High-class maid

Chapter 218 The Strange Cousin

"I see, no wonder we had to circle around the city!" Shen Xing'er nodded and said.

"As expected of the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's mansion, look at this dowry, it's truly abundant!"

"Yes, I just counted them, there are a total of one hundred and eight!"

"That's quite a lot. Look how hard the servants carrying the dowry are walking. It must be full of really good stuff."

"They're throwing candy up ahead again! Come on, let's grab a few pieces, and there are walnuts too!"

Passersby chattered amongst themselves, saying that it had been a long time since such a grand celebration had taken place in the capital, and with the weather warm now, everyone was happy to follow the sedan chair.

Hou Xinyu sat in the sedan chair, listening to the people's envy and gossip. She was filled with mixed feelings. Now, she was finally going to get married. She could finally stand by the side of her beloved and advance and retreat together with him.

Xiao Yi'an, like a victorious general, rode his horse with his lover, basking in the adulation of the crowd, and after circling the city, returned to the Minister's residence.

"Let's go back. Your father is in the shop by himself," Wang said, pulling on the absent-minded Shen Xing'er as the crowd receded into the distance.

"Okay, let's go back." Shen Xing'er replied, snapping out of her daze.

Wang thought her daughter had never seen such a grand scene before and was momentarily lost in thought, so she didn't pay much attention and pulled the dazed Shen Xing'er back to the shop.

"Things have been going too smoothly lately, and I've almost forgotten what happened in the book. It seems I should take precautions as soon as possible." Shen Xing'er frowned, recalling the events in the original text.

As the eldest son of the Minister's mansion, Xiao Yi'an was naturally the first to get married. Half a year after his marriage, it would be the wedding day of his younger sister, Xiao Luosheng, the heroine of the book, and the Second Prince.

However, a month before their wedding, the Xiongnu suddenly invaded. The emperor, having listened to someone's slander, insisted that the second prince go to repel the Xiongnu. On the battlefield, the second prince was shot in the chest by an enemy arrow. Helpless, he had to secretly return to the capital under the cover of night for treatment.

But who knew that there was a traitor in the army? Later, in order to protect the Second Prince, his personal guard died on the frontier. The Second Prince had no choice but to fake his death and escape, which saved his life.

Because of this incident, Xiao Luosheng's wedding to the Second Prince was postponed for a long time, until the Crown Prince's legitimate son was born before they finally got married.

Seeing the young master's marriage reminded Shen Xing'er of this matter. No matter what, the Minister's Mansion had been kind to her family, and she had to find a way to tell her masters about it.

"We still have six months, let's get the shop sorted out first." Shen Xing'er shook her head, clearing her mind, and continued cleaning.

At the Minister's residence, the servants were all smiles. Following the instructions of the First Madam, the maids wore red hair ties, and the servants wore red belts.

"Miss, the Minister's mansion is decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. I counted them, and there are eighteen lanterns hanging in our Caixia Courtyard alone!"

Bai Lan was very satisfied with the attitude of the Minister's Mansion. This showed that they valued her young lady. Since the young lady was covered by a veil and couldn't see, she had to come and report it herself.

"Alright, let's talk about it tomorrow. There are too many people around today, so remember not to give others anything to gossip about," Hou Xinyu whispered a reminder.

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Yi'an arrived with the wives of the imperial relatives from the Minister's mansion. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Xiao Yi'an lifted her veil and drank the nuptial wine with Hou Xinyu, thus completing the ceremony.

"Brother Yi'an, let's go have a drink, the brothers are all waiting for you!" A young master pulled Xiao Yi'an away, leaving only the women in the room.

"Yu'er is indeed beautiful. Standing next to Yi'an, they make a handsome couple!"

A woman with a bright smile praised Hou Xinyu. Although Hou Xinyu did not recognize the woman, she saw the kindness in her eyes. Hou Xinyu smiled and nodded at her, and said softly, "Thank you for the compliment, I don't deserve it."

"Sister-in-law, this is my second aunt," Xiao Luosheng said, trying to smooth things over.

"So it's your aunt, Yu'er greets you." Hou Xinyu said, and was about to get up to bow.

“Good child, no, no, there will be many more times to perform the ceremony in the future. Today you are the bride, you are the most important, please sit down!” said Madam Deng.

Hou Xinyu didn't stand on ceremony and obediently sat down. She remembered those who showed her kindness, and of course, she also remembered those who were oblivious to her feelings.

It turned out that a girl of about thirteen or fourteen was standing in the corner. She was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had more hairpins on her head than the bride. The handkerchief in her hand was almost crumpled up, and she would glare at her from time to time.

"Hmph, Auntie is so easy to talk to, she uses the same words with everyone." The girl finally found a chance to speak, and her sarcastic voice was particularly jarring in the room, which fell silent for a moment.

Everyone stared at the girl, even Bai Lan glared at her resentfully. Seeing everyone looking at her, the girl became uneasy and retorted defiantly.

"What's wrong? Isn't that what I said? My aunt praised my distant cousin in the same way a few days ago!"

"Jing'er! Don't be rude! Get out!" another woman shouted.

“Sister-in-law, this is my maternal aunt. This is my cousin, her name is Jing’er,” Xiao Luosheng said.

"Oh, so it's my cousin. According to seniority, I should be able to call you sister-in-law, but you've been glaring at me the whole time, and now you've embarrassed others at my happy occasion. Are you jealous of me, or have you always been so outspoken?"

Hou Xinyu wasn't going to put up with her. She had been pampered and spoiled before she got married, and now all sorts of people dared to come and seek attention. Hou Xinyu was going to show her who the future mistress of the Ministry of Rites was.

"Why are you so short-tempered? I was just telling the truth. Brother Yi'an is going to suffer in the future..." Liu Xiujing muttered softly, but everyone present heard her.

"Cousin! This is the Minister's residence, not your Liu residence! What, you're drunk before you've even had a drink? Aunt, take your cousin out to sober up."

Seeing that she was pushing her luck, Xiao Luosheng got angry and gave her the order to leave. Although her voice wasn't loud, it was very intimidating.

Upon hearing her cousin's words, Liu Xiujing shrank back in fear. She was most afraid of this cousin. Every time she came to the Minister's mansion to beg for money, her aunt would give her a lot of things. Only this cousin always looked down on her and acted superior.

"Jing'er, let's go." Liu Xiujing's mother did not scold her or make her apologize to Hou Xinyu, but pulled her away.

With the mother and daughter interrupting, the people inside the house couldn't stay any longer and all took their leave to go to the front yard for the feast.

"Sister, thank you for getting me out of that predicament." After everyone had left, Hou Xinyu said gratefully to Xiao Luosheng.

"To dare to act wildly on my sister-in-law's turf is to look down on the Minister's Mansion. It's one thing on ordinary days, but to be so unruly on such a joyous occasion is unacceptable. If she weren't my cousin, I would have already told the gatekeeper not to let her in again!"

Xiao Luosheng said.