Chapter 314: A Shallow Plan
The morning glow leisurely shines on the pillars of the painted building, and the morning light is peaceful and elegant like the fragrant swallows.
Leng Man was half-lying on the soft couch, her face full of sorrow, staring at the wisps of clear mist from the jade furnace, and her breath was filled with melancholy.
Xu Yingyuan, wearing a peach-pink silk dress, walked in briskly, looked around, and asked with confusion.
"Why didn't mother leave anyone to wait on her?"
Leng Manqiong held her chin lightly with her slender fingers, looking into the distance with a frown on her face.
"If it's an eyesore or something, just send it away."
She slowly withdrew her gaze and looked at her daughter with gentle eyes.
"What about you?"
"Master Xiao Tao is taking a day off today. Why didn't you go to accompany him? Did I remember the date wrong?"
Xu Yingyuan bowed according to etiquette and then took her seat.
"Mother is not mistaken. I made up an excuse and took the initiative to refuse to meet you."
Leng Man was confused and forgot her sorrow for a moment.
"You're busy on weekdays, but you still pick me up and drop me off in person. Now that I finally have my day off, you find an excuse to not see me. Why?"
Xu Yingyuan gave a simple explanation.
"Zhuang Xianhui left Beijing for a trip and is not in Shengjing."
Leng Man was completely confused.
"What does her absence have to do with Master Xiao Tao?"
She thought about it and was shocked in disbelief.
"Could it be that Master Xiao Tao secretly accompanied her on the trip?"
"She is already married, how dare she be so presumptuous?"
Seeing that her mother didn't understand, Xu Yingyuan explained it in detail.
"No, Brother Mu Zhan did not leave Beijing."
"Mother knows that she married the second son of Ning because of the marriage arranged by our father, not because of true love. I can see that she only likes Brother Mu Zhan, so I deliberately get close to Brother Mu Zhan to annoy her and avenge the grievance of trapping Yin Sitai!"
Leng Man was extremely frightened, as if struck by a bolt from the blue.
"Last time something happened, the clan was nearly wiped out, and you still dare to provoke her?!"
Xu Yingyuan rolled her eyes fiercely in the direction of the Zhuang Mansion.
"She just said that I'm not allowed to get close to the Second Young Master Ning."
"Brother Mu Zhan is originally mine, why would you provoke him?"
Leng Man was still frightened and warned sternly.
"Now that you know she's interested, you should give up the idea immediately and never see Master Xiao Tao again!"
Xu Yingyuan was fearless and had no memory at all.
"Mother is eager to stop it. Could it be that she has forgotten my father's order to let me marry Brother Mu Zhan, gain the trust of Lord Tao, and gain a foothold in the Tao Mansion?"
Speaking of the emperor, Leng Man's face darkened and she fell back into a melancholy mood.
"It might be a good thing for you to marry into the Tao family soon, otherwise Ning Jiewei will come into the family and you will be bullied too."
Xu Yingyuan raised a hint of disdain on her lips.
"Who is she to bully me?"
Leng Man had a bitter face and was exhausted.
"What can we do if the master favors her?"
Xu Yingyuan smiled coquettishly and did it with ease.
"The result is still undecided, mother, don't worry. In my opinion, father may not welcome her into the house."
Leng Man's eyebrows moved slightly.
"Why?"
"Did the master tell you anything?"
Xu Yingyuan raised her eyes with disdain, and even a hint of frivolity.
"This is my inference. My father never mentioned it to me."
"I went to Yiren Qingcheng when I got up in the morning. It opened at 1:00 pm, and before 7:00 pm, the street was packed with people. Mother, guess who are the people who went to watch the live broadcast?"
After a brief thought, Leng Man became dejected.
"I don't know about others, I only know that the master will definitely go."
Xu Yingyuan's sarcasm was subtle and pointed.
"Father went there for the imperial court, for a major event. Others might not have been carrying out the emperor's orders. Mother saw the scene and saw it clearly. Without exception, all of them were men!"
Leng Man's eyes lit up when she heard the key point.
"All men?"
Xu Yingyuan saw through everything, felt superior to others, and made comments casually.
"Princess Yuexi said that beauty salons mainly receive female guests. Women want to please themselves and take care of their skin. From ancient times to the present, it is mostly women who care about it and men who despise it. If this is the case, how can it be that all the people who rush to watch are men? Obviously, the public is just an anchor."
"Attracting bees and butterflies, showing off in public, what's the difference between such behavior and that of a prostitute in a brothel? How could father give up his dignity and welcome her into the house?"
Leng Man frowned solemnly.
"That's wrong. The girls in the brothel are flirting, but she is teaching beauty in a proper manner. She has the support of Prince Dijin and Princess Yuexi behind her. How can the two be compared?"
Xu Yingyuan smiled deeply.
"Isn't it enough to just use a simple trick?"
Leng Man was shocked when she heard this.
"You...you wouldn't have already..."
Xu Yingyuan was very proud.
"I gave her money and asked someone to deliberately guide her. She must have cooperated in order to please the distinguished guest. Father will know her character as soon as he sees her."
"Humph, as long as I'm here, she will never be able to enter the gate of Xu's house!"
Leng Man was worried.
"Are you careful in your actions? Don't let the master see any clues."
Xu Yingyuan gently stroked the back of her mother's hand and answered with comfort.
"Don't worry, mother. I went there in disguise."
Leng Man changed her mind and became worried.
"What if she doesn't fall for the trick? What should we do next?"
Xu Yingyuan stood up and paced back and forth, thinking for a few steps, and then came up with a plan.
"Mother, guess, is there anyone among the audience who covets my beautiful face and beautiful body?"
Leng Man couldn't sleep and was in a panic.
"Don't violate the law!"
Xu Yingyuan had no choice but to correct it.
"I didn't say anything. Force it."
Leng Man was stunned in confusion.
"Then what do you mean?"
Xu Yingyuan was in high spirits and spoke frankly.
"With enough gold and silver, she will definitely accompany me voluntarily. I don't need to use the Xu Mansion's treasury, I can only use the gift from Zhuang Xianhui. The emperor's grace is so great, how can it be less than those mediocre people?"
"When the time comes, she will accompany her big brother on the list, and I will quietly spread the news of her being humiliated. How can my father want her when her reputation is ruined?"
Leng Man sighed regretfully.
"It's a pity that all those treasures have to be given to her. What a waste."
Xu Yingyuan was not in a hurry. She sat in front of her mother and comforted her softly.
"Don't worry, mother. Maybe it won't come to this. If I give her some guidance today, she will fall into my trap."
"I heard the servants of the Ningguo Mansion talking about how Ning Jiewei always fights with Lord Ning about family affairs, but she always refuses to obey and always fails miserably. Such a fool can be solved with just a flick of the finger. Even if we miscalculate, with her entering the mansion, we, mother and daughter, will not be bullied by her together."
Leng Man's eyes were desolate and sentimental.
"I really don't want to see her in the mansion. She is even one year younger than you. In theory, I should be of the same generation as her mother. If the master really welcomes her into the backyard, she will have to be treated as my sister. This is so absurd. How can I face it?"
"Alas, I was supposed to enter the palace and accompany the emperor. In the early years, the emperor vowed that he would keep my position as the principal wife and marry me when I turned twenty. That's why my father was willing to follow him to seek a career. But why did they all become concubines, while I am the only one who has no status and stays in the Xu Mansion. Will I be laughed at in the future?"
Xu Yingyuan lowered her eyes and blamed herself, feeling frustrated.
"Don't be sad, mother. Blame me for being useless and not being able to please the emperor."
Leng Man felt sorry for her daughter and hurried to comfort her.
"How can I blame you? It's my own fault. I'm not as talented or pretty as Lin Ranhua, and I'm not worthy of his love..."
Xu Yingyuan sat upright and corrected the situation in time.
"Mother, please do not address Empress Zhenyu by her name, or else father will be enraged."
She glanced at the sky, stood up and said goodbye.
"It's almost time. I'm going to Yirenqingcheng right now to gather information and make secret plans for my mother."