The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 1069 - 243: Comparison One by One_2

Chapter 1069: Chapter 243: Comparison One by One_2

Madam Shen greeted her with an elegant smile, "I heard Lady Mo went back to her hometown to recuperate and we haven’t seen each other since. You must be feeling much better now, right?"

"Thank you, Madam Elder Statesman, for your concern. I am indeed much better," Pei Qin smiled in response.

Madam Shen then introduced Pei Qin to the other ladies seated in the room, "This lady here is the wife of General Zhaoyong, Madam Yuanyang, Lady Mo!" Since Pei Qin was her guest, she naturally had to fulfill her duties as a hostess.

Although they held some disdain in their hearts, these people would never show it on their faces and maintained their elegantly smiling demeanors.

Pei Qin also forced a smile while exchanging pleasantries.

"Madam Marquis Yongchang and Grandmother An have arrived," a maid came in to report.

Madam Shen glanced at Pei Qin, noticed her ignorance, and gave a quick flicker in her eyes, signaling her daughter-in-law with a look to receive them.

Upon hearing about Madam Marquis Yongchang and Grandmother An, the expressions of everyone in the room became subtly different when they looked at Pei Qin.

Pei Qin slightly raised her eyebrows; was not Madam Marquis Yongchang Lady Mo of the Mo family, and Grandmother An Mo Heng’s former love, Wei Shu?

Huang Qiu and Xue Dong exchanged glances, becoming alert. The Shen family had never been kind to their lady and now that people from the Mo family and that Wei family had also arrived, they feared that it would be a setup meant to humiliate their lady!

Lady Mo, being Mo Heng’s cousin, had always been fond of Wei Shu and had married into the Marquis Mansion Yongchang to become Madam Marquis, naturally carrying an impressive demeanor. Bringing Wei Shu with her, she immediately started leveraging her charming and versatile advantages, greeting Madam Shen and all the ladies and misses in the room.

After greeting everyone, Wei Shu turned to Pei Qin with a look of surprise, "I didn’t expect to meet Madam Yuanyang here." Jiu Heng had already risen to a high official position but had not requested any title for her.

"Grandmother An!" Pei Qin greeted with a smile.

"Sister Shushu! I’ve always heard of Madam Yuanyang’s great reputation but have never met her in person. Is this her?" Lady Mo turned her head and appraised Pei Qin.

Wei Shu responded, looking at Pei Qin with a moment of awkwardness, and introduced the two, "This is Madam Yuanyang. This one here is... Madam Marquis Yongchang." She did not mention that she was Mo Heng’s aunt.

Pei Qin smiled lightly in greeting.

Lady Mo, being Madam Marquis, held a rank higher than Pei Qin and slighted her with a lift of her chin and an arrogant scrutiny, "It seems Madam Yuanyang has indeed married well; this outfit of hers is truly exceptional in every respect."

As soon as she had entered, many had noticed the attire she wore, but ultimately, given her background and comparing her with the brightly beautiful and nobly charming Wei Shu and Lady Mo, she was overshadowed.

"Looks can’t match up, so I make it up with my attire. I wasn’t born with the beauty that takes a nation by storm. I can only put effort into my clothes. Even if my husband doesn’t mind me embarrassing him, I can’t just deliberately be sloppy and disgraceful!" Pei Qin laughed. These imperial gifts, none felt as comfortable as her own belongings.

Madam Dou had been scrutinizing her ever since she came in, growing increasingly alarmed. The portrait hidden in her son’s study, said to be of Pei Hansan and General Pei, bore a striking resemblance to Madam Yuanyang; both shared the surname Pei. She and her son’s personal soldiers had learned that in the army, General Pei and Mo Heng were very intimate. Originally, she wouldn’t have thought much about it, but considering their ’very intimate’ relationship and the timing of Pei Qin’s return to her hometown, she couldn’t help but speculate.

"Mother, are you feeling unwell?" Dou Mingying, seeing her mother’s complexion, voiced her concern.

Madam Dou came back to her senses, glanced at her daughter, and felt a mix of emotions—unsure whether to be relieved that her son didn’t have preferences for men or to feel bitter that her son fancied a married woman.

"Mother, if you’re not feeling well, shall we go rest at the pavilion outside?" Dou Mingying reluctantly suggested, aware that with the presence of Madam Marquis Yongchang and Grandmother An and their confrontation with Madam Yuanyang, there would be quite the drama today.

Madam Dou shook her head, glanced again at Pei Qin who was just saying, "Looks can’t match up, so I make it up with my attire," and couldn’t resist breaking into laughter, joining the conversation, "Madam Yuanyang is indeed an amusing person; her speech is always so witty. It seems we’ll have a fun companion for conversation and entertainment in the future!"

Just as Madam Shen was preparing to say something to stabilize the situation, if Pei Qin faltered in maintaining balance without offending anyone, unexpectedly it was Madam Dou who spoke up first, helping Pei Qin smooth things over.

The others were somewhat puzzled. Since her daughter-in-law had passed away, Madam Dou had long refrained from socializing. It was only after Dou He repelled the Wa Ci and earned notable military honors that she began socializing again, presumably to seek another marriage arrangement for her son. But unexpectedly, she took the initiative to speak in favor of Pei Qin.