Marrying a concubine and swallowing her dowry? The mistress turns around and marries a high-ranking

Chapter 11

"Qin Shaoze! What are you staring at? I'm not one of those ordinary young ladies from noble families who have so many old-fashioned rules. We're getting married soon, so why can't we ride in the same carriage?"

With that, Liu Manman went straight to the carriage of the Marquis of Yongning's residence.

He said aggressively to Qin Shaoze, "Are you coming up or not?"

If Qin Shaoze doesn't come with her, she'll make him pay!

Qin Shaoze was still hesitating when he saw Shen Lingjun, with Dou Niang, walk straight past him and Liu Manman towards another carriage not far from the entrance of the Yongning Marquis's residence.

Clearly, Shen Lingjun had no intention of riding with him from the beginning.

Shen Lingjun glanced at Qin Shaoze and Liu Manman, her eyes filled with sarcasm.

"My lord, please don't trouble yourself. I'll head ahead to the Duke of Li's residence. Please make yourselves at home with Miss Liu."

With that, she got into the carriage without looking back. Dou Niang lowered the curtain, and the carriage drove straight away from the Yongning Marquis's residence.

"..."

Qin Shaoze stood there, momentarily speechless and embarrassed.

Liu Manman certainly hoped that Shen Lingjun wouldn't bother them, but seeing Shen Lingjun's indifferent attitude, she felt unhappy.

Why is Shen Lingjun so indifferent? Shouldn't she, a woman from an ancient household, be devoted to her husband and live by the whims of Qin Shaoze and the future true mistress of the Marquis's mansion?

Liu Manman didn't feel superior in front of Shen Lingjun and was also angry with Qin Shaoze. Qin Shaoze was even more unhappy, and got into the carriage with a grim face, not bothering to coax the upset Liu Manman for the first time.

Although the two rode in the same carriage, the atmosphere between them was tense, and they did not speak a word to each other the whole way.

When they arrived at the Duke of Liguo's mansion, Qin Shaoze was still concerned about the consequences and did not dare to enter the mansion with Liu Manman.

Liu Manman is not even married yet, and he is so blatantly disregarding etiquette and disrespectful to his legal wife. There will definitely be a lot of gossip about him.

He let Liu Manman enter the mansion first, and then followed a step behind.

The sixtieth birthday celebration of the Dowager Lady of the Liguo Duke was a grand affair. The Liguo Duke's mansion was packed with guests, with representatives from almost half of the prominent families and nobles of the capital coming to offer their congratulations.

Shen Lingjun had arrived long ago and was currently exchanging pleasantries with his mother, Madam Wen, and several other ladies.

Just then, she saw a young lady in a lake-green dress walking towards her from not far away.

It was Yao Sujuan.

Because Shen Lingjun studied medicine under the old man Xingju from the age of seven to fifteen, she was not familiar with most of the wealthy young ladies in Kyoto. Yao Sujuan was one of her few friends in Kyoto.

Shen Lingjun met Yao Sujuan after she got engaged to Qin Shaoze.

Yao Sujuan was born into a fifth-rank official's family, and was also the daughter of a concubine, making her a very low-status woman in the capital's social circles. Coupled with her timid and weak personality, she was often bullied, ostracized, and neglected by others, even at banquets and gatherings.

Shen Lingjun first met her at a poetry gathering, where she was being beaten and scolded by her elder sister. Shen Lingjun stepped in to help her, and the two became friends from then on.

Although Yao Sujuan was very introverted, she was very attentive to Shen Lingjun. When Shen Lingjun got married, she came to add to the dowry and gave her a whole set of quilts and pillowcases that she had embroidered herself. Although they were not expensive gold or silver jewelry, they were embroidered extremely exquisitely and must have taken at least several months to embroider.

Later, Shen Lingjun married into the Marquis's mansion. Qin Shaoze went to war, and Shen Lingjun, now a wife, had to take care of the household chores and serve her mother-in-law. She didn't have much time, but Yao Sujuan would still often come to the Yongning Marquis's mansion to visit.

Upon seeing Yao Sujuan, Shen Lingjun realized that she had not seen Yao Sujuan since the news of her father and brother's defeat and death reached the capital.

Shen Lingjun stepped forward and greeted Yao Sujuan.

"Sujuan, did you come with your sisters again today?"

When Yao Sujuan saw her, her expression was a bit strange, awkward and stiff, completely lacking the intimacy and enthusiasm of before.

"Yes, yes..."

Shen Lingjun keenly sensed that something was wrong with her: "What's wrong with you?"

Yao Sujuan forced a smile, avoiding Shen Lingjun's gaze: "It's nothing..."

She seemed reluctant to talk to Shen Lingjun, her attitude was colder than ever before.

Just then, Liu Manman arrived.

As soon as Yao Sujuan saw Liu Manman, her eyes lit up and she took the initiative to go to her.

She gave a gentle bow: "This lady must be the Divine Physician Liu, personally appointed by the Emperor, right? Everyone in the capital is praising Miss Liu's superb medical skills and compassionate heart. I never expected Miss Liu to be so beautiful, both inside and out. It's truly enviable."

Liu Manman was overjoyed by the compliment and replied with a smile, "Not at all, you flatter me. May I ask who this young lady is...?"

Yao Sujuan: "My daughter's name is Yao Sujuan, and she is the third child in the Yao family."

Liu Manman took a liking to this first noble lady from Kyoto who had shown her such warmth: "So it's Miss Yao San..."

The two then began to chat intimately.

Shen Lingjun watched from a distance, feeling a chill gradually spreading throughout her body.

It made her hands and feet cold, and her fingertips stiff and numb.

She wanted to sneer, as if she were facing the Qin family's heartlessness, but she couldn't bring herself to laugh.

Yao Sujuan must have known that Liu Manman was about to become Qin Shaoze's concubine, yet she abandoned her friend and turned to Liu Manman to show her warmth and friendliness.

No, Yao Sujuan no longer considers her a friend at all, and probably never really did consider her a friend before.

The Shen family has become a desolate shell. Shen Lingjun is now without any support from her maternal family, and her husband is about to take a concubine. Clearly, she is not favored at all. Even if she remains the wife of the Marquis in the short term, she has no real status.

Liu Manman, on the other hand, had just made great contributions on the border battlefield and was also newly appointed as a loyal and divine physician by the emperor. Her reputation was soaring and she was shining brightly, like a rising star in the capital. She had a much brighter future.

Is it any wonder that Yao Sujuan stopped paying attention to Shen Lingjun and instead went to curry favor with Liu Manman?

The fickleness of human relationships and the coldness of the world are just the tip of the iceberg.

Shen Lingjun withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at the two people, and left without saying a word.

She was a sensible person and wouldn't stop Yao Sujuan and Liu Manman from cultivating their sisterly bond.

Liu Manman is now quite famous in Kyoto, so despite her humble origins, people still treat her with some courtesy. Besides Yao Sujuan, some other women of lower status also came up to greet her.

Liu Manman was full of ambition. She hadn't come to this birthday banquet just to cling to Qin Shaoze; she was there to make a name for herself in the upper echelons of Kyoto's elite circles!

She'll soon be the Lady of Yongning Marquis, so of course she needs to start preparing for social engagements early!

But Liu Manman soon noticed that the way people were looking at her seemed a little strange.

Because her outfit was unprecedented and strange, it could be described in four words: bizarre attire.

Everyone's first impression was that this woman seemed to lack manners.

Women like novel clothes, which is understandable, but if you want to wear something new, you should wear it on less important, informal occasions.

Is it appropriate for the Dowager Lady of the Li Kingdom to dress like this to celebrate her sixtieth birthday?

Liu Manman originally thought that she would shine brightly among these ancient native women and amaze everyone by appearing in this novel dress.

Everyone will be amazed and envious, and will come up to ask her where she got her outfit. She will become the focus of the entire event, and can also use this opportunity to make her first wave of connections in Kyoto.

But in reality, everyone looked at her with disdain, as if she were an outcast who couldn't be brought into the public eye.

After a few women came up to greet her, Liu Manman was quickly left out and looked embarrassed.

All that was left by her side was Yao Sujuan.

Yao Sujuan asked doubtfully, "Miss Liu, the way they're looking at you in that dress seems a bit off, but I think you look beautiful in it! I've never seen a dress like this before! Do they just not know how to appreciate beauty?"

Liu Manman felt that Yao Sujuan had hit the nail on the head.

These indigenous women must be out of touch and too conservative to understand her avant-garde and trendy designs!

Times have changed, so she can't expect them to keep up with her aesthetic!

Liu Manman said proudly, "It's okay, don't worry about them. If you like it, I'll design a set for you another day."

Yao Sujuan said with a face full of gratitude, "Thank you, Miss Liu!"

At this moment, in the inner courtyard, the ladies and young women were presenting birthday gifts to the Dowager Lady of the Duke of Li.

When Liu Manman entered, she saw Shen Lingjun presenting a screen with a hundred longevity characters. The screen was made of black velvet and embroidered with gold and silver threads. Each longevity character was different, with different fonts and different embroidery techniques. It was not only exquisite but also ingenious and interesting, showing that a lot of thought had been put into it.

Shen Lingjun respectfully said, "Madam, this screen was embroidered by my own hands. I wish you a long and prosperous life, like the sun and moon shining brightly, like the pine and crane in spring, with blessings and longevity that lasts for many years!"

Her dowry had all been "contributed," so she didn't have much money on the surface and couldn't give anything too expensive. But this "Hundred Longevity" screen was embroidered by her own hands, which took her time and effort. The sentiment was there, and the gift was presentable, making it a respectable birthday present.

The Liguo Duke's Mansion and the Shen family were old friends. The old lady of the Liguo Duke's Mansion had always been fond of Shen Lingjun, a junior, and said with a smile, "Lingjun is very thoughtful. This screen is embroidered very well."

As she spoke, she immediately ordered her servants to move the screen to her courtyard and set it up.

Liu Manman watched, only scoffing inwardly with disdain.

These ancient women only knew how to embroider, a boring and unoriginal thing.

She harbored the intention of outdoing Shen Lingjun, and followed closely behind him, presenting her own congratulatory gift.