Chapter Sixteen: Absolute Beauty

  After the old lady spoke, the third and fourth wives led their respective daughters from the east house around the screen of peonies to come over. The room was filled with pearls and jade, making the already luxurious Rongshou Hall look even more magnificent. When the old lady saw her daughters-in-law coming out, she wanted to let Shu Yao wake up and move her arms, but Shu Yi lowered his head and smiled, how could his sister Shu Yao be easily awakened?

  Guarjia bowed his knees to the taciturn and plainly dressed lady: "Greetings, elder sister-in-law."

  The old lady hastily grasped the wrist of Madame Gualgi, looking flustered and uneasy. She was the wife of Zhihe, the eldest son born out of wedlock, but he had passed away early. Without a son by her side, she could only rely on her daughter Shuyu to make a living. When Zhihe was alive, he was also not favored. His birth mother was a maid in the old master's house, and it wasn't until after the old lady married into the duke's household that she stopped taking medicine to abort him. She had risked her life to give birth to the old master's eldest son Zhihe. At the time, the old lady always thought she could give birth to a legitimate son, so she didn't pay much attention to Zhihe. As a result, Zhihe's health was never very good, and he eventually died from a severe cold.

  The old lady thought that the big wife, Nara, was not very good at managing the household, and she had always been cold to her. Even the eldest granddaughter, Shu Yu, wasn't very fond of her. She was just waiting for Shu Yu to choose a husband after the selection so that the family could gain some benefits from it. By Nara's side, there was a girl with ordinary looks who was also silent and unassuming, and she was Shu Yu. From the new jacket that Shu Yu had made, Guwalgiya could tell that the situation in the main house wasn't very good either. The financial power of the household was all in the old lady's hands, and every month, Nara only received her monthly allowance and didn't have any other income.

  Although Nala came from a large family, she was a concubine's daughter. Her mother's prestigious background was not enough to provide her with a decent dowry. After Zhihe passed away, Nala's maternal family became increasingly cold towards her. A daughter who could not bring benefits to the family was easily forgotten. Moreover, Nala's biological mother had long since passed away, and it was unlikely that her stepmother would remember the concubine's daughter who was widowed in the duke's mansion. "No need for formalities, Second Brother and Sister." The Grand Madam Nala was rarely treated with such respect, so she felt a bit flustered. "Second Brother and Sister are imperial decree ladies, if you have this intention, it's good enough, I don't dare to assume the role."

  "What is Big Sister saying? You are the elder sister-in-law, how can you not respect the elder sister-in-law just because of the title of 'empress'? It doesn't make sense." Guwalgiya replied in a way that made people nod in agreement, Zhiyuan nodded in approval, "Yes, yes, one cannot be disrespectful to the elder sister-in-law."

  Third Lady Tong Jia's wife and Fourth Lady Liu Jia's wife could only step forward, kneel down to Guwalgiya: "Greetings, Second Sister-in-law."

  Guarjia wasn't the eldest sister-in-law, but rather the second one. They had to show respect to her too. Guarjia's words were passed on through Madame Nara, and they all got caught up in it. They couldn't bear the reputation of being disobedient to their sister-in-law. Madame Nara's lips hummed slightly as she carefully glanced at Old Lady who was sitting on the kang with Shu Yao in her arms, trying to show off her innocence. However, Old Lady didn't even give her a glance.

  Gua Erjia didn't feel a bit guilty, who in the inner house was innocent? Apart from her own daughter and husband, whoever could be used would be used, and afterwards it wouldn't matter if they helped her out. After Da Ye's death, she didn't know how to advance, only knew how to retreat, didn't compete with others, even the slaves with a bit of face dared to slight her, and she had raised her daughter Shu Yu to be so timid and yielding, retreating one step would lead to endless troubles. Gua Erjia never believed in this, if she herself wasn't strong enough, then she would just wait to be trampled on and taken advantage of.

  "Sister Liu, wake up."

  A gentle and pleasant voice reached her ears, she opened her blurry eyes, rubbed them with her small hands, and saw the extremely beautiful girl in front of her. "Are you the fairy from the painting?"

  "Sister Liu smiled and said, 'I am your cousin Li Zhiqing.'"

  Is she really Taboo Li Zhiqing? Since leaving Huizhou, Shu Yao had been ordered by Gual Jia Shi Ti to be careful with her cousin Li Zhiqing. Shu Yao pretended to listen seriously but rarely remembered it in her heart. She was herself, and Shu Yao was Shu Yao; they couldn't be mixed together. Shu Yao didn't have the emotion of jealousy in either her past or present life. In her past life, apart from professional knowledge, she was very dull about other things. In this life, since crossing over, Gual Jia Shi had never let her suffer any grievances. She suspected that Li Zhiqing also crossed over, but whether she did or not had nothing to do with Shu Yao, who had never thought of recognizing Li Zhiqing.

  When she saw Li Ziqing, Shu Yao felt a twinge of jealousy for the first time, not because of anything else, but because of her looks. Li Ziqing's eyebrows were enough to make women jealous and envious, and it was clear that she was an absolute beauty. Now, at just ten years old, she already stood out so much, and Shu Yao believed that when she grew up, she would be even more beautiful. "A beauty who can topple cities and kingdoms, you are the one they call a peerless beauty."

  "Six sisters, I am not worthy of being a national beauty, but rather an old lady who has been well taken care of and looks decent."

  Li Ziqing wore a water-blue cheongsam with golden thread embroidery on the collar and cuffs, and every piece of jewelry she wore was genuine. The blue crystal hairpin on her head was particularly eye-catching, shaped like a water droplet that swayed back and forth as she moved, emitting a pure and serene blue light, as if surrounded by flowing water, adding a touch of warmth to the bright Li Ziqing, further revealing her unique temperament.

  Shu Yao was taken out of the old lady's arms by Li Zhiqing, and the old lady finally felt a little relieved. She pinched her arm and was even more satisfied with her granddaughter Li Zhiqing. She had only said a few words to make Shu Yao sober up, which was much better than several daughters-in-law. The granddaughter was not only filial, but also had top-notch looks and talent, and had won the favor of the Empress Dowager in the palace. The old lady hoped that Li Zhiqing could marry the prince, but the only obstacle was her low birth. Although she was raised in a duke's mansion, she was from a Han military banner, her father had died early, and her family had declined. She couldn't become the legitimate wife of the prince, which was the most heartbreaking thing for the old lady. Why wasn't her granddaughter her own daughter?

  "Second Aunt, I think Sixth Sister is a bit lacking in some aspects. I know you don't lack precious medicinal herbs like ginseng, and you also have prescriptions to regulate her body." Li Zhiqing sent Shu Yao back to Guan Jia's side with an air of elder sisterliness, looking up at the clear and sparkling eyes that shone like stars, yet revealed a proud and refined demeanor tinged with concern for her younger sister. "The newly acquired ginseng beauty pills in the manor are quite good; Second Aunt might as well let Sixth Sister try them."

  “Ginseng?” Guar Jia furrowed her brow, “Top-grade ginseng is not commonly seen.” Second Aunt didn't know that Eldest Sister was the most capable one and had many roots of ginseng. If you lack ginseng or other medicinal herbs like He Shou Wu, go to Eldest Sister's place to look for them, she definitely won't disappoint you.

  Gua Lijia was puzzled, and she looked at Shu Jing, the third daughter of the first wife who was also raised by Old Lady. Shu Jing had a rosy face, delicate eyebrows and eyes that shone with innocence and charm. Between her curved eyebrows was a bright red mole that resembled blood. She was dressed in expensive and exquisite clothes, looking more like a ten-year-old girl than Li Zhiqing.

  Xu Yao widened her eyes, and on the table were what looked like apples. If she wasn't mistaken, they seemed to be Red Fuji apples. How could there be Red Fuji apples in ancient times? Who cultivated them?