Quick Wear: The male protagonists all fell in love with her at first sight

Chapter 265 The Young Master is Willing to Be a Mistress (10)

Song Xiangning seemed to have forgotten her earlier fear, and the topic turned to the shop again, as she was very curious about it.

Seeing Qin Sheng nod, Song Xiangning exclaimed and stood up excitedly: "Big Cousin is truly a hidden talent! This Baoxiang Pavilion, which is popular all over the capital, is actually a shop under your name."

Qin Sheng coughed lightly, feeling a little guilty, and said in a gentle tone, "My cousin is too kind. If you have any items that catch your eye today, please consider them as a token of my gratitude. I will have them delivered to your courtyard."

After Qin Sheng finished speaking, he gave Xie Jingci a meaningful look, thinking to himself, "I'm taking the blame for you, so it's not too much to ask for some of your things, is it?"

Song Xiangning was truly speechless with surprise. The ornaments from Baoxiang Pavilion were quite popular even in the palace. She had saved up her monthly allowance for several months in advance to buy a hairpin.

Xie Jingci noticed out of the corner of his eye that Jiang Rou's almond-shaped eyes were slightly wide with shock, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, her eyes sparkling with a strange light, and her hands were unconsciously clasped in front of her chest, making her look like a frightened raccoon dog, which was extremely cute.

Jiang Rou's skin was delicate and smooth, like the finest mutton fat jade, so when she gently swayed her sleeves, the incongruous redness and swelling appeared particularly glaring.

Xie Jingci lowered his eyes, a cold glint in them. He thought to himself that Sheng An's kick had been too light.

His gaze lingered for too long, and Jiang Rou noticed it. When she looked back, she saw his furrowed brows.

Jiang Rou looked somewhat bewildered, as if she felt deeply wronged by being disliked for no reason, and there seemed to be tears welling up in her eyes.

Then she lowered her head and took a step forward subtly, moving further away from Xie Jingci.

Xie Jingci looked again and could only see her slender back. He realized that Jiang Rou seemed to have misunderstood his expression. Before he could explain, he saw her being led downstairs by Song Xiangning.

Xie Jingci's words caught in his throat. He watched as Jiang Rou deliberately avoided his gaze when she looked back, feeling extremely wronged, and his expression immediately turned sour.

Qin Sheng watched the two of them go downstairs. When he turned around, he saw Xie Jingci's cold expression and was extremely surprised. Xie Jingci never showed his emotions. Why was he like this today?

Qin Sheng followed his gaze and saw Jiang Rou and the other person downstairs. As if he understood something, he couldn't help but think to himself, "No way, this person is actually stingy."

Fearing that someone would hold a grudge against him, Qin Sheng was about to say something to defend himself when he saw the person turn their gaze to him.

Qin Sheng leaned down and listened intently, but after a long while he heard no sound. When he looked up, he saw that the person had already walked far away.

"This is really strange," Qin Sheng thought to himself.

/

Every spring, when all the flowers are in full bloom, the noble families in the capital would hold a banquet called the Spring Banquet.

One reason is to celebrate the arrival of spring and to showcase the family's prosperity and flourishing.

Secondly, it was for social interaction and marriage alliances.

As a highly prestigious family in the capital, the Marquis of Weining's mansion would hold a Spring Banquet every spring.

Su Xuruo naturally couldn't let this opportunity slip by. She had been in the manor for over a month but had barely seen Qin Sheng's face a few times, spending her days being kept by Zhao Shi's side to be disciplined.

Because of Jiang Rou's incident, her reputation in the mansion was not good, and one thing after another drove her crazy.

If she were to organize this spring banquet, her current crisis would be resolved, and her good reputation would continue to spread throughout the capital.

Before she got married, at every banquet in the capital, big or small, she would be the center of attention, and everyone would praise her beauty and her demeanor.

but…..

Su Xuruo considered Zhao's temperament and realized that asking her to relinquish power was simply a pipe dream.

But if she were to give up this good opportunity, Su Xuruo would naturally be reluctant, but if she were to confront it head-on…

Thinking of Zhao's ruthless methods, Su Xuruo's face turned pale. She had suffered a lot of hidden losses these days.

Just as she was feeling troubled, Granny Li walked in.

Upon hearing Su Xuruo's words, Granny Li's eyes flickered slightly, and she lowered her voice and whispered a few words in Su Xuruo's ear.

A look of surprise flashed in Su Xuruo's eyes, but her voice was hesitant: "Granny, is your method feasible? What if someone finds out?"

However, Granny Li said with great confidence: "Master has a childhood sweetheart cousin by his side. As soon as Madam entered the mansion, this cousin was promoted to a concubine. She was spoiled by Master and became arrogant. She often acted presumptuously in front of Madam. Before Miss, Madam was pregnant and had been more than five months along, but she miscarried because of this cousin. It was a fully formed little boy."

Granny Li choked up and continued, "The lady hated that cousin so much that she spent a lot of money to buy this prescription. This medicine is colorless and tasteless. A small dose will make people dizzy and weak, while a large dose will make people die in their sleep. That cousin also passed away six months after the lady's miscarriage."

Hearing this story, Su Xuruo felt sorry for her mother while also secretly hating that concubine. She no longer objected to the matter of drugging Zhao Shi.

Granny Li was right. The drug could indeed affect people without them realizing it. Zhao Shi was in a daze for several days and then became bedridden.

Not wanting the power to manage the household to fall into the hands of the other branches of the family, Zhao reluctantly allowed Su Xuruo to temporarily take charge of the affairs of the household. However, Zhao did not want to give Su Xuruo the benefit for nothing, so she asked her daughter Qin Xiayue to help her.

Su Xuruo gained the power to manage the household and did not object to Qin Xiayue, her sister-in-law, who was also involved. However, she later discovered that Qin Xiayue was no less capable than Zhao Shi.

On March 26th, auspicious travels and banquets were held, and the Spring Festival Banquet was thus arranged for this day.

Jiang Rou originally wanted to stay in the courtyard to read and enjoy tea, but Song Xiangning dressed her up and took her to a banquet.

The banquet was about to begin, and Su Xuruo stood in the center of the crowd, looking elegant and dignified, like a star surrounded by the moon.

Su Xuruo was enjoying the gazes coming from all directions, her heart fluttering. Just as she was about to say something modest, she heard a voice.

"We are late, please forgive us."

Upon hearing the voice, the crowd turned their attention to the newcomer. Su Xuruo was somewhat displeased at the sight. She looked up as if to say something, but suddenly her gaze froze.

Two beautiful women were seen approaching gracefully. The woman in pink was a familiar face to everyone; she was Song Xiangning, who was quite well-known in the capital.

However, they did not recognize the young lady... no, the woman beside her dressed in a light blue silk robe.

After all, such a stunning beauty must be unforgettable.

Unaware of what was happening to everyone else, Su Xuruo immediately guessed the person's identity—Jiang Rou.

A fleeting shadow of gloom crossed Su Xuruo's eyes as she thought of her widowed brother-in-law.

He then stepped forward, grasped Jiang Rou's hand, his expression joyful, but his voice suddenly rose: "You didn't even tell me you were coming, and I never see you go out. Last time I sent someone to deliver a gift, it just so happened that you were sick, which caused quite a misunderstanding."

As soon as she spoke, the curious people's eyes changed instantly. The Qin family's past was the talk of the town, and Jiang Rou's reputation as a jinx spread far and wide.

The people no longer looked at her with admiration, but rather as if she were a plague. They involuntarily took two steps back, afraid of getting tainted by Jiang Rou.

Upon seeing this, Su Xuruo smiled slightly and, like a kind older sister, took Jiang Rou's hand and led her inside.