Fei Xu responded cooperatively with a look of confusion. "Your maid remembers the household rules very clearly. There is no rule stating that the second young lady cannot go into the garden. Your maid also does not know why the eldest young lady says the second young lady has done something wrong. Perhaps the part the eldest young lady found wrong was not going into the garden, but something else?"
"Please enlighten me, elder sister, so that I may know where I have erred," Qi Zhenzhen said with a serious expression.
Qi Mingzhu stammered, unable to articulate her reasons. Could she say it was because she was unhappy that Qi Zhenzhen had met Lu Chen, and unable to confront Lu Chen directly, she had come to find fault with Qi Zhenzhen? If she spoke such words, would she have any face left? What would Lu Chen think of her if he heard?
At this moment, Qi Mingzhu's mind had cleared. Her impulsive rush to Longxiang Garden earlier was driven by a surge of anger. Failing to vent it upon arrival, she now realized the impossibility of speaking her true feelings.
"You are getting married soon. Has your wedding dress been embroidered? It's not that elder sister is lecturing you, but this is the most important thing," Qi Mingzhu abruptly changed the subject. However, her tone was so stiff that it sounded awkward. If she and Qi Zhenzhen had a close relationship, such words would be perfectly natural. But given their usual distance, and her own pride in her status, believing in the distinction between嫡 (di - born of the principal wife) and 庶 (shu - born of a concubine), she had never lowered herself to Qi Zhenzhen.
Therefore, upon hearing this, Qi Zhenzhen couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
"Elder sister, if you have something to say, just say it directly. If some things are clarified upfront, it will be better for everyone. If you suppress them today and then remember them tomorrow and feel unhappy, bringing them up again, I won't have the patience to be entangled with you over it," Qi Zhenzhen said slowly. "As for the pretense of sisterly affection, you and I know the truth, so there's no need to put on a show."
These words left no room for pretense.
Qi Mingzhu was stunned, a look of embarrassment appearing on her face. She felt that Qi Zhenzhen was indeed a girl raised in the countryside, wild and undisciplined, acting without regard for convention. She had endured her anger without lashing out, and Qi Zhenzhen did not appreciate it.
"You!"
"I know why elder sister is angry. Isn't it because I happened to meet Lu Chen in the garden? It's clearly a trivial matter, yet elder sister is making such a fuss. Do you lack confidence in yourself? Or do you feel that Lu Chen was snatched by you and fear he will be snatched again? Rest assured, although I can be a bit unreliable, I would never do something as to snatch someone's betrothed. After all, it's immoral. In the countryside, anyone would call such a person shameless." Qi Zhenzhen said with a half-smile.
Qi Mingzhu's face turned red. She understood perfectly that Qi Zhenzhen was mocking her.
For a daughter of the principal wife to snatch the betrothal of a daughter of a concubine was indefensible anywhere.
"Don't be so smug," Qi Mingzhu said huffily.
"Smug? Yes, of course I'm smug. If elder sister hadn't interfered, how could I have secured a marriage with the Duke Protector's estate? For a concubine's daughter to marry the principal son, it is truly a great honor. Speaking of which, should I thank elder sister?" Qi Zhenzhen glanced sideways at Qi Mingzhu and continued slowly, "After all, the heir is young and accomplished, truly rare."
Qi Mingzhu took a deep breath, trying to comfort herself. Gu Sinian only had his status and position; in other aspects, how could he compare to Lu Chen? Not to mention that his heir status could be lost at any moment. Although her actions were not honorable, compared to the outcome, the process seemed less important. The result was good, after all, for the next several decades, it would be her standing beside Lu Chen, not Qi Zhenzhen.
After coming to this realization, Qi Mingzhu's anger lessened considerably. She put on a composed demeanor and said, "Then I hope sister continues to be smug."