Here she comes, here comes Xiao Jinghui with her conspiracy again.
Xiao Bao'er looked up and feigned confusion. "I received it. What's up?"
Xiao Jinghui rejoiced secretly. "Elder sister, you've always declined invitations from various families due to illness. There are so many gossips outside. You've been cooped up in the mansion for so long. I'm sure you're getting bored. Why not go out more to relax? Maybe it'll do good to your health."
"But mother won't let me go out," Xiao Bao'er pretended to be in a dilemma, yet there was a hint of longing in her tone. "You sisters should go. I won't join in the fun."
Hearing the regret in Xiao Bao'er's tone, Xiao Jinghui saw a chance and continued to persuade. "Elder sister, do you want to go? As long as you say you do, I'll surely persuade aunt to let you go."
Xiao Bao'er pretended to lower her head and think. After a moment, she hesitantly nodded.
"Good. I'll surely make it happen for elder sister!"
The smile on Xiao Jinghui's face grew wider. Thinking of what she had agreed on with the Princess of Lin'an, her look towards Xiao Bao'er became even more eager.
She was in love with the Crown Prince, but she had never told anyone about it, not even her mother, Mrs. Zhang. Since that year in the garden of the Xiao Mansion when the Crown Prince helped her pick up the handkerchief that had fallen into the pond, she had secretly planted this love in her heart. The young man in her memory was tall and upright, with a gentle and kind smile on his face as he looked straight at her. His hand that handed over the handkerchief was long and fair...
Since then, every time the Crown Prince came to the Xiao Mansion to visit Prime Minister Xiao, she would secretly go and watch him. Although she could only watch from afar, Xiao Jinghui still felt full of joy in her heart. But as time passed, she would occasionally overhear the conversations between the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Xiao.
The name of Xiao Bao'er had appeared too many times in the Crown Prince's mouth. Every time the Crown Prince mentioned Xiao Bao'er, the uncontrollable smile on his face deeply hurt Xiao Jinghui's eyes.
Xiao Jinghui only felt that the Crown Prince was in love with Xiao Bao'er and wanted to marry her as the Crown Princess. So, in Xiao Jinghui's heart, the branches and leaves of jealousy crazily wrapped around her heart, making it hard for her to breathe every time she woke up from a nightmare.
Why? Such a wonderful Crown Prince actually liked such a sickly girl. They were both daughters of the Xiao family. Why could Xiao Bao'er but she couldn't!
So she found her close friend, the Princess of Lin'an, and wanted to make Xiao Bao'er lose face at the flower - viewing banquet. If she was lucky, she might even see Xiao Bao'er's true face under the veil.
Since Xiao Bao'er got sick, she had worn a veil day and night. Except for Mrs. Xiao and her close maids, no one knew what Xiao Bao'er looked like now. Most of the contracts of the maids around Xiao Bao'er were in Mrs. Xiao's hands, and Xiao Jinghui couldn't find out anything from them. So she had to think of other ways.
After getting Xiao Bao'er's answer, Xiao Jinghui couldn't sit still anymore. She just wanted to hurry up and find aunt to make her agree to let Xiao Bao'er go out.
Xiao Jingwan was in a bad mood because Xiao Bao'er had asked her to return the jewelry, so she had no mood to stay here any longer. Xiao Jinglan was just a by - stander here. So the three of them got up and said goodbye.
After they left, Xiao Bao'er thought carefully for a while. Then she sent away the maids in her room and secretly slipped into the room of the second young master of the Xiao family, Xiao Changsheng.
The second young master and the third young master of the Xiao family were twins. Mrs. Xiao had a difficult delivery. When the two babies were born, one cried weakly and the other cried loudly. The imperial doctors said that the two fetuses had competed for nutrients in their mother's body, and the elder brother hadn't been able to outcompete the younger brother, so his body was extremely weak and needed to be taken good care of.
If it was said that Xiao Bao'er was delicate and weak, it was only that she occasionally got sick. Her second elder brother was really a "sick beauty" like a willow in the wind. He took medicine like water all day long. He would gasp for breath after walking a few more steps. His body was so thin that it seemed like it would break at a touch. But even so weak, he had miraculously grown up safely.
Because of his health problems, the second young master of the Xiao family had become quite knowledgeable about medicine after a long - term illness. There was a special room in his yard for storing medicine, and the purpose of Xiao Bao'er's coming here was the osmanthus stored inside.
If she remembered correctly, her third younger sister had been allergic to osmanthus since childhood. Even a little contact would make her body covered with small red bumps. So there was no osmanthus planted in the Xiao Mansion, and the servants were not allowed to wear osmanthus sachets. Only the second young master of the Xiao family might have osmanthus in the whole mansion.
She searched on the medicine cabinet for a long time before finally finding a grid marked with "osmanthus". But when Xiao Bao'er opened the small drawer, she was disappointed to find that it was only some dried osmanthus. She didn't know if these dried osmanthus still had the effect of making Xiao Jinghui allergic.
But it was better than nothing. She rolled up her sleeves, picked up the pestle and mortar, and carefully ground the dried osmanthus into powder. Then she picked up the mulberry paper, wrapped it up and put it in her bosom. She carefully cleaned up the "evidence" before leaving at ease.
She didn't know what Xiao Jinghui had said to Mrs. Xiao, but Mrs. Xiao nodded and agreed to let Xiao Bao'er go out. Before she left, Mrs. Xiao even sent a wet - nurse over. The wet - nurse carefully told her the rules outside and checked her veil carefully before letting Xiao Bao'er go out with peace of mind.
After the wet - nurse left, Xiao Bao'er looked at herself in the mirror, dressed in a dowdy way, and almost burst out laughing. The big golden hairpins and the gaudy red and green clothes made her look not like someone going to a flower - viewing banquet but like someone going to be on display.
She took off all the golden hairpins on her head, opened the wardrobe, and found a light - green ruqun embroidered with two butterflies flying among flowers from a bunch of fully - embroidered and colorful dresses.
After getting dressed neatly, Xiao Bao'er glanced askance at Lingzhi standing beside her. Lingzhi stepped forward respectfully and helped Xiao Bao'er undo the exaggerated hairstyle. She pulled half of her hair into a refreshing bun and let the other half hang loose. She simply decorated the bun with a velvet flower hairpin of the same color. With the veil on, from afar, she looked a bit like an unreachable fairy in the ninth heaven.
Since being warned by Xiao Bao'er deliberately or not last time, Lingzhi had restrained herself a lot and didn't dare to show too many emotions in her eyes.
Seeing the outfit that Xiao Bao'er had chosen for herself, she was momentarily in a daze. It seemed that something about her young lady had changed...
Not only Lingzhi had this feeling, but Xiao Jinghui and the others also did. When they saw Lingzhi supporting Xiao Bao'er slowly appearing at the door, they almost didn't recognize that the person in front of them was their elder sister.
Xiao Bao'er stood still in front of the three of them and said with a smile, "What's wrong, sisters? Why are you all standing at the door in a daze?"
Xiao Jinglan was the first to react. She bowed to Xiao Bao'er, with undisguised admiration in her eyes. "Elder sister looks really eye - catching in this outfit. It has stunned us sisters."
After saying that, she came over and affectionately took Xiao Bao'er's arm and walked towards the carriage that was already waiting at the door. Xiao Jinghui and Xiao Jingwan stood still on the spot, their eyes staring fixedly at Xiao Bao'er's back. Especially Xiao Jinghui, the malice emanating from her was even felt by Xiao Bao'er walking in front.
Looking at Xiao Bao'er's graceful figure, Xiao Jinghui only felt that the gap between herself and Xiao Bao'er was getting bigger and bigger. She was less than a year younger than Xiao Bao'er, but she still looked like a childish girl. Her chest was flat and small, not as well - developed as Xiao Bao'er's. If things went on like this, how could the Crown Prince take a fancy to her?
Suddenly, she saw a wooden cart full of goods approaching quickly in the distance. As if in a trance, she stretched out her hand and slowly walked towards Xiao Bao'er, wanting to push her out.
Just as her hand was about to touch Xiao Bao'er, a group of children running and playing came out of the next alley. The leading child ran very fast and didn't notice Xiao Jinghui. He ran straight into her. Xiao Jinghui couldn't stand still for a moment and fell towards the wooden cart. The rope tying the bag came loose, revealing what was inside.
Xiao Bao'er turned around on the carriage and saw what was in the bag below. Her eyes flashed.
It was clearly a bag of osmanthus.