To Be A Virtuous Wife

All of you are seers! Any ideas what going to happen after this?

Chapter Twenty Two To Cause Ruin

The door to zheng yuan was on the same line as the door to the wang fu itself. This was showing that the person living in zhen yuan was the owner of the fu. The other concubines, including tong fang, were spread out in two side yards between the second and the third door. The guardsmen, manservants and married servants resided outside the ermin.

The rules of the wang fu were strictly enforced. The area that a person could move in was clearly divided. For the servants, to be one that could walk inside the second door to serve, that made them a rank higher than the average servant as they were serving the inner courtyard. Even if it was just sweeping the ground, it was still a duty that many competed for.

So it could be seen that Qu Qing Ju, who lived in zhen yuan and had the power over houyuan, was an existence that could not be defied.

"Wang fei, Jiang ce fei, Luo yiniang and Han yiniang have arrived," Yu Zan announced from the door.

Qu Qing Ju sat on the armchair where a thick blanket had been laid down. She laid down halfway on the back, her hands holding a pearl encrusted hand warmer. Hearing Yu Zan's announcement, her eyebrow rose: "It's cold outside in the outer hall, invite them in."

Yu Zan bowed and silently retreated.

A short while later, three different beauties walked into the rooms. After they obediently greeted Qu Qing Ju, Qu Qing Ju allowed them to sit. She drawled: "Just now I had somebody organize my personal stores. I found some good cloth and called you here to let you pick and make some new clothes." Finishing, she tilted her head to look at Mu Jin.

Mu Jin motioned for the yahuan to present the bolts. The cloth was actually of good quality. Even though it couldn't rival Yun and Shu brocade, but it still was expensive.

Of the three sitting, Jiang Yong Yu held the highest rank. She looked at the large heap of cloth on the table and couldn't help but stand to say: "Wang fei, we can't do this. The fu has already sent over cloth for us, how can we take yours?"

"There's so much even I can't wear it all. If it stays, the color will fade," Qu Qing Ju looked at the cloths. These had come from Chang De Gong Fu who had, to not shame themselves, used them as several chests of dowry. There was a lot of it, but even ten bolts of these cloths couldn't compare to the price of one bolt of Shu brocade, "Seeing you wear it, it will brighten my eyes. If it was left at the bottom of the chest, wouldn't it be a waste?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yong Yu smiled and bowed to Qu Qing Ju, "Nubi thanks wang fei for her genoursity." Finishing, she pointed at two bolts of umber cloth, "Then I'll take these two bolts first."

Qu Qing Ju looked at the two bolts of brocade and commented, "Those two are very nice. Mu Jin, give those two bolts of sapphire blue to Jiang ce fei as well. Jiang ce fei's skin is pale, the sapphire blue will show her off best."

Jiang Yong Ju remarked that wang fei was teasing her but didn't refuse. The other two shiqie picked a bolt each. Qu Qing Ju picked a bolt for each of them. The mood in the room started to become lively.

The three had the desire to ingratiate themselves and their implied compliments flowed. They weren't debasing themselves but it was possible to detect their respect.

"I had wanted to make a girdled dress but the color wasn't right. These lotus colored brocade that wang fei picked for nu, it will satisfy nu's wishes," Han Qing He caressed a bolt of lotus brocade with joy, "This color is also good for making pouches."

"Hear that? It's as though she got the best," Jiang Yong Yu chuckled and looked at Qu Qing Ju who sat above her, "It is wang fei who has spoiled them to the point of no return."

"Jiang ce fei is making fun of us. Nu saw that when you were picking, your face was happy too," Han Qing He laughed, "And now you come to tease nu."

"So that's what is creating the fuss. Everybody is picking good things here." Feng Zi Jin could hear from outside the door how these women were flattering Qu Qing Ju. When she came in, she saw the bolts that the yahuan behind each qieshi were holding. The table still had some as well. She came and bent slightly to Qu Qing Ju, "Nu is late, is there anything good left over?"

Qu Qing Ju placed the hand warmer to one side and grasped the tea Mu Jin presented for a drink. With good humor, she looked at Feng Zi Jin: "I had thought that Feng ce fei wouldn't come. Take what you like."

Feng Zi Jin casually swept the pile, "Nu likes that bolt, is wang fei willing to part with it?"

Everybody looked and found the Feng Zi Jin was pointed at a pomegranate red bolt. Instantly, their expressions differed. Pomegranate red wasn't true red, but it was already a vibrant shade of red. Feng shi was a ce shi, she wasn't allowed to wear red. Was she challenging wang fei?

The smile on Qu Qing Ju's face grew warmer: "I had thought that, based on Feng ce fei's looks, the blue colors suits you better. But since you like it, then take it. I have too much red brocade already. It hurts my eyes to look at it." Finishing, she said to Mu Jin, "Mu Jin, send the remainders to Feng ce fei's rooms."

"Don't worry, wang fei. Nubi will certainly send somebody to deliver it," Mu Jin bent in a bow and started directing for the cloth to be gathered and delivered to Feng ce fei's rooms.

Jiang Yong Yu held a smile in the corner of her lips. She kept her head down as she drank fine "Snow Falling on the Pool" tea 碧潭飘雪茶: it is a type of flower tea originating from E Mei Mountain