Mo Xuetong did not know about what happened at the Yu’s.
Mo Huawen had not visited the next day, but Luo Mingzhu did. When she heard that Mo Xuetong was interested in going shopping, she was even more enthusiastic about it than Mo Xuetong. She said that she was familiar with the city and was familiar with various shops selling fabric and that she would accompany Mo Xuetong.
Mo Xuetong had not wanted to go, and it was not as if she had to go. However, she was about to return home soon. She thought of how Old Madam Xu had taken care of her and wanted to embroider a warm headscarf for her. She did not have any suitable materials. As such, she decided to go shopping with Luo Mingzhu.
Luo Mingzhu was more excited than Mo Xuetong on the carriage. She secretly peeked out from a corner of the window and would occasionally point out at the odd things on the streets and chatted with Mo Xuetong. Nanny Han, who accompanied Luo Mingzhu, was very sweet. She nagged at Luo Mingzhu, but when Luo Mingzhu did not react, she allowed her to do as she wished. Mo Xuetong leaned against the carriage window and lifted the curtains curiously. However, she saw Nanny Li, who was seated beside her, looking at her hand sternly. She could not bring herself to lift the curtains and glanced at the happy Luo Mingzhu gloomily. She wanted to look out as well!
Fortunately, Luo Mingzhu lifted the curtains high enough, and as long as Mo XUetong stood straight, she could see some people and stalls. They were all very fascinating. She sat straight and Mo He removed the cushion behind her, smiling secretly.
Mo Xuetong glanced at her and ignored her. She stretched her neck and looked out of Luo Mingzhu’s window at the streets. No matter in her past life or this life, she rarely had the chance to go out. She was naturally very curious. However, she had the stern Nanny Li by her side.
The carriage moved forward slowly, stopping at an enormous fabric shop. It was a large shop considering it took up five storefronts on this bustling street. There were two levels to the shop, and it looked magnificent from the outside. It was extraordinary. It was the most famous fabric and clothing shop in the capital. The front was the fabric area and at the back, were ready-made clothes for men and women. One could go upstairs to get themselves measured for clothes. They could buy fabric, make clothes and buy clothes all in this place. The ability and boldness of the shop were not to be underestimated. And of course, the power behind the shop was not simple either.
The carriage stopped in front of the shop. Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu put on long veiled hats and got off the horse carriage. Luo Mingzhu was fast and got off the carriage with the hel[ of her maid. Nanny Han pursed her lips angrily when she saw that. She was so angry that she could not speak. Luo Mingzhu however, smiled and did not seem to mind at all.
Mo Xuetong got off the horse carriage with Mo He’s help. She followed behind Luo Mingzhu, and they entered the shop. The shop was very big, and it was filled with cloths of every color. From the cheapest and most ordinary to colorful and rare blots of cloth. They were lined up orderly for customers to choose from.
There was a row of tables and chairs in the main hall where customers were served teas. The men who accompanied their wives could rest here. The rows of tables and chairs faced the windows where they could look at the scenery outside if they get bored. There was a screen on the other side, making the area look like a booth.
This was a great convenience to the men and elevated their bad mood from the waiting. This also ensured that the noble ladies who came out to pick out bolts of cloths retained their privacy.
There were rows of clothes hung up at the back of the hall. They were very colorful and eye-catching. They looked like beautiful clouds from afar. There were already people picking clothes there, and one could see them moving between the rows of colorful clothes.
Mo Xuetong had just entered the hall when Luo Mingzhu pulled her to the left side. The area was piled high with bolts of cloth. There was a variety of patterns and colors that were much more beautiful than the other selections.
“Cousin, come quickly and look, what do you think of this bolt of cloth? Will it look good if I use this pattern to make clothes? It looks nice on you too. Shall we buy it together? We can wear it out together. Others will think we are sisters.” Luo Mingzhu pointed at a bolt of grey cloth and chattered on in a good mood.
The fabric was really of good quality and was comparable, or even better than the fabric that Xu Yan gifted Mo Xuetong yesterday. This type of fabric seemed to have been dyed differently. There was not any pattern on the top-most layer, but there was a natural sheen to it. Mo Xuetong’s eyes could not help but be drawn to it.
“This fabric is really good. I want it!” A hand reached out from the side, snatching the fabric from Luo Mingzhu’s hands. The voice was filled with disdain, “Don’t block the way if you don’t want to buy it. Move to the side.”
Then, the person squeezed through impolitely. Ling Mingyan brought a few maids with her and squeezed Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu to the side.
“Ling Mingyan, what are you trying to do?” Luo Xuetong was enraged, and she pointed at Ling Mingyan, who was not wearing a veil.
“What am I trying to do? Nothing. I want to buy this fabric to make clothes. Don’t block others if you don’t intend to buy it.” Ling Mingyan stretched out her neck, looking at Luo Mingzhu with her chin jutted out.
She had been embarrassed for a long time after the incident at the palace. The Empress had not only rebuked her, but she had also been scolded by her father when she got home. Most importantly, You Yuecheng had ignored her. Her sisters also mocked her from time to time when they saw her. Ling Mingyan hated Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu, especially Mo Xuetong.
They had both knocked down others. However, she had been scolded by others while nothing happened to her. When others talked about her, they only said that she was gracious and gentle and that she took care of her sisters well. They did not have a single bad thing to say about her. Ling Mingyan felt that this was greatly unfair.
She saw Luo Mingzhu’s maid when she entered and immediately recognized Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuetong who were wearing veils. She would, of course, try to pick on them to vent her anger. She snatched the bolt of cloth they were interested in. Since she was in a bad mood, she wanted everyone else to be unhappy like her.
Luo Mingzhu was enraged when she heard Ling Mingyan. She pushed Luo Mingzhu’s maid aside and said with a frigid expression, “Ling Mingyan, have you gone mad? It is just a piece of cloth. Do you have to steal it from others, disregarding your status as a noble lady? Do you think this is your home? It is such an embarrassment for the First Miss of the Ding General Manor to behave like this.”
“Luo Mingzhu, your General Manor is not any better. It is just a bolt of cloth. Do you have to be so angry at me? Forget it. I will be generous and let you have it. Don’t have to be too grateful to me.” Ling Mingyan turned around and glared at Luo Mingzhu.
She was being generous and was letting Luo Mingzhu have it? Luo Mingzhu had seen the cloth first! Luo Mingzhu was so angry she wanted to stomp her feet. She had never gotten along with Ling Mingyan. However, they had remained civil towards each other. They have finally torn the veneer of civility this time, scolding each other loudly and calling each other by their full names.
“Cousin, let’s go over there. The ready-made clothes over there look nice. Grandmother won’t like that grey color cloth. Let Miss Ling have it. Why don’t we go look at that grey shirt over there?” Mo Xuetong pulled at Luo Mingzhu and pointed in another direction.
The grey shirt that she pointed at looked similar to the bolt of cloth in Ling Mingyan’s hands. There were little characters that meant longevity embroidered on the collar and sleeves. From a distance, it looked elegant and gracious. It was indeed very suitable for a dignified old woman.
“That shirt does look nice. That’s great. Grandmother would like it. We don’t want this bolt of cloth anymore since they are the same color. Grandmother needs a shirt.” Luo Mingzhu immediately understood what Mo Xuetong meant. She ignored Ling Mingyan and pulled Mo Xuetong away.
There were too many people here, and it would reflect badly on the Fu General Manor if she fought with Ling Mingyan here. Luo Mingzhu was unlike Ling Mingyan. Ling Mingyan was too arrogant and did not even care where she was as she picked a fight with Luo Mingzhu loudly regardless of whether she was right or not. Luo Mingzhu would be scolded by her grandmother when she returned home. She might as well make use of the fact that she was buying clothes for her grandmother to mock Ling Mingyan for being old and wearing clothes meant for old people.
“Luo Mingzhu, you…” Ling Mingyan understood what they meant. Her hands shook, and she threw the bolt of cloth onto the floor. She was about to rush over to them, but the two nannies standing behind her glanced at each other and then moved forward to hold her back.
“First Miss, many people are watching.” One of them said softly.
“So what?” Ling Mingyan said angrily. She glared at Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu who walked away from her.
“The Old Madam would be angry. First Miss, you must know what she thinks, right?” The other nanny said sternly and softly. The two of them were sent by the old madam to serve Ling Mingyan and stop her extreme behaviors. When they saw how Ling Mingyan disregarded the reputation of the Ding General Manor and intended to fight with the Miss of the Fu General Manor like a shrew, they immediately brought up the old madam.
When she thought about how strict her grandmother was and how her grandmother would decide whom she married, her father had said that if her grandmother was still unhappy with her, she would lock Ling Mingyan inside the ancestral hall. She immediately stopped and did not dare to struggle. If she were to get into trouble again, her father would not spare her.
“No. Those two sluts caused me to get scolded by Aunt and Father last time.” Even though Ling Mingyan stopped struggling, she was still looking at Mo Xuetong and Ling Mingzhu angrily even though they were ignoring her. She gritted her teeth and looked at them hatefully.
“First Miss, it is easy for you to get revenge. You don’t have to do anything personally and embarrass the Ding General Manor. The Old Madam does not like behavior like this. First Miss, you have to remember, no matter where you are, that the Ding General Manor is the Empress’ maternal family. You must not embarrass the Empress.” The nanny who spoke served the Empress. The Old Madam had specially asked for her from the empress to teach Ling Mingyan.
Ling Mingyan’s reckless behavior had already damaged the Ding General Manor’s reputation. If she continued to be so reckless, she would embarrass the Ding General Manor and the Empress. This would also affect the marriages of the daughters of the Ding General Manor. The Old Madam of the Ding General was furious and at her wits end. She found a nanny and also asked the Empress to find a nanny and placed them with Ling Mingyan to stop her reckless behavior.
“How can I seek revenge. Nanny, what should I do?” Ling Mingyan’s eyes brightened when she heard what the nanny said. She immediately clutched the palace nanny’s hand and asked anxiously.
“Miss, what do you want to do to them?” The palace nanny swept her eyes coldly at Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuetong who were picking out clothes together. She said lightly,” The Empress has ordered Miss especially that you are not to take the lives of the noble ladies.”
