Chapter 317: 325: Shut up for me

Su Wenyue looked over and saw Mrs. Sun and her daughter approaching gracefully. Many people came forward to greet them. Of course, their reception didn’t match that offered to the Marquess’s Lady. The prefecture governor was a senior fourth-rank official, while the general magistrate was junior fifth-rank, so even among guests, only the Magistrate’s wife would have to come over to pay her respects. Besides, Governor Wei and Magistrate Sun belonged to different camps and had significant disagreements on political views. They only maintained a superficial harmony. That’s how high society was: everyone liked to maintain an appearance of peace, even if they were fighting viciously behind the scenes and secretly harboring deep hatred. They would still appear joyful on the surface, though there were exceptions, of course.

Madam Sun and her daughter saw a momentary stiffness cross Su Wenyue’s face. Pretending not to notice, Su Wenyue politely greeted Madam Sun, her eyes holding a mocking smile that made Mrs. Sun and her daughter quite uncomfortable. Especially since they had heard that the most honored guest invited by the Governor’s Wife was Marquis Bei’an’s Lady, the memory of being sternly reprimanded by the old lady of the Marquis Bei’an Mansion replayed in their minds. The current Marquis Bei’an’s Lady seemed to be just as dignified and authoritative, not someone they could afford to offend.

After paying their respects to Mrs. Pei and the Governor’s Wife, Madam Sun and her daughter took their seats, occasionally chatting with acquaintances, but visibly restrained. They had originally lobbied some people to trouble Su Wenyue, but with the current situation—where not only the Marquess’s Lady but also the Governor’s Wife was quite favorable toward Su Wenyue—nobody was foolish enough to provoke someone they shouldn’t for someone else’s sake. The reason they had agreed with Mrs. Sun before was that they thought Su Wenyue was nothing more than a commander’s wife with no real footing in the prefecture, someone who could be bullied without consequence. Now, obviously, the situation was different, so no one really dared to provoke Su Wenyue on behalf of Madam Sun. Instead, many were eager to curry favor with her.

Madam Sun and her daughter were upset but also knew that this was the way of the world, so they could only seethe in silence.

Su Wenyue chatted with Mrs. Pei and others, with topics among women usually revolving around domestic matters or clothing and food. At this point, Pei Yuhan refrained from speaking with the girls to make connections and instead joined Mrs. Pei’s side, evidently not wanting Su Wenyue to gain the upper hand.

“Speaking of the Marquess’s attire, it truly shines brightly. The material and fabric of the Clothes look very rare indeed. We don’t have such fine craftsmanship in our prefecture,” the Governor’s Wife complimented.

Speaking of the Clothes, Mrs. Pei, who was also fond of them, entered the conversation, “Mrs. Wei has a good eye. Even I am quite fond of this dress, but it wasn’t ordered from a Store. It was made by Lady Yue herself as an act of filial piety. Not to mention her superb embroidery skills, it is this thoughtfulness that truly satisfies me.”

Upon hearing Mrs. Pei, the Governor’s Wife took a closer look at the Clothing worn by the An Family and Su Wenyue. Even though their styles and patterns differed, the embroidery techniques were clearly the same. In this era, what woman didn’t know some Needle and thread work? Coming from a respectable background, the Governor’s Wife had learned the essential skills for girls from a young age. Her needlework was not bad, though not yet exquisite. Still, recognizing different embroidery techniques was not a problem for her, and she could immediately tell that the Clothes of the three women were made by the same person. She hadn’t expected that someone as young as Su Wenyue possessed such remarkable embroidery skills.

“Mrs. Su has raised her Daughter well; she excels in everything, which is truly enviable. I was planning to inquire with the Marquess’s wife about where she had her Clothes made so that I might also have a set made when an opportunity arose. It seems that’s impossible now,” Mrs. Wei said, though her flattery held genuine admiration. After all, which woman doesn’t like to look beautiful?

Hearing the Governor’s Wife speak this way, Pei Yuhan added, “What’s so difficult about that? If you really wanted to go to Chang’an, that would be quite troublesome, but now that my cousin is here, Madam can just ask my cousin to make a set for her. It would be an honor for my cousin to do so. Surely, my cousin wouldn’t refuse? Otherwise, it wouldn’t be giving face to Madam, would it? Right, cousin?”

Without waiting for Su Wenyue to respond, Pei Yuhan continued, “However, since my cousin’s embroidery skills are so refined, they naturally cannot be compared to ordinary embroiderers. The Wages might not be low, but I assume someone of Mrs. Wei’s stature wouldn’t mind, as long as my cousin can satisfy the Governor’s Wife.”

Seizing the opportunity, Pei Yuhan took this chance to put Su Wenyue in an awkward position, as needlework was something that women of this era were expected to learn. However, using it to make money was seen as debasing oneself, almost equivalent to being seen as a lowly embroiderer. Previously, Su Wenyue sold her Embroidery Products for money through the An Family, not only because selling directly to the Embroidery House would mean losing some Profit but also for this very reason. With the cover from the An Family, aside from Han Yu and Xiao Xi, no one else knew about Su Wenyue exchanging embroidery for money.

Pei Yuhan’s intent was to force Su Wenyue into a no-win situation. If Su Wenyue didn’t refuse, she would be degrading herself; if she did, she would offend the Governor’s Wife. Not only would Su Wenyue suffer the consequences, but Han Yu might also get dragged down because of it.

Su Wenyue understood Pei Yuhan’s shrewd scheme, but in such a setting, Pei Yuhan’s actions were foolish to the extreme! One only had to look at Mrs. Pei’s displeased expression and the Governor’s Wife’s embarrassment to know this.

Putting aside that their Second House was a branch of Marquis Bei’an’s Mansion, demeaning her in front of Mrs. Pei, especially after Mrs. Pei had sent out signals defending her, would be akin to slapping Mrs. Pei’s face. If it were anyone else, Mrs. Pei would have already dealt with them. But because it was her niece, she had to swallow the insult and save any scolding until they got home.

The Governor’s Wife was not so foolish to offend the Marquess’s Lady over a piece of clothing; only a fool would do that. However, since Pei Yuhan had put it so bluntly, it left her somewhat at a loss for words.

When Pei Yuhan saw the atmosphere turn tense, especially her aunt’s displeasure, fear crept in. But the words were out, and whether appropriate or not, she had already said them. Facing inevitable reprimand upon returning home, and not wanting to lose out without achieving her goal, she steeled herself and added, “Isn’t my cousin’s silence tantamount to agreement?”

The Governor’s Wife, intending to say something to diffuse the situation, was cut off by Pei Yuhan’s question. Her gaze carried a hint of hope, wishing not to put Su Wenyue on the spot for the sake of the Marquess’s Lady, but if Su Wenyue herself agreed, of course she would welcome it. After all, she hadn’t initiated the request—it was the Marquess’s niece who had brought it up.

Not perturbed by Pei Yuhan’s pressure, Su Wenyue calmly awaited her turn to speak. An Family, however, cast a cold glare at Pei Yuhan, not about to permit anyone to bully her daughter. Her niece truly didn’t know her place, having taken advantage of the Su Family’s hospitality and never recognizing their kindness, turning instead to trouble her daughter.

“Why doesn’t my cousin answer? Or is she looking down upon the Governor’s Wife…”