Chapter 68: Ominous Signs (Below) Add More

  The madam's gaze was complex, while others were quietly waiting on the side watching.

  Ronghua gradually calmed down from the shock earlier, and if she walked over now, it would be equivalent to acknowledging her elder sister's arrangement. Especially with Yizheng Hou's wife, Mrs. Cai, and the second madam by their side, under the watchful eyes of everyone, not only would she lose a woman's dignity, but once she took this step, the marriage would be halfway settled, and it would be extremely difficult to turn back the situation afterwards.

  Now can only pretend to be shy and at a loss.

  Having made up her mind, Ronghua lowered her head and hesitated, unwilling to move a step.

  Shu Hua was getting a bit impatient on the other side, and just as she was about to speak up, Mrs. Zhang looked at what Chunyao had in her hand and said: "Your older sister is asking you to bring something for her."

  The lady spoke in a roundabout way, leaving room for further discussion.

  Ronghua slowly walked to Chunyao's side, slowly searching for something from Chunyao's hand. Chunyao also saw the subtlety of this situation. If it were another young lady in the mansion, she might be delighted with Madame's arrangement. However, she had some understanding of Eighth Miss and knew that even if her future husband had a good career and would inherit the title, Eighth Miss still wouldn't be willing to become a concubine...

  Chun Yao deliberately didn't catch what Madame was getting at and just stood there without lending a hand.

  Zhao Xuan Huan saw Rong Hua lowering her head in distress, and his heart also cleared up a bit. He furrowed his brow, stood up, "Mother-in-law, please sit down, I still have some things to attend to."

  When Zhao Xuan Huan was about to leave, Rong Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  Shu Hua wanted to keep Zhao Xuanhuan, but she only stretched out her hand and knew she couldn't keep him, so her hand fell back down.

  Zhao Xuanhuan walked calmly past Hua's side, intentionally taking a glance at this eighth sister of the Tao family. Tao Ronghua's face turned slightly red, and her eyes fluttered away, looking elsewhere. This appearance made him feel as if he had seen it before, but with just a flicker in his mind, he shifted his gaze and turned to leave.

  Zhao Xuan Huan went out, Shu Hua looked at Rong Hua with a hint of resentment, and Rong Hua didn't dare to lift her head.

  Mrs. Dai looked at Ronghua's appearance and knew that Shuhua had called her too suddenly, Ronghua was not prepared to be embarrassed, although it was a good opportunity just now, if Ronghua came over, Shuhua would also let Master Gou deepen his impression of Ronghua naturally, but after all, Ronghua is an unmarried lady, seeing her brother-in-law on the side, how can she not think too much? It's also strange that she had some hesitation before and didn't pass the word to Ronghua.

  Madam Cai's second wife sneered inwardly, but it was just a matter of taking in a concubine, and her mother-in-law had already agreed, so why did her elder sister-in-law need to rush off and tell her elder brother?

  The lady comforted Shu Hua and told her to rest well before following Mrs. Cai to the main house to talk.

  Everyone was talking as they entered the house, and as soon as they reached the inner room, they saw that the table was filled with all sorts of exquisite objects. The mistress was amazed, and Mrs. Cai smiled and said, "The Qianqiu Autumn Festival is approaching." She looked around at the servants in the room and waited for the irrelevant maids and old women to withdraw before continuing in a low voice, "Originally, we wanted to request the Emperor's permission to visit our hometown."

  The old lady was both surprised and delighted, "That's a wonderful thing, there has never been such a blessing since ancient times."

  Madam Cai sighed, "The Emperor had already agreed, but then this rebellion broke out, so this matter can only be put on hold for the time being."

  The lady also felt sorry, "What a pity."

  Mrs. Cai and the elder lady sat down to one side, and the maids brought up tea. After taking a sip of tea, Mrs. Cai continued: "Although the family visit was cancelled, permission has been granted for my mother to enter the palace for a visit, and she can stay for a few more days. I wanted to send a gift to celebrate the noble consort's birthday, but after selecting and selecting, I couldn't find anything that meets my expectations. The rules in the palace are many, and some things cannot be brought in. As for valuable items, the noble consort doesn't lack them either." She paused here, smiled, and looked at the elder lady: "Why don't you, dear aunt, help me choose one?"

  The lady was flattered by the compliment, her face lit up with delight, but she modestly declined, "I don't have such discerning eyesight, I think the ones you've chosen are all good."

  Mrs. Cai smiled again and glanced sideways at Miss Tao Ba, who was looking at the things on the table. "Miss Eighth, help me see which one looks better."

  Rong Hua smiled softly and gently.

  Mrs. Cai said, "You young girls may have different tastes and might choose something unusual. Just go take a closer look, don't think too much about it, just see which one you like the most."

  Mrs. Cai had already said so, Ronghua couldn't push it back anymore, and stood up to the side of the table, Mrs. Cai and the old lady continued talking on one side, while Ronghua took advantage of looking at things to carefully think about it, and soon made up her mind.

  Ronghua sat back down again.

  Mrs. Cai smiled and asked, "Which one do you like?"

  Ronghua smiled slightly, "As Mother said, each one is thoughtful," paused and continued: "What the Empress Dowager really cares about is the person or thing in her heart, so no matter what the lady sends, as long as the Empress Dowager sees that thing, she will think of the lady and be happy."

  These words were well said, and the lady couldn't help but purse her lips and smile.

  Ronghua's words, however, made Cai Fu think of another layer. What the Imperial Consort really cared about was not just these people, but also her younger sister, Princess Honghui.

  In the past few years, Princess Honghui's portrait was also sent to the palace several times. However, as they were all supplementary paintings, at most only six or seven parts resembled her. The Imperial Concubine was not satisfied. Madame Cai took a glance at Ronghua and sighed, "I know what the Imperial Concubine likes. As for Princess Honghui's affairs, I'm afraid the lady of the house has heard about it. For these years, half of the Imperial Concubine's heartache is because of Princess Honghui."

  "It's just that there weren't any good portraits of her from before. The mistress had me send a few, but the supplementary items were all unsatisfactory." As she spoke, she took a deep look at Ronghua, "The last time Eighth Miss came to the manor, my two sisters who grew up with me both said that Eighth Miss's temperament is very similar to Princess Honghua. I think it's not just her temperament, but also her eyebrows and eyes are very similar. If Auntie is willing, why don't we find a painter to compare and paint a portrait of Eighth Miss to send to the mistress?" She said this and then repeatedly apologized, "I'm afraid I've made Auntie laugh."

  The lady said: "Madam says that I am really treated as an outsider, but it is just a portrait of the painting. If Madam does not dislike it, let someone come and paint it."

  Mrs. Cai was naturally delighted.

  Ronghua also bowed her head and smiled, hoping that this painting would take effect. One thing is certain, the more she likes Mrs. Cai, the less likely the madam will be to let her guard down. Selecting a concubine from the mansion was meant to secure Shu Hua's position, if it ends up being a threat instead, then it wouldn't be worth it. She resembles Princess Honghua, and with Mrs. Cai, there are more reasons for closeness, previously only mentioned in private, now that Mrs. Cai has brought it up publicly, the madam should consider it.

  Rong Hua was thinking about it.

  A maid from the Hou residence came in and said: "The second young lady of the Tao family has arrived."

  Rong Hua's eyes flashed, and Yao Hua couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Yao Hua is up to something again this time, but that's good too, maybe she can also take the opportunity to escape.