The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

Hua Sirong fulfilled Wang's mother's wish and spent two days making a copy. Upon closer inspection, even the handwriting was 99% similar.

To a layman, it's easy to mistake it for the real thing.

In the second young lady's courtyard, the maid who served her to bed was the same one who had accompanied her to Qingwu Courtyard that afternoon, named Xiangcao.

"Young lady, why did you talk so much with your cousin today? Aren't you afraid she'll find out something was amiss and it will affect our grand plan?"

Looking at his ordinary face in the mirror after removing his makeup, which had lost some of its charm, He Er didn't know whether to feel bitter or calm.

She closed her eyes and recited a few lines of the Heart-Cleansing Mantra, then instructed Xiangcao, "Don't talk about grand plans anymore. I was born and raised in the Marquis's mansion, and everything I eat, wear, and use depends on it."

Even if I marry into the Meng family next year, my support will still be the Marquis's mansion. This rare book was found by my grandfather; it belongs to me, and naturally, it also belongs to the Marquis's mansion.

Let's find an auspicious day and deliver this book to Uncle's study. As for the wedding of the Crown Prince's cousin, we don't need to wait until then.

Xiangcao was so shocked that it took her a long time to stammer out, "Miss, why would you think that? Did your cousin say something to you?" But she was serving her the whole time when the book was handed to her cousin.

Why did the girl give up her scheme to frame the table girl with the rare copy?

“Miss, why don’t you think about it again? Let’s not rush to send out the rare copy. Think about Young Master Meng. With his dragon-like appearance, only a genuine copy is worthy of him. That copy is, to put it bluntly, a fake. How could it be worthy of Young Master Meng’s appreciation? It would only offend his eyes.”

Xiangcao wanted to say more, but He Zhihuan suddenly threw the wooden comb in his hand, scattering the ornaments on the dressing table and startling Xiangcao.

She ignored Xiangcao, her hair disheveled, and walked straight to the bed, scolding, "How dare you! Isn't your elder sister's husband reading a copy? Has his eyes been defiled?" Then what does that make her, the one who gave the book?

Remembering Xiangcao's description of the dragon and phoenix's beauty, and the pent-up frustration from the flower-viewing banquet today, anger surged within him, and his reason gradually slipped away. So, he irritably ordered Xiangcao, "Take some gauze and cover that mirror up, cover it up, it's so annoying to look at."

Vanilla didn't dare to say much, and quietly tidied up, a faint smile on her lips.

He Er lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. One moment he was thinking about what he had said to Hua Sirong during the day, the next he was thinking about his days in the Marquis's mansion, and then he was thinking about Meng Silang.

"Vanilla, are you asleep?"

Vanilla, who was lying on the footrest, immediately scrambled up. "Miss? Are you thirsty and want some water?"

"No, I just can't sleep and want to talk."

"What does the young lady want to say? This servant is listening." Xiangcao turned up the lamp that was still on in the room a little, and put a pillow behind her young lady's back before sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting for her young lady to speak.

"Xiangcao, my eldest sister said on her return visit the other day that her husband was very kind to her because of that handwritten copy. You said..."

“Young lady, the Zhuang family was once quite wealthy. It was only in his father’s generation that they gradually declined, but they still held the position of censor in the imperial court, and their family had quite a collection of books.”

However, they are not like the Meng family, who have passed down their literary traditions and possess a vast collection of books. They look down on ordinary books and only care about unique, rare editions.

"Young lady, you understand that the collectible value of a unique copy cannot be confused with that of a manuscript."

"Xiangcao, do you think Meng Jia Silang is a good match?"

Xiangcao's ears turned red, but the second young lady, lost in her own thoughts, did not notice anything unusual. "Of course, with such learning as you, young lady, only a scholarly family like the Meng family in the entire capital can do justice to your talent."

The fourth young master of the Meng family, who is of marriageable age, is an outstanding member of the younger generation of the Meng family.

Throughout the entire capital, countless noble ladies envy this young lady for being able to marry Young Master Meng. With Young Master Meng's talent and good looks, he could easily marry even a princess of the imperial family.

As Xiangcao spoke, she seemed to be at a wedding, and she herself seemed to have replaced the girl, becoming the precious treasure that Meng Silang took home.

"Therefore, young lady, we absolutely must take this rare book out of the Marquis's mansion." Only Young Master Meng is worthy of it if we take it to the Meng family.

Thinking of the veiled sarcasm and mockery directed at Meng Silang by the young ladies who had secretly expressed their affections for him at the flower-viewing banquet today, she felt disheartened.

"Meng Silang is so good, how could I be worthy of him!" A girl would normally be extremely proud to hear that she has successfully married everyone's dream man.

But He Zhihuan didn't think that way. She had no one to confide in about her suffering. "Why is fate treating me like this?"

They gave me the birth of a noble lady, but wouldn't give me good looks. My father and aunt were quite handsome, so why didn't I inherit any of their good looks?

Xiangcao is three years older than He Er, and is eighteen this year. She is at the age when young people are in love. She is prettier than He Zhihuan. She usually takes care of the feelings of girls and does not dare to dress up too much. She secretly applies perfume and lipstick, but can only admire herself in her room.

She casually rubbed her face before replying, "The old lady always praises you, both in public and in private. Look at all the young ladies in the household, there are eight of them, but the old lady only praised you for your excellent studies. Even the seventh young lady doesn't receive this treatment."

Of all the grandchildren in this household, only you have obtained this rare copy that the old Marquis found; even the young master doesn't have one. Clearly, you possess advantages that we common servants cannot see.

As for her appearance, young lady, you take good care of your skin. With just a touch of rouge, you'll stand out from other noble ladies.

"Hehe, Xiangcao, you don't need to comfort me." He Zhihuan recalled the verbal provocation she received at the waterside pavilion today, and understood even more clearly the importance of a woman's appearance in a marriage. "I still remember, when I was young I was ignorant and didn't care about appearance, I only thought my sisters were superficial."

But as I grew older and went out to banquets more often, I realized how ordinary I was in this vast capital city, among these noble ladies.

The men's gazes were always fixed on the women, each with their own unique charm, while I, less eye-catching than the maid beside me, became nothing more than a supporting green leaf.

"But, our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents, and our appearance is something we are born with. Even if I wanted to change it, I couldn't."

Later, I discovered a secret: people tend to think much more highly of talented individuals. So I took a different approach, studying diligently to become a knowledgeable person.

You see me looking down on those who are good-looking but lack talent, but actually I envy them a lot. If I had half their looks and qualities, would I need to struggle with those difficult words?

Don't I love flowers and grass? Don't I love cosmetics? Don't I love new clothes? I do love them, but I don't have the means to love them.