Shen Lixue walked onto the street and heard Zhou Wenxuan's scream. She sneered. Zhou Wenxuan was not only pedantic, but also self-centered and had a strong sense of hierarchy. She wondered who was so talented as to have raised such a person.
When Shen Lixue returned to the bamboo garden of the Prime Minister's residence, Qiuhe was directing the maids to tidy up the bamboo garden. The bamboo garden was very neat and clean. The so-called tidying up was just wiping off the dust and moving some small ornaments around.
"Miss, I've divided the new maids into second and third class maids. Do you think we should promote a first class maid?" Qiuhe asked Shen Lixue, holding a cup of hot tea. Even noble daughters born out of wedlock have two first class maids, but Shen Lixue, the legitimate daughter, only has one, which is not good.
"Let them be second or third-class maids for now, and observe them for a period of time. Whoever performs well will be promoted to first-class!" Shen Lixue picked up a teacup and poured tea, her gaze sweeping over the maids tidying the room.
First-class maids of noble families must be knowledgeable and know the rules, but the four new maids are all country girls who do not know the rules of noble families and cannot be promoted to first-class for the time being. The original maids were given to her by the Lei family, and she is not at ease with them.
"Thump!" The maid wiping the table accidentally bumped into something on the table, and a wooden plaque fell off the high table.
"Watch out!" Shen Lixue quickly came to the table, stretched out her slender hand, and caught the wooden plaque the moment it hit the ground. The plaque was facing up, and the words "deceased mother Shen Shi Lin Qingzhu" were particularly eye-catching.
"I deserve to die! I deserve to die!" The little maidservant, her face ashen, knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to beg for forgiveness. That was the memorial tablet of the first wife! She had actually accidentally knocked it over...
"Get up. Be careful and meticulous when you do things!" Shen Lixue looked at the little maid, put the wooden plaque back in the center of the table, and lit three sticks of incense for Lin Qingzhu to comfort her spirit.
"Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss!" The little maid was new and thought she would be severely punished for knocking over the memorial tablet. Unexpectedly, Shen Lixue only scolded her a few times, which made her feel more favorably towards Shen Lixue. She hurriedly went to do other things.
"Qiuhe, how far is Xiangguo Temple from the capital?" Shen Lixue had overheard servants in the Prime Minister's residence talking about how Xiangguo Temple was the temple where the Qingyan Fire was most prosperous, and how noble families liked to go there to offer incense.
"About thirty li." Qiuhe used to be a third-class maid. She had only heard others mention Xiangguo Temple but had never been there. She only knew the approximate distance. "Why did you suddenly ask about this, Miss?"
"I want to go to Xiangguo Temple tomorrow to set up a memorial tablet for my mother!" Lin Qingzhu is a qualified mother and deserves Shen Lixue's respect, so she decided to do something for her.
"I heard that a master from Xiangguo Temple who was traveling abroad has returned. Many noble ladies will go to Xiangguo Temple to listen to him talk about Buddhism. Xiangguo Temple will probably be very busy in the next few days..." The first and second-class maids of the Prime Minister's residence are relatively free. When they have nothing to do, they like to gather together and chat. They are the first to know about and spread the news about the capital the fastest.
Shen Lixue frowned. "How many days will the master preach Buddhism?" Things really didn't go as planned.
Qiuhe blinked: "They say it's three days!"
"Then I'll go to Xiangguo Temple in three days!" The noble ladies need a quiet environment to listen to the Buddha's teachings, and Shen Lixue also needs peace and quiet to set up her memorial tablet. It's much better to stagger their visits to the temple than to all of them crowding together.
To investigate the flute player in the southern border region, the entire city was placed under martial law. The daughters and sons of noble families rarely left their residences. Shen Lixue also sat quietly in the bamboo garden for three days. Dongfang Heng and Nangong Xiao did not send any news, indicating that there was no progress in the matter of the flute player.
Early on the fourth day, after having breakfast, Shen Lixue, along with Qiuhe and a maid named Yanyue, headed to Xiangguo Temple.
There were two carriages parked outside the Prime Minister's residence. One was made of mahogany with exquisite window frames, adorned with pearls and jade, and draped with light gauze curtains, making it luxurious and elegant. The other was made of ordinary wood with rough window frames and a plain cloth curtain hanging at the door, making it extremely shabby.
Shen Lixue's gaze narrowed slightly: "Is anyone from the Prime Minister's residence going out?" The decorations on the luxurious carriages were all new, so they must have been set up just last night. The rough, ordinary carriage also had very new chisel marks, so it must have been made recently.
"Sister!" A sweet female voice rang out. Shen Lixue turned around and saw Shen Yingxue walking over with a smile, supporting Xia Jin's hand. Her figure was light and graceful, like a willow in the wind, and her beauty was beyond compare.
"Sister Yingxue!" Shen Lixue smiled slightly. It turned out that Shen Yingxue was going out. The luxurious carriage was prepared for her, while the rough new carriage was definitely for her. Lei Shi, Shen Yingxue really is always thinking of humiliating her.
"Sister is going to Xiangguo Temple too!" Shen Yingxue's haughty gaze casually swept over the small baskets in Qiuhe and Yanyue's hands, and she snorted with barely audible disdain: Listening to Master Yanhui preach Buddhism, and she only brought two small baskets, how shabby...
Shen Lixue gave a faint reply and slowly walked towards the carriage.
"Sister!" Shen Yingxue quickly stepped forward and blocked the luxurious carriage, her bright smile revealing a hint of mockery: "This carriage is prepared for me, that one is for you, sister!"
“I’ll take that rough carriage to Xiangguo Temple. It will show Madam’s frugality. That’s really good!” Shen Lixue didn’t argue with Shen Yingxue. She smiled slightly and walked towards the rough carriage.
Shen Yingxue's expression changed. The rough carriage was not yet fully completed. It was brought to the door today for renovation and decoration. She was just taking the opportunity to humiliate Shen Lixue. If Shen Lixue really rode that broken carriage to Xiangguo Temple, while she rode in a luxurious carriage, the two carriages would form a stark contrast, and everyone would definitely accuse the mother of being harsh on her first wife's daughter.
"Sister, I was just kidding. That carriage is for passengers!" Shen Yingxue smiled brightly, but in her heart she hated Shen Lixue. That bitch, wasn't she usually so quick-witted? Why didn't she spout those nonsense arguments with her today?
“As the daughter of the Prime Minister, my younger sister is of noble status, and her maids are also delicate. How could they possibly ride in such a rough carriage? Only a woman like you, who grew up in the countryside, can ride in that hard carriage!”
Shen Lixue smiled sweetly, but the light in her eyes was as cold as ice, making people feel cold all over. Shen Yingxue's delicate body trembled, and she felt a cold air rising from her back and quickly seeping into her skin. She subconsciously tightened her clothes.
"Qiuhe, Yanyue, get in the carriage!" Shen Lixue helped Qiuhe into the carriage, and then let Qiuhe and Yanyue sit down. The carriage was empty, with nothing in it. Qiuhe took out three brocade cushions and spread them on the carriage. "Miss, I'll go back to the bamboo garden to get a tea set!"
Xiangguo Temple is quite a distance from the capital. It's fine for the servants, but it would be bad if the young lady got thirsty and had no water to drink or hungry and had no pastries to eat.
"No need!" Shen Lixue closed her eyes slightly, the light in her eyes unfathomable. The simpler the carriage and the worse the conditions, the more advantageous it would be for them!
Shen Yingxue's face was so dark it looked like ink was dripping from it. She forced a smile and came to the front of the carriage: "Sister, you are the daughter of the Prime Minister's family. How can you ride in a carriage? Come with me to the one in front!" In her heart, she gritted her teeth: You bitch, if it weren't for the sake of the Prime Minister's family's reputation, do you think I would beg you!
Shen Lixue frowned. She was asking for a favor but still acted superior. How arrogant! "Thank you for your kindness, sister. I'd rather take this carriage. Sister is delicate and doesn't like to ride in the same carriage as others. What if you play a little joke on the way back and leave me at Xiangguo Temple? I'll have to walk back. This carriage may be old, but it's much faster than walking!"
Looking at the driver, Shen Lixue coldly ordered, "Drive!"
The coachman agreed, and the carriage sped past Shen Yingxue like an arrow, almost knocking her down. The billowing dust made her cough repeatedly, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't bother to wipe them away: "Quickly help me into the carriage!" She had to catch up with Shen Lixue and keep a close eye on her. She absolutely couldn't let her tarnish her and her mother's reputation.
Shen Lixue's carriage was very ordinary and of average performance. It was soon overtaken by Shen Yingxue. The dilapidated carriage was hard and rickety, and sitting inside made one's whole body ache from the jolting. Qiu He and Yan Yue gripped the side of the carriage tightly to alleviate the bumps, and secretly glanced at Shen Lixue, who was resting with her eyes closed. Despite the bumps, the young lady could sit so calmly as if nothing had happened. She was truly amazing...
Shen Yingxue lifted the carriage curtain and looked at Shen Lixue and the other two in the dilapidated carriage, their brows furrowed. She gloated and mocked, "We've only traveled a third of the way, and you're already sore all over from all the jostling. That carriage was really uncomfortable. I can't bear to see you suffer. If you're willing to admit your mistake, I'll allow you to sit here, okay?"
Shen Yingxue raised the corners of her mouth smugly: What goes around comes around. Just now I was begging her, and now it's almost her turn to beg me. I can't agree to let her get on the bus so quickly. I must take this opportunity to teach her a lesson.
The sound of horses' hooves echoed behind her. Shen Lixue opened her eyes, looked at Shen Yingxue through the carriage window, and a faint, enigmatic smile curved her cherry lips: "Thank you for your kindness, sister..."
She slammed her slender hand on the wooden plank beneath her, and with a loud "bang!", the wheel broke instantly. The carriage veered off course and crashed into another carriage that was trying to overtake them.
"What's going on? How is the driver driving?" A sharp shout rang out, and a fierce killing move struck the carriage that was about to topple over. With a loud crack, the rough wooden carriage was instantly smashed into pieces, scattering in all directions. Shen Lixue, Qiu He, and Yan Yue were revealed to everyone inside the carriage.
"Chen Lixue, it's you?" A surprised female voice echoed across most of the road, and all the carriages stopped.
Shen Lixue looked in the direction of the sound and saw Dongfang Yu'er peeking out of the car window, looking at her in surprise. Her red dress made her skin look as white as porcelain, and the jingles in her dark hair shimmered with golden light in the sunlight, making her both cute and noble.
"The carriage overturned and bumped into the princess. I hope the princess will forgive me!" Shen Lixue apologized with a slight smile.
The coachman also knelt to one side, trembling as he begged for forgiveness: "Princess, please forgive me, I didn't mean it!"
"What kind of broken carriage is this? I thought it was some commoner traveling!" Not only Dongfang Yu'er, but also the young ladies of various mansions passing by were all surprised: the carriage was broken, and the situation inside the carriage was fully visible. The boards used for the bottom of the carriage were very rough, with burrs showing, and had not been polished. Three people were sitting on three soft cushions, and there was nothing else.
"Is this the treatment you, the daughter of the Prime Minister, receive when you go out?" Dongfang Yu'er was surprised. She knew a little about the discord between Shen Lixue and the Prime Minister's wife, but she did not expect it to be so intense. A legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister was given such a low-quality carriage.