Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 85 - 11: Face-Slapping

The full moon banquet for the young Commandery Princess carried on until about three in the afternoon before dispersing. The Old Madam and the others bid farewell one by one, and then returned home with four girls whose expressions were somewhat displeased. Fifth Miss had red eyes, clearly from crying.

Once on the carriage, the Old Madam’s beaming smile faded into a blank expression. She pressed her forehead with one hand, closed her eyes, and said nothing.

Susu quickly looked toward Yang Liu. After her own meal, she had swapped with Yang Liu, and then accompanied the Old Madam to enjoy flowers and watch a play, not having been with the girls.

Princess Changlong was married into one of the Six Great Marquis Houses at founding, the Marquis Ning’an Mansion. Today, she had come with two granddaughters and a granddaughter conferred as County Lord. There was also Princess Qingning from Prince Gong Mansion, and girls from Duke Ning Mansion, Marquis Wenchang Mansion, and Changle Earl Mansion.

Upon inquiry, it was found that Prince Ke referred to Madam Changle Earl as his maternal aunt, while Empress Xiao Zhao and Madam Changle Earl were first cousins.

Among all the girls, indeed, the status of the Miss from the Song Family was the lowest. However, with the girls from Marquis Wenchang Mansion offering guidance, nothing should have gone wrong.

The Old Madam had originally thought so too, but who would have expected something actually happened, albeit it didn’t escalate in front of others.

The Song Family returned home, arrived at Sui’an Hall, and the maids brought in tea and snacks before withdrawing, leaving only Susu, Yang Liu, Ning Cui, Yun Duo, and Nanny Qin.

The Old Madam’s expression was blank, "Third Girl, you tell me what happened today?"

Third Miss appeared quite helpless as she started from when the girls first met.

The girls from Duke Ning Mansion were indifferent towards them, while those from Marquis Ning’an Mansion were quite courteous. Princess Qingning, Lady Shen, and Ninth Miss from Marquis Wenchang Family were on good terms, hence had much to talk about with Sixth Miss.

However, the girls from Changle Earl Family, with whom the Song Family was about to establish a marital bond, were constantly picking on them. One moment they criticized merchants as unpresentable, the next they made remarks about the legitimacy hierarchy.

During the meal, Fifth Miss was spilled with tea without an apology, and then they insinuated, "Did you even look in the mirror to match the red attire?"

The Song Family girls initially didn’t want to react, given the girls from Marquis Wenchang Mansion were smoothing things over. But who knew that Miss Qian from Changle Earl Family would be so brazen, calling out Third Miss, "You’ve broken off an engagement and instead of staying home, you’ve brought disgrace to Prince Ke Mansion."

She also uttered, "Mastered all four arts? I heard Yangzhou thin horses can perform all these too!"

This time the Song Family girls couldn’t hold back. Sixth Miss, known for her temper, splashed tea onto Miss Qian’s face, telling her to wash away her filthy intentions.

The girls from Duke Ning Mansion saw that the situation was becoming too chaotic and quickly pulled the shrewish girls from Changle Earl Family away to another place!

Others couldn’t criticize, but Princess Qingning from Prince Gong Mansion hummed disapprovingly as she patted Sixth Miss’s hand and said, "Don’t be upset! Girls from their family have always been like that. Their ancestors merely sold straw sandals, none in generations knew how to read or fight, and yet they have the nerve to say this about your family! How did your family even become in-laws with theirs?"

Sixth Miss didn’t quite understand either. After hearing this, she said, "It was set by my second aunt, only mentioning their family has no illegitimate children." Then looking at her three sisters’ sullen faces, she also sorrowfully added, "Grandmother said it’s not something we can choose between legit or illegit, it’s adult matters; children shouldn’t meddle. In her eyes, we are all children of the Song Family, how come it isn’t the same outside?"

Princess Qingning, being legitimate herself, also disliked those illegitimate sisters within her family, disdaining their deceitful nature. But upon meeting the Song Family girls today, except for Fifth Miss Song who was a bit grating, the other three were quite pleasant.

Hearing that, she said, "Why care what others say? You don’t rely on them for food or drink; let them talk if they want. No wonder my grandmother says your grandmother is wise, it’s evident upon meeting you.

Lady Shen is the legitimate daughter of the contemporary Ping Shun Earl, one of the eight founding Earls. Her mother was the youngest daughter of Princess Changlong, County Princess Fuhui. County Princess Fuhui was in poor health and passed away within two years after giving birth to the County Lord. Lady Shen grew up in the Grand Princess Mansion. Though loved by her grandmother and uncles, she was fundamentally amongst others, fostering some insecurity. Hence she always appreciated cheerful and dignified girls. Upon meeting Sixth Miss and Fourth Miss, she was quite fond of them and now gently smiled saying, "When I return, I will tell my grandmother and send you an invitation, the garden at my grandmother’s place is also quite pretty."

Princess Qingning exclaimed, "Oh my, it’s rare for our Lady (Lady Shen) to proactively make friends."

The four girls from the Song Family felt somewhat better after being comforted repeatedly. Little did they know, Nanny Chen from the Princess Consort’s side arrived, merely stating that the girls from Changle Earl Family were spoiled young ladies, and therefore, the Song Family girls should not stoop to their level. She also mentioned that the Old Madam and the ladies were enjoying a play upfront, so it was best not to disturb the nobles’ pleasure.

Such a mix of banking compliments and intimidation left the Song Family girls speechless with anger, with Fifth Miss crying even more.

In Nanny Chen’s view, the Song Family was eager to bind themselves to their Prince’s family, even trying to send a young trifle to trouble the Princess Consort, so an initial display of strength was warranted. She had no inkling of the realities within.

Political matters were things the Prince never discussed with the Princess Consort. Since the confiscation and stripping of titles from Duke Li’s Mansion due to a power struggle for the throne, the remaining founding nobility behaved as though avoiding an epidemic.

Even those who married daughters into the Royal Family kept silent, avoiding all involvement. Duke Ning even publicly announced that they acknowledged sons-in-law but not Princes. There might be discreet help, yet supporting someone as the entirety of Duke Li’s did for the original Prince Liang was unthinkable.

As for Prince Ke, possessing money to grease all connections was imperative. The clandestine allegiance of the Song Family was a crucial component. Solely relying on an Escort Agency filed with the Emperor wouldn’t yield major financial gains; it merely facilitated the surreptitious recruitment of some talent.

After hearing Third Miss recount everything, the Old Madam glanced at the aggrieved Fifth Miss on the verge of tears and knit her brows, "All right, stop crying. Your Sixth Sister, younger than you, didn’t cry. Besides, what’s there to cry about? Let people talk if they wish; as long as we stand straight and true, we needn’t fear what others say."

Then she patted Sixth Miss’s hand and said, "Princess Qingning from Prince Gong Mansion and Lady Shen sound nice. They don’t look down upon others for their birth. If you continue associating with them, do so sincerely, not submissively."

Sixth Miss nodded and then ingratiatingly said to the Old Madam, "Grandmother, next time there is an invitation, could you let Sister Susu join us? Both Le’an (Princess Qingning) and Shuniang (Lady Shen) mentioned how much Old Princess Consort and Eldest Princess liked Sister Susu’s crafted scents! Had it not been for today’s incident, they would have definitely invited Sister Susu to meet!"

The Old Madam gave her a knowing look and pointed to her nose, "You must have been flaunting what Susu gave you again."

Sixth Miss giggled, swayed the Old Madam’s arm causing a dizzy spell, "All right, all right, I’ll have Susu go with you next time, just to watch over you, little rascal!"

Susu watched on with a smile; if those little items can gain favor with the Commandery Princess and County Lord, then it indeed brings some face to Miss Song. By befriending them, it also avoids much unpleasant gossip in the future.

The Old Madam sent Fifth Miss and Sixth Miss off to rest and took Third Miss’s hand, saying, "Good child, you’ve endured so much. "Not having shed a tear after hearing those insulting words outside, Third Miss now couldn’t hold back her tears.

The Old Madam compassionately said, "I’ve already asked Big Brother to sift through a few candidates among the examination scholars, I’ll tell you in detail later. When your sister-in-law marries in, learn household management well from her. Grandmother will definitely see you off in grand style. Whoever slapped our face, we’ll return it twice over."

Third Miss, disregarding her tears, noticed Fourth Miss and Susu grinning mischievously at her, blushing she said, "I’m off to wash my face," and dashed out, with few laughs trailing behind her.