A Fine Show, Part One

Lin Daiyu lifted the curtain and entered the inner room, immediately feeling a wave of warmth tinged with the scent of powder and cosmetics envelop her.

She had always been sensitive to the cold, and did not feel much of it inside. Aunt Xue, seated at the head of the card table, however, had long since found it unbearable. Taking advantage of her daughter's absence, she had stripped off her Brocade Cap and Sable Coat, revealing the Mallow-Colored Palace Dress beneath.

That dignified purple attire made the skin at her chest seem all the whiter, its sumptuous fullness almost overwhelming.

Even as a woman, Lin Daiyu, standing beside Ruan Rong, could not help casting envious glances her way.

In recent years, admiration for Tang Style had steadily grown more fashionable, and with it, the ideal of plumpness and fair skin had naturally risen to prominence.

More importantly, the direct line of Rongguo Mansion had few heirs, so they had always favored plump, fertile women. Madam Wang, Li Wan, and Wang Xifeng were all such women.

The sole exception, Madam Xing, was a second wife. To avoid stirring conflict within the eldest branch's direct line, no one had ever expected her to bear children and continue the family line.

And though she and Brother Bao were devoted to one another, in this regard, she truly...

Lowering her head to look herself over, Lin Daiyu could not help letting out a soft, mournful sigh, her heart sinking.

Suddenly, laughter erupted around the card table. Lin Daiyu looked up in surprise, only to see Ruan Rong beaming as she swept a dozen or so pieces of broken silver and Golden Grain into her purse.

Across from her, Aunt Xue sighed heavily, then unexpectedly turned her fire on Lin Daiyu. "It's all this girl's