Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1079 We must not let her climb the social ladder.

Madam Su was furious: "That Fifth Princess is the Crown Prince's own sister. The Crown Prince is not yet engaged. If... no, we absolutely cannot let her get too close to the Fifth Princess. If she climbs the social ladder, won't the eldest branch of the family become arrogant and conceited?"

Su Yue scoffed lightly: "Mother, don't be so emboldened by others. With her background, how could she possibly catch the Crown Prince's eye?"

Madam Su gave her a reproachful look: "Her background is certainly not good, but she is quite beautiful. It seems that we can't let her associate with these powerful people anymore. This little girl is clever and knows how to play innocent in front of people. We must not let her have another chance."

As for Su Xing, Madam Su the Second did not bring her to greet the ladies of the various families, so even though she came, it did not have much effect. However, she and He Yinuo chatted very well, from arithmetic to food. When He Yinuo learned that Su Xing could also cook, her eyes lit up.

“My father ran a restaurant before he passed away. I saw many shops around the house and that’s how I developed my culinary skills. If I have the chance someday, I will personally cook a few of my signature dishes for the princess to try.”

He Yinuo smiled and said, "Okay, then when I have the chance, I will definitely trouble you to cook for me."

The two chatted happily, and before they knew it, the banquet was coming to an end. Everyone was about to return to their residences, and a maidservant from Madam Su's side came to call them.

Su Xing bid farewell to the princess with reluctance. She had come out today, and she didn't know when she would be able to come again.

He Zimu walked up to He Yinuo and said, "From the very beginning, I noticed you were chatting quite amiably with that daughter of the Su family's eldest son. Is she a nice person?"

He Zimu knew that He Yinuo only considered temperament when making friends, not other factors. However, in her opinion, the Su family's status was indeed too low. Moreover, the eldest branch of the Su family only had an orphan girl left behind, and they had no connection with royalty like them.

He Yinuo said, "She's self-reliant and strong-willed, a good girl. She's also not pretentious. By the way, I noticed the Su family's second branch was always hanging around you; were they trying to befriend you?"

He Zimu snorted coldly: "It's all in vain. They didn't even send an invitation to her family today. I don't know where they bought it from, spending a lot of money to sneak in and pass it off as their own."

After saying that, looking at He Yinuo's innocent and cute face, he couldn't help but pinch her: "You don't know how dangerous this world is. Don't be fooled by some people with ulterior motives. The second branch of the Su family has an official position, which is not worth mentioning. The first branch was just a merchant. This time, they brought two girls with an invitation. Their intentions are not pure."

He Yinuo just smiled and didn't argue with her cousin.

He Zimu sighed, thinking to herself that her cousin had indeed been spoiled rotten by His Majesty and had a terrible eye for people.

After leaving the Prince Yu's mansion, He Yinuo headed straight for the food court, where she needed a fruit drink to cleanse her palate.

Since its opening, the food court has been extremely popular. He Yinuo's carriage could only be parked on the outside and could not go to the front, so she had to get off the carriage and walk all the way.

Hua Yurong was already waiting for her in the food court. As soon as she arrived, she took her on a tour, and bought her whatever she liked.

After her rounds, He Yinuo had collected spicy rice crackers, crispy fried dough twists, salt and pepper melon seeds, and homemade candied fruit. If she hadn't already filled her stomach at Prince Yu's residence today, she probably would have gotten a few more.

Hua Yuerong followed Empress Tao's instructions, not only taking He Yinuo on a tour of the shops and explaining various ways to attract business, but also analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each shop and guiding her to suggest some improvement measures.

"I think the Empress Dowager asked me to take care of you, probably because she wants you to help manage the business in the capital in the future. Anyway, you have shares in this shop, so contributing more will also help you earn money."

He Yinuo nodded: "Second sister-in-law, don't worry, I will study hard."

He Yinuo was intelligent and quick to understand things. Hua Yurong liked this sister-in-law very much and wished she could impart all her knowledge to her.

After Su Xing returned to the Su family, Madam Su immediately asked about the banquet she attended that day. She learned that Madam Su had not introduced her or paid any attention to her. She had only chatted with the Fifth Princess for a few hours and then felt a little down.

"I was prepared for this, thinking your aunt wouldn't care about you, but she didn't care at all, which is really infuriating. At least she could introduce you to some people, since it was such a difficult time getting the invitation!" In order to attend this banquet, she even begged Lord Su and lowered herself.

Su Xing comforted her, "Mother, I'm still young. I won't be of marriageable age for another two years, so there's no rush. Besides, I don't think I have to get married in this life. I might as well find a way to support you."

Su's mother patted her and said, "Don't talk nonsense. You have no brothers or sisters. When I'm gone, you'll have no home. You still need to find a husband, someone who can at least love and protect you."

Su Xing bit her lip and didn't refute her mother's words anymore, but she had already made up her mind to let nature take its course regarding the marriage.

“Oh, Mother, I want to copy more books. Today, the Fifth Princess praised my handwriting. She also complimented me, saying that earning money through one's own abilities is not shameful. She also said…” Su Xing’s face flushed slightly, “She also said that people like me who copy books are disseminators of civilization.”

Mother Su didn't understand what the messenger was saying, but she was happy that her daughter had received praise from the Fifth Princess: "What good fortune we have to meet both the Empress and the Fifth Princess. Since the Fifth Princess says it's not shameful and you can learn something from copying books, let's continue copying. Today I'll go out and find some more work to do."

Without delay, Su's mother went directly to the second branch of the family to explain her intention to leave the mansion.

Madam Su said calmly, "Sister-in-law, I'm not trying to criticize you, but the shop has already been sold, and you've kept all the money yourself. It's three thousand six hundred taels, enough for you and your daughter to live on for a few years. Why make your niece suffer the hardship of copying books? Besides, how much can you earn by copying a book? Sister-in-law, don't be so greedy and think about such small gains all day long."

The thought that her husband no longer dared to use the money from the sale of the main house after learning that the buyer was the Empress made Madam Su furious.

Her husband has been making things difficult for her in every way lately, and he has been given the lowest grade in every evaluation. Now she finds everyone from the main branch of the family extremely displeasing.

Madam Su hadn't expected the second wife to hold her back on this matter, and said with difficulty, "Sister-in-law, Xing'er will need a large dowry when she gets married in the future. How will three thousand six hundred taels be enough to spend? Besides, I was originally the mistress of the first wife. I don't need to report to you when I leave the mansion. I'm only telling you because of my mother."

Madam Su sneered, "I'm only doing this for the sake of my sister-in-law and niece's reputation. My sister-in-law is a widow, what kind of person is she, showing her face in public all day? My niece is so young and already doing these kinds of jobs to earn money. If people find out, it will be even harder to arrange a marriage. It's all thanks to our second branch of the family for finding a way to bring my niece to the banquet. In the end, you have to lower yourselves to earn a little money. If you can't find a good marriage in the future, don't blame the second branch of the family for it."