attention to Jiu Fu's every move. Then Jiu Mingxing and his family would not dare to act rashly. Otherwise, as long as they made the slightest mistake, it would be magnified infinitely.

Jiu Hongdou's face turned ugly when she heard Song Shulan's words. She gritted her teeth, bowed to Jiu Yingying, and said with her head down: "Yingying, I apologize to you for my mother's negligence and my sister's recklessness. Yingying, for the sake of my second sister, please forgive my sister and mother this time."

When Jiu Hongmei heard Jiu Hongdou say that she was reckless, she glared at her unhappily. Jiu Hongdou patted her hands soothingly, and she turned away angrily.

Jiu Yingying chuckled. With just a few words, Jiu Hongdou cleared herself from the matter, as if she was the one who stayed out of it. All the mistakes were Qin and Jiu Hongmei's fault, and it had nothing to do with her anyway.

Not only was she completely unaware of what was going on, she also came out to apologize on behalf of her mother and sister. She really seemed aggrieved but sensible. Perhaps she could even take the opportunity to win everyone's favor.

Jiu Yingying stared at her for a moment and raised her eyebrows slightly. If you ask who in the Jiu family hates Jiu Yingying the most, it must be Jiu Hongdou. So one can imagine how reluctant Jiu Hongdou was when she apologized to her. Jiu Yingying certainly appreciated her rare compromise.

After appreciating enough, Jiu Yingying said with a half-smile: "Second sister, you are joking. How dare Yingying treat my aunt and eldest sister badly?"

Jiu Hongdou likes to act innocent and aggrieved, so why can't she do it too?

No matter what, her goal today has been achieved. If she wants to divide the family, she must let outsiders know in advance that the Ninth Family is not as peaceful as outsiders imagine, and the Second House definitely does not owe the First House anything. On the contrary, it is the First House that has been taking advantage over the years.

The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-05-28 22:56:26~2020-05-29 10:47:08~

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 5 bottles of a large grapefruit;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!