Xuexue in front of me was so stunning that even Situtu Qinger, the Second Miss of the General’s Mansion who had always lived in the Capital, paled in comparison at this moment.
The Fourth Prince was so captivated that he lost his wits.
It was true, there wasn’t a trace of countrified air about Xuexue now, she seemed even more noble than the daughters of grand families.
Situ Qinger bit her teeth with hatred at her side; ever since this little cheap person appeared, the Fourth Prince hadn’t bothered to glance at her again.
Old Madam was quite pleased with Xuexue’s performance; this granddaughter still had her merits.
"Xuexue, come, sit here next to grandmother," she said.
"Thank you, grandmother," Xuexue said with a smile, lifting her skirts slightly with both hands as she walked over.
It wasn’t until Xuexue had sat down that the Fourth Prince regained his senses; he pretended to cough a few times before he spoke: "Today, I am here to invite Miss Situ to an autumn outing in a few days. Many renowned young ladies and gentlemen from the Capital will attend. I wonder if Miss Situ would grace us with her presence?"
Xuexue was startled. In her previous life, it was precisely on the day of the autumn outing that she was tricked by Situ Qinger, resulting in a fall from her horse and lying in bed for a full month, which later caused lingering aftereffects—her legs would ache on rainy days.
"Yes, an autumn outing. Would Miss Situ honor us with her presence?"
Thinking of this, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in Xuexue’s eyes, but since she was looking down, no one noticed her anomaly. She obediently nodded and replied, "That sounds good. Since I’ve returned to the Capital, I haven’t met many people, so it would be great to make some friends on this occasion."
"That would be wonderful! I will send someone to escort Miss Situ when the time comes." The Fourth Prince was very pleased that Xuexue had accepted the invitation.
In contrast to his joy, Situ Qinger was fuming. Of course, she wasn’t angry at the Fourth Prince; rather, it was Xuexue who enraged her. Seeing that little cheap person seduce her Fourth Prince, it was as if he had lost his soul to her.
"Grandmother!" Situ Qinger looked pitifully at Old Madam.
Actually, she wanted to go on the autumn outing as well, but as a young lady, she couldn’t blatantly make such a request to the Fourth Prince; she had to use Old Madam to achieve her goal.
Old Madam had just returned and had developed a poor impression of Situ Qinger. Ideally, she wouldn’t want to acknowledge her, but it wouldn’t look good in front of the Fourth Prince, so she forced a kind smile, "Qinger, you silly girl, what’s the matter?"
Situ Qinger stepped forward and forcefully pulled up Old Madam’s arm: "Grandmother, come here, Qinger has something to say to you in private."
Old Madam, with frail arms and legs, did not have the strength to resist and was pulled to her feet, stumbling forward a few steps before stopping, feeling a surge of anger, but refrained from showing it in front of the Fourth Prince; though, her tone became stern: "You girl, if you have something to say, why can’t you speak in front of the Fourth Prince? Why drag your grandmother to whisper secrets? Don’t you consider that I’m old now and cannot bear such rough handling?"
Upon hearing this, Situ Qinger suddenly realized that she had used too much force on her grandmother in her urgency.
So, she quickly let go: "Grandmother, don’t be angry, Qinger didn’t mean it."
"Never mind, never mind, for the sake of the Fourth Prince, grandmother will not take it to heart." Old Madam had to say this, seeing that the Fourth Prince was watching them.
"Yes! Second Miss, if you have any concerns, feel free to speak. Let’s see if I can help you," the Fourth Prince said, willing to oblige the beautiful young lady’s request.