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n“Don’t go, that’s Third Miss Mo.” Yun Yiqiu grabbed the maid’s hand and said weakly, coughing twice. She avoided the glances that others gave her and held on to the maid. The maid did not know, but she did. Her aunt had once told her that her cousin wanted to marry Third Miss Mo.

nHer aunt said that the only way to reestablish the Duke’s Manor was for her cousin to marry the young lady. As such, she could not ruin her cousin’s plans now.

n“But, Miss, you are the one His Excellency loves!” The maid stomped her feet, feeling aggrieved on her behalf. Her mistress has been staying in the manor since she was 10 and had grown up with His Excellency. They got along very well and His Excellency would help her mistress find anything that she desires.

nIf her mistress was unhappy, His Excellency would accompany her. Everyone in the manor knew how His Excellency felt about her mistress. They knew that Yun Yiqiu would one day belong to His Excellency and they naturally treated her differently.

nOnly Yun Yiqiu understood that if she ruined her cousin’s plans right now, not only would her aunt not spare her, even her cousin would be angry at her. As such, she could only hide the sadness and uneasiness she felt and watch as her cousin tried to butter up to Third Miss Mo who was under the veil. She scrunched up her handkerchief into a ball and comforted herself that her cousin loved only her. The other women were all being used by her cousin to reestablish the Duke’s Manor. In the end, her cousin would marry her.

nAfter he marries that woman, her cousin would definitely marry her and dote on her.

nIf there was a chance, he would definitely make her his main wife.

n“Is this Miss Luo of the Fu General Manor? I was too preoccupied speaking with Third Miss Mo earlier. My apologies, Miss Luo.” Sima Lingyun always seemed so solicitous and he smiled and spoke with Luo Mingzhu politely. He seemed gracious and dignified, and did not appear to treat Luo Mingzhu any different because she was the young lady of the Fu General Manor. Only Mo Xuetong could see the surprising joy in Sima Lingyun’s eyes.

nThat’s right. In her past life, Sima Lingyun had to go through her to get the support of the Fu General Manor since he did not have the chance to meet her cousin. He would definitely be excited to see her cousin right now. Mo Xuetong was not worried that Luo Mingzhu would be so blind as to fall for Sima Lingyun like she had. Judging by how Luo Mingzhu was tugging on her sleeves impatiently, she knew that Sima Lingyun’s plans had fallen through.

n“It’s such a rarity to meet Miss Luo here. Since we are so fated, I wonder if I can gift you two ladies some gifts?” Sima Lingyun’s postured, appearing on the surface to be a polite and gracious nobleman. It was difficult for others to reject him, especially coupled with his handsome appearance and polite behavior. It was not difficult for him to gain the interest of young ladies. Sima Lingyun was confident of that.

n“Many thanks, Your Excellency. Your generosity is greatly appreciated, but my cousin and I still have something on.” However, Luo Mingzhu was a tough nut to crack and did not like young men who pretended to be gentle and elegant. This was especially so for the Duke’s son who had just tried to butter up her cousin and then her. It displeased her greatly.

nMo Xuetong stood on the side and watched as Sima Lingyun tried to butter up to her cousin. She felt disgusted by it as well, and her heart ached. She did not know if it was sadness or hatred. This man had ruined her life. His gentleness and elegance only appeared when he needed to please her. She also felt sick, and her heart was full of pain. She had thought that he was a true gentleman, but he was not.

n“Sir Sima, if you wish to pick out some clothes for my eldest sister, then how about this? My eldest sister liked the shirt that you gave us the last time, and she will like it this time too.” She smiled gently, hiding the pain in her heart. She pointed at a shirt hanging by the side and spoke suddenly.

nSima Lingyun paused when he heard that, not knowing how to reply. “Sir Sima, do you think this isn’t a good match for my sister? I remember that she likes such bright colors. Eldest sister will definitely like this bright pink.” Mo Xuetong held on the corner of the skirt, looking innocent. She smiled coyly at Sima Lingyun, seeking his thoughts as if Sima Lingyun understood Mo Xuemin the best.

n“Lingyun doesn’t know what First Miss Mo likes.” Sima Lingyun regained his wits and answered politely.

n“Isn’t Sir Sima close with my eldest sister? My eldest sister likes the dress that you sent very much!” Mo Xuetong pretended not to understand and cocked her head, asking him gently. She did not know what was going on between Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun, but knowing Mo Xuemin, how could there be nothing going on between the two? It was normal to gift jewelry and clothes and it was unlikely for Mo Xuemin not to have received anything from Sima Lingyun.

nShe looked at Sima Lingyun coldly through her veil, trying to see how he would get himself out of this!

nSima Lingyun was frightened by what Mo Xuetong said. There was an awkward pause and he smiled, trying to smooth the matter over. “I didn’t have much with me when I visited Mo Manor, so I sent clothes on behalf of my female relatives. My concubine mothers and sisters probably sent about five pieces of clothing. Your father was very polite and also gifted us some bolts of cloth.”

n“Sir Sima, you are too kind. You are close to my sister and it is normal to send some clothes. I have only just arrived in the capital and do not know what my eldest sister likes. So, Sir Sima, what do you think of this one?” Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and continued pointing at the dress, not letting him off. When others heard what she said, they would think that Sima Lingyun had sent clothes to Mo Xuemin more than once and knew her preferences clearly.

nShe laughed coldly to herself. Since Sima Lingyun had approached her, how could she let this opportunity slip her by?

nMost of the patrons in the Clothes Pavilion were noble women and ladies. Sima Lingyun was a handsome man and was very striking when he greeted Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu. When others listened to their conversation, coupled with the rumors going around, the way they looked at Sima Lingyun changed.

nEven someone like Sima Lingyun could not help but blush. He hated Mo Xuetong at that moment.

n“Sir Sima, my apologies. My nanny is calling. I should be home when you come to visit Eldest Sister again. I will make it up to you again then.” Mo Xuetong did not wait for Sima Lingyun to defend himself. She apologized regretfully and pointed at Nanny Han who was glaring at them from afar.

nShe turned to leave with Luo Mingzhu without waiting for him to say anything. She walked up the stairs and her slender figure disappeared.

n“Cousin, this man is no good. Stay away from him in the future.” Luo Mingzhu said with concern the moment they turned by the stairs.

n“Alright!” Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and answered gently. Her gaze swept at Sima Lingyun who was still standing where he was earlier awkwardly. Her smile grew cold. She would not allow him to get what he wanted!

nSima Lingyun had intentionally spoken to her in public today and had wanted everyone to see her and think that they were close. This would make it seem as if they knew each other well. However, Sima Lingyun had not anticipated that what would follow would be rumors about him and Mo Xuemin!

nMo Xuetong had emphasized on the word “again” earlier. This made Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin’s relationship rather suspicious.

nHe wanted to marry a daughter from the Mo family. That was great. She would make it possible for him!

nHe had no choice even if he did not want to!

nIn her past life, they had used her to climb to greater heights. This life, she would use them to achieve their goals. The incident at Clothes Pavilion today would be a large step forward in Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun’s relationship. The smile by her lips grew into a mocking one. She wondered how Mo Xuemin would look when she finds out that she was the female lead in the rumors!

nShe looked forward to seeing Mo Xuemin. She wondered what Mo Xuemin’s odds were like against Sima Lingyun’s childhood love, Yun Yiqiu…

nThe two brought their maids into a booth upstairs, where clothes were made. The booths upstairs were different from the ones downstairs. They did not look like temporary booths. Instead, each booth was set up by a window. There were snacks where one could lean against the railing and enjoy tea while looking at the scenery on the streets. Even if one did not come to make clothes, this was a good place to relax.

nThere were cloths upstairs as well, each and every one of them was exquisite. A bespoke dress and exquisite craftsmanship fee would cost a person several dozen taels of silver. This meant that those who were able to go upstairs were all either wealthy or nobility. The service upstairs was naturally much better. It was more luxurious than regular teahouses.

nThey were welcomed into a booth not far away from the stairs. They realized that while the booths looked small on the outside, they were very spacious inside. There were light white gauze curtains at the window that let in a little bit of the winter sun. The winter sun shone through the gauze, making it look clean and crystalline like beautiful mist.

nThere was a vase on the table in front of the window and in the vase, was a red plum blossom. The sunlight streamed through the window and on the pink petals, making it look fiery in its beauty. It did not look like a flower in winter, for it was delicate and stunning.

nEveryone’s eyes were drawn to the plum blossom when they entered. The white curtains behind the plum blossom looked like a patch of white snow that stretched into the sky. The beauty and fieriness of the plum blossom drew their attention.

n“What a beautiful plum blossom. I wonder where the Clothes Pavilion found it.” Luo Mingzhu could not help but praise it.

nIt was no wonder why she was in awe for most plum blossoms had yet to bloom. The flower on the table had not only bloomed, but it was also beautiful and stunning. There was a single proud bloom and two other flowers that had not bloomed yet. But no matter the beautiful bloomed flower or the two unbloomed ones, they were very stunning, and everyone was in awe of the flowers, and the abilities of the Clothes Pavilion.

nThe beautiful red plum had bloomed at a time like this. She had heard, in her past life, that there was such a bloom in the palace. Did someone from the palace have something to do with Clothes Pavilion? She frowned slightly. Then, she felt that it was normal for the shop to have the palace as a backing. After all, the shop was large and located on a bustling street. They sold exquisite bolts of cloth and beautiful garments. A business like this would have a huge expenditure. How could they sustain their business if not for the backing of the palace?

n“Cousin, cousin…” Luo Mingzhu called out for Mo Xuetong who was staring at the plum blossom in front of the window dazedly. Mo Xuetong was startled out of her reverie when Luo Mingzhu tugged on her sleeves impatiently.

n“Cousin, I’ll head over there first. Wait for me here. Since you like the plum blossom so much, shall I ask the shop for it? It will save you from looking at it in a daze and forgetting what you have come here for. Let me tell you, you have to pick a few bolts of cloth to make clothes or grandmother will scold me for bullying you and not making you clothes!” Luo Mingzhu said with a smile. She seemed to be in a good mood and have forgotten the incident that happened downstairs.

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