In her impression, Mrs. Shen had always been delicate and frail. It seemed as if a gust of wind could blow her away. But she never expected that such a delicate person could say such touching words.
She had witnessed the darkness here, yet she didn't know that there were still many good people in the world. Lord Shen and Mrs. Shen were truly good people.
Seeing Mu Fengqie with misty eyes, Mrs. Shen looked a bit at a loss. "Come on, quickly pick out what to wear today. Mother will take you to a tea - party later and introduce you to Yiru."
"Who is Yiru?" Mu Fengqie asked in confusion.
As Mrs. Shen picked up a dress and compared it against Mu Fengqie's body, she slowly explained, "Yiru is about your age. You should call her elder sister. She's my elder brother's daughter and has been staying with us recently."
After hearing Mrs. Shen's explanation, Mu Fengqie nodded. A warm current welled up in her heart when she heard the words "with us".
Meanwhile, Mrs. Shen had already picked out a suitable dress for Mu Fengqie. It was a light - yellow silk dress made of Shu brocade. When Mu Fengqie put it on, it perfectly showed her exquisite figure and even covered her belly well. No one would associate Mu Fengqie with a pregnant woman.
Mrs. Shen's eyes lit up when she saw Mu Fengqie. She couldn't help clapping her hands and praising, "My taste is really good. This dress suits Qie'er perfectly. As the saying goes, a man depends on his clothes and a horse on his saddle. With this dressing, Qie'er really looks like a gentle young lady from a noble family."
Mu Fengqie blushed at the praise. It was the first time she had worn such fine - textured and beautiful clothes. She had cut up all the clothes bestowed by the dog emperor, but even that couldn't relieve her hatred.
Mrs. Shen then called an experienced old maid to do Mu Fengqie's hair. Soon, a perfect hair - style was done, and a light makeup was applied on her face, making her look fresh and elegant, just like a lotus flower emerging from the mud without being tainted.
"Wow! Miss is the most beautiful woman the maid has ever seen. You're sure to outshine everyone today!" Xiao Qing looked at Mu Fengqie in amazement.
Zhu Fei beside also smiled when looking at Mu Fengqie. She really looked like a carbon copy of the princess. Mu Fengqie had completely inherited the princess's beauty.
But Mu Fengqie didn't care. She wasn't going to the tea - party to show off. She wanted to make friends with some noble ladies to build up her connections.
After getting herself ready, Shen Yiru arrived at the Minister's Mansion. Although she wasn't born and raised in the imperial city, her father was a fourth - rank official in the court. She came to the imperial city this time to find a suitable husband.
Mu Fengqie knew Shen Yiru's identity and felt a bit nervous. She didn't know if she could get along well with Shen Yiru. She wasn't good at socializing and felt a bit tense at the moment.
Mu Fengqie had a good first impression of Shen Yiru. She seemed to be a lively and smart girl, different from Mu Fengqie's inherent calmness. One could clearly see the liveliness and cheerfulness that a young girl of her age should have from her.
"Yiru, this is Fengqie I told you about. From now on, she's your younger sister. You two must get along well. You take your sister with you to the tea - party later. Aunt has something urgent to attend to and can't take you two there today."
Mrs. Shen looked apologetic, but with Shen Yiru around, she felt much more at ease. Shen Yiru would surely prevent Mu Fengqie from making any mistakes. With her by Mu Fengqie's side to give advice, Mu Fengqie was sure to leave a good impression at the tea - party.
"Don't worry, Aunt. It's just a small tea - party. Yiru is used to it. There won't be any problems." Shen Yiru showed a bright smile.
Seeing this, Mrs. Shen showed a satisfied smile. She gave the two some more instructions and then left in a hurry. Mu Fengqie took a deep breath. She smiled and reached out her hand, saying, "Hello, I'm Mu Fengqie. I hope elder sister can take care of me in the future!"
She vaguely felt that Shen Yiru was a girl with good family upbringing. From her speech just now, one could tell that she was a decent person. So Mu Fengqie greeted her first.
However, the harmonious scene Mu Fengqie had imagined didn't happen. Shen Yiru looked at Mu Fengqie with contempt and sneered, "I've seen many people like you who try to climb up the social ladder. How does it feel to turn from a nobody into a somebody? But you'd better not covet the property of the Minister's Mansion. The whole mansion will belong to Qi'er in the future!"
Mu Fengqie was stunned by this sudden change and didn't even withdraw her hand. Did Shen Yiru treat her badly because she thought Mu Fengqie was a person who tried to climb up the social ladder and coveted the property of the Minister's Mansion?
Mu Fengqie was really speechless. She had never thought of coveting any property. She had a large Medicine Master Valley and her own industries. How could she covet others' property?
"I think you may have misunderstood. I've never coveted the property of the Minister's Mansion. Moreover, I have my own shops, which are enough to support my family."
Mu Fengqie didn't have the initial enthusiasm anymore. Since Shen Yiru didn't want to be her friend, she didn't need to be overly enthusiastic. But out of respect for Mrs. Shen and Lord Shen, she was still polite to Shen Yiru, though her attitude was a bit cold.
Shen Yiru snorted, "Sooner or later, I'll expose your true face. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because Aunt likes you. I'm not a pushover."
It was no wonder that Shen Yiru thought too much. After all, Mu Fengqie was just from a village. Anyone would think she was a person who tried to climb up the social ladder if she was recognized as an adopted daughter by the Minister's Mansion.
Considering that Shen Yiru was always talking about the interests of the Minister's Mansion, Mu Fengqie didn't argue with her. She just regarded her as a young and outspoken girl. As long as she ignored her, Shen Yiru would probably get bored and stop causing trouble.
Shen Yiru snorted and walked ahead. She didn't want to walk with Mu Fengqie, a country bumpkin, but since she was in the Minister's Mansion, she had no choice but to go to the tea - party with Mu Fengqie.
She had heard something about Mu Fengqie, and the Minister's Mansion had also spread the news. Mu Fengqie had become a topic of conversation after dinner in the imperial city overnight.
Lord Shen was a second - rank official and a well - known figure in the imperial city. Many people wanted to be related to the Minister's Mansion, but unexpectedly, a country girl took the lead.
So the noble ladies in the imperial city always looked down on Mu Fengqie when they talked about her. She had become a laughingstock among the noble ladies in the imperial city, but Mu Fengqie herself didn't know about this.
One of the main reasons why Shen Yiru didn't want to walk with Mu Fengqie was that she was afraid of being laughed at if others saw them together. But she had to walk with Mu Fengqie.