Seize opportunity

  Mrs. Li hastily arrived at Chunxi Residence with her daughter-in-law and vividly described to Old Lady Xia what the daughter-in-law had said, as if she had seen it all herself.

  Old Lady Xia was shocked and stood up straight, saying "Is what you said true? Did the second daughter really have a midnight tryst with her lover?"

  This is a big deal, if it's really true, she'll have a chance to turn things around once she gets a grip on this.

  Mr. Li nodded repeatedly and pushed the woman behind him and said, "Mother, of course it's true, this is what Mrs. Mei saw with her own eyes. If you don't believe me, ask her."

  Mei Po was pushed by Li and hastily stepped forward a few steps, saying "Yes, old lady, I saw it with my own eyes. The second young lady and that scoundrel are getting too close, who would believe they're innocent?"

  Tsk, tsk, who would have thought that she just went to the toilet and stumbled upon this earth-shattering secret. The second young lady is secretly meeting her lover, if this gets out, it will be absolutely scandalous.

  "Did you see clearly whether it was a man or not? Do you know who he is?"

  "Although it's a bit dark in the alley, I can assure you that it was definitely a man. As for who it was, I didn't get a clear look."

  Look at that person's figure, anyone with good eyesight can tell it's a man. Which woman would wear a robe and be a head taller than the second miss? And she doesn't have old and blurry eyes, that person is absolutely a scoundrel.

  Mrs. Xia sat back slowly in her seat, lost in thought.

  It was Li who lost his temper first and hastily said, "Mother, are we going to catch the adulterer now?"

  She was originally worried that she would be suppressed by that cheap woman in the future, but unexpectedly, God has eyes and actually sent such a big handle into her hands. With this handle, why worry about that little hoof daring not to listen to her?

  "Old Mrs. Xia glanced coldly at Li and said, "You foolish thing, everyone has left by now, where are you going to catch the adulterer? Let the servants keep a close eye on the side door, and if they find anything, come over immediately to inform me. Don't scare them away, or else that Second Young Mistress will slip away. Otherwise, when the time comes, we won't have any evidence, and she'll be so angry that who knows, she might just post that painting outside."

  This brainless fool, before doing things also knows to move the brain to think about it, no wonder can't even handle a small piece of work.

  This summer old lady scolded Li's at the same time, but ignored that she also repeatedly lost to Xia Tingying. What qualifications do you have to comment on others?

  At this time, Xia Lian didn't know that Li and Old Lady Xia had actually taken Bai Li Rongjin as a scoundrel.

  All the way back to Liyuan with a good mood, Xia Tingxian first went to the side hall to see Shui Shi and Xia Ziyun, teaching them to rest assured. After sitting there for a while, she then brought Wan Yu and Lü Wei back to her room to rest.

  In front of the dressing mirror, Late Jade was removing Summer Cicada's hairpins and ornaments while saying "Miss, where did you go tonight? You were out for more than two hours."

  If it weren't for knowing that Miss has always been very measured in her actions, Madame and Young Master would have rushed out to look for someone long ago.

  Xia Ting's smile was shallow and extremely good-looking. "I didn't go anywhere, I just went out to see the night view."

  Wan Yu heard the words and knew not to ask more questions, so she quickly took down all the hair ornaments and combs, then took a jade comb to carefully untangle her hair.

  Lu Weng then laid out the bed, and hung up his clothes and cloak in an orderly manner.

  Xia Tingjing was wearing a good silk nightgown, waved her hand and said "You all go down and rest."

  She never needed anyone to keep watch for her at night when she slept.

  Wan Yu and Lü Wēi also seemed to know this rule, and they obediently nodded and retreated.

  The bright candlelight, Xia Ting lay on the bed and snuggled into the soft warm quilt, unintentionally thinking of that shallow kiss again, a smile appeared in the darkness, he was probably scared by her.

  To her, a modern person, this was simply a trivial matter, but to him, her actions were probably quite shocking and unconventional.

  Xia Ting closed her eyes with a good mood, and entered dreamland with a smile on her lips.

  The next day, Xia Ting woke up early after a good night's sleep and slowly got out of bed. She lazily stretched her waist and called in Wan Yu from outside the door to help her with her morning grooming.

  After dressing up and putting on her jewelry, the servants brought in breakfast. Xia Ting enjoyed the exquisite and sumptuous breakfast, it was a good day not having to get up early to pay respects.

  After finishing breakfast, Xia Ting brought Wan Yu to get on the carriage and leave. Before leaving, she also didn't forget to give a tip to the little servant at the side door. Last night when they returned in a hurry, she forgot. So she took this opportunity to make up for it while going out, lest people think she's someone who doesn't keep her word.

  The carriage drove steadily, and she was going to "Zhenbao Xuan", which had just opened half a month ago, for inspection today. At the same time, she would take a look at those accessories that she had ordered to be made.

  The horse carriage arrived at the entrance of 'Zhen Bao Xuan', Xia Ting brought Wan Yu down from the carriage and walked in.

  Today is the first day of the first month, and there aren't many people in the shop. Those noble ladies and young misses had already come to make their grand purchases a few days ago. Today, only a handful of customers came to the door, which is normal.

  Zhenbao Xuan's Xu Zhanggui had already come out from behind the counter and invited Xia Ting to a private room upstairs that belonged only to her.

  Xia Ting Cong Su's hands gently flipped through the income account of "Zhen Bao Xuan" for the past half month, a faint smile on her face. This jewelry business was indeed lucrative, and unexpectedly, in just a short half month, the profit of Zhen Bao Xuan had already reached 200,000 taels.

  Although it is said that during the New Year, all the noble ladies and young ladies will add new jewelry as a habit, but apart from this point, the business of Zhenbao Xuan is also extremely hot on ordinary days, and it's not an exaggeration to say that they make a fortune every day.

  Mr. Xu smiled with a curved eyebrow "Miss, the jewelry and accessories of our Zhenbao Pavilion are in short supply, and the price has been rising all the way, but it still can't stop those wives and daughters of powerful families from coming to buy. These workers are rushing to work every day."

  He was initially worried that the prices set by the young lady would be too high, with a single hairpin costing two thousand taels. Would anyone patronize her? But it turned out that those ladies and young misses buying jewelry couldn't be reasoned with in ordinary ways; as long as they took a liking to something, no matter how expensive, they would fork over the silver.

  Xia Ting nodded and responded with a sound, these accessories have been added modern elements by her, which is far more than the monotonous and uniform styles of this dynasty, so the price will naturally be higher.

  This woman goes crazy when she sees jewelry and accessories. If she really likes it, no matter how much money she spends, she won't feel a pinch. This is also the reason why she dares to set such a high price.

  Closing the account book, Xia Ting raised her head and said, "Xu Zhanggui, those style drawings I sent over last time, have you had them made yet?"

  Xu Zhuanggui nodded repeatedly, "This is natural, it's already been made into seven or eight sets, and only one or two sets of jewelry haven't found suitable gemstones to be inlaid. After a few days, the materials will arrive, and we'll immediately have someone select suitable gemstones to be inlaid. The finished ones are locked in the warehouse, Miss, would you like to go take a look?"

  Xia Ting nodded "Alright, lead the way."

  Xu Zhanggui hastily walked ahead, leading Xia Tingting to the warehouse. After taking out the key and opening the large lock on the warehouse, he respectfully invited Xia Tingting in.

  In front of a dozen large boxes lined up in a row, Xu Zhuang opened one of the boxes and pointed to the jewelry inside, saying "Miss, please take a look."

  Xia Ting gazed into the box, only to see that it was filled with all sorts of beautiful golden hairpins, each one unique in style, radiating a dazzling golden light.

  Xu Zhuanggui stretched out his hand and lifted the top layer of the box, revealing a gold hairpin placed on the next layer. It turned out that this box had nine layers in total, each layer was filled with various styles of gold hairpins, just this one box, at least there were more than 100 branches.

  "Miss, this is the box with gold hairpins, and the one behind it has silver hairpins. The box with gold ornaments is in front, and the armlets and wristlets are in another box. Gold bangles, silver bangles, and jade bangles are in yet another box, earrings have a separate box, and pearl necklaces and delicate small hair decorations are in the same box. In addition, fifty sets of complete jewelry filled five boxes."

  Xu Zhanggui said as he opened each box one by one, letting Xia Tingjing take a closer look and get an eye-full.

  Xia Ting didn't mince words, carefully examining the contents of each box before nodding in satisfaction. "Well done! You've got some antiques, calligraphy and paintings, as well as jade pieces. Have you gone to collect them?"

  These things were all prepared by her as her own dowry. It can be seen that those workers are very careful, and the jewelry is made very delicate and beautiful.

  Xu Zhanggui nodded "This is natural, Miss's orders, I dare not disobey. The eight boxes placed on the other side are antique and calligraphy collected from purchases. As for some jade decorations, many raw materials have been purchased back to be carved."

  "Alright, let's speed things up then. Once everything is ready, send it to the Pear Courtyard in the Xia Manor."

  Xu Zhanggui nodded in understanding.

  Xia Ting Bian then didn't stay any longer, but went out of Zhen Bao Xuan and hurried to Nuan Yan Lou. Now the jewelry type dowry has been prepared, and only the fabric and clothes need her to follow up.

  Upon arriving at Warm Smoke Building, Yu Shu was busy recording in the account book. Seeing Xia Tingjin walk in, he hastily put down the brush in his hand and went to greet him.

  "Miss, you've arrived." Yu Shu said respectfully.

  Xia Ting nodded "Let's talk upstairs."

  Yu Shu hastily welcomed Xia Tingcong together and went upstairs into a private room.

  After personally pouring tea for her, Uncle Yu finally spoke up and asked, "Miss, you've come today, is there something you'd like to instruct me on?"

  Xia Ting nodded slightly "How's the preparation for 'Snow Refining Workshop' going? Have those fabrics and clothes I instructed earlier been made?"

  This snow workshop is her new prepared cloth shop, not only supplies ready-made clothes but also supplies cloth. It's just that it hasn't opened yet, because she let those dyeing workers and tailors start making her dowry, so the opening time will be delayed.

  Yu Shu said, "The old slave went to see yesterday, those silk fabrics made of high-quality silkworms have all been dyed, and the clothes have been cut according to your drawings, twenty or so pieces. The cloak and cape are waiting for the arrival of the fine fur to be made. The old slave thinks that it should be finished in a few more days."

  This young lady's instructions are all over the place, with many things that have never been heard of before. Fortunately, there are drawings to follow, otherwise these workers wouldn't know where to start.

  But the clothes made from it are truly exquisite, and the masters who dyed the fabric praised them, saying that if they were to be sold, their value would not be low.

  Xia Ting smiled slightly and said, "That's good, let the workers hurry up a bit."

  In a few more months she will be getting married, so the dowry must be prepared in advance.

  Yu Shu nodded repeatedly, he naturally knew that these things were all going to be used as the young lady's dowry, so how could he dare to slack off.

  After leaving the Warm Smoke Building, Xia Ting brought Wan Yu back to the Xia Mansion and lay down on the couch, thinking carefully. Now that the dowry was almost all prepared, she had to think carefully if there was anything lacking, so as not to be rude to others after getting married.

  Wan Yu was also helping out beside her, thinking to herself, when she suddenly lifted her head and said "Right, Miss, you still haven't added enough maids by your side. If you marry into the Jing Wang Fu, you'll definitely need at least six maids to serve you."

  Xia Ting was taken aback, she had actually forgotten that she was a modern person at heart, always independent and self-sufficient. Although she had Lan Yu and Lu Wei serving her, most of the time she did things herself, which made life easy for these maidservants, with little to no labor required.

  So she didn't think about the number of maidservants going up. Now, Late Jade said it was right, she was going to marry into the Jing Wang Fu, and she couldn't just bring three maidservants with her. Since selling Nian Shuang last time, the four maidservants who originally served her were left with only three, and in daily life, she didn't feel lacking, so she hadn't added any more staff.

  This reminded Jade that it was reasonable. It's time to add a few more maids, and it seems that someone will have to be called over in a few days.

  Putting aside these trivial matters, Xia Tingjing pulled over a blanket from beside her and covered herself with it, taking a short rest.

  All day, Xia Ting stayed with Shi Shui and Xia Zi Yun, or else she was cooped up in her room dealing with business matters. She hadn't gone out again, after all, she would be getting married in a few months, and she wanted to spend this time accompanying her mother and brother. This place wasn't like modern times; once she married into the Jing Wang Fu, as someone else's daughter-in-law, it wouldn't be so easy for her to return home freely.

  The Li family then dispatched several wives to stake out the side door, determined to catch Xia Tingying's handle as soon as possible.

  That day, Xia Ting had just finished her breakfast when a young servant guarding the side door came to report that the horse carriage from last time had arrived again.

  Xia Ting hastily put down the book in her hand and threw on a cloak before rushing out of the door.

  Carrying Wan Yu all the way to the side door of the Xia Fu, she got on the familiar carriage.

  The old woman who had been hiding beside the tree was so excited that she almost jumped up, after waiting for so long, she finally got to see this second young lady meet her lover again. No way, she had to hurry back and tell the madam, otherwise this adulterous couple would run away later.

  Inside Chunxi Residence, after listening to her mother-in-law's report, Li's face was filled with joy. "Did you see clearly? Did she really get on the horse carriage with her lover?"

  The old woman nodded repeatedly. "Of course, the second young lady has just boarded the horse carriage, and I will immediately return to report to you. This will definitely catch someone in the act."

  Li smiled with curved eyebrows and turned to face Old Lady Xia sitting above, saying "Mother, did you hear that? What are we waiting for, we must hurry over."

  This clear sky and bright day, who would have thought that this little hoof would dare to be so bold as to meet her lover. She had originally thought she would have to wait for a few more days. But unexpectedly, it was so quick that she was able to catch up with him, and just thinking about being able to grasp the handle of this little hoof soon made her excited beyond control. This damned little hoof, previously let her suffer such great losses, now see where she can still run to.

  Old Lady Xia also nodded in agreement and said "Let's go, we'll get through this together."

  She was equally eager to seize the opportunity to grasp the two braids' mistake, so as to take control of her and restore her dignity as a grandmother.

  The two of them hastily took the old woman and rushed towards the side door.

  Xia Tingjin entered the carriage, smiling slightly as she sat down beside Baili Rongyin. Not a hint of discomfort was felt, after these few days of interaction, she had already become extremely natural in being alone with him.

  Baili Rongjin reached out and grasped Xia Tingcong's hand, gently rubbing it to warm her up, which had become a habit of his.

  "While warming her hands, he said 'I brought you some pastries from Nuanshanlou, try them and see if you like them.'"

  This morning after breakfast, he went to the Warm Smoke Building on his way to buy food for his two younger brothers. Thinking that he would come over to see her later, he bought an extra pastry, thinking of bringing it to her to try, and if she liked it, he would help bring more in the future.

  Xia Ting didn't refuse the other person's actions, his hands were much larger than hers, and could always tightly wrap around her hands.

  He smiled and nodded in agreement, "Alright."

  It's hard for him as every time he has something good, he always thinks of her and she wouldn't refuse.

  Baili Rongjin picked up a soft fox fur blanket from the side and covered it over Xia Tingcong's body. He opened the food box on the small table, took out the pastries inside, picked one up and handed it to Xia Tingcong's lips.

  Xia Ting didn't hesitate and took a bite of the pastry in her opponent's hand. It was sweet, fragrant, and soft, a Osmanthus cake.

  "Is it delicious?" Ba Li Rong Jin asked with a faint smile.

  Xia Ting nodded with a mouthful of osmanthus cake, "Delicious." This osmanthus cake was taught by her to the pastry chef at Nuan Yan Lou, although she could eat it every day, but this one was bought by Rong Jin, and the meaning was naturally different.

  Baili Rongjin moved the osmanthus cake in her hand closer to Xia Tingcong and said, "There are some other fresh pastries over there, I'll bring them all together next time for you to try. If you like them, then we can have them delivered directly to the Wang estate from now on."

  Xia Ting nodded her head slightly to the side, this idea wasn't bad, she might consider opening a pastry shop, supplying those large households with daily snacks.

  Baili Rongjin saw that Xia Tingjing seemed to be thinking about something, so she didn't interrupt and simply put the pastry she had bitten into her mouth.

  Xia Ting Jing was just about to say something when she suddenly heard Wan Yu's voice outside the carriage, "Old Madam, Li Madam, how did you come here?"

  Li and Old Lady Xia hastily arrived at the side door, where they saw a delicate and beautiful carriage parked outside, with Wan Yu, Xia Jing's personal maid, standing guard beside it. This couldn't help but bring joy to their hearts.

  With great confidence, he walked over with big strides.

  Wan Yu was shocked as soon as she saw Mrs. Xia and Li, how did these two come here? She hadn't forgotten their repeated attempts to harm Miss.

  "Where's your mistress?" Li said first. "Why don't you bring her out for me?" Today she was going to get back at this little girl.

  Late at night, Yu frowned and said, "This...". The young lady was with the quiet king's son in the carriage, it wasn't good for her to be called down so abruptly.

  Mrs. Li didn't care about that, she just thought that Late Jade's face showed a difficult expression, and must be afraid of being known by her, this little girl was secretly meeting with her lover. So she raised her voice and said "What, aren't you guilty of stealing, not daring to call the person down, afraid I'll know she's secretly meeting with her paramour."

  "Mrs. Li, you can't just talk nonsense! Our young lady is a paragon of virtue and propriety. When has she ever had any improper relationships? Don't go around ruining her reputation for no reason!"

  What a scoundrel! Jing Wang's son is Miss's future husband, yet he was treated as a scoundrel. This Mrs. Li really dares to say anything.

  Mr. Li suddenly became furious "You damned servant girl, how dare you speak to me like that, be careful I'll flay your skin. If she was innocent, why would she be afraid to come down? Isn't it because she's afraid of being known for having an affair with her lover?"

  It's really that cheap girl who was trained to speak to the mistress of the house like this. Once she gets a hold of this little girl's handle, she'll deal with her properly later on.

  Old Lady Xia also hummed and said, "Don't bring her down for me yet, I want to see what else she has to say this time."

  If you don't want her to make a big deal out of this, then these two girls will have to listen to her from now on.

  Xia Ting sat in the train compartment and almost choked to death on pastries. Scoundrels! It's really surprising that these two could come up with this, thinking everyone is as shameless as they are.

  Baili Rongjin obviously also heard the conversation outside the carriage, and his face suddenly turned cold. He came to see his wife-to-be, but was treated as an adulterer.

  Xia Ting Jing could no longer bear to listen to the nonsense spoken by Li Shi and Old Madame, so she turned her head to face Bai Li Rong Jin and said "You wait in the carriage, I'll go down for a bit."

  Baili Rongyin slightly furrowed her brow, worried that she might not be able to handle it.

  Xia Ting leaned in close and gently pressed her forehead against the other person's, their faces intimate and close. "Don't worry, I can handle it, you have to believe me."

  Baili Rongjin was taken aback, looking at her face close at hand, his heart moved, and he stretched out his hand to gently hold her face. "You have to be more careful."

  Xia Ting smiled and nodded, then lifted the car curtain and got out of the car.

  Li and Old Lady Xia were overjoyed when they saw Xia Tingcong get off the carriage.

  Xia Ting's face was cold as she smiled and said, "What are you doing coming over here?"

  I don't even know how these two brainless people knew she was here, they didn't even bother to figure out the situation before coming over and catching her in the act.

  Li thought she had grasped Xia Ting's weakness, so she straightened her back and said, "You still have the face to say that a girl like you dares to secretly meet with your lover in broad daylight. You are already betrothed to the son of the Duke of Jing by imperial decree. How dare you do such a thing? Where is that scoundrel? Why doesn't he come down too? This time, you're caught red-handed and can't escape."

  Li said with increasing complacency, this cheap girl, has finally been taught a lesson and caught off guard.

  "Second daughter, although grandmother knows you don't want to marry into the Jing Wang Fu, but you can't do something like this. Fortunately, only I and your mother know about it, as long as you behave yourself, we'll consider it as if nothing happened."

  Xia Ting's face revealed a faint, disdainful smile "Obey obediently? What does that mean?"

  "Provided that you guarantee to serve the Xia Manor well after marrying into the Jing Wang Fu, and consider the matter with Lian'er settled and never bring it up again. Then your mother and I will let this pass for now. This is a one-time opportunity, so make sure to seize it."

  "What if I don't agree?" Xia Ting said faintly.

  These two are really inseparable, always thinking of ways to scheme against her.

  Li shouted loudly, "You dare not to agree, do you believe that I will immediately expose the ugly things you've done to the Jing Wang Fu? See if you still have any face to marry in the future."

  Old Lady Xia also said fiercely, "Second daughter, don't do anything stupid. If I were to spread the word about this, you think the Jing Wang Fu would let you off? Breaking off this engagement would be getting off lightly. In the end, they'll have to drag you and that scoundrel to soak in a pig cage."

  "Are you done calling me a scoundrel? At my age, I'm still not acting like a fool. Open your eyes wide and take a good look, whose emblem is on this horse carriage?"

  Not a single one of them uses their brain to think, which idiot would dare to have an affair with her lover in front of the family gate in broad daylight. She's really stupid to death.

  Li and Old Lady Xia only then noticed that there was a large 'quiet' character sign on the carriage, and they were suddenly frightened out of their wits. Could it be that the person in the carriage wasn't an adulterer, but rather the quiet Prince Jing?

  Baili Rongjin also lifted the curtain at this time, coldly looking at Li Shi and Xia Lao Furen: "This young master has come to see his future wife, but it seems that Xia Lao Furen and Xia Furen have some opinions."

  These two ignorant women actually dared to threaten his son in front of him, it's simply heinous.

  Madam Xia and Mrs. Li were so frightened that they hastily knelt down, "Your Highness, please forgive us, we really didn't know it was Your Highness who had arrived, we hope you will forgive us."

  "Y-yes, yes, Your Highness. I truly didn't know, please forgive me."

  That damned old woman clearly told her that this little hoof was having a secret meeting with her lover here, how did it become the Crown Prince of Jing in the blink of an eye? That brainless old woman is going to get her killed, what kind of scoundrel is this Crown Prince of Jing?

  Baili Rongjin coldly snorted, "This young master has come to see Ning'er, must he still report to you?"

  Li and Old Lady Xia hastily kowtowed and repeatedly said they didn't dare.

  Xia Ting furrowed her brow slightly, although this was the side door of the Xia residence, it was unavoidable that someone would pass by and notice the scene outside the alley. If they were seen, who knows what rumors would spread? She lightly shook her head at Bai Li Rongjin.

  Baili Yongjin nodded in understanding and said in a low voice, "You can leave now. This young master does not want to see you again."

  Mr. Li and Old Lady Xia hastily got up to thank him, taking shaky steps as if fleeing.

  Xia Ting gazed coldly at their departing figures, waiting for the right moment to settle scores with these two.

  Got back on the horse-drawn carriage, inside the compartment.

  Baili Rongjin carefully pulled Xia Ting into his arms, and only today did he finally witness the shamelessness of those two people. His Ting'er looked so delicate, yet she had to face all this alone.

  Xia Ting leaned into Baili Rongyin's arms, knowing he was worried about her. She smiled and slightly lifted her head, saying "I'm fine, they can't do anything to me. Don't worry."

  She is a modern person, not one of those weak ancient women, who would easily be bullied. These things are just trivial matters to her, nothing to be afraid of.

  Baili Rongjin gently grasped Xia Ting's hand "I won't be able to truly stop worrying until you marry me."

  Although he knew his daughter was stronger and braver than other girls, he still couldn't help but worry about her.

  "It's almost here, isn't it?" Xia Ting said with a tilted head. The wedding is on March 6th this year, and the date will arrive in the blink of an eye.

  Baili Rongjin looked at her adorable appearance and couldn't help but tighten his arms around her waist. He affectionately rubbed her pale face with the back of his fingers, saying "Yes, we're almost there."

  After a while of intimate interaction between the two, Xia Tingjing finally got off the car and took Wan Yu back to the mansion.

  She went straight to Chunxi Residence, but she hadn't settled accounts with Old Lady and Li yet.

  All the way to Chunxi Residence, Xia Tingjing stopped in front of the door and said to Wan Yu, "Go and invite my father over."

  Wan Yu nodded and turned around to leave.

  Xia Ting's eyes narrowed slightly as she stepped into Chun Xi Residence.

  As I entered the main hall, I indeed saw Old Lady Xia and Madame Li sitting inside. On the floor, a servant girl was kneeling and crying out loud, "Old Lady, Madame, I really didn't know that scoundrel was actually the Second Young Master of Jing Wang! The other night was dark and chaotic, all I saw was a man, who would have thought he was actually the future husband of the Second Miss, the Second Young Master of Jing Wang!"

  She was really wronged, thinking that she had discovered a shocking secret and could get a generous reward from the old lady and the madam. Who would have thought that the scoundrel was actually the Crown Prince of Jing? Not only did she not get the silver reward, but she also got herself into trouble. She was really wronged.

  "Li angrily said, 'You still dare to say that you didn't see clearly. You actually dared to come before me and loudly shout that he was a scoundrel. Now it's good, the dignified Prince Jingwang's son is being called a scoundrel, are you intentionally trying to get me killed?'"

  This handle didn't grasp, instead provoked the quiet king's son to be displeased. The other party's power is greater than heaven, if they really get angry, which one can this first-rank official's wife bear?

  Old Lady Xia was so angry that she slapped the table "You brainless old thing, this time you really want to get me killed. Come on, take her out and give her sixty slaps for me."

  The woman kneeling in the hall suddenly burst out crying loudly.

  Xia Ting watched the commotion in the main hall with a cold eye, but didn't make a sound. It turned out that Rong Jin was seen by this woman when he sent her back last night, and she reported it to Li Shi and others, which led to today's adultery incident.

  Xia Tingchen walked into the main hall with a steady and calm pace. Both Old Lady Xia and Li saw Xia Tingchen enter the hall, and they were both startled.

  "Xing'er, today's events are all this woman's fault. If she hadn't spoken nonsense, your grandmother and I wouldn't have gone to see you for no reason. We were also afraid that you would be deceived by those scoundrels."

  She would have to give in, after all, this little hoof still had a handle on Lian'er's hand, if she really posted that painting. How could Lian'er live with herself afterwards?

  Old Lady Xia also nodded vigorously "Exactly, your mother and I are afraid that you will be deceived. This matter is all the fault of this woman, and Grandmother has already ordered her to be dragged out and beaten with sixty large boards."

  She'd better stand on the same front line as Li's family, anyway, first calm down these two girls. Otherwise, if that painting is really posted, the face of Xia Fu will be trampled to death, and in the future, they won't be able to lift their heads in this capital city, and at that time, Yu'er will blame her to death.

  The old woman kneeling on the ground immediately cried out and came over, wanting to hug Xia Ting's feet, but was lightly dodged by the latter.

  "Miss, you are magnanimous, please spare the old slave's life. The old slave will never dare again. Please forgive me, Miss."

  These sixty taels of silver are gone, how can she still hold on?

  Li shouted angrily, "Don't you hurry up and drag this woman away for me. Are you waiting for me to take action myself?"

  The servants waiting outside rushed in and seized the woman, dragging her out.

  Xia Ting furrowed her brow slightly, but didn't say anything. This old woman wasn't loyal to her, she didn't need to plead for her. If the other party hadn't been so arrogant, there wouldn't have been today's outcome. It was all because she had followed the wrong master.

  As soon as the old woman was dragged out, both Old Lady Xia and Mrs. Li looked at Xia Ting with a smile of apology on their faces.

  Xia Ting walked straight up to the seat and sat down, saying calmly, "So you're saying that this is all the fault of that woman."

  Mr. Li nodded like pounding garlic "Of course, all of this was her provocation, your grandmother and I absolutely believe in your character."

  "Is that so? I must be deaf, because I could've sworn you two were shouting about catching an adulterer the moment you arrived at the side door, with looks of joy on your faces. Weren't you rejoicing over having caught me in my own trap?"

  They treated her like a fool. These two were afraid that once they had something to grasp, they would run faster than anyone else. The old woman was provocative? Who would believe such nonsense.

  Nowadays, whenever something is unfavorable to oneself, it's all pushed onto the wife. Without even thinking about what one said before, and still daring to speak so boldly without shame.

  Li's face stiffened and he muttered, "No, nothing happened."

  Although Old Lady Xia didn't say a word, she was extremely angry in her heart. This dead girl, she had already spoken all the good words and yielded, yet still dared to be so unyielding.

  "Is that so? I think you don't even care about your own daughter. Since you like to grasp for handles, fine. I'll post the painting of Xia Lian and Li You's private affair. Let everyone in Kyoto see it. By then, you won't have the heart to keep grasping for handles every day."

  These two people, always thinking of grasping her mistakes to threaten her, but they themselves are also out of tune, and were counter-attacked by her, yet still not reflecting on their actions.

  If she gets really angry, just watch her copy that painting a thousand or eight hundred times and plaster it all over Kyoto overnight.

  Mr. Li was frightened by these words and hastily said, "No, no, no! Lian'er is your sister, you can't do this."

  Old Lady Xia also hastily said, "This kind of thing that disregards sisterly affection, how can you do it? If this gets out, outsiders will scold you for being heartless and unrighteous."

  Xia Ting's beautiful eyes narrowed, and a cold light flashed in her pupils. "Heartless and unrighteous? You still have the face to say this word, didn't you three feel heartless and unrighteous when you plotted against me? Sister? I saw her being very happy when she was plotting against me, when did she ever treat me as a sister? Such words coming out of your mouths, how can you not feel disgusted with yourselves?"

  How dare she say that she is heartless and unrighteous, this family is shameless to the point of being so brazen. She has always been 'when people respect me by a foot, I return it with ten feet', if not for these people who are always thinking of scheming against her, why would she want to go out of her way to make things difficult for them? They themselves did something wrong but don't admit it, only knowing how to push the blame onto others.

  Li and Old Lady Xia were both stunned by Xia Ting's words, suddenly unsure of what to say. They could only stand stiffly in place.

  Xia Ting's face turned cold and she hummed, "Nothing more to say? Then let's talk about how we're going to settle this account."

  Mr. Li stammered, "What do you want? As long as you don't post Lian'er's painting outside, I'll give you 100 taels."

  After a burst of heartache, this is her own private savings. Thinking that she was once the mistress of the house, now she has to end up in such a sorry state, giving silver to the concubine's daughter, it's really suffocating no matter how you think about it.

  Xia Ting raised an eyebrow, one hundred and twenty taels? Is this Li family trying to shoo away a beggar? And yet they put on such a painful expression, truly a stingy iron hen that won't let go of a single hair.

  Old Lady Xia also secretly glanced at Li, how could she say it out loud for just one hundred taels of silver. It's really getting more and more absurd as time goes on. At the very least, they should give two hundred taels.

  But thinking again, it's all for these two girls anyway, one hundred taels is just one hundred taels. Maybe she'll agree then.

  "Xia Ting said with a calm tone, 'One hundred and twenty taels, Madam is indeed very generous. So Xia Lian's reputation is only worth one hundred and twenty taels?'"

  "Then how much do you want? I don't have a lot."

  This damned little hoof is taking advantage of her hard-earned money, what a cheap hoof who only has eyes for money.

  This Li family had forgotten who was desperately trying to snatch someone else's dowry before. When it came to their own head, they couldn't bear to scold others for being greedy. They didn't remember what they did before at all.

  "Who wants your silver now? I wouldn't even take it if you gave it to me for free. With a face like yours, I don't expect you have much silver anyway."

  She's not short of money, but it's just a hundred taels, which doesn't even count as small change to her. This Li family really thinks she can be swayed by this little bit of money.

  Mr. Li was so angry that he felt his head was about to explode with smoke. What did this little brat mean? What's wrong with her looking like this, isn't she noble and elegant enough?

  Old Lady Xia also frowned and was about to say something.

  Suddenly, they heard a maid outside say, "The master has arrived."

  Mr. Li and Old Lady Xia turned their heads at the same time, seeing Mr. Xia walking in steadily with a dark blue robe, followed closely by Wan Yu.

  Digression

  Everyone, I feel much better today, thank you for your concern, hugs.

  There's something else I want to tell everyone, because Jianjian is a student, so daily updates of 10,000 words are really unrealistic. The previous stock has been used up, this chapter is 10,000 words, and if calculated, the entire first week had daily updates of 10,000 words.

  From now on, I'll be writing 5,000 words every day. Of course, if time permits, I'll write more. Hope you all can understand.

  Can the 5,000 words owed to everyone today on Sunday be made up for in the next few days? That is, can we update 6-7,000 words every day in the next few days and make up for the 5,000 words in a few days? Friends, do you think it's possible?

  Also, the update time will be postponed to Tuesday, and finally thank you again for your support, hugs.