Chapter 1092 - 1094: False Kindness_1
The day had finally arrived for the Leng Family to host their Flower Appreciation Banquet. Under the name of Madame Leng, they invited numerous noblewomen and distinguished daughters from the capital, with a greater number of noblewomen, of course.
It is often said that clothing is to the body as flowers are to beauty. Though young misses also cherish looking beautiful, when it comes to beauty care, ladies of their age certainly do not have as great a need as married women do. Hence, the target clientele for the Beauty Pavilion are the wives of aristocrats from the capital.
Early in the morning, Bai Ruozhu and Fang Guizhi, dressed in their finest, stepped out of the house. At first glance, their clothing and jewelry appeared quite ordinary, but a discerning eye, upon closer inspection, would notice that every material used was of considerable value. Take, for example, the Cloud Brocade that adorned Bai Ruozhu—it was exceedingly expensive, especially the type she wore known as the "rosy-cloud brocade."
The fabric seemed to be white, very plain and pure, but upon exposure to sunlight, it shimmered with different lusters at various angles—a phenomenon known as color-shifting in modern terms—achieving an effect both elegantly minimalist and dazzlingly varied.
Thus, at first glance, their attire sported an immensely pleasant but understated look. Upon closer inspection, however, the ingenuity of their outfits shone through—a perfect example of understated luxury.
When Fang Guizhi boarded the horse carriage, she took great care. With one hand, she gathered her skirt, and with the other, she protected the hairpin on her head, looking rather comical. Bai Ruozhu behind her couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"It’s all because you chose such pricey clothes and hair ornaments, I’m afraid of damaging them," Fang Guizhi muttered.
"There’s no helping it. The noblewomen in the capital value these things highly, and even more so than in Beiyu City. They measure status and attire greatly, and if we seem too plain, they won’t believe we can make them more beautiful. As the saying goes, ’people rely on clothing while Buddha relies on gold.’ That’s the sentiment here," Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile as she gently pulled down Fang Guizhi’s hand. "Relax a bit, if it’s ruined you won’t have to compensate. I’ve made two more sets for you."
Fang Guizhi’s mouth gaped open. "Please, don’t be so extravagantly wasteful."
"This isn’t extravagance or waste, it will be your work uniform at the Beauty Pavilion. This investment is necessary," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.
As the two bantered and laughed, the horse carriage quickly arrived at the Leng Residence. The Leng Residence was not home to high officers nor was it a princely household in the capital, but it was not to be underestimated. With Madame Leng’s excellent relations, her invitation soon attracted many noblewomen.
Parked outside the main gate of the Leng Residence were many horse carriages, most bearing insignia that clearly identified them as belonging to ducal families. Bai Ruozhu also spotted one carriage bearing the character "Huilan," which she surmised to belong to Grand Princess Huilan.
In those times, even if a woman had her own carriage, it would typically bear her husband’s family crest. Only princesses of significant status had their own unique insignia.
Bai Ruozhu frowned slightly; she had not expected the Leng Family to invite Princess Huilan. However, it was not appropriate for Bai Ruozhu to discuss with Leng Wanhua the threats she had once received from Princess Huilan, especially since the public assumed the Princess was quite fond of her.
Nonetheless, she wasn’t overly worried. Princess Huilan, mindful of her dignity, would unlikely cause trouble in public; at most, she might try some covert sabotage.
Not long after the two entered the residence, Leng Wanhua personally came out to greet them. Today, she was wearing a rosy-red horse-faced skirt that seemed rather somber in color. However, her upper garment was a short, purple yam-colored jacket that suddenly gave her a more lively and coquettish air; her outfit’s color scheme was harmoniously unified, causing an admirably refreshing impression to all who beheld her.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but nod her approval. It was fortunate she had matched it with a horse-faced skirt of this particular color; any brighter and it would have seemed cluttered.
"You both truly came prepared today; my eyes can barely move away from you," Leng Wanhua came over with a beaming smile, taking Bai Ruozhu’s arm and linking it with her own.
"Stop with the compliments. You’re the one who’s truly a sight for sore eyes," Bai Ruozhu responded with a smile.
Engaged in conversation and laughter, the three women made their way further into the residence and soon arrived at the back garden of the Leng Residence. At this moment, the garden was filled with a variety of chrysanthemums. The Leng Residence’s gardeners had cleverly used the differences in the chrysanthemums’ colors to create many interesting shapes, causing even Bai Ruozhu to pause and take a longer look.
Leng Wanhua brought two people to the circle of the capital’s rich young ladies and said with a smile to everyone, "Aren’t you all curious about Mrs. Jiang? I have brought her here for you. If you want to order any new handbags, take the opportunity to ask her."
Leng Wanhua’s words immediately narrowed the distance between everyone and Bai Ruozhu, with the more straightforward ones directly asking, "Mrs. Jiang, your Weaving Pavilion is about to hold its winter press conference, right? You have to save me a seat."
Bai Ruozhu hurriedly nodded, "Certainly, certainly."
Leng Wanhua slapped her own forehead, her gesture not only didn’t seem vulgar but instead made her appear refreshingly direct.
"Look at my memory, I should introduce you to them, otherwise, it would be difficult for Ruozhu to decide whom to send Invitation Cards to," Leng Wanhua said.
The woman who spoke earlier said with a smile, "Then I’ll introduce myself. My name is Si Yihuan. I look a bit younger than you, so just call me by my name."
Leng Wanhua tugged at Bai Ruozhu’s arm, saying, "Yihuan is the Chancellor’s legitimate granddaughter."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, she remembered that the current Chancellor’s surname was Si, which was quite uncommon, so upon hearing Si Yihuan’s introduction, she roughly guessed who it was.
After exchanging greetings, Leng Wanhua introduced the rest of the group, and worried that Bai Ruozhu might not remember, also said, "It’s not easy to remember so many people, but it’ll be fine as you get to know them better."
Bai Ruozhu snickered to herself, as she had actually remembered all of them. Her memory was indeed strong, which others also noticed during the conversation that followed.
Before long, Lady Leng, accompanied by a group of slightly older women, walked over. The young ladies on this side got up and paid their respects, and Bai Ruozhu and Fang Guizhi followed the others and did the same. When Lady Leng saw her, she said with a chuckle, "This must be Ruozhu, right? She is quite lovely!"
After her remarks, she laughed and said to everyone, "Ruozhu is the goddaughter of my husband’s aunt, she should also call me ’auntie’."
Leng Wanhua smiled and latched onto her mother’s arm, saying, "That’s why we hit it off right away. This is what we call destiny."
Everyone followed suit, praising Bai Ruozhu for a while, except Princess Huilan, who was on the other side of Lady Leng. Although she had a smile on her face, her eyes seemed somewhat cold.
Bai Ruozhu approached with a smile, gave a curtsy to Lady Leng, and said, "Auntie is hosting the Flower Appreciation Banquet, and I didn’t have anything outstanding to present. This jar of Pure White Xuan Jade Paste is a small token of my regard." As she spoke, she handed over the prepared Ink Jade Bottle.
Lady Leng accepted the Pure White Xuan Jade Paste without thinking much of it and was about to ask a maid to carefully put it away when Princess Huilan, beside her, spoke up.
"Ruozhu, I’ve heard there’s been some trouble at your place lately. Isn’t that Jiang fellow mistreating you and favoring some wild woman? If you’ve been wronged, just say so, and I will stand up for you," said the princess.
"Why would the princess think so? Is there some misunderstanding?" Bai Ruozhu asked in surprise.
Princess Huilan said with a pained expression, "Don’t be too hard on yourself, my child. If you weren’t mistreated, why would your gift be..."