Everyone in the store looked at Zhao Jingyu. It was a well-known fact that the Second Young Master loved beauties. The little girl in front of him was indeed stunningly pretty and worthy of the Second Young Master's love. But in the final analysis, no matter how beautiful a girl was, she was still a girl. The Second Young Master would surely not offend the Duke's wife and Jinping County Lady for a girl.
Xie Nanjia also felt that it didn't matter. It was just a piece of clothing. Her cousin must have suffered a lot in the past twelve years outside. If she liked it, she could just give it to her. This way, her aunt wouldn't be embarrassed.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Jingyu did not readily agree. Instead, her expression gradually turned colder, and she said indifferently: "Young Madam, you are joking. How can love be given up so easily? If it can be given up, it is not called love, right?"
Sheng Qingyun's smile froze on her face. Although she was the wife of a duke, she was a very sensible person and never used her status to pressure others. She immediately said with shame, "Second Master is right. I love my daughter so much that my words were inappropriate. I am ashamed, ashamed!"
Xie Nanjia couldn't bear to see her aunt in such a difficult situation, and was just about to take the initiative to give the clothes to her cousin, but Zhao Jingyu had already ordered someone to take the clothes down and urged her to go to the back to try them on.
Xie Nanjia knew his temper and was afraid of offending him and making him unhappy, so she had no choice but to follow the receptionist to the back.
Princess Jinping watched helplessly as the clothes she liked were taken away, tears of grievance welling up in her eyes.
Sheng Qingyun was also helpless, and it was not easy to just leave, so she could only hold her hand and look at other clothes, and whispered to comfort her: "Good child, it's okay, if you really like that dress, I will ask the shopkeeper to make you another one in the same way."
Princess Jinping shook her head with tears in her eyes: "No, my daughter doesn't want to wear the same clothes as the maid."
“…” Sheng Qingyun frowned slightly, said nothing more, and patted her hand gently.
"Second young master, look quickly. The girl looks like a fairy after being dressed like this." The receptionist came out from behind with a smile on her face, helping Xie Nanjia, who had just changed her clothes.
Zhao Jingyu was choosing a wedding dress under the guidance of a waiter. Hearing this, he slowly turned around and saw Xie Nanjia walking towards him gracefully in her new dress.
She wore a light purple satin waisted long skirt, a rabbit fur boa, and a dark purple feather satin cape with a phoenix pattern and gold thread. She had a slim figure, a slender waist, and graceful steps. The noble purple color made her fair skin look like jade. Her pretty face, without any makeup, was naturally charming and would make people fall in love with her at first sight.
"How is it? Does it look good?" Xie Nanjia turned around lightly, her pair of phoenix eyes shining and bright.
Zhao Jingyu's breath was held in his throat and he was completely stunned. He couldn't hide the amazement in his eyes.
Everyone in the store, from the shopkeeper to the clerks, was amazed. As the most prestigious garment factory in the capital, they had seen countless noble ladies and young ladies, each with their own beauty, but there was no doubt that the little girl today was one of the best in terms of appearance, figure and aura.
Not only the staff in the store, but even a noble lady like Sheng Qingyun was deeply shocked and stared at her intently, especially the smile that Xie Nanjia gave Zhao Jingyu with her phoenix eyes slightly raised, which made her heart tremble.
"It's true that clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. The second young master was stunned by the girl's dressing like this!" said the receptionist with a smile.
Zhao Jingyu came back to her senses, and did not try to hide her amazement. She reached out to tidy up Xie Nanjia's messy hair, and said affectionately, "It would be even better if you comb your hair into a nice style later."
"Yes, yes, yes. If she puts on a few more golden hairpins, no other concubine in the palace can compare to her." The reception lady flattered.
Xie Nanjia couldn't help laughing: "My wife is really good at talking. I feel embarrassed by your praise."
Princess Jinping was watching from the side and felt bad. She pouted and said sarcastically, "She is just a maid. No matter how she dresses up, she can't become a rich lady. You have wasted your nice clothes in vain."
Before he finished speaking, Xie Nanjia and Sheng Qingyun's expressions froze at the same time, and they intuitively felt that Zhao Jingyu was going to be angry.
Almost everyone in the capital knew how eccentric Zhao Jingyu's temperament was. As long as you didn't provoke him, he would treat you with courtesy, even if you were a beggar. If you provoked him, he would beat you up, even if you were the prince. As for what was considered provoking, there was no specific standard. Sometimes it depended on his mood, sometimes it depended on his impression of you. But no matter what he looked at, someone like Princess Jinping was obviously not someone he could tolerate.
As expected, Zhao Jingyu sneered, looked the Jinping County Lady up and down, and said slowly: "If a crow can put on colorful clothes and turn into a phoenix, then nothing is impossible in this world. Jinping County Lady has lived among the people for more than ten years, and she has not learned the upbringing of a noble family, but she has learned the face of a villain who has achieved success. It is really eye-opening."
"You!" Princess Jinping's pretty face turned red because of his ridicule. She said angrily, "Who do you think you are? How dare you teach me a lesson!"
"How dare I, a bastard, teach the county lady a lesson?" Zhao Jingyu said disdainfully, "I just want to remind the county lady that there is no fixed rule for high and low in this world. If the county lady had remained among the common people and not been found, I'm afraid she would not even be as good as my maid."
"You are so presumptuous..." Princess Jinping wanted to argue with him again, but Sheng Qingyun stopped her: "Jinping, please say less and don't be so quick to talk."
"Mother!" Princess Jinping cried out in grievance, tears filling her eyes again.
Sheng Qingyun let go of her hand, walked up to Zhao Jingyu and Xie Nanjia, and said apologetically: "My daughter is outspoken, I hope you won't take it personally."
Zhao Jingyu, considering the reputation of the Duke's Mansion, waved his hand and said it was okay.
"Thank you for your generosity, Second Young Master." Sheng Qingyun said, casually helping Xie Nanjia adjust the straps of her cloak, and then said, "Miss Xiu'er is indeed a natural beauty. This dress really suits you."
Xie Nanjia didn't expect her aunt to be so close to her all of a sudden, and was a little dazed for a moment.
Sheng Qingyun then moved behind her and said, "The hood of your cloak is crooked. Let me help you fix it."
Xie Nanjia was even more flattered. Smelling the familiar scent of her aunt, she couldn't help but burst into tears: "Thank you, Madam."
"Miss Xiu'er, you are too polite." Sheng Qingyun said with emotion, "I have a niece whose nickname is also Xiu'er. When I saw you, I thought of her."
Xie Nanjia became more and more sad, and she wished she could throw herself into her aunt's arms and cry.
Sheng Qingyun adjusted her hood while glancing at her neck and asked in surprise, "Why do you have a scar here?"
Xie Nanjia was startled, and remembered that Xiu'er's mother once said that she accidentally fell on the charcoal fire basin when she was a child and got burned, so she smiled and replied: "I was naughty when I was a child and got burned by the charcoal fire."
"Poor thing." Sheng Qingyun stroked it with his fingers twice, "My Jinping has a butterfly-shaped birthmark here, and it happens to be in the same position as yours."
Xie Nanjia knew when she was little that her cousin had a butterfly-shaped birthmark on the back of her neck, so she pretended to be surprised and said, "Really? I guess Madam recognized the county lady by that birthmark, right?"
"That's right!" Sheng Qingyun said with a smile, "When she was just born, I was troubled by the birthmark. Now I don't know how lucky I am."
"It seems to be God's will." Xie Nanjia said.
Princess Jinping looked at her mother and the girl asking one question after another, full of tenderness, and her expression changed unconsciously.
Zhao Jingyu's gaze moved back and forth between the two of them several times, and suddenly became subtle.
"Young Madam is so approachable that I am ashamed of myself." He stepped forward to explain, "My nephew was going to take Xiu'er back to Hongou Manor to visit relatives today. I wanted to buy her a new dress so that her mother would feel at ease. Unexpectedly, I made the county lady angry because of this. I am really sorry."
"So that's how it is." Sheng Qingyun suddenly realized, "Second Young Master is considerate and thoughtful. It is us, mother and daughter, who have ruined your fun and wasted your time. In this case, Second Young Master, please leave quickly. We can talk later if you have anything to say."
"Thank you, Madam, for your tolerance." Zhao Jingyu bowed deeply and left with Xie Nanjia.
As soon as Xie Nanjia left, Sheng Qingyun's heart seemed to be hollowed out. He stared blankly at the door for a long time without coming back to his senses.
"Mother!" Princess Jinping came over and hugged her arms, "Mother, what's wrong with you?"
Sheng Qingyun retracted his gaze and touched her face with pity and helplessness: "Mother suddenly lost interest, why don't you come back another day?"
Princess Jinping also lost interest, so she obediently agreed, and the mother and daughter got on the carriage and returned to the Duke's Mansion.
In the car, Princess Jinping saw that her mother remained silent, so she snuggled in her arms and asked timidly, "Are you angry with your daughter?"
Sheng Qingyun patted her shoulder gently and said softly, "How could mother be angry with you? But you should remember to be careful with your words and actions when you go out in the future. Don't be arrogant because of your status. You must know that there are always people better than you."
"Can that bastard be considered an outsider?" asked the Princess Jinping.
"Look, you're taking it for granted again, aren't you?" Sheng Qingyun frowned. "You've been in the capital for a short time, and you don't know the Second Young Master Zhao well. Although he's a bastard, he's not someone you can easily mess with. When he gets angry, he dares to hit even the Crown Prince. How can you, a girl, go head-to-head with him? He doesn't want fame, so don't you want fame too?"
Princess Jinping was shocked: "He even dared to hit the prince, why? Isn't he afraid that the emperor will punish him?"
"His arrogance is condoned by the emperor. How can the emperor punish him?" Sheng Qingyun said, "This is related to the checks and balances between the emperor and his subjects. It is not something you children can understand. In short, everyone has turned a blind eye to Mr. Zhao II over the years. You just need to remember not to provoke him."
"Oh." Princess Jinping nodded as if she understood, but her heart was filled with ripples because her mother mentioned the prince.
After returning to the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion, Sheng Qingyun made the excuse that he was tired and asked Princess Jinping to go and play by herself.
Princess Jinping was so angry that she had no mood to play. She took her personal maid Caidie back to her own courtyard and sat under the corridor sulking.
After a while, the little girl came to report that Princess Jinping's brothers were coming.
Ever since Princess Jinping returned home, the twelve young masters of the four branches of the Duke's Mansion acted like they had treasures. Except for going to work and school every day, they wished to be with their sister all the time. They sent delicious and fun things to Princess Jinping's yard like water, and they slept soundly at night when they heard her call them brother.
There's no way, their family is really short of girls.
Princess Jinping was feeling very aggrieved, so she asked the little maid to invite her brothers in, and she complained to them in tears.
When the brothers heard that Zhao Jingyu not only stole their sister's favorite clothes, but also spoke rudely and humiliated her, they were all filled with righteous indignation and immediately rushed to Dingyuan Marquis' Mansion to avenge their sister.
Princess Jinping said, "He is not in Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion now. It seems he has gone to Hongou Manor."
The brothers said that he would come back eventually, and he could not escape the coming day, and he would definitely take revenge.
Princess Jinping then became happy and took her brothers to visit the garden.
At this moment, in the young lady's yard, Sheng Qingyun was instructing his trusted guards to rush to Hongou Manor.
(End of this chapter)