Chapter 42: Mrs. Xu Changes Her Mind

  Next was the selection of jewelry, and Mrs. Xue said: "Jin'er, your sisters have a lot of jewelry, you've suffered a lot over the years, but you only have a few pieces that are outdated, so pick out some more today!"

  As soon as Madam Xü spoke, Xü Míngxiá and the others glared at Xü Míngjǐn with anger in their eyes. Who would complain about having too many accessories? Moreover, the accessories that Madam Xü had prepared for the banquet were all of high quality, making them drool with envy. They had been eager to grab them earlier, and now hearing Madam Xü's words, how could they not be angry at Xü Míngjǐn? It was all because of this country bumpkin that they couldn't get their hands on these exquisite accessories!

  Xu Mingjin smiled slightly and declined.

  But how could Mrs. Xú let her off? Since Xú Míngjǐn declined, she stood up and personally selected the two best headdresses from the jewelry box, ignoring the resentful glances of others, and handed them to Xú Míngjǐn herself.

  Xu Mingjin was in a difficult situation and had no choice but to accept it. If she didn't, that would be disrespecting her stepmother, which was an even greater crime.

  As they walked out of Mrs. Xu's place, Yu Zhu asked Xu Mingjin, "Miss, why did you choose the most inconspicuous one?"

  Xu Mingjin smiled slightly and said, "I didn't think about drawing attention to myself on the day of Princess Pingxi's birthday banquet. I'm still young, but my older sisters have already reached the age of marriage, so they must dress up beautifully to find a suitable husband for themselves! Therefore, they will definitely try their best to make themselves look the most charming. In this situation, if I were to compete with them for beautiful clothes, it would be like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth. That's why Madam Xu let me...

  The second one to choose, the elder sister's clothes, must be the lady herself prepared, she didn't want me to pick that one, so let the elder sister first choose, otherwise, she would definitely let me choose first, this way, everyone's anger towards me will be even greater.

  Yu Zhu nodded and said: "Mrs. Xu was cheating with this abacus! Fortunately, the young lady was clever and didn't fall for her trick."

  Xu Mingjin smiled and said, "Yes, didn't you see that I chose the most inconspicuous piece of clothing? Everyone is no longer resentful towards me. Mrs. Xu was so disappointed and angry!"

  Yu Zhu and Qiu Yun burst out laughing.

  Back at the Emerald Garden, she saw Chun Xiang waiting by the door with her head raised in anticipation. Xu Ming Jin was touched and knew that Chun Xiang was worried about her, which is why she had been waiting there for her.

  Chun Xing also saw Xu Mingjin and his group, she immediately rushed over with joy, sizing up Xu Mingjin from head to toe, and her heart finally fell back into her stomach.

  As soon as they entered the house, Chun Xing didn't wait for Xu Ming to sit down before eagerly asking: "Miss, did Madam give you a hard time?"

  Xu Mingjin nodded.

  Chun Xing let out a sigh of relief and then said: "Miss, it turns out that your worries were unnecessary!"

  Xu Ming's eyebrow twitched: "What, you want it to really happen?"

  Chun Xing only then realized she had misspoken. Hurriedly, she apologized to Xu Mingjin: "Miss, I didn't mean it that way, what I meant was, nothing happening is the best."

  Xu Mingjin coldly snorted: "Is this what you call an apology?"

  Spring apricot choked with sobs, then said: "Miss, I was wrong!"

  Xu Mingjin smiled and said: "Since you've come out to welcome me, I'll let it go this time."

  Chun Xing suddenly realized that Qiu Yun was holding a piece of clothing and a jewelry box. She asked in surprise, "Qiu Yun, where did you pick up the clothes and jewelry?"

  Xu Mingjin rolled her eyes and said: "Chun Xing, that's what Mrs. Xu prepared for me to wear to the banquet in two days."

  "What! Madam, you're letting her wear this?! It's too shabby, won't it lose the face of Secretary's wife if she goes out like that?" Chun Xing immediately said discontentedly: "Miss, how can you bear to do this? With so many clothes, why not pick a good one?!" She took over the jewelry box and looked at it, praising: "This jewelry is actually pretty good, suitable for Miss."

  Xu Mingjin's face turned cold.

  She thought that Chun Xiang should understand the reason why she did this, but unexpectedly, she didn't understand it at all. However, she was too lazy to explain it to her anymore. Xu Ming Jin said weakly: "Yu Zhu, you explain it to her, I'm tired, all of you go out!"

  Chun Xing didn't know which sentence had offended Xu Mingjin. Just as she was about to say something else, Yu Zhu grabbed her hand and pulled her away from there. As soon as they got outside, Chun Xing wanted to break free, but Yu Zhu said: "Miss, Autumn Cloud is here, come with me."

  Chun Xing looked at Qiu Yun's unyielding expression, and since she really didn't know which sentence she had said wrong, Miss was so angry. So, she followed Yu Zhu to a quiet place. Only then did Chun Xing speak up: "What do you want to say to me? Say it!"

  "Spring Apricot sister, do you know why Miss is angry?"

  Chun Xing shook her head.

  "Miss, in this Shangshu Mansion, everyone is vying for power and position. The only person she can rely on is still young and relies on her to take care of him. Miss can be said to have no one to rely on. But what about Mrs. Xu? And the eldest miss? Those second misses, third misses all the way to fifth miss who have their own mothers-in-law, these people have been living in the mansion for many years and secretly have their own power and influence. Especially Mrs. Xu, her power is the greatest. Tell me, a newly arrived miss with no foundation or power, what can she use to compete with them? Can she even win against them?"

  Spring apricot silly eyes.

  "Those without strength who still jump around so happily will only die faster."

  "Then, then what should Miss do?"

  "Of course, we will bide our time and build a strong foundation in the Ministry of War, while secretly cultivating our own power." Yuzhu said.

  Xun Xing suddenly realized: "So Miss chose that dress on purpose today! In order not to compete with them."

  Jade Bamboo nodded: "It's not just that, Mrs. Xu deliberately let the young lady choose first, it was to make the second young lady and others jealous of the young lady, secretly tripping her up. This way she can watch from a safe distance."

  Chun Xing listened to Yu Zhu's words, thought carefully for a moment, and patted her head regretfully, saying: "Ah, no wonder Miss was angry with me when I said that. It turns out Miss thinks I'm stupid."

  "Spring Apricot sister, you must know that when serving the young lady, one must observe more, think more, and speak less. Don't bring trouble to the young lady because of your own actions. The young lady is currently in a precarious situation, every step she takes requires great caution. As her personal maid, one must also be extremely cautious in all matters."

  "Thank you, Yuzhu," Chun Xing said gratefully.

  Jade Bamboo smiled and said: "Don't thank me, you forgot, it was Miss who asked me to come and guide you."

  Chun Xing Dao: "I should thank you too." As they spoke, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

  Two days passed quickly, and Princess Punghee's birthday finally arrived amidst Mrs. Xu's anticipation. At this time, Mrs. Xu had already sent a very impressive congratulatory gift to the Punghee Palace, which was not cheap. Mrs. Xu suffered from toothache for several days, but thinking that she had won over Princess Punghee, all the benefits were within her grasp, so she gritted her teeth and endured it.

  Mrs. Xü has been busy for the past two days, and the rumors outside have finally dissipated. Mr. and Mrs. Xü have also made up with each other. Mrs. Xü's spirit is getting better and better, but she regrets agreeing to let Xu Mingjin take her invitation to attend Princess Pingxi's birthday banquet that day. At the time, she wanted to use Princess Pingxi's birthday banquet to embarrass Xu Mingjin, so she lied and said she wasn't going. But now, with her good mood restored, she wants to see Xu Mingjin make a fool of himself in person, so she is having second thoughts.

  Xu Mingxia knew that Mrs. Xu was worried about this matter, so she took advantage of her relationship with the peerless county master and personally went to ask for a note from him. Only then did Mrs. Xu's mood turn good again. She sent someone to deliver the note to Xu Mingjin and also had Xu Mingxia's note returned.

  Xu Mingjin didn't know what it meant to exchange this post back and forth, but since she knew Mrs. Xu was also going to the banquet, she became extremely cautious.

  That morning, Xu Mingjin put on the smoke cloud butterfly skirt and had Qiu Yun braid her hair into a same-heart knot. She wore the headdress that Madam Xu personally chose for her, with a few loose strands of hair framing her forehead, looking radiant and beyond compare. Yuzhu praised: "Miss looks good in anything she wears, only Miss can make this dress look so beautiful!"

  Xu Mingjin smiled slightly and glanced at Chun Xing, who had her mouth tightly closed. She thought to herself: What kind of ideas has Yu Zhu been feeding into Chun Xing's head? From yesterday till now, Chun Xing had been so cautious and silent, it was unbearable for Xu Mingjin to watch. Xu Mingjin cleared her throat and said: "Chun Xing, I don't like this attitude of yours one bit. You can be like this in front of outsiders, but not in front of me. Let's just go back to how things were before!"

  "Really?" Chun Xing asked cautiously.

  Xu Mingjin nodded vigorously and said: "You're still the same as before, it's hard for me to look at you like this."

  "Miss, I'm uncomfortable too!" Chun Xing exclaimed, immediately dropping the awkward demeanor she had just displayed.

  Everyone laughed.

  In the Yu Ping courtyard of Madam Xue, Xu Mingxia and others arrived one after another after Xu Mingjin had paid his respects to Madam Xue. Everyone saw Xu Mingjin's outfit and couldn't help but think that they hadn't expected such an unremarkable piece of clothing would have such an unexpected effect on him. Everyone regretted why they didn't choose that dress yesterday, why they didn't have the foresight?

  Xu Mingxia wore that peony pink cheongsam, originally her clothes were the most eye-catching, but now everyone's attention was drawn to Xu Mingjin, she and Mrs. Xu both showed angry expressions.

  Mrs. Xü was so impressed by Xu Mingjin's demeanor that it even surpassed the charm of her own daughter, Xu Mingxia, whom she had always been proud of. Suddenly, she regretted allowing Xu Mingjin to attend Princess Pingxi's banquet. In such a gathering of high-ranking officials and nobles, where countless noblewomen were present, what if someone took a liking to Xu Mingjin? She absolutely would not allow that to happen! Just as Mrs. Xü was frantically thinking of ways to stop Xu Mingjin from attending the banquet, Xu Mingxia gave her a knowing glance. As mother and daughter, Xu Mingxia could guess what her mother was thinking with just one look. She stopped her mother's actions because she wanted Xu Mingjin to attend the banquet.