Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Enemies Cross Paths

A few days later, Song Wan’er went out with Chun Zhi to shop for the dowry.

When they reached the largest silk shop in the Capital, they happened to hear a few young madams picking fabrics nearby and talking about Wang Yi Yue and Lu Jing Yun, as one said: “I heard that yesterday Grand Preceptor Wang personally took Madam Wang and Wang Sixth Miss to the Chancellor’s Manor to offer tea to Top Scholar Lu’s principal wife. The Chancellor’s Manor and the Lu Clan both recognized Wang Sixth Miss as a co-wife.”

Another laughed and said: “The grand preceptor’s daughter, fit to be a princess consort or an imperial prince’s consort, now becoming the co-wife of a Sixth Rank Hanlin editor, how funny!”

A third added with a smirk: “Who told Wang Sixth Miss and Top Scholar Lu to be found lying on the same bed and caught in the act? I heard many people saw it with their own eyes. It was a very big bed.”

The madams and misses laughed together.

Wang Yi Yue had always looked down on the wives and daughters of small officials, relying on her high birth. Now that she herself was going to be a co-wife to a small official, of course everyone laughed at her.

“I also heard their wedding day is set for the sixteenth day of the sixth month,” one of them said.

“The sixteenth of the sixth month? Is that not the day Prince Chang’an takes a consort?” another said.

“It is. Since Wang Sixth Miss could not marry Prince Chang’an, she picked his wedding day to marry too. She clearly wants to make trouble.”

They talked and chose silks at the same time, not missing a beat.

Hearing all this, Chun Zhi did not feel upset. Whatever happened to Wang Sixth Miss and Lu Jing Yun, and whichever day they married, had nothing to do with her.

She only knew that the sixteenth of the sixth month was her good day with Huo Zheng.

Song Wan’er, however, spoke with some anger, saying: “Wang Yi Yue even dares to pick the sixteenth to marry Lu Jing Yun. She is not afraid of making herself sick with jealousy.”

Chun Zhi smiled and said: “She can marry whenever she wants. We just need to live our own lives well.”

Sometimes Song Wan’er felt that Chun Zhi had such a broad heart. No matter what came to her, it never seemed to weigh her down.

That was good too. Live your own life and let others do what they will.

“I think this bolt is nice. The color suits you,” Song Wan’er said, soon dropping Wang Yi Yue’s matter from her mind. She picked out a bolt of bright red silk with a dark woven pattern for Chun Zhi.

“This piece is perfect for making sleepwear,” Song Wan’er said.

Chun Zhi replied: “It is a bit too bright.”

“A new wife should wear more red,” Song Wan’er said, lifting the bolt to measure it against Chun Zhi. The more she looked, the better it seemed. She was about to ask the shop to wrap it up.

Someone spoke first: “Shopkeeper, we will take this bolt.”

The shopkeeper, seeing the bolt still in Song Wan’er’s hands, looked a bit awkward and said: “This young lady picked up this bolt first. Would you like to see something else? Our silk shop has plenty of fine fabric…”

“She did not say she would buy it. I spoke first, so you should sell it to me,” said the speaker, who was dressed as a maid. She stood there alone; her mistress had not yet appeared.

Chun Zhi was about to speak, but Song Wan’er said instead: “Why argue? If you want it, take it. My sister is beautiful. Any fabric will look good on her.”

Chun Zhi had worried that Song Wan’er would do as before and throw money at the shopkeeper, offering double or triple to fight for it.

She did not expect Song Wan’er to give it up so easily this time.

Chun Zhi was a little surprised.

“Why is Sister looking at me like that?” Song Wan’er said with a grin. “It is not like I have never seen fine things. This silk is excellent, but it is not worth fighting over. I am the sister of Dongzhou’s richest man. I should have at least this much grace.”

Chun Zhi smiled at Song Wan’er and said: “Our Wan’er is very sensible.”

“And Elder Brother told me not to throw money around to compete with people outside. It makes us easy targets,” Song Wan’er whispered in Chun Zhi’s ear.

Chun Zhi nodded and said: “Elder Brother is right.”

“Elder Brother also said, if we cannot buy something, we should just go home and tell him. He will find a way to buy the whole shop,” Song Wan’er added.

Chun Zhi was silent for a beat and thought: [I really underestimated how much Elder Brother spoils his sister.]

If you could not buy the thing, then buy the shop.

That was truly the style of Dongzhou’s richest man.

Song Wan’er did not doubt her brother at all. Even this largest silk shop in the Capital was, in her mind, within reach if she could not get what she wanted.

The maid who had popped out to grab the silk froze when she saw the two of them not arguing at all.

The shopkeeper quickly had a shop girl wrap the silk and handed it to the maid, smiling as he said: “Thank you for your purchase. Fifty taels of silver.”

The maid clearly did not carry that much silver and had to turn back to fetch her mistress.

A short while later, four maids escorted in a noble lady wearing a veiled hat.

She wore fine clothes and had a graceful figure and bearing. Even with the veil, one could tell she was a beauty.

Everyone in the shop looked over, but when a breeze lifted the veil for a moment, a face full of scratch marks showed beneath.

Song Wan’er murmured under her breath: “Is that not Wang Yi Yue?”

Truly an enemy met on a narrow road.

Wang Yi Yue quickly pulled the veil down to cover her face. The maids crowded in front to block everyone’s view.

The madams and misses present began to speak up, saying: “So it is her, the one who is going to be Top Scholar Lu’s co-wife.”

Hearing this, Wang Yi Yue wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

“Wan’er, let’s go,” Chun Zhi said, not giving Wang Yi Yue a single extra glance as she headed toward the door.

But Wang Yi Yue stepped in front of Chun Zhi and said in a hateful voice: “Song Chun Zhi, you are the one who ruined me!”

She flipped up her veil and showed the scratched face to Chun Zhi.

Chun Zhi looked at her with calm eyes, feeling neither fear nor guilt, and said: “You ruined yourself.”

There were many people in the silk shop, all watching them.

Seeing that Chun Zhi showed no reaction at all, while the ladies around were pointing and whispering at her, Wang Yi Yue quickly pulled the veil back down to block all the prying eyes.

“Miss Wang of the Wang Clan, please step aside,” Qing Ye said, stepping in to separate them so Chun Zhi and Song Wan’er could pass.

Wang Yi Yue wanted to say more, but Chun Zhi did not look back and got into the carriage.

The shopkeeper brought over the wrapped silk and said: “The silk is ready. Fifty taels of silver.”

Wang Sixth Miss had her chief maid pay the money. As they stepped out, she heard a snicker behind her: “She is only a co-wife. Why fight others for bright red silk? Will she even have a chance to wear it?”

In this dynasty, there was an unwritten rule: concubines could not wear bright red.

A co-wife was just a nicer name for a concubine.

Wang Yi Yue ground her teeth until they almost cracked.

She remembered the day her father took her to the Chancellor’s Manor. Ji Ru Zhen sat straight-backed. Her father, the Grand Preceptor who did not need to kneel even before the emperor, swallowed his pride and said to Chancellor Ji: “Drink this cup of tea, and from now on Ru Zhen and Yi Yue will be sisters.”