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墨書 Inktalez
“Xing Ruyi may only be a Shopkeeper selling Rouge and Face Powder, but she never speaks falsehoods. What I just said is indeed the truth, but whether I am more beautiful than Yunxi is a matter of personal opinion.
I can help your Cousin change to the face she finds most beautiful. However, nothing comes for free; if she desires beauty, she must pay the corresponding price. That is why I give her a choice, but what she ultimately decides remains unknown to both of us until noon tomorrow.”
Yunxi sighed lightly.
“I know my Cousin’s worries. There aren’t many Girls in the Yun Family, but aside from Cousin, it seems that each has received the elder's favor, making their appearances slightly more outstanding than those from ordinary families. Among them, Cousin might be the most ordinary-looking one. Of course, I don’t think I look better than her, but in the eyes of our elders, I might be more likable. Since we are of similar age, she has always seen me as a point of comparison, and this situation continued until we both got married.
I married into the Luo Family, while Cousin married into the Shen Family. The Luo Family is engaged in business, as you know about these Fox Demons, but the Shen Family is a family of officials. From the perspective of marriage connections, Cousin believes she is superior to me.”
“Yun Zhu thinks she is not as pretty as you, yet she married better than you did, so her jealousy towards you has lessened somewhat. In fact, her relationship with you has improved significantly over the years. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to you over trivial matters in the household. But seeing you today, your beauty seems to surpass that of previous days. On the other hand, due to her family troubles and heightened jealousy, she appears much dimmer now. Compared to her past hostility towards you, it has resurfaced again, and it’s inevitable that our conversation carries some tension.”
“So you’ve already seen through it, Ruyi. Indeed, my Cousin’s temper today stems from me. Your good intentions as a Fox Demon have inadvertently drawn me into her resentment. However, despite her grievances, as her sister, I still hope for her well-being and sincerely wish for her to possess a face even more outstanding than Yunxi’s to resolve the inner turmoil that has plagued her for years.”
“There are many reasons why a man may change his affections: one is being enamored with another's beauty; two is being attracted to their gentleness and thoughtfulness; three is growing weary of his original wife and seeking novelty while also looking for a bouquet of Jieyu Flowers; four is due to genuine feelings; and five is simply because men tend to prefer new things over old ones without any reason. When we entered the residence earlier, we both met your Cousin’s husband. From his appearance, he doesn’t seem like someone who would abandon his original wife for another woman from the Flower Pavilion.”
“Young Master Shen indeed does not seem like that kind of person!” Yunxi said with a sigh: “The Shen Family was once a family of officials but has gradually fallen into decline by the time of Young Master Shen. Our Yun Family, although affected by matters concerning the former Crown Prince and forced into hiding in the mountains, still has some roots left. Otherwise, how could we have remained safe all these years without drawing attention?
As a daughter of the Yun Family, I haven’t paid much attention to these matters. However, our family’s prolonged safety cannot simply be attributed to luck. The Shen Family recognized this point and proposed an alliance with us.
There’s something else that I initially didn’t want to mention. When the two families were planning their marriage alliance, the person that the Shen Family had in mind was originally me. Unfortunately, at that time I had already met my husband and had devoted my heart to him, so I couldn’t accept any other proposals. The Shen Family, left with no choice, facilitated the marriage between Young Master Shen and my Cousin.
Later on, I heard that like me, Young Master Shen was also somewhat resistant to this marriage alliance between our families and had someone he admired. However, that woman came from a poor background and was obstructed by the Shen Family, who refused to let her enter their household. One of the conditions for forcing Young Master Shen to agree to marry my Cousin was that after she entered his home, he would be allowed to take that woman as a secondary wife.”
“But given your Cousin’s temperament, she might not agree.”
"Yes! As the Daughter of the Yun Family, she is always a bit proud and just recently entered the family, so how could she allow her husband to take a concubine? However, Young Master Shen clearly did not want to wrong that girl. After several discussions failed, he rented a courtyard outside and took care of her there. When Cousin found out, she made quite a scene and, in her anger, ordered the servants in the household to beat that girl. By the time Young Master Shen heard the news and rushed to the courtyard, that girl was already severely injured. Although she barely clung to life, she ultimately could not survive. From then on, Young Master Shen's feelings for Cousin grew cold; he merely maintained the appearance of a married couple."
Yunxi sighed deeply and continued, "If we delve into the rights and wrongs of this matter, it is difficult to reach a conclusion. From Cousin's perspective, her husband keeps a concubine outside and spends all his time with her without returning home. As the Daughter-in-law of the Shen Family and Young Master Shen's first wife, she has every reason to be angry and seek punishment. But from Young Master Shen's viewpoint, he agreed to marry Cousin for the benefit of the Shen Family; he had no emotional ties with her prior to their marriage. From that girl's perspective, she and Young Master Shen were in love and spent all their time together, which seemed natural. Yet she ultimately forgot that her beloved was already someone else's husband. She could not enter the gates of the Shen Family and thus had no justification to claim Young Master Shen as her own."
"It seems both families are aware of these relationships, so neither the Shen Family nor the Yun Family has pursued this matter further. They even worked together to mediate, hoping that both couples could forget about it and live their lives peacefully. However, interests are merely interests; matters of the heart cannot be forced. Moreover, with Cousin's temperament, it is difficult for Young Master Shen to develop any deep marital affection for her."
"Do you know why that woman in Flower Pavilion is there?"
"I have heard some vague rumors; it is said that she resembles the deceased girl very much. Young Master Shen's infatuation with her likely stems from transference. Because of what happened before, he is wary of Cousin and has taken a firm stance on taking a concubine this time. Cousin probably realizes Young Master Shen's attitude and knows that if she does not agree, there is a real possibility he might divorce her and remarry."
"However, Cousin has ultimately underestimated the situation. She mistakenly believes that Young Master Shen likes that girl solely for her looks but fails to understand that while appearance may spark initial attraction, it is truly one's character that sustains a lasting relationship. Beauty fades; youth diminishes quickly. If someone only values your appearance, no matter how much effort you put into retaining such a husband, it will be futile."
"You are an outsider looking in, so you can see clearly. But Cousin is caught up in it all and has a Heart Demon occupying her mind; it's normal for her not to see things clearly."
"Enough is enough; Yunxi has already done what she can do to help. As for what choices Cousin makes in the future or what kind of life she leads, Yunxi cannot interfere nor wishes to do so." Yunxi sighed again: "I have heard about Ruyi Cosmetic Shop's rules from Luofu and know some details vaguely. Ultimately, it is Cousin's own choice; as long as she does not regret it later, that's all that matters. As for anything else, I can only trouble you, Fox Demon."
Xing Ruyi could see Yunxi's inner turmoil but understood that others' lives must ultimately be lived by themselves. She patted Yunxi's hand and had A Niu hurry the carriage to take Yunxi back to Ruo Mansion while she herself headed towards Yamen to visit the Mortuary where corpses were kept.
Just when she thought she was being discreet, upon reaching the courtyard entrance, she saw a fox dressed in white attire resembling a clear breeze under the moonlight leaning against a pillar with narrowed eyes watching her.
"Fox, how did you know I would come here?"
"By chance!" The fox moved closer to Xing Ruyi and glanced at her outfit before saying, "Though spring has arrived, it's still quite chilly out here. Why didn't you wear more layers when you went out today? Deer Lady should have been looking after you."
"Deer Lady hasn't neglected me at all! It's you who have been busy lately; I hardly see your shadow around." Xing Ruyi playfully retorted while glancing around curiously.
Seeing this, the Fox cast a spell, bringing both itself and Xing Ruyi into the Mortuary.
"What are you doing here in the Mortuary?"
"Don't play dumb; I don't believe you don't know," Xing Ruyi shot a sideways glance at the Fox. "I’m just afraid that when I went out with Yunxi, you followed me."
"I—"
The Fox looked at Xing Ruyi helplessly.
"Alright! I'm not trying to blame you; in fact, I'm quite happy about it. At least I know you still care about me and can't bear to be apart."
Xing Ruyi nudged the Fox slightly with her shoulder.
"Li Mao has been back at Rouge Shop for some time now. Aside from some letters in the first half of the month, it's been unusually quiet this month. Moreover, Moxuyou hasn't shown up since returning to Yun Family Gathering, which is bound to make you uneasy. I know you've been investigating matters related to Moxuyou because you don’t want his presence to interfere with our marriage plans, right?"
"As long as you know," the Fox said, wrapping its arms around Xing Ruyi. "Do you remember the silk scroll that Yunxi gave you?"
"Is it that portrait? The one where the woman looks very much like me?"
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