Chapter 323 Fighting with Open and Secret Means

As she nodded, Qin Wanru went in with the servant girl and came to the back of Old Madam Qin.

When Old Madam Qin saw Qin Wanru, her slightly pale face was relaxed. She held Qin Wanru’s hands with her slightly cold hands and whispered, “Zhuozhuo, where have you been?”

The sweat on her cold palms suggested that the old lady was scared!

“I just took a walk.” Qin Wanru smiled and comforted Old Madam Qin. She knew that the thing that happened outside just now must have come to Old Madam Qin’s ears and scared her.

“Did anyone want to frame you?” Shui Ruolan looked gloomy and also heaved a sigh of relief as she saw Qin Wanru now.

It was not convenient for her and Madam Dowager to leave, for they only had one servant and could not leave, but they heard the madams and Misses talking about the matter of Wang Shengxue as they came in sporadically. The two of them were so worried but didn’t know where to look for Qin Wanru.

Qin Yuru raised her eyebrows, glancing sideways at Qin Wanru with some pride and venomous hatred.

Previously, Qin Wanru slapped her twice, and she remembered that clearly. Now she realized her dream and didn’t care about Qin Wanru for the time being. When her identity was confirmed someday, she would use the power of Duke Xing’s Mansion to deal with Qin Wanru and Shui Ruolan. Her mother said that, by then, her father would not dare to say anything when taking Duke Xing’s Mansion into account.

With such confidence, she could ignore Qin Wanru.

“Grandma and mother, I am fine, and the trouble has been cleared. Now the person in trouble is Childe Wang, and Madam of Duke Xing also knows it.”

Qin Wanru said with a smile.

“That’s good. That’s good. As long as you are fine!” Madam Dowager murmured these words and finally felt relieved as she saw Qin Wanru’s normal appearance.

More and more people came into the flower hall, and all of them were women. By now, nearly everyone had arrived, and all the seats were almost occupied.

A long and distant chime came from nowhere, and everyone became quiet instantly.

Madam of Duke Xing announced smilingly, “Today is an auspicious day for me to adopt the daughter. I especially chose this day only because I wanted all of you to be my witnesses!”

“Congratulations, Madam of Duke Xing!” many people said with smiles in chorus.

Madam of Duke Xing smiled and nodded to thank everyone. When everyone was quiet, she said with a smile again, “The daughter I am about to adopt is Qi Rongzhi, the eldest daughter of Jiangzhou magistrate and his wife. Her parents are not in the capital, and so her elder brother has agreed to this matter and has been approved by Madam Dowager of Qin’s Mansion, where she lodged temporarily. From now on, Rongzhi will live in our Duke Xing’s Mansion and be treated like our mansion’s Miss!”

She meant that Qi Rongzhi would be the Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion and also hoped that all the madams and Misses here could think highly of her in the future.

The banquet of Madam of Duke Xing was excessively grand. Generally speaking, asking a few relatives and friends to witness the process was enough. After all, Qi Rongzhi was only an adopted daughter and would not be recorded under the name of Madam of Duke Xing, and there was no need to make a new family tree.

Let alone Qi Rongzhi didn’t have a noble identity, and it was unnecessary to hold such a grand ceremony. However, Madam of Duke Xing had held such a grand ceremony and invited so many madams and Misses of aristocratic families, and it seemed that she was quite satisfied with Miss Qi. Of course, some madams and Misses flattered her with sweet words.

In their view, Qi Rongzhi was not important at all, but that Madam of Duke Xing was happy was important.

Undoubtedly, they also admired Qi Rongzhi’s good luck silently. Not only did Madam of Duke Xing like the daughter of a small Jiangzhou magistrate, but she also held such a grand banquet for her. Some madams already began thinking if there were unengaged sons in their mansions. If suitable, they could make Qi Rongzhi their daughter-in-law, for it was not that easy to marry a biological daughter of Duke Xing’s Mansion.

Their eldest daughter’s good name was especially widely spread. She was not only exceptionally beautiful, among the few gorgeous ladies in the capital, but she also had outstanding literary talent and good manners. Although she was now not in the capital, she was missed by many aristocratic families in the capital.

But the families that missed her were all great families, and some of the others were seriously considering the possibility of marrying Qi Rongzhi.

Two lines of neatly dressed servant girls were entering slowly from the outside, with jewelry and clothing made of brocade in their hands.

Each piece looked extremely rare.

Dressed in luxurious clothing, Qi Rongzhi walked in respectfully behind two Nannies and kowtowed to Madam of Duke Xing in front of everyone.

Madam of Duke Xing rose, lifted her up herself, took out a hairpin from a gift box, and put it into Qi Rongzhi’s dark hair.

“Rongzhi, you will be my daughter in the future. If you have anything, you will need to tell me. Even if it is your marriage, I can also intervene!”

Madam of Duke Xing said with a smile.

Blushed, Qi Rongzhi lowered her head and whispered, “Yes, foster mother!”

“Good, good, good!” Madam of Duke Xing laughed as she heard “foster mother”, pulled her to her side, and let her stand there. Apparently, Madam of Duke Xing had been pleased by this call, looking quite happy.

“Go to Old Madam Qin and Madam Shui, and bid them goodbye!” Madam of Duke Xing pulled Qi Rongzhi’s hands and said after she laughed.

“Yes, foster mother!” Qi Rongzhi took small steps, walked in dignity past several distinguished madams, came to Old Madam Qin, and bowed low. “Since I went to Qin’s Mansion, Madam Dowager and Madam Shui have been taking care of me. Thank you for that. Now I have a foster mother, and I won’t need to bother Madam Dowager and Madam Shui. If Madam Dowager and Madam Shui have free time, please often come here to see me!”

“First Miss Qi, you are too courteous. Our two families are as good as one family. This is nothing!” Old Madam Qin smiled and said kindly.

Qi Rongzhi stood straight, turned her eyes from Madam Dowager to Qin Yuru and then to Qin Wanru, and invited them smilingly and warmly. “Elder Sister Yuru and Sister Wanru, please come to see me when you are free. We have grown up together since we were young, and don’t let our feelings fade because I left!”

What she said sounded that her relationships with Qin Yuru and Qin Wanru were very good and also seemed that she cherished the feelings so much.

Qin Wanru didn’t say anything, only bowed sideways, and glanced over Qi Rongzhi’s dress, which was bought from her Butterfly Clothing Shop. Since she wore the two dresses to visit the palace last time, Madame Dong said that the shop’s business had become exceptionally good. They could not nearly make the ordered clothes on time, and so she recruited many embroidered maids and let them work with others over time.

“First Miss Qi, you are really courteous, but will you not come to see us in the future? Didn’t you say you would come back when you left, did you?”

Qin Yuru said with a smile. These words seemed like she was close with Qi Rongzhi and ridiculed her, but they sounded a little inexplicably jealous for the listeners.

Also, they seemed to accuse Qi Rongzhi of getting a higher status and looking down upon Qin’s Mansion, and so she asked the people of Qin’s Mansion to visit Duke Xing’s Mansion to see her.

Of course, Qin Yuru was unhappy. Just now she was slapped twice by Qi Rongzhi. Although she had used ice to remove the swelling on her face silently, her face was still faintly painful now.

When she became the Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion, she would not let Qi Rongzhi off, either. Qi Rongzhi begged and became an adopted daughter, but she thought she was highly treasured. Qin Yuru didn’t believe she could not defeat Qi Rongzhi.

The two of them had many fights before, but they did not fight each other face to face because Qi Tianyu was their mediator. After Qin Yuru and Qi Tianyu’s marriage was over, the two of them fought each other even more fiercely and could fight even without good reason.

They would never care about other things.

But now in public, they just accused each other vaguely. Qin Yuru just wanted to make Qi Rongzhi unhappy and didn’t want to see her smile joyfully.

Qi Rongzhi’s eyes glinted with displeasure. When others didn’t notice her, she cast a venomous glare at Qin Yuru, showing some coldness in her eyes. She also cursed her inwardly. When her position as the Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion was stable, she would also deal with Qin Yuru. Previously, Qin Yuru did dare to treat her brother unfairly, and then she would ruin her reputation.

She was not like her brother, who was always fooled by Qin Yuru’s beauty-traps.

“Rongzhi, if you are finished, just come back, and let me introduce you to a few other madams!” The two of them were fighting in a peaceful manner, and then the voice of Madam of Duke Xing came with a happy smile at the right time. The madam seemed unaware of the “surging undercurrents”, but the madams and Misses sitting on the side turned their thoughtful eyes from Qin Yuru to Qi Rongzhi, and then from Qi Rongzhi to Qin Yuru.

Then, they smiled with unclear meanings. There were more stories in it. Several madams who knew one another looked at one another, lowered their heads silently, and curved their lips.

The adopted daughter of Duke Xing’s Mansion might not be easy to get on well with. Some of the madams who saw the scene just now could not help giving up their illusion of building ties with Duke Xing’s Mansion. Miss Qi could be stupid, but she shouldn’t look like the one before them. She had just become the adopted daughter of Madam of Duke Xing, but she had begun provoking her previous sister.

The appearance she showed just now was finally seen by several ladies.

“Yes, foster mother!” When hearing the call of Madam of Duke Xing, Qi Rongzhi hid the fierceness in her eyes, bowed respectfully to Old Madam Qin and Shui Ruolan again, and then turned and went to Madam of Duke Xing.

Madam of Duke Xing took her hand and introduced the distinguished madams around them one by one, and these madams also gave Qi Rongzhi their “meeting gifts”. Instantly, the guests and the hosts were happy in harmony!

Suddenly, a servant girl ran in, walked to Madam of Duke Xing, and said, “Madam, Old Madam has sent gifts!”

“Bring them quickly!” Madam of Duke Xing said with a smile.

The madams around here couldn’t help murmuring to one another. Old Madam didn’t usually care about affairs and even paid little attention to the affairs of Duke Xing’s Mansion, but today she had sent a gift to First Miss Qi. It seemed that she was quite satisfied with First Miss Qi.

Many madams’ look at Qi Rongzhi became hot again as they thought this way. Being adored by Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion was much more important than being adored by Madam of Duke Xing. Thus, everyone’s eyes couldn’t help falling on the gift boxes carried by the two servant girls coming in behind Nanny Yu.

They wanted to know how impressive Old Madam’s gift would be…
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