Better to Cling to Her Than Pray to the Gods

Before long, the day of Consort Shu's birthday banquet arrived.

Every family of any standing in the capital had come, and Consort Shu's Fragrant Blessing Hall was packed with noblewomen and young ladies.

Zhou Luming stayed beside Jiang Shuyue and said with a smile, "This is your first time here, Mother, isn't it? Don't be afraid. If anything happens, I'll shield you. No one will dare laugh at you."

"Mm-hmm. With you here, I'm not afraid of anything."

Oh, my darling daughter! Such a dutiful girl! Once your mother has had her fill of juicy gossip and saved up enough Green Tea Points, the next thing I redeem will be a Youth-Restoring Pill for you. My darling girl will stay beautiful and youthful her whole life.

All the women who could hear her thoughts were green with envy.

It might not grant eternal life, but a face that never aged was their ultimate dream.

Better to beseech Jiang Shuyue than pray to gods and Buddhas. They were going to cling to this powerful patron for all they were worth.

"I've long heard that the Marchioness of Zhennan is as beautiful as a flower. Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary!"

"My lady, your mother and I are cousins of a sort, so my daughter is practically your younger sister. If you wouldn't mind, let her call you her elder sister from now on."

"My lady, your outfit today makes you look like a lotus rising from the water. Such a refreshing sight!"

"This outfit must be worth well over a hundred gold pieces. The marquis clearly adores you, my lady."

The praise left Jiang Shuyue a little lightheaded. Wait, aren't these grand aristocratic families supposed to excel at scheming against one another? I'm a mud-footed country bumpkin. Shouldn't you be mocking me, sneering at me, or even pulling my hair and playing dirty tricks?

How would they dare?

She was a living immortal. Offending her would be worse than tearing down a few temples.

"Zhou Luming, I have something to tell you."

Chu Xin finally squeezed into the circle and said breathlessly, "I've looked into what happened before. You really didn't do anything to wrong me. Zhao Lushuang was stirring up trouble. I was stupid enough to fall for it, and I owe you an apology."

She really does wear both her love and her hate on her sleeve. The other day, she was also the one who spoke up for me in front of my future sister-in-law. That's why Jiang Liuli didn't get her way.

Zhou Luming had not wanted to bother with Chu Xin, but since she had helped her mother, she decided to give her a graceful way out.

"I don't have the spare time to keep dwelling on what you did."

"Yes, yes, yes. You're busy deepening your bond with your Young Master Shen! Remember to send me an invitation when you get married. I'll give you a hefty wedding gift!"

"Then I'll look forward to it. I hope it's big enough to give me a fright."

"Hmph! My Chu Family has no shortage of wealth either. I guarantee your jaw will drop!"

Jiang Shuyue felt rather envious. So this is friendship? How lovely. I don't really have any friends, but Luming won't be lonely from now on.

Should I redeem a Youth-Restoring Pill for Chu Xin too? Otherwise, when they grow old, my daughter might feel sad being the only one still beautiful.

Zhou Luming thought, No, I won't.

Everyone else thought, We can be friends with your daughter too! Great immortal, please grant us pills!

The system said, Forget the Youth-Restoring Pills for now. You're still a little short of the Green Tea Points you need for your Marrow-Cleansing Pill. Look at your three o'clock. See that person in green glaring at you?

That little chubby girl? She's... a meter and a half tall and ninety kilos? The little thing certainly eats well.

The system said, She can eat two chickens, a fish, one and a half kilos of prawns, and two and a half kilos of pork in a single meal, plus three bowls of rice. She may only be fifteen, but she can already lift a hundred-and-fifty-kilo water vat!

She just doesn't like brushing her teeth or bathing, has very hairy legs, and loves slapping people-especially anyone prettier than her.

Jiang Shuyue understood. She was a combination of Consort Shu and Ji Ruhua.

Before she left home today, she ate two baskets of meat buns, five fried dough sticks, and three bowls of soy milk. There's still minced meat stuck to her front teeth.

Jiang Shuyue felt an itch of curiosity. She really wanted to pull back the girl's lips and look at that minced meat...

The system thought, ...That counts as a kind of perversion too, doesn't it?

None of that is the point. The point is that she's good friends with Jiang Liuli, though that friendship only exists in her own mind. To vent her friend's anger, she's already set her sights on you.

She just had someone tamper with the chair you're supposed to sit on. She's hoping you'll tumble flat on your back the moment you sit down so she can mock you. What she doesn't know is that she's the biggest joke herself.

The Chen Family's concubine-born sons and daughters have long since had enough of her. When they heard she was entering the palace today, they deliberately added a little seasoning to her soy milk.

Chen Furong already had hemorrhoids. With that little extra ingredient, she's started letting out silent farts. There'll probably be quite a show in a bit.

The women standing around Chen Furong all looked disgusted and quietly edged away, tugging their sisters and friends along.

So that explained the stuffy stench that had been lingering for a while.

The fragrance of flowers and the breeze had dispersed much of it, but a faint odor remained.

Jiang Shuyue studied Chen Furong carefully. Her looks had absolutely nothing to do with the lotus her name evoked. She looked much more like a sesame flatbread.

The system said, She does look like a sesame flatbread: the same big, round face covered in sesame-like spots. But she thinks she's as beautiful as a celestial maiden and more than worthy of your man.

Every time Jiang Liuli sees her, she showers her with ridiculous praise. Furong is the prettiest, Furong is the best, Furong's beauty topples cities and kingdoms and eclipses every other flower. You're the only woman in the world worthy of the Marquis of Zhennan. He'll definitely fall at your feet beneath your pomegranate-red skirts.

Ugh~~

The Marquis of Zhennan was the most handsome man in Great Zhou. How could someone like her presume to covet him?

Jiang Shuyue snorted inwardly too. Jiang Liuli really is something, spouting nonsense like that. She probably planned this ages ago, hoping to use her as a weapon against me, didn't she?

The system said, Maybe. But she's thinking far too simply. Prefect Chen's household is hardly peaceful. His eldest son likes his father's concubine, his second son likes his father's principal wife, and the youngest likes something a little unusual.

Jiang Shuyue loved unusual things.

The system chuckled foolishly. He likes dogs!

No way, no way! Is everyone this open-minded these days? Those poor little doggies.

Host, where has your mind wandered? I meant he simply likes them. The moment Prefect Chen's youngest son sees a dog, he trembles like a flowering branch in the breeze. As long as he has dogs, he can be happy for the rest of his life.

Prefect Chen looked honest and simple, but who would have thought that none of his children were ordinary?

Especially the eldest and second sons. They actually...

Tsk, tsk, tsk. I wonder how Prefect Chen will feel when he finds out.

The system said, Host, look. Chen Furong looks like she wants to eat you alive. I guarantee that if you provoke her, you'll rack up Green Tea Points in no time!

Jiang Shuyue wanted to as well, but deliberately causing trouble under everyone's gaze would be inappropriate. Besides, they were so far apart.

How could she get Chen Furong to come over?

Just as Jiang Shuyue was fretting, Zhou Luming tugged at her sleeve and said with a smile, "Lady Li just said Mother's outfit is worth a thousand gold pieces. But the money is nothing. What matters is Father's thoughtfulness. These things aren't something you can buy just because you have money."

"Are they that hard to buy?"

Jiang Shuyue did not really understand. Zhou Yunshen had given them to her, and she had worn them because she thought they looked pretty.

Zhou Luming nodded. "Of course. That bracelet on your wrist alone would be a family heirloom in any other household. Even your rouge and face powder were specially chosen by Father. That shows just how much he likes you."

"Hehe, stop it. You're making me embarrassed."

"If you're truly embarrassed, you should return everything. A mud-footed country bumpkin like you has the nerve to cling to the position of Marchioness of Zhennan. Utterly shameless!"