Chapter 166 Shocking Waves
The bluestone slabs of Dongsheng Street are filled with dampness.

Their eyes met. Across the bustling crowd, the vendors’ shouts seemed to be mixed with a hint of uneasiness.

Li Zhao’s eyes were filled with dark currents…

The face beneath the black jade crown has handsome features, slightly drooping eyelashes, and eyes as scorching as fireworks.

“Would you like to buy a bunch of flowers?” A flower girl with a clear voice walked towards Li Zhao rashly, holding up the bamboo basket in her hand, “This hibiscus flower blooms in the morning and fades in the evening, it is the best match for a beautiful woman…”

Li Zhao’s hand holding the reins tightened slightly unconsciously, and his cold eyes looked over like a sharp blade –

Just then, the horse snorted impatiently, scaring the flower girl so much that she trembled all over, and the bamboo basket in her hand slipped, and the hibiscus flowers scattered all over the ground.

Li Zhao:……

Seeing this, Xue Sui quickly pulled down the curtain.

With a “swish” sound, the scorching gaze was blocked out.

She kept a cold face until the carriage passed through the long street, then she quietly lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out –

Under the flag of the tavern, the figure on horseback had disappeared.

The flower girl was carrying an empty bamboo basket, running happily in the crowd, and ran into the alley with a smile. I guess those scattered flowers were sold at a good price…

Xue Sui let out a long sigh and leaned his back against the wall of the car.

I can’t calm down.

Emotions were surging in my chest, like slight palpitations, out of control.

She clenched her fingers slightly…

I wondered in my heart: Could it be that the love thread Gu really has miraculous effects and is not just a trick to fool Li Zhao? It seems that I have to find an opportunity to ask Senior Sister Yuheng for clarification.
–
Wen Jia was waiting for her in Yanyu Tower.

Xue Sui took Xiao Zhao around the corridor on the second floor. Just as they were about to turn the corner, they saw Lu Youan standing in front of the door.

He was wearing a moon-white robe, his eyes were gentle, and his voice was full of guilt: “Lu is really ashamed, and I have implicated the princess again…”

Wen Jia sat by the window, his face slightly pale. “Mr. Lu, if you know that you will be implicated, why bother to come and see me again? Are you dissatisfied with the gossips outside? Pingle wanted my life, but you gave me a blunt knife.”

Lu Youan hesitated to speak.

“It is my fault……”

Wen Jia sneered, with sarcasm on his lips.

“Mr. Lu, please go back.”

She has changed a lot now, she wouldn’t have shown these emotions before…

Lu Youan shook his head slightly, and finally sighed, carefully placed it on the doorstep, then bowed and said, “There are two northern snow ginsengs in the box, which will be of great benefit to Wan Zhaoyi’s health…”

Wen Jia looked indifferent.

Lu Youan said sincerely, “Just consider it as Lu’s apology.”

“Mr. Lu doesn’t owe me anything.” Wen Jia said calmly, “I will collect all the debts owed by others, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Lu Youan was slightly startled, sighed, and turned away.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned into the corridor, he ran into Xue Sui head-on.

Xue Sui smiled and called out, “Mr. Lu.”

Lu Youan knew that she had witnessed what had just happened, and was a little embarrassed. He quickly bowed and said, “Madam Ping’an, how are you?”

Xue Sui looked at his flushed cheeks and suddenly smiled.

“If you are determined, Master Lu, don’t give up easily. In my opinion, the one who can save Princess Wenjia is you, Master.”

Lu Youan forced a smile with difficulty, nodded slightly, said goodbye and left.

Xue Sui watched his back disappear at the end of the corridor, waited for a while, and then slowly walked over.

She was afraid that Wen Jia would be embarrassed, so she looked natural, as if she had never seen Lu Youan before…

Unexpectedly, Wen Jia did not treat her as an outsider and spoke to her frankly as usual.

“Ping An, tell me, what does he think of me? When I was in love with him, he backed off. Now that I am discouraged, he is trying to show his kindness to me. Is he trying to give me charity out of pity for me?”

“I think Mr. Lu is quite sincere.” Xue Sui leaned over to pick up the snow ginseng and stuffed it into Wen Jia’s arms. Suddenly, he felt a little expectant.

If Lu Youan admitted in public that he had always liked Wen Jia, not Ping Le, and then defended Wen Jia in the face of Ping Le’s crazy questioning, how angry would Ping Le be? How would Concubine Xiao react?

Wen Jia shook his head. “Whether it’s sincere or fake, what does it matter now? I have nothing to do with him, but I have been said so harshly. If I really cross the line, won’t I be talked about to death?”

“The rotten thing is also the root of their tongue.” Xue Sui smiled and said: “As long as the two of you treat each other sincerely, why worry about not having your name cleared one day?”

Wen Jia looked at her and sighed softly.

“Let’s not talk about these troubles for now. The Queen Mother’s birthday is coming soon, and I’m still worried about the birthday gift…”

On her seventieth birthday, how could an old empress dowager, who was used to seeing all the rare treasures in the world, fall in love with something so ordinary in the face of a mountain of gifts?
The two-meter-long embroidered scroll of the Medicine King Sutra was originally extremely shocking…

Wen Jia thought of this and shook his head gently, “Forget it. Anyway, she has never looked at me differently over the years. One more time won’t hurt… But I’m afraid that if I’m safe, I’ll disappoint you. I can’t please the Queen Mother…”

Xue Sui smiled gently.

He signaled Xiao Zhao to take out the gifts he brought.

“It doesn’t matter if the birthday gift is lost. The Queen Mother loves to hear stories.”

The silk was slowly unfolded, and a painting of “Fairies Offering Longevity Celebrations” came into view.

The fairies are dancing in graceful clothes, and the peaches are brightly colored and glistening. The most interesting thing is that the face of the old woman in the painting is 70% similar to that of the empress dowager.

“This is the authentic work of Ye Fuzhou, the painting saint of the previous dynasty.” Xue Sui tapped the cinnabar seal on the inscription with his fingertips. “The empress dowager worshipped Buddha and prayed for longevity. When offering the painting, she only needed to mention one sentence – this painting had been enshrined in Penglai Pavilion for three hundred years, and it received a lot of incense and spiritual energy.”

Wen Jia was stunned. “Does she believe it?”

Xue Sui: “As long as the story is told well, why wouldn’t I believe it?”

She stroked the old woman’s face and said calmly: “There are many experts in calligraphy and painting in the court. When the time comes, Pingle will definitely find ways to find faults and ask people to disprove it…”

“Is this painting real?” Wen Jia asked.

“If you believe it is true, then it must be true.”

Seeing Xue Suiping and Wen Shan’s smiles, Wen Jia’s eyes suddenly turned red and he held her hand, “Ping An, how can I thank you?”

“You and I have been through thick and thin together, no need to thank me.” Xue Sui smiled.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Xue Sui’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a dark light flashed. “On the birthday day, I will also enter the palace. Princess, be brave and don’t be afraid.”

Wen Jia nodded firmly, “I’ll listen to you.”
–
After parting with Wen Jia, Xue Sui went to Xue Mansion.

Old Mrs. Cui was taking medicine. When she saw her coming, she was full of complaints, saying that Xue Yueying was shameless and ruining the family tradition. Xue Qingzhi was sitting next to her, with his head down and not saying a word.

Xue Sui knew that the old lady’s words were actually meant for Xue Qingzhi, so he immediately tried to comfort her.

Old Mrs. Cui sighed and talked about Xue Yueman’s marriage.

“Duke Zheng’s Mansion has been implicated because of Luo Huan’s incident. This marriage is now pending. I’m afraid it will be delayed again…”

Xue Qingzhi then spoke, “After the court meeting today, my son and Duke Zheng left the palace together, and my son shamelessly discussed marriage with him. At first, Duke Zheng hesitated and did not give a clear answer. Later, my son had no choice but to say a few harsh words, and I don’t know how he weighed the pros and cons, but he actually agreed…”

Old Mrs. Cui was startled and then her face broke into a smile.

“My enemy! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

After saying that, he looked at Xue Sui with a smile on his face, and said to Nanny Wang beside him: “I said that the sixth girl is the reincarnation of a lucky star, right? Look, as soon as she comes back, good things will happen…”

Xue Qingzhi’s face stiffened slightly, “Duke Zheng made a request…”

Old Lady Cui’s smile faded. “Request? Their kid ruined our girl’s reputation. They are the ones in the wrong. How dare they make requests…”

“Having said that…”

Xue Qingzhi hesitated for a moment, “Our family has girls, so they always suffer.”

Old Mrs. Cui sighed and nodded helplessly.

“Tell me, what did the old man bring up?”

Xue Qingzhi frowned, as if he found it difficult to speak. He asked the servants to leave and wanted to send Xue Liu out as well. Old Lady Cui did not allow him to do so, so he stammered,
“They are going to send someone to check the body of the Eighth Girl to make sure she is still a virgin… and…”

“What else?” Old Mrs. Cui was so angry that her hands were shaking.

“If there is no bleeding on the wedding day, the bride will be divorced. If there is no child within three years of marriage, the bride will be divorced. If the bride is disobedient to the parents, is promiscuous, jealous, gossiping, or has a serious illness, the bride will be divorced.”

This contract to test virginity was even more “outrageous” than the seven reasons for divorce, and it was simply trampling on the face of the girl from the Xue family.

Mrs. Cui was a very respectable person. She was so angry that she was speechless, but she couldn’t find any rebuttal.

Xue Qingzhi said: “We are very lucky that this marriage can be completed. The Eighth Miss will not have to be a concubine. The Duke of Zheng’s Mansion will carry her back in a sedan chair with eight bearers. The Xue family will have both the inside and the outside. As for the physical examination, the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion will not make it public…”

“Humph, you have to swallow your broken teeth, who can you blame?” Old Madam Cui said with resentment, “It’s all your fault that the trouble-making Fourth Miss has brought ruin to the Xue family and also corrupted the Eighth Girl. In the future, when Little Nine and Little Ten get married, I’m afraid she will also be the one to blame…”

Xue Qingzhi frowned and said nothing.

Old Mrs. Cui pointed at him and taught him a lesson.

“Don’t say you said anything harsh to make Duke Zheng relent. You should thank the Sixth Girl, whom you owe. She has been negotiating for the Eighth Girl in Duke Zheng’s mansion…”

Although it was Xue Yuechen who brought the message back that day, Old Lady Cui is now certain that Xue Sui is a lucky star, and all good things are attributed to her.

Xue Qingzhi glanced at Xue Sui unnaturally.

“You are thoughtful. Please help your elder sister in the future. Only when brothers and sisters are harmonious and friendly can the family prosper.”

Xue Sui wanted to laugh when he heard this.

What about the face?

There was an unspeakable irony in her expression, as if she was about to smile. Xue Qingzhi didn’t know whether he was embarrassed or felt guilty, so he made an excuse and left.

Xue Sui chatted with the old lady in Shou’an Court for a while, exchanged a few words with Qian, and after eating the sumptuous family meal prepared by Qian, he slowly returned home in the carriage.

At night, as soon as the lights in Tanqiuyuan were turned off, Lingyu flew back.

He also brought back a secret letter from Li Zhao.

“Is there no one else? It’s because of Wei Zi.”

Is this a response to her words “The wind and rain are dark and the roosters are crowing”?

The arrogant prince was mocking her arrogance and told her disdainfully that he, Li Zhao, did not need her. If it were not for the fact that she was an old friend of his, the honorable prince would not even bother to pay attention to her.

Who is that? The aftermath of the love thread Gu.

Xue Sui smiled faintly, folded the letter paper into a small boat, placed it in the celadon fish tank in front of the bookshelf, and watched it drift slowly with the light.
–
Early the next morning, the embroiderer from the needlework room came to measure the size.

Xue Yuechen also followed.

She asked about the recent situation of everyone in the Xue Mansion, and was happy for Xue Yueman’s marriage. “At least the marriage is settled, and our efforts have not been in vain. I just hope that Eighth Sister will live in harmony and happiness after marriage.”

Xue Sui smiled slightly and said nothing more.

Xue Yuechen noticed the fatigue in her expression and said with concern: “Sixth sister has been too busy these days. I feel really sorry for her…”

As he spoke, he asked the maid to present a sandalwood box, inside which was a set of clothes.

“This new dress made of gold brocade is perfect for the Queen Mother’s birthday celebration. Try it on. If it doesn’t fit, ask the embroiderer to modify it quickly…”

This material is extremely precious, and Xue Yuechen was willing to give it to her.

It can be seen that she is now somewhat sincere towards Xue Sui.

Xue Sui thanked him with a smile and gently stroked the smooth fabric, “Sister, you gave me such a good thing, so what should I wear?”

Xue Yuechen smiled and said, “At my age, I shouldn’t be too ostentatious. Anyway, I’m already an old face in front of the Queen Mother, so it doesn’t matter what I wear. This is your first time attending a palace banquet, so you have to dress up well…”

Xue Sui smiled slightly, thinking of the white jade hairpin that Princess Ruihe had pinned on her temples, and turned back to call Xiao Zhao, “Bring me that sky-blue Hangzhou silk dress…”

The dress was exquisitely made, with lines resembling ginkgo leaves, giving off a soft luster in the sunlight.

She held it up to Xue Yuechen and said, “Sister, you have shown me your kindness, so Xue Liu should return the favor. Sister, take a look at it. If you like it, you can wear it…”

Xue Yuechen was greatly surprised.

Xue Liu could actually come up with such a good thing…

Wasn’t it said that she had been living in poverty in the Old Mausoleum Swamp for many years?

She gently passed the fabric around her snow-white wrists, and said in surprise and delight, “This color matches my skin tone perfectly. The material is delicate and smooth, not luxurious, but with a unique charm. Sister likes it very much.”

Xue Sui said, “As long as Sister likes it.”

Xue Yuechen’s eyebrows were curved, as if she suddenly became more girlish and playful, and she winked at her.

“Then we will wait until the birthday celebration day, when the two of us sisters will outshine all the beauties in the palace…”

Li Zhao: Is there no one else? Because of Wei Zi. It mainly reflects the prince’s “resentment without anger, gentleness and consideration” ~~

Xue Sui: Bah!