Tianliangyuan

Chapter 11 Private Transactions

Xu Zhaozhao was pampered by her parents, and she received all sorts of nice things, even if they came in boxes. These unremarkable earrings, mixed in with other jewelry, were truly inconspicuous and wouldn't have caught her eye.

Therefore, Xu Zhaozhao was certain that Sun Qian would find another opportunity to come to her place, and she would bring a lot of people with her in a grand manner!

To avoid discovering these things herself, Sun Qian's plan should be implemented in the near future.

Xu Zhaozhao suddenly laughed. Sun Qian wanted to scheme against her, but was unwilling to show any sincerity.

Knowing full well that the Marquis's mansion was wealthy and that everything she used was extraordinary, she still insisted on using such ordinary things to harm others, without considering that this was precisely the biggest loophole.

Even if Xu Zhaozhao herself didn't care about these things, her maids were not blind. They could tell at a glance that these things were definitely not worthy of their attention, so how could they not notice?

So, Sun Qian is indeed intelligent, but not very intelligent.

Xu Zhaozhao carefully sorted through the information and realized that it was not an elder's birthday, and the Dragon Boat Festival was not a good day to entertain relatives and friends.

So, what excuse will Sun Qian use to come to the Marquis's residence?

Xu Zhaozhao was really looking forward to it.

As expected, Sun Qian and her brother Sun Huaizhi came to the Marquis's residence.

Not only the brother and sister, but also several of Sun Huaizhi's classmates came here, and their reason for coming was perfectly legitimate: to discuss academic matters with Xie Junting.

Sun Qian also brought a friend, who was the younger sister of Sun Huaizhi's classmate.

Xu Zhaozhao didn't know much about Sun Huaizhi, but the family's reputation alone made her dislike him.

However, Sun Huai was indeed a handsome and refined man, a talented scholar who could certainly captivate the hearts of young women.

But this does not include Xu Zhaozhao.

For Xu Zhaozhao, who is used to killing monsters with violence, such a weakling would only be a burden.

The separation of men and women in the Daxing Dynasty was not too strict, but Wang Ruolan still separated male and female guests to accommodate their age.

Sun Qian and that Miss Liu were entertained by Xu Zhaozhao in the Ziyuan Garden, while Wang Ruolan did not show up.

"Sister, your yard is so beautiful. It's decorated with flowers all year round. It's much better than my yard."

Xu Zhaozhao's place was large, and there were indeed many trees and flowers planted in the courtyard. Although it was not as wonderful as a garden, there were indeed different views in different seasons.

"If Aunt hears you say that, cousin, she'll definitely punish you!"

Sun Qian smiled and then talked to Miss Liu about the scenery of the Purple Garden in different seasons.

Xu Zhaozhao listened while drinking tea, seemingly not paying much attention.

Taking the opportunity, Sun Qian gave a wink to the maid behind her, and the next moment, Miss Liu's dress was soaked with tea.

Xu Zhaozhao appeared surprised, but was actually excited inside: It's here! Is the opera finally about to begin?

While Miss Liu went to change her clothes, Sun Qian took Xu Zhaozhao's arm and entered her boudoir.

The sisters used to get along well, and Sun Qian often came to visit.

"Cousin, I recently had a new lotus-root pink dress made, but I don't have any jewelry to match it. Could you take a look here?"

"of course can."

Sun Qian is a money-loving person. When she lived here before, she often asked Xu Zhaozhao for some jewelry, but she couldn't always get what she wanted.

The original owner wasn't brainless; she wouldn't give him everything he wanted.

Overall, however, Sun Qian still gained some benefits.

Sun Qian is now in a hurry to choose jewelry, simply because she wants to find those red agate earrings.

When Miss Liu finished changing her clothes and came over, Sun Qian just happened to notice the pair of red agate earrings.

"Hmm, this looks somewhat familiar! But I don't remember my sister ever wearing earrings like this. She said she didn't like red ones."

Xu Zhaozhao nodded readily, looking completely innocent: "I did say that."

A smug glint flashed in Sun Qian's eyes before quickly turning to confusion: "If you don't like it, why is there this in your dressing case, little sister? It looks familiar, though. I should think about where I've seen it before."

Miss Liu walked over at the opportune moment, her eyes sweeping over the pair of earrings. Suddenly, she covered her mouth and laughed, "Sister Sun, haven't you seen them before? I remember Young Master Sun and my brother went to choose jewelry together before, and he even showed them to us, asking if they would please a woman if given as a gift?"

After Liu finished speaking, she looked at Xu Zhaozhao with a smile, her teasing expression making her seem like a close friend chatting intimately.

However, when she met Xu Zhaozhao's slightly cold gaze, she panicked and her expression froze for a moment before she said awkwardly, "I misspoke. I forgot that Miss Xu was engaged to the third young master of the Xie family. It was my oversight, and I hope Miss Xu will not be offended."

Xu Zhaozhao didn't say anything, but Sun Qian, who was standing to the side, walked over quickly with something in her hand.

“Sister Liu, why are you apologizing! We are relatives. What’s wrong with my brother giving you a pair of earrings?”

These words seem to be an attempt to exonerate Xu Zhaozhao and Sun Huaizhi, but they inevitably lead to speculation.

Although they are cousins, how could secretly giving each other a pair of earrings outside of holidays not arouse suspicion?

"But my brother is really biased. I remember I asked him for it, but he refused. I thought it was for his sweetheart, but I never expected to see it with my sister."

Sun Qian's contradictory statements were clearly something she had planned long ago.

Now that she had finished speaking, she realized the awkward atmosphere in the room, and feigned remorse with an expression of regret: "I misspoke. Fortunately, there are no outsiders here, just the three of us sisters, so we're not afraid of it getting out and affecting my sister's reputation."

"What words could affect Zhaozhao's reputation?"

The three of them quickly stood at attention and bowed respectfully.

The person who arrived was Wang Ruolan, followed by Xu Lin and the second wife of the Sun family.

Xu Zhaozhao knew that Xu Lin and Sun Qian would try to sabotage her marriage with Xie Zheng again. She had thought they would accuse her of theft, but she never expected that the mother and daughter would come up with such a crime. Did they want to force her to break off the engagement and then marry into the Sun family?

Xu Zhaozhao lowered her eyes. The Sun family was really too audacious!

Sun Qian feigned panic as she recounted the whole story, and the three elders who entered reacted with varying expressions.

Wang Ruolan's face naturally turned cold, while Xu Lin and her sister-in-law both carried a hint of smugness. Once this matter was confirmed, Xu Zhaozhao's marriage into the Sun family would be a foregone conclusion.

After all, it is a very serious matter for a young woman to have an affair with a man!

Most importantly, Xu Zhaozhao and Xie Zheng's marriage had already encountered some setbacks. If there were any more problems, it would only make the elders of both families feel that the marriage was unlucky.