C72

The horse carriage swayed about, and they quickly arrived at the Zhu Residence's courtyard.

Because they were women, the car drove directly through the corner gate. It went along the path and only stopped at the corner gate of the Zhu Residence Garden. The maid who greeted them at the door came up to greet them with a smile.

When the carriage came to a stop, Mrs. Yao and Gu Bitong came down holding the servant girl's hand. The servant girl looked familiar and greeted them with a smile. "You're finally here, Madam Gu. My wife has been talking about you for a long time.

She turned to look at Gu Bitong again, instantly praising her as if she was smeared with honey, "Gu Second Lady is getting prettier and prettier. Look closely, this old woman thinks that the fairy from that family came down to earth."

Mrs. Yao smiled and said, "nanny must be joking. How could her family of children stand such praise?"

"She can do it," the old woman laughed until her face blossomed. She leaned over and said in a low voice, "To tell Madame the truth, I don't think any young miss in the capital can beat Second Lady. Madam, you're blessed!"

Mrs. Yao was so delighted by her wife's flattery that her heart almost burst out of her chest. Just as she was about to say something, Gu Jinzhu, who was standing behind her, held onto Yun Xiang's hand.

"Ahh! Which lady is this? She truly has a good appearance. Please forgive this old lady. May I know which lady you are?" That old woman warmly welcomed them, sizing Gu Jinzhu up while praising her.

Mrs. Yao's expression immediately darkened as she said indifferently, "This is my eldest daughter who has just returned to the capital. She used to live in the countryside, so I've come back to bring her to see the world."

The old woman immediately understood the displeasure in Mrs. Yao's tone. Which one of these inner wives' personal guards was not a shrewd person? She immediately knew that this young miss who had just returned to the mansion was probably not well regarded by the matriarch.

The old woman smiled and put away her warm smile. She then turned around and smiled at Mrs. Yao politely, "Madam, please come in."

Mrs. Yao didn't even spare a glance at Gu Jinzhu as she led her daughter inside.

Gu Jinzhu followed behind her with a calm expression, as if she hadn't heard the humiliation she'd caused earlier.

Su Ju's face showed a trace of anger. Madam, you really overdid it. You said in front of so many people that Miss came from the countryside, yet you don't even know what she's thinking.

The courtyard of the Zhu Residence was extremely huge, and the trees and flowers within were arranged in an orderly fashion, making the decorations extremely beautiful. The servant girls were all wearing green armors, moving in an orderly manner, and it was clear that there were many rules and regulations compared to the Gu Mansion.

After passing through a rose gate, the wife took them to the main house to see Madam Zhu Family.

Upon entering the main hall, Gu Jinzhu was nearly blinded by the entire room full of jade beads. Many ladies and young ladies were present, while Madam Zhu was welcoming the guests with a glowing face. When she saw Mrs. Yao enter, she immediately walked up to her.

"Madam Gu, you haven't been here for a long time. How has it been?"

Madam Zhu was only over forty years old. She wore a purple maroon rind and a gentle blue poncho dress. She looked older than Mrs. Yao, but she exuded a rich aura. Smiling, she personally held Mrs. Yao's hand and took a seat.

"Thanks to you, all of this is pretty good. Tong, why aren't you paying your respects to Madam?"

Gu Bitong went up to pay her respects. Madam Zhu looked at her and smiled. "Second Lady's appearance is getting more and more refined." Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Gu Jinzhu and was stunned. "Who is this?"

Gu Jinzhu stepped forward and bowed with a refined and graceful manner, her head lowered. The eyes of the madams in the hall subconsciously fell on her body, carrying with it a look of amazement and curiosity.

Mrs. Yao could only say, "This is my eldest daughter, she just returned from the Linan."

"Oh? This is the young lady? "I saw her once when I was young. She looked like a ball of pink, but I didn't expect her to be so good!"

Madam Zhu was surprised. The other wives had also come over to surround Gu Jinzhu to greet her.

Most of the ladies in the aristocratic families were related to each other. Jinzhu's birth mother, the Yang family, also had a few handouts when she was alive, and she had also met Jinzhu, who had just returned to the capital. This was her first appearance, so everyone was curious about her.

Gu Jinzhu's soft words were answered by the other wives, regardless of what they asked her.

Her manner was gentle, her speech amiable, her manner natural and unrestrained, her manners outstanding. Several of the madams who looked at her nodded their heads repeatedly, as if they had a favorable impression of her.

A few of the madams brought their daughters over and introduced them to Gu Jinzhu. For a moment, there were quite a few girls surrounding her. They chatted and laughed, but it seemed like Mrs. Yao and her mother had been neglected.

Mrs. Yao's expression turned increasingly ugly. Gu Bitong was also a bit angry. Every time she came, she would be surrounded by everyone. Who would have thought that Gu Jinzhu would steal her limelight the moment she arrived?

She was extremely jealous in her heart, but she didn't show it on the surface. Instead, she smiled at Madam Zhu and asked, "Madam, where did Lan'er go?" Why didn't the host show up for so long? "

Miss Zhu Family had the word "Lan" on her name. Gu Bijin and her were bosom friends, so she addressed her directly by her name.

Madam Zhu laughed, "She is setting up the chrysanthemum garden at the Backyard. She has already put in a lot of effort, so I have already sent people to get her."

Just as she finished speaking, a young girl wearing a purple dress walked in quickly from outside. Madam Zhu smiled and said, "Aren't you already here?"

Zhu Lan was only fourteen years old this year. Her skin was extremely white, and her eyes were curved, making her look very pretty. She was wearing a purple grape peony chrysanthemum pattern and a silk jacket. Beneath the jacket was a lotus flower colored pleated skirt. She looked extremely rich and dignified.

She was familiar with Gu Bitong, so she stepped forward with a smile. "Why is Sister Tong only here? Everyone has been waiting for you in the garden for a long time."

Gu Bitong smiled and said, "I left a little late today and came with my sister."

As Gu Jinzhu was talking to a few girls, Gu Bitong pulled Zhu Lan over and introduced her enthusiastically, "This is my big sister, the one that has been living in Linan and has just returned to the capital."

Then, he turned to Gu Jinzhu and smiled, "Big sister, this is Miss Zhu Family. She is a well-known genius in the capital."

Zhu Lan's face reddened slightly at her words, she rolled her eyes at Gu Jinzhu, and greeted her politely. After sizing her up, a hint of amazement flashed past her eyes, "I had long heard that there's still a young miss who has been living in Jiangnan with no chance of meeting her again. I didn't think that my little sister's appearance would be so outstanding.

One of the young ladies at the side covered her mouth with a fan and laughed. "That's right," she teased Gu Bitong, "Now you can't be so special, right? Usually, we all say that you are the only beauty in the capital other than Princess Yun Wei. But from the looks of it, your sister's appearance and bearing is even better than yours. "

These aristocratic ladies had been familiar with each other since they were young, so there was no need to worry about them joking with each other.

Gu Bitong didn't seem to care. She smiled and said, "Of course. Jiang Nan specializes in beauties. Otherwise, how could Yang Prefecture's skinny horse be so famous?"