Chapter One Hundred

Zhang Ao suddenly came to his senses and nodded, saying, "You're right! How could we forget the eldest sister? If she gets involved, even if we can't track down the whereabouts of the Ninth Lady, we can at least make the Xue family miserable for a while!"

No family could ever get along with an ex-wife.

Madam Xiao He squinted her eyes with a look of vengeful pleasure, "Since Xue Banian offended me, I will make her mother and her both suffer!"

...

The next day, just after Xue Fanzhi finished breakfast, Matron Jiang arrived with two maidservants. The maids were carrying four sets of spring attire.

Matron Jiang beamed, "These were made for you long ago, but the owner of the silk shop went out of town and they weren't delivered, which caused a delay. The Old Mistress heard you were heading out today, and since they arrived just in time, I rushed over to bring them to you."

Xiao Yi had invited Xue Fanzhi to the Qinhuai River, but she couldn't tell the Old Mistress the truth, so she lied and said she was going to visit Minglan. Minglan had always thought highly of Xue Fanzhi, and the Old Mistress was naturally pleased to see her granddaughter have such a powerful and influential friend. It wasn't that the Old Mistress was snobbish; it was simply that Xue Fanzhi was so pitiable that, aside from her sisters, she had no real friends to speak of.

Looking at the ready-made garments, all crafted from fine materials, Xue Fanzhi felt a wave of emotion. It must have been that Wang Yunzhi’s criticisms from yesterday had reached her grandmother's ears, prompting her to have these four outfits rushed through the night.

She couldn't quite put her finger on how she felt. In truth, she hadn't really cared about what Wang Yunzhi said. Considering her past life, she was far too experienced to let someone else’s judgment about her wealth or status get to her. Yet, the Old Mistress’s gesture moved her deeply. Even her own mother, Madam Jin, had never been this thoughtful, always anticipating her needs and making up for any oversights immediately.

It felt as if Madam Jin wasn't even her real mother, despite the fact that they looked remarkably alike. Even her uncle had once said there was no need to doubt; she was definitely Madam Jin's daughter.

*Sigh.*

Xue Fanzhi had Honglian and Hongxiao take the clothes, then said to Matron Jiang, "Please thank Grandmother for me. I will pay my respects to her when I return from my outing!"

"No hurry for that!" Matron Jiang replied. "The Old Mistress specifically instructed me to tell you that since you rarely get to go out, you should enjoy yourself and not worry about rushing back!"

Xue Fanzhi wondered if her grandmother would still want her to enjoy herself if she knew she was going out with Xiao Yi.

After Matron Jiang left, Honglian unfolded the four sets of clothes. There were long robes, short blouses, and wrapped-front dresses. Given the weather and her destination, the long robes and a light jacket were the best choice.

Honglian picked out the goose-yellow set and said, "Miss, why don't you wear this one?"

Xue Fanzhi thought that to avoid running into someone like Wang Yunzhi again, she should probably dress a bit better; her grandmother’s gift was a timely rescue.

She reached out to touch the goose-yellow fabric but then paused. Why should she care what Wang Yunzhi said? So what if she was dressed shabbily? Her clothes were clean, and she didn't feel she had wronged anyone. Why should she change?

"Put all four sets in the chest," Xue Fanzhi commanded. "Get me my old clothes."

Hongxiao and Honglian were both stunned.

Honglian frowned, "Miss, you aren't going to wear them? But you're going out today, it would be the perfect time for new clothes!"

If Xiao Yi also looked down on her for wearing old clothes, then he could just get lost. She didn't see anything wrong with her old clothes.

Xue Fanzhi insisted, and the two maids, having no choice, helped her into her old attire. She looked into the bronze mirror; the sleeves were a bit short, and beyond that, the person in the mirror looked cold and plain, like an average girl from a village.

*Well,* she thought, *new clothes would look much better, but why should I dress up for him?*

Xue Fanzhi decided to stick with the old clothes. Once her hair was combed and she skipped the powder, she was ready. She walked toward the door with Honglian and Hongxiao, but just as she reached the stairs, she suddenly stopped.

Honglian nearly bumped into her back. If she had stumbled with force, who knew what might have happened? They were at the top of the stairs, after all. Honglian asked, "Miss, what is the matter?"

Xue Fanzhi realized that by deliberately *not* wearing the new clothes, she was actually still letting Wang Yunzhi's words get to her.

True nonchalance wasn't about doing the opposite of what someone tried to force upon you; it was about doing what was appropriate for the moment. Today she was going out, and even if she weren't meeting Xiao Yi, she should be wearing new clothes. She had them now, so why not wear them?

At that thought, Xue Fanzhi felt a burden lift from her heart. She had been too caught up in her own mind.

Only then did the confusion and humiliation caused by Wang Yunzhi completely dissipate. She would never let others' words affect her like that again.

Xue Fanzhi changed into the new clothes and headed to the second gate. There, a dilapidated carriage was waiting for her.

Although their family was a declining clan—one that might be struck from the family register any day—they were still a noble family, and nobles were expected to maintain a certain level of decorum.

They couldn't afford much, as maintaining carriages was expensive, but for their household alone, they should have had at least two. Last year, to ensure Xue Jiaoyue could visit him from their hometown, Xue Yang had even bought a new carriage and a horse.

How had they vanished, leaving only this decrepit vehicle and horse to pick her up?

Xue Fanzhi was never one to keep her thoughts to herself. "Is this broken-down carriage meant for me? Has our family really fallen to such a state that we have no carriages left?"

The driver, an elderly man in his fifties, bowed repeatedly, "Please calm your anger, Eighth Miss. It is not that I wouldn't use a better carriage, but all our good ones are in use. We only have two good ones. Seventh Miss took one when she went out, and the other..." He glanced at Xue Fanzhi’s sharp gaze, realizing she was weighing the truth of his words, and dared not stall further for fear of losing his position.

"The other carriage was sent to the back alley by the Master. It seems the former mistress is going out, and the Master even arranged for two bodyguards to accompany her."

The former mistress in the back alley—that would be the He woman.

As Xue Yang’s first wife, Xue Fanzhi felt that in his words, he was still deeply in love with her. Or rather, not just his words, but his actions; Xue Yang was clearly still obsessed with her.

When they had arrived from their hometown, Xue Yang had been terrified that Madam He would be left behind, so he had sent for her early and settled her in the back alley. It was only when the Old Mistress warned him that it was inappropriate that he stopped spending every waking moment there.

Now, what on earth was this woman planning to do that she had mobilized all the family's carriages and hadn't even returned them?

*What nerve,* Xue Fanzhi thought. *If he loves her so much, why did he divorce her? It's ridiculous that the legitimate Xue daughter has no carriage, while one is given to that dried-up, divorced piece of meat! It’s infuriating!*