vrcanaries Chapter 121 Competing with Wen Xiashu, placing a bet
Chapter 121 Competing with Wen Xiashu, placing a bet
Wen Xiashu endured the fatigue of the journey and came to the village of Qingyang Prefecture to see Yan Heng, but unexpectedly Yan Heng brought Xia Xiaorou with her.
She was so angry that her face turned livid.
The maid Narcissus smiled and comforted her, "Fourth Miss, she is just a country woman, and she doesn't dress well. I guess Young Master Yan found a bed-warming maid to kill his loneliness. Young Master Yan would never bring such a person to the capital."
But having said that, Wen Xiashu was still very annoyed.
Because at this time Yan Heng took Xia Xiaorou to the study to write, leaving her alone in the garden.
Another maid, Lily, offered a suggestion and said with a smile, "Fourth Miss, I have a way to scare this Lady Xia away and make her feel ashamed."
Wen Xiashu was getting irritated. When she heard the maid say she had another idea, she immediately said, "Why don't you tell me?"
"Yes, Fourth Miss." Lily said, "When Fourth Miss was not here, Madam Xia was the most beautiful woman in the village, but now that Fourth Miss is here, Madam Xia seems to be overshadowed. Why don't Fourth Miss hold a banquet and invite some people to let Madam Xia compete with Fourth Miss?"
"As long as Madam Xia embarrasses herself in front of everyone and is outdone by the Fourth Miss, people will definitely talk about how Master Yan found such a bad woman. Master Yan is such a brilliant man. They will definitely not be able to stand the humiliation, and then they will hate Madam Xia, despise her, and abandon her."
As Wen Xiashu listened, her brows gradually relaxed.
"I was so angry that I lost my mind. This method is simple and direct. Not bad, not bad." Wen Xiashu raised her lips and smiled, "You can find Madam Luo and I will explain it to her."
Lily responded and went out to look for Madam Luo.
Soon, Madam Luo was found.
After hearing Wen Xiashu's arrangement, Madam Luo frowned and objected, "Fourth Miss, this Madam Xia's status is low to begin with. No matter how much the Fourth Miss laughs at her, she is not afraid. She is a shameless person. Moreover, the county magistrate's wife also laughed at her that day, but she remained indifferent."
Wen Xiashu said, "That's because she is of low status and cannot see the abilities of a Beijing girl like me, so she thinks highly of herself. People are most afraid of comparison. If they lose, they will know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is. In addition, Ji Qingchen is also in Yanyuan. He is a big mouth and can't keep secrets. If he knew that Madam Xia was a idiot, he would definitely spread it all over Beijing."
"By that time, if Mr. Yan wants to save his reputation, he will definitely not accept Xia." Lily said with a smile.
"Go and arrange it. The banquet will be held in Yan Garden. I'll pay for it. The more splendid and luxurious it is, the better." Wen Xiashu flicked her sleeves, "I want to tell the whole village, no, the whole township, that my Wen family is not short of money. I am the right person to be the hostess of Yan Garden."
Seeing that persuasion was useless, Mrs. Luo could only nod and said, "Yes, Fourth Miss."
-
Two days later, Xia Xiaorou received the news that Yanyuan was inviting her to dinner.
"It's Fourth Miss Wen who's treating us, but Madam Xia, don't worry. Just dress up and go for the dinner." Zhu Yun, who came to deliver the message, told Xia Xiaorou.
"I understand. I will definitely go there tomorrow." Xia Xiaorou nodded.
The day before yesterday, she went to Yanyuan. She wanted to get closer to Wen Xiashu so that she could understand the grudges between the Anguo Mansion and the Weiguo Mansion.
But Yan Heng took her to see Song Yuan writing, and waited until dark, then sent her back. She never saw Wen Xiashu again.
This time, she must ask Wen Xiashu about the affairs of the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion.
-
The next morning, Zhu Yun drove to pick up Xia Xiaorou on time.
Xia Xiaoying had to give a lot of instructions.
Xia Xiaorou waved her hand, indicating that she didn't need to worry, and took Zhuyun's carriage to Yanyuan.
There were more people coming to Yan Garden than the last time Yan Heng invited guests.
This time, not only were many clan leaders of prominent families in the vicinity and village heads invited, but also the county magistrate and his wife, as well as several heads of wealthy families in the county, or heads of families whose members were serving as officials in other places.
There were hundreds of people, men and women, young and old.
Not long after Xia Xiaorou entered Yan Garden, one of Wen Xiashu's maids came towards her.
"Madam Xia, our Fourth Miss invites you to have tea at Xinglin. The other ladies have already arrived." Narcissus glanced at Xia Xiaorou's dress and raised the corner of her lips in disdain.
Zhu Yun's eyes darkened, and she held Xia Xiaorou's arm and said, "Xinglin is not far from here. I'll accompany Madam Xia there."
Xia Xiaorou nodded indifferently, "Okay."
The two followed Narcissus to a corner of Yanyuan. It was the end of February, and some early apricot flowers had already blossomed on the branches.
There are some small coffee tables in the open space between the apricot trees, on which are placed many rare fruits and some exquisite snacks.
The patterns and colors of the teapot and teacups don't seem to be from Yanyuan.
Seeing Xia Xiaorou looking at the items on the tea table, Narcissus raised her lips proudly, "By the way, Madam Xia, these foods, as well as the table, tablecloth, and even the teapots and cups on the table, are not from Yanyuan. They were all purchased by our Fourth Miss. The Fourth Miss said that since she was treating guests, Yanyuan should not pay for it."
Zhu Yun could tell that this was meant to show off.
She said coldly, "In fact, it doesn't cost much to hold a banquet. If it costs more, our husband will definitely lend money to Fourth Miss Wen."
Narcissus thought she was speaking for Wen Xiashu, and said excitedly, "Lord Yan is the most caring and considerate of our Fourth Miss. They grew up together and care about each other."
Xia Xiaorou had an indifferent expression and was too lazy to express her attitude.
But Zhu Yun couldn't hold back her anger. "Our Master Yan likes to charge interest. If he lends it to Fourth Miss Wen, she won't have to worry about not being able to pay it back. It would be a waste if he doesn't make some money from the interest."
Narcissus was speechless and couldn't say anything.
Seeing Wen Xiashu in front of her, she immediately shut up, fearing that she would say something wrong again and be blamed by Wen Xiashu.
Xia Xiaorou and Zhu Yun walked into the apricot forest.
When Wen Xiashu saw Xia Xiaorou coming, she immediately clapped her hands to the other ladies and said, "My distinguished guest, Madam Xia, is here."
Among the people who came, except for a few ladies in the county town who didn't know Xia Xiaorou but had heard of her name, everyone else knew Xia Xiaorou.
Those who had a good relationship with Xia Xiaorou, such as Miss Luo and several female members of the Qian family whose missing sons Xia Xiaorou helped find, all immediately came towards Xia Xiaorou because of her help.
Others noticed that Wen Xiashu looked at Xia Xiaorou with unfriendly eyes, while some heard that Wen Xiashu was Yan Heng's admirer, and they looked at Xia Xiaorou with strange eyes.
Xia Xiaorou nodded to everyone as a greeting, and then found a place to sit down accompanied by Zhu Yun.
Wen Xiashu walked up to her, sat opposite her, and said with a smile, "I heard that Madam Xia is different from others and has many outstanding qualities, which is why she is favored by Mr. Yan. I would like to learn from Madam Xia's abilities. What do you think?"
Xia Xiaorou raised her head and looked at Wen Xiashu calmly, "Why don't we have a competition? To make the competition more lively, why not add some prizes? You can bet as much as you want."
Wen Xiashu narrowed her eyes. Is this Xia Xiaorou not afraid of death, or is she ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth?
How dare you place a bet on this competition?
When the onlookers heard that there was a jackpot, they were almost unanimous in not favoring Xia Xiaorou.
Even the women of the Qian family and Miss Luo whispered to Xia Xiaorou to calm down and just try the competition for fun without putting any gambles on it.
Because they all knew that if they lost, even if they sold Xia Xiaorou ten times it would not be enough to compensate.
The father of Miss Wen Si is the Duke of Anguo in the capital, and she is also the adopted daughter of the Empress Dowager.
Today, she was entertaining guests and even bought new tables and tablecloths. It is said that the Fourth Miss Wen never uses old items when entertaining guests. You can imagine how rich the Wen family is.
How could Xia Xiaorou, a remarried woman who had just been divorced, have any money?
Zhu Yun was also worried about Xia Xiaorou, and whispered, "Don't be afraid, Madam Xia. If you lose, just tell me and I'll go ask our husband for the money."
Xia Xiaorou waved her hand, "No need, because I won't lose."