Cold-faced Empress

Upon hearing that Prime Minister Fu intended to bestow a marriage upon them, the whole family felt as if the sky had fallen, except for Fu Siying, who remained unperturbed.

"It's just an engagement," Fu Siying comforted her family instead. "After this encounter, Prince Mu must despise me to the extreme. Even if he accepts the arranged marriage, there will always be a time when he can no longer tolerate me. At that time, Prince Mu will go to the Emperor to request the annulment of the engagement."

Seeing that her family members' emotions were gradually stabilizing, she stopped talking.

She didn't care about the marriage with Prince Mu at all; now she was only thinking about how to have a perfect meeting with He Changyi and Wei Lanling in the future.

That would definitely be unique and leave a deep impression on them.

After praying for blessings at Tianfu Temple, Prime Minister Fu finalized the arrangements with the abbot regarding inviting monks to perform rituals at his home.

On their way back to the city from the mountain, they encountered several groups of soldiers approaching each other with menacing expressions. Having learned their lesson, the Fu family carriage obediently moved aside.

After the troops had passed, Prime Minister Fu peeked out and sighed with great worry, "The troops are moving so fast, I wonder what has happened now."

Looking at her father's worried face, Fu Siying seemed to be deep in thought.

……

"Madam, there is a letter for you."

Li put down her work, took the letter, and saw that it was addressed to "Fu Li Shi" (To be opened by Fu Li Shi). She asked herself suspiciously, "Who would send me a letter?"

Fu Siying, who was practicing calligraphy nearby, was immediately taken aback. After realizing what was happening, she could hardly hide her eagerness and joy.

I am finally coming!

Li opened the letter. It was just two thin pages, which could be scanned in a few glances.

After reading it, Madam Li sighed softly: "It's a letter from my half-sister. It's been a hundred days since her husband died, and there are no more relatives of the same lineage in his family, so she sent this letter to ask if she can come to live with me."

Fu Siying feigned concern: "Are you all alone? Poor thing, will Mother agree?"

Madam Li frowned and nodded: "When your father comes back, your mother and I will discuss it again. But we should agree. Your mother has no brothers, only this one sister. She is blood relative, and we should help her if we can."

Upon hearing this, Fu Siying smiled and softly agreed, "Of course," while quietly switching to a vermilion brush and writing a large "death" on the rice paper.

Life is better than death!

During dinner, Li told Prime Minister Fu about the fact that his daughter, Xiao Li, was coming to stay with him. Although Prime Minister Fu was worried about the shortage of housing at home, he still agreed.

From her father's furrowed brows and grim expression, Fu Siying could tell that he was very reluctant for Xiao Li to come and seek refuge with her.

She just didn't know how much of her father's reluctance stemmed from genuine dislike, or how much from his fear of their affair being exposed.

The next day, Fu Siying left the mansion alone early in the morning and went to the clothing store.

Upon seeing that she was the daughter of a prime minister, the shopkeeper was overjoyed: "Miss Fu, please feel free to tell me what style and fabric you like."

Fu Siying glanced lazily around the shop, finding nothing of interest. After making sure no one was watching, she beckoned the shopkeeper closer for a private talk.

"Miss Fu, please speak."

"Prepare for me..."

After a brief, private conversation, the shopkeeper suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Snake scale patterned fabric?"

After Fu Siying glared fiercely, the shopkeeper hurriedly lowered his voice: "This, this humble shop does not have black and white fabric with snake scale patterns."

"If you don't have any, can't you just have an embroiderer?" Fu Siying's eyebrows shot up. "How much work can a few sets of clothes take?"

The shopkeeper bowed and said, "Yes, yes, I will have the embroiderer prepare it carefully."

Fu Siying nodded and took out a silver ingot: "Not only do we need to prepare carefully, but we also need to be quick! This is half of the deposit, and the other half will be paid after the matter is completed."

"Thank you very much, Miss Fu. The clothes you requested will be made within two days!"

Just as the shopkeeper was about to take the silver with shining eyes, Fu Siying pulled her hand back and waved the silver around.

Under the shopkeeper's puzzled gaze, she warned, "Remember the steps I'm about to tell you clearly. If anything goes wrong, or if you dare to tell anyone about this, not only will you lose this shop, but you'll also lose your head!"

Having heard of Miss Fu's reputation for being shrewish and willful, the shopkeeper dared not doubt it and nodded repeatedly to assure her: "Miss Fu, rest assured, I will absolutely keep my mouth shut!"

As she was leaving, Fu Siying paused and glanced at the shopkeeper behind her.

The shopkeeper immediately tensed up: "I swear on my life, there will be no leak!"

Seeing the shopkeeper's pitiful appearance, as if he had been forced into prostitution, Fu Siying smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, it's just making a couple of sets of clothes, it's not like we're killing or setting fires."

The shopkeeper readily agreed.

To welcome her half-sister, Wei Li, to her new home, Lady Li ordered her servants to clean the house thoroughly, and to clean and air out the bedding in the two guest rooms, tidying them up properly.

On the surface, Fu Siying cooperated with her mother in arranging everything, but in reality, she observed everything coldly from the sidelines.

If she could tolerate Wei Lanling having a good life in the Fu family for even a day, she would change her surname to Fu!

Just a few days after Fu Siying eagerly awaited its arrival, a horse-drawn carriage with a green canopy drove across the slightly damp road that had just been rained on and stopped in front of the Fu family's house.

First to alight was a woman in a green dress, her jet-black hair adorned with two white flowers, giving her an elegant and pretty appearance. Next to her stepped off the carriage was a woman in a dark blue dress, also with white flowers in her hair, but her hair was styled in a thick bun, revealing a still-charming demeanor.

The woman in blue and the woman turned around and helped an old woman off the carriage.

Then, the woman in green stepped forward and knocked on the door of the Fu family's residence.

"Bang bang bang."

Soon, a servant came to open the door. Upon hearing that the visitor was his mistress's sister, the servant said "Wait a moment," closed the door, and hurried off to inform his master.

However, the owner was not Madam Li, but Miss Fu Siying.

The maid, Qingyin, entered the room with small, quick steps: "Young Miss, Madam's sister has arrived!"

Fu Siying's eyes lit up, and she immediately stood up, asking Qingyin with a joyful expression, "Where is she?"

“They’re waiting right outside the door,” Qingyin said, puzzled. “Why did Miss specifically instruct the servants to inform you instead of telling the madam first?”

Fu Siying smiled and shook her head, then lifted her skirt and hurriedly led Qingyin toward the mansion gate.

As the door slammed open, Fu Siying's cold expression instantly transformed into one of intimacy and warmth.

When Fu Siying saw Wei Lanling's beautiful face, which was tinged with a hint of melancholy and bitterness, her hands clenched instantly, and the fake smile on her face tightened.

She had to use all her strength to suppress the urge to pounce on Wei Lanling and tear her to shreds, and she had to constantly remind herself to maintain a perfect smile.

Wei Lanling, it's been a long time.

Little Li had expected to see her elder sister, but to her surprise, the person who came to greet her was a beautiful young woman of sixteen or seventeen with delicate features, a warm smile, and elegant attire.

After a few moments of stunned silence, the sorrow on Madam Li's face, now that she had just lost her husband, faded slightly. She asked rather cautiously, "Girl, are you the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, Fu Siying?"

Fu Siying raised an eyebrow slightly, looked at Madam Li, and tilted her head playfully, saying, "Madam Wei has a good eye."

Although the young girl in front of her was all smiles, the address "Madam Wei" made Madam Li feel a little timid. Moreover, no matter how she looked at it, Fu Siying's smile seemed somewhat strange.

Ms. Li chuckled twice and pulled her daughter over, saying, "Siying, look, this is my daughter, Lanling, who is also your cousin."

Fu Siying smiled faintly and turned to look at Wei Lanling. What came into view was Wei Lanling's shy and timid appearance, her moist eyes making her look extremely pure and charming, innocent and naive.

But what flashed through Fu Siying's mind was Wei Lanling leaning against He Changyi's chest with a coquettish smile, and Wei Lanling's vengeful curses before she died!

Her hatred for Wei Lanling stemmed from the pain of being deceived and betrayed, and the regret of having given her heart to the wrong person. Through Wei Lanling's delicate and charming appearance, she saw only a dark and ruthless heart.

Fu Siying chuckled softly only when Wei Lanling lowered her head under Fu Siying's intense gaze and Xiao Lishi was too nervous to speak.

"So this is Cousin Wei. She is indeed as graceful as an orchid."

Under Fu Siying's gaze, which concealed a hint of anger, Wei Lanling greeted her timidly, saying, "Cousin, you flatter me. Sister Siying is the one who is truly beautiful and unparalleled."

Fu Siying's smile widened: "My cousin really knows how to talk."

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the old woman standing behind Xiao Li and Wei Lanling. Seeing that Xiao Li did not mention the old woman, Wang, Fu Siying was even less inclined to bring her up and simply ignored her.

Madam Li asked cautiously, "Siying, is your mother in the manor?"

"Oh, of course I am."

"Then..." Seeing that Fu Siying had no intention of letting them into the mansion, the smile on Xiao Li's face gradually faded. "Could your aunt meet your mother?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Siying shook her head decisively without even thinking: "No way."

In an instant, both Xiao Li and Wei Lanling turned pale.

Only after seeing their disappointed and ashen faces did Fu Siying change the subject, chuckling, "Madam Wei and my cousin will need to change into new clothes before they can see my mother."

"Change into new clothes?"

Immediately, Xiao Li and Wei Lanling looked aggrieved. They had only arrived after observing a hundred days of mourning, and the request to change into new clothes was undoubtedly an insult, implying that they carried bad luck.

Wei Lanling looked up at Fu Siying and saw that Fu Siying was dressed in silk and jade, with a haughty demeanor, while she herself looked like a stray dog ​​in comparison. This huge difference made the young girl in the prime of her life feel ashamed and indignant, and she couldn't help but lower her head and shed tears.

Seeing that Madam Li was about to speak up in rebuttal, Fu Siying preemptively said, "Oh, Madam Wei and my cousin, please don't misunderstand. I secretly asked a tailor from the clothing store to make these new clothes after I heard that you two were coming. The style is the most popular among young ladies and wives in the capital in recent years, and it is very dignified and elegant."

This explanation touched both Xiao Li and Wei Lanling, and when they looked at Fu Siying again, they felt that Fu Siying's face was full of goodwill.

Fu Siying waved for a servant to bring a carriage: "I would like to present you both with a gift, and also to surprise my mother and make her happy. However, the new clothes have just been made and have not yet been delivered by the clothing store, so I will have to trouble you both to go to the clothing store to change into the new clothes first. I will come to visit you later. Please be sure to speak well of me to my mother."