Second Young Madam Peng was extremely dissatisfied, but since visiting the sick had been her idea, it wouldn’t do to lead everyone away immediately. She could only whisper to those around her: “She’s the youngest in the family and has been spoiled since childhood. I’ll have to trouble all of you to be understanding. Third Madam Yang is a thoughtful and considerate person—just consider it for her sake.”

Everyone nodded, feeling that even without these words they could only be understanding. Otherwise what could they do? Confront Miss Xu in return? She was a young lady from the Xu family of the capital and was about to marry into the Yin family of Huayin. Unless they no longer wanted to remain in this social stratum, even if they didn’t encounter Miss Xu herself, they would encounter the Xu family’s in-laws. There was no need to displease Miss Xu over such a small matter.

Besides, she had the capital for it.

That young lady as magnificent as a peony flower wasn’t angry at all. Not only was she not angry, she even stepped forward several paces with a smile, proactively greeting Miss Xu: “Miss Xu, my surname is Wu. I’m a daughter of the Wu family from Huzhou. When I went to pay my respects to Old Madam Pei, I learned that Third Madam Yang was unwell, so I came along with Second Young Madam Peng. Speaking of which, our family and the Yang family are not unrelated—my aunt’s younger sister-in-law married into the Yang family. By that connection, I should even call Third Madam Yang ‘Auntie’!”

The Wu family had wanted to whitewash their reputation some years ago and provided large dowries when marrying off their daughters. Of course, the most successful was the eldest daughter who married into the Jiang family.

Miss Xu immediately understood which Yang family member this Miss Wu’s aunt’s younger sister-in-law had married.

She couldn’t help but glance at this Miss Wu.

Someone who could open her mouth and say she came along with Second Young Madam Peng, shifting the blame for arriving unannounced onto Second Young Madam Peng, probably wasn’t easy to deal with either.

Looking again at her cousin, her complexion looked rather unpleasant.

She probably hadn’t expected Miss Wu to be so fierce, had she?

Talk about lifting a rock only to drop it on her own foot!

Miss Xu felt quite pleased thinking about it. She looked much more favorably upon Miss Wu, and her attitude became more enthusiastic. She said to Miss Wu with a smile: “What a coincidence!” Then she turned her gaze to the unfamiliar woman who had come with Miss Wu.

Miss Wu quickly introduced her: “This is Miss Gu, a young lady from the Gu family of Hangzhou. Her elder brother is that Lord Gu who serves as a censor in the Censorate.”

“Gu Chaoyang’s younger sister?!” Miss Xu was somewhat surprised, but thinking it over, felt it was reasonable.

The Gu family had just become betrothed to the Pei family. Taking advantage of this opportunity for both sides to meet and deepen their relationship, not only would Miss Gu come, but that eldest young master of the Pei family, Pei Tong, should also appear at the sutra lecture gathering.

She just didn’t know whether Pei Tong looked more like the Pei family people or the Yang family—both the Yang and Pei families produced handsome men, but although the Yang family men had good features, their temperaments varied from person to person. The Pei family men, however, each had outstanding bearing like jade trees and orchids, making them even more worth seeing.

Her mind wandered randomly, but her face showed nothing. She smiled and exchanged greetings with Gu Xi.

Gu Xi glanced at Miss Wu and asked Miss Xu with a smile: “You know my elder brother?”

Miss Xu said: “Yin Mingyuan and your elder brother also have some private friendship.”

She was even closer to Gu Xi than to Miss Wu.

Gu Xi smiled gracefully and greeted Yu Tang: “I didn’t expect Miss Yu to be here too? You came with the Pei family’s female relatives, right? How is your incense making coming along? Is there anywhere you need my help?”

Yu Tang also hadn’t expected Gu Xi to start socializing with these noble family daughters as soon as she arrived. In the past she had been very aloof, not easily associating with people. However, perhaps it was because in her previous life, those who wanted to associate with her were all daughters from Lin’an gentry families, unlike now when they were all young ladies from the top wealthy households in Jiangnan.

However, Gu Xi was still the same as before—as soon as they met, she liked to dig pits for her, as if she wouldn’t be comfortable unless she could trample Yu Tang underfoot.

Hearing Gu Xi say this, the gazes of all the female guests present fell upon Yu Tang.

The young ladies from the Song family probably knew the Pei family’s in-laws quite well and knew Yu Tang wasn’t related to the Pei family by marriage. Combined with how the Song family had always been arrogant and spoke without concern, one of the young ladies asked Gu Xi very directly: “Which family is Miss Yu from? And what’s this about incense? Could it be that Miss Yu was invited by the Pei family to make incense?”

Gu Xi quickly smiled and said: “No, no.” Then she explained the whole story, seemingly unintentionally revealing Yu Tang’s origins and background to the female guests present.

Several noble family daughters, including Second Young Madam Peng, looked at Yu Tang somewhat differently.

It was as if they were looking at those gentry family daughters who depended on their families for survival. Miss Peng simply ignored Yu Tang altogether and stepped forward to pay her respects and greet Miss Xu.

Watching this, Miss Xu felt very uncomfortable.

She felt that Gu Xi’s fame didn’t match reality—she didn’t have half the bearing and breadth of mind of Gu Chaoyang.

How had such a character been cultivated!

She simply took Yu Tang’s arm and said to everyone: “Everyone, please come inside and sit! Standing here talking isn’t proper either.”

The young ladies and young madams laughed in response.

Everyone filed into the reception hall.

Miss Xu’s maid brought in tea, and everyone sat down according to rank.

Yu Tang and Gu Xi happened to be facing each other.

Gu Xi felt annoyed just looking at her.

How was it that she encountered this Miss Yu everywhere she went?

Yu Tang wasn’t very happy either.

How was it that she encountered Gu Xi everywhere she went?

In the future, Gu Xi would marry and come to Lin’an. Would it be like in her previous life again, where their relationship was impossible to clarify and impossible to sever?

The two looked at each other with mutual distaste.

Especially Yu Tang, thinking that these people clearly looked down on her. There was no need for her to demean herself here entertaining these people. After all, these people might never be seen again for the rest of her life. But if she just left like this, it would only pain her allies and please her enemies. Why should she stifle herself to make others comfortable?

Yu Tang decided to continue staying here and do whatever she should do!

Miss Xu still planned to discuss Pei Yan’s matter with Yu Tang and only wanted to send away this group of so-called sick-visitors early. So as soon as she sat down, she said rather impolitely: “Third Madam has just gone to rest. Let’s not disturb her right now. When she wakes up, I’ll tell her everyone came to visit her.”

These people had come to show their faces before Third Madam Yang and establish connections with Xu Xuan. If they left like this, wouldn’t they have come for nothing? Wouldn’t they have instigated Second Young Madam Peng for nothing?

Sixth Miss Song said: “It’s good that Third Madam is resting. We can just chat with Miss Xu.”

Seventh Miss Song said: “Is Third Madam feeling better? What did the physician say when he came? We brought some patent medicines and medicinal materials when we came. I’ll have my grandmother’s servant send over a list of medicines later. You can see if there’s anything useful.”

These words were said quite sincerely.

Miss Xu had no friendship with the Song family’s young ladies and didn’t understand their characters. She couldn’t judge people’s conduct after meeting them just once. Since there was nothing wrong on the surface, she treated them with more courtesy: “Thank you, Seventh Miss. It’s just a common cold. The physician didn’t even prescribe medicine, just said to drink more hot water and keep warm. Third Madam didn’t sleep well last night, so her body is a bit weary today. That’s why she went to rest.”

Everyone expressed relief.

Since Gu Xi had come along, she naturally wanted to befriend Miss Xu, but she was smarter than the Song family’s young ladies. She knew that in such an occasion, she couldn’t possibly develop any private friendship with Miss Xu. Her coming along was also a fortuitous coincidence—she had run into them on the road. The Song family’s young ladies put on an appearance of being deeply concerned about Third Madam Yang, so it wouldn’t do for her not to come. Besides, she also wanted to take this opportunity to probe what kind of person Miss Xu was.

If only Yu Tang weren’t present.

She felt her aura clashed with Yu Tang’s. Nothing good ever happened whenever they met.

Gu Xi’s brows furrowed slightly. She was too lazy to even glance at Yu Tang and whispered to Miss Wu sitting beside her: “Should we leave first? All this commotion isn’t conducive to Third Madam Yang’s recovery!”

Miss Wu also felt it would be better to find another opportunity to visit Miss Xu and Third Madam Yang privately. Bringing along the two fools from the Song family, not only would nothing be accomplished, but these two might even broadcast it, letting others know her purpose for coming to Lin’an.

“Shall we leave first then?” she asked Gu Xi.

Gu Xi nodded.

Miss Wu stood up first and said with a smile: “In that case, we won’t disturb you any longer.”

Second Young Madam Peng and the two young ladies from the Song family were stunned.

Coming here to visit Third Madam Yang had been Miss Wu’s idea, and without even greeting Third Madam Yang, she was leaving again… So what were they doing here after abandoning the old ladies?

The Song family’s young ladies and Second Young Madam Peng were unwilling to leave.

Gu Xi also stood up and, together with Miss Wu, without forcing the Song family’s young ladies and Second Young Madam Peng, made excuses about having many matters on their side and promising to visit again when Third Madam Yang felt better, then left arm in arm.

Second Young Madam Peng and the Song family young ladies were both extremely displeased.

Sixth Miss Song didn’t hide her sarcasm about Miss Wu: “She couldn’t really be trying to marry into the Pei family, could she? Usually so arrogant, looking down on everyone, yet this time she immediately became bosom friends with Miss Gu. That Wu Yinglan is nothing special after all!”

Miss Xu couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Yu Tang.

Seeing this, Sixth Miss Song became even more indignant and said: “Sister Xu, don’t disbelieve me. Before coming, their family sent someone to ask my grandmother to mediate, but my grandmother politely declined—just because the Wu family has one daughter married into the Jiang family, they swagger about looking down on others. If another daughter married into the Pei family, wouldn’t their tails stick straight up to the sky!”

Miss Xu lowered her head.

She wondered how desperate the Song family must have been to let this Sixth Miss come to the sutra lecture gathering.

She could barely keep from laughing out loud. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Yu Tang.

Only then did Miss Xu discover that at some point Yu Tang had also lowered her head and was pretending to drink tea from her cup, but the corners of her mouth were raised high and couldn’t be smoothed down no matter what.

She couldn’t hold it in and laughed out loud.

Sixth Miss Song was stunned.

Second Young Madam Peng and the others also looked at her in confusion.

What a bunch of fools!

That clan uncle of hers must have had a grudge against the Peng family to marry his daughter to them.

Miss Xu grumbled inwardly, then cleared her throat and said seriously: “The Wu family is being too ambitious.”

Sixth Miss Song immediately beamed with joy and said to Seventh Miss Song: “See, I’m not the only one who thinks so!”

Was this mercilessly setting up her sister?

Miss Xu wanted to laugh again.

Seventh Miss Song’s complexion had already turned somewhat livid. In a stiff tone she said: “Say less. If Miss Wu really does marry into the Pei family, how can everyone meet again in the future after you’ve spoken of her this way!”