A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart – Chapter 161

Chapter 161

It was the third day of the Lunar New Year, and Wen Yu was going to the Cui family’s residence.

The carriage first went to pick up Yan Zhu, and then returned to the Wen family’s residence to pick her up.

Old Madam Wen’s carriage carried Wen Jiao, Wen Wan, and Wen Su.

Even Feng Ge’er went with the gift carriage…Li Shi was pregnant and stayed at home.

It was Wen Yu who took the initiative to propose that Wen Jiao and the others go. It wasn’t out of kindness, but rather a strategic move to cultivate good relationships with them, hoping it would yield unexpected benefits.

As a result, Wu Shi’s resentment towards Wen Yu dissipated considerably. Although Wu Shi wasn’t a particularly good person, she was a good mother.

At least she was better than Wen Feng, that useless father!

The Wen girls were all dressed up in their finest attire. Old Madam Wen looked at them with satisfaction: Let them broaden their horizons, and in time, they would make good marriages…The Wen family would be even more secure.

Madam Qi’s great-grandfather was indeed a formidable figure.

The Emperor at that time, out of sympathy for the Cui family, which had been nearly wiped out, showed him great leniency. Thus, he unhesitatingly seized power and amassed a considerable fortune, laying a strong foundation for the Cui family.

The Cui family’s residence was situated in the best location in the capital, occupying a vast expanse of land.

The ancestors had laid a solid foundation, and it was up to the descendants to maintain it. Any further expansion would only lead to trouble…

Therefore, Commander Cui, Madam Qi’s father, despite being over sixty years old and in excellent health, had retired early.

His eldest son had taken over the reins of power, while his second son held a position in the Ministry of War.

The two brothers supported and cooperated with each other effectively.

On the other hand, their fourth son was a prodigal, well-connected in the capital and immensely popular!

Commander Cui’s wife had given birth to three sons. She possessed a serious and straightforward personality and held sway within the Cui family.

The Second Madam Cui had borne two sons. She was personally chosen by her mother-in-law and excelled in music, chess, and the arts, a refined middle-aged woman. She was the ornament of the Cui family!

The Fourth Master Cui was the most handsome. Though a prodigal, he had a childhood sweetheart relationship with his wife, County Princess Huiyi. Their affection for each other was profound, and they had a son and a daughter.

Their daughter, Yuanyuan, was like Madam Qi, a blooming flower amidst green leaves, especially cherished at home.

When Madam Qi returned to her hometown, she wanted to take Yuanyuan with her, but everyone objected.

Only her fourth brother, with his carefree nature, wished for his daughter to see more of the world.

Thus, he secretly encouraged Yuanyuan, who became determined to go. This led to her journey with Madam Qi.

As the Wen family arrived, the stewardess inside, accompanied by maids, came out to greet them.

After passing through the second gate, they entered a garden. The reception hall was situated in the middle of the garden. It consisted of several large rooms where conversations, meals, music performances, and other activities took place.

As they approached the reception hall, they could hear laughter and cheerful voices from within.

A maid announced their arrival, and Yuanyuan was the first to rush out. “Sister Zhuzhu! Sister Ah Yu!”

She immediately grabbed Yan Zhu’s hand and jumped up and down. “You’re finally here! I’ve missed you so much!”

Following behind were Madam Qi and the Second Madam Cui.

“Old Madam Wen.”

“Madam Qi.” Old Madam Wen greeted her with a beaming smile.

After the two sides had exchanged greetings, Madam Qi noticed Wen Yu standing in front of her younger sisters. Dressed in vibrant attire and adorned with more jewelry for the New Year,

this girl was truly pleasing to the eye from head to toe.

The Second Madam Cui also noticed Wen Yu and cast a surprised glance at her sister-in-law, silently acknowledging her good taste.

Seeing her second sister-in-law’s expression and recalling what her son had told her, Madam Qi couldn’t help but smile broadly.

“Please come in, Old Madam! All the guests here today are close friends. We don’t have many people here, just some youngsters playing in the front.”

As they entered the room, the Eldest Madam Cui and the Fourth Madam Cui also eagerly came to see Wen Yu.

They had been involved in the matchmaking efforts before, but their sister-in-law had expressed her preference for the girl from the Qin family, leaving them with no choice.

Now that she was back, she had mentioned that things hadn’t worked out with the Qin family. Well, if it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out. There were plenty of other good options.

However, their sister-in-law had made a hasty decision and settled on someone else. This time, they all scolded her! They simply couldn’t trust her judgment and were afraid that she would choose another unsuitable match, ruining the future of their handsome nephew!

That was absolutely unacceptable!

Upon seeing Wen Yu, their eyes lit up.

Not only was she beautiful, but she also carried herself with grace and composure under the watchful gaze of so many pairs of eyes.

She was indeed impressive!

Even the Eldest Madam Cui, known for her perpetually cold expression, warmed up considerably. “Hmm. Fengying, this young lady…she’s quite lovely.”

The Second Madam Cui nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Little Sister has good taste. Old Madam Wen, your daughters are all so charming! You’re truly blessed!” It was the truth. She had always longed for a daughter but hadn’t been able to fulfill that wish.

Wen Jiao and the others, receiving so much praise upon entering, were somewhat timid but still beamed with radiant smiles.

County Princess Huiyi was the most elaborately dressed and exuded the most arrogance, but even she stepped forward, took Wen Yu’s hand gently, and said with warmth, “I can tell that she’s a blessed and fortunate young lady!”

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Old Madam Wen was puzzled by all this. Why were the Cui family members being so kind to Wen Yu?!

Who courted a potential daughter-in-law in such a manner?

Noticing County Princess Huiyi’s expression, Wen Yu wondered: Could she have learned about Yuanyuan’s incident?

Indeed, County Princess Huiyi was aware of it.

After Madam Qi’s conversation with Wen Yu, she too realized that such a matter couldn’t be kept secret. After discussing it with her brother, they decided to confess to her sister-in-law.

County Princess Huiyi was furious! She berated both her husband and Madam Qi.

Madam Qi apologized tearfully, while her husband tried to appease her.

They both promised to find the culprit and avenge her, and only then did the matter subside.

Therefore, County Princess Huiyi felt deeply grateful to Wen Yu.

“What do you usually do? Are you getting used to life in the capital? I have several nieces from my maternal family; I’ll introduce them to you later! And who is that Miss Zhuzhu? She’s so beautiful. Yuanyuan has been constantly mentioning her.”

County Princess Huiyi chattered away, holding onto Wen Yu’s hand.

Meanwhile, Yuanyuan let out a shriek. It turned out that Yan Zhu and she had already dressed the rabbit in clothes.

They had made two outfits: one bright red, suitable for the New Year, and another with lace trim.

They tried both outfits on the rabbit and discovered that the one with lace trim was more troublesome

because the rabbit started chewing on it…

Yuanyuan exclaimed in panic, “Silly Tuantuan! This isn’t grass; you can’t eat it!”

The Cui family lacked daughters, while the Wen girls were beautiful and well-dressed. Thus, they became objects of admiration, each receiving warm greetings…

The atmosphere was filled with laughter, and no one paid any attention to Xu Shi, who stood in a corner with a young girl.

Xu Minghui was so angry that she didn’t know what to do!

Today, she hadn’t wanted to come at all.

And Madam Qi hadn’t even bothered to invite them!

In the past, whenever they were invited to the Cui family’s residence, her mother-in-law would speak to them kindly for a long time, even sending someone to remind them the night before.

This time, whether they came or not, her mother-in-law didn’t care…She didn’t even ask if Bao’er was coming!

This made Qi Xiao feel somewhat lost.

So he told Xu Shi, “Let’s go too!”

But how could Xu Shi agree? She adamantly refused!

Qi Xiao’s face darkened once again…

Since their return, his face had darkened several times. With the New Year festivities in full swing, Xu Shi didn’t want to provoke her husband any further, so she reluctantly came along.

However, after entering the house, she remained distant throughout, keeping a tight grip on her daughter and preventing her from approaching Yuanyuan.

“You look down on me? Well, I look down on you even more!”

At this moment, Bao’er watched as Yuanyuan, holding onto a beautiful older sister, exclaimed excitedly about something. She wanted to go over and see, but her mother held her back firmly.

Xu Shi didn’t even notice Bao’er’s longing gaze because she was carefully scrutinizing Wen Yu.

After observing her for a while and finding fault with her appearance, she couldn’t help but admit, “She is indeed beautiful!” And it was the kind of beauty that was flawless from every angle.

But she refused to accept it: Her eldest aunt-in-law had welcomed them warmly, and even her usually arrogant fourth aunt-in-law was holding onto Wen Yu, speaking to her softly and gently.

What kind of family was the Wen family?

They hadn’t even gotten married yet, and the Cui family had invited so many people over!

In all these years, when had the Xu family ever been invited?!

Who had the Xu family offended?

They were treating her like dirt!

While others were still talking, she was already fuming with anger, her face turning red like a toad.

County Princess Huiyi finally finished her conversation with Wen Yu and was even more pleased with the girl’s demeanor.

Madam Qi led Wen Yu around the room, and they arrived at where Xu Shi was standing.

With a bitter expression, Xu Shi remarked, “Oh? So this is our future sister-in-law! You’re truly fortunate! Even before the wedding, your entire family has become honored guests of the Cui family. Your mother-in-law treats you exceptionally well. Such a stark contrast…I finally understand what it means to be born under a different star!”

Madam Qi, who had been in high spirits, was doused with cold water by Xu Shi’s words. Her face darkened, and she thought to herself, “Who asked you to come?!” However, Wen Yu gently took Madam Qi’s arm with a show of affection and said, “When we first met, Madam, you were so kind to me. I thought you treated everyone this way! But it turns out that this is a special privilege bestowed upon me. I finally understand what it means to have a good karmic connection!”