Eight Treasures Trousseau

21-25

Chapter Twenty-one: Illusion

As expected, when Yan Jin Qiu and Hua Xi Wan just walked in through the door, a servant came to report that the second taitai of Hua Fu had been waiting for almost four hours at the fu.

"I know." Hua Xi Wan did not wait for Yan Jin Qiu to speak and said, "Jin Qiu is busy. I will go see to Second Aunt." It would be much easier if only she came out about this matter. If Yan Jin Qiu was pulled in, it would not be so easy to rid themselves of this matter.

Yan Jin Qiu who usually did not bear to leave Hua Xi Wan at this time did not hesitate. He nodded and led Mu Tong and the others to another yard. This was akin to saying he gave Hua Xi Wan the full power to decide how to deal with this matter.

"I am going to the study. If there is anything, send someone to tell me." It was almost as though Yan Jin Qiu said, don't be afraid—even if there is a problem, he will take care of it.

Hua Xi Wan nodded, then she had the servant go to Zhang shi and invite her to the side hall to wait. She would go to the inner rooms to change her attire before meeting the guest.

"Junwang Fei, has Second Taitai come now for the matter of Master Zhang's death?" Zi Shan picked out a gold butterfly hairpin to secure Hua Xi Wan's hair. "Second Taitai has always thought herself to come from a scholarly family and looks down on our taitai for coming from a prestigious martial family. Why is she coming to beg us now?"

"A person in the world cannot avoid encountering matters that would force them to bend down. So usually, do not look down at other people based on their identity. That is why the old people say that it will be thirty years in the west, thirty years in the east." Hua Xi Wan did not criticize Zi Shan's words for being ugly. Her second aunt's usual conduct wasn't something that was good to see. She only learned the high attitudes of the scholars, but did not have their talent or their style. What was there to be proud of?

After putting on her earrings, Hua Xi Wan rubbed the blood jade pendant and said nonchalantly, "Let's go."

She really was not a generous person. She had seen how Zhang shi had treated and slighted her mother in all these years. Such a "relative"—if she would repay a slight with a boon, that would be strange.

In the side hall of the front hall of the junwang fu, Zhang shi looked at the decorations in the hall. Her hand trembled as she held the teacup. Her high posture had disappeared. When Hua Yi Liu saw her state, she held her mother's hand and said, "Mother, do not panic. Tang Mei will quickly come."

"Yi Liu, you have to talk with Junwang Fei. She has always been good to you girls. If you speak, she will give more consideration." Zhang shi knew very well that Hua Xi Wan had seen her conduct in treating her dasao these years. Even though the girl was not one to speak a lot, it could be seen from the other's cold attitude towards her that she remembered these things.

Hua Yi Liu felt slightly bitter. Mother had come out with her today probably so she could beg her tang mei. Listening to her mother's words, she felt slightly discomforted. They were all daughters of the Hua Family. Because her maternal family was the Zhang Family, there had been many who came to offer marriage. On the other hand, Hua Xi Wan, the di daughter of the marquis fu, had been disliked by the scholarly families because of the rumors and because her maternal family was a martial family. So no one had ever asked for her. She had felt that the rumors outside were exaggerating, but she had felt good in a deep part inside. Otherwise, at the Hundred Flowers Festival last year when Min Huai Junzhu had asked her about Hua Xi Wan, she would not have purposefully misled Min Huai Junzhu to believe the outside rumos.