However, with the continuous promotion of General Li Kaifeng, the status of the General’s Mansion rose accordingly. Rui Zhu became more and more arrogant. She always behaved haughtily in front of others and refused to mention their childhood agreement. This made her feel angry, frustrated, and helpless. She resolved to marry a man surpassing King Qin in the future to teach Rui Zhu a lesson!
But in the Great Jin Nation, the ones who could rival King Qin were only the Crown Prince and Young Master Huo. The Crown Prince was already married, and she didn’t want to stoop and become a concubine. So, she had to set her sights on Huo Yuan, who was still unmarried.
Unfortunately, Huo Yuan’s heart already belonged to the country girl. The saving grace was that they had not yet arranged marriage. Therefore, she had to scheme carefully to displace the country girl and marry into the Huo Family!
Cai Wei laughed and said, "It’s just a cup of tea, older sister. There’s no need to blame yourself. I’m wondering why you asked me to come tonight?"
Du Wanqiu gave a charming smile and said, "The reason why I called you here is definitely a good thing. In five more days, it will be the annual Shangsi Festival. On this day every year, the Empress Dowager hosts an invitation-only party in the Imperial Garden for the unmarried sons and daughters of the ministers of the Imperial Court. Everyone enjoys their time together, performing, drinking, laughing, in a grand and joyous spectacle. This get-together is something many young men and women covet. Our Duke An’s Mansion is also lucky to have received an invitation. I thought that since you grew up in the countryside and weren’t accustomed to this kind of scene, I felt sorry for you and wanted to take you to the Palace to broaden your horizons. Do you want to go?"
Cai Wei rolled her eyes. She certainly —— did not want to go.
Du Wanqiu had already said that Duke An’s Mansion only had one spot. So if she went with Du Wanqiu, wouldn’t she have to go as a maid? She had no interest in the Palace. Even if she received an invitation and could go with dignity, she wouldn’t want to go. What’s more, she was to pose as Du Wanqiu’s maid. Besides, that person would definitely go to the annual Shangsi Festival. She had just managed to make him give up on her, so if she took the initiative to go, she might run into him and might even cause some trouble.
Having thought about this, she spoke calmly, "I appreciate your kindness, older sister. But I’m really not adept at playing a maid, and the restaurant at home has just come back on track and needs my attention all the time. I’m afraid that I can’t take advantage of your good intentions and go!"
Du Wanqiu didn’t expect her to express her dissatisfaction so bluntly. She was taken aback and then gently said, "Little sister, don’t overthink it. I don’t mean to belittle you. Although it’s somewhat inappropriate to let you pretend to be a maid, I think that opportunities for you to visit the palace are rare. If you miss this chance, who knows when the next one will come. You might not get another opportunity in this lifetime, so that’s why I resorted to this plan."
Cai Wei coldly replied, "Visiting the Palace is a rare opportunity for some people, but for me, it’s a torment. I despise those affectations there. And there are so many things that I need to take care of at home. How can I have any leisure to watch the sons and daughters of the aristocracy recite poetry? Therefore, I definitely can’t go."
Her refusal was so straightforward, leaving no room for negotiation. Du Wanqiu could only admit defeat. It seemed that Rui Zhu’s wishful thinking would most likely come to nothing.
Two days ago, Rui Zhu’s cousin sent someone to the mansion to deliver tea and especially asked her to bring Rui Zhu’s country cousin Mu Caiwei to the Palace.
Although she didn’t know how Rui Zhu had found out about Mu Caiwei, or why Rui Zhu was interested in Mu Caiwei, Rui Zhu was a person of her word, and her orders could only be obeyed. She didn’t dare to question Rui Zhu further.