Chapter 28: Wen Qingyan, the Gentle Confidante (2)

Changge Yue curled her lips slightly and poured herself a cup of tea. It is simple enough to kill a person, but to make someone wish they were dead requires stripping away everything they hold dear.

Changge Yuqing’s eyes flickered with envy as she looked at Wen Qingyan’s attire. Just then, a girl in green beside Wen Qingyan spoke up: "Sister Wen, this lady calls you cousin—could she be the legitimate daughter of the Changge household?" The girl emphasized the words "legitimate daughter" with a heavy, mocking tone, her eyes brimming with disdain.

Given Changge Yuqing’s dress and appearance, how could she possibly be the legitimate daughter of the Changge family?

Wen Qingyan lowered her eyes slightly, her voice softening to a gentle, sugary tone: "Sister Huan'er, this is the second daughter of the Changge household, not my cousin Jiao'er. Jiao'er has caught a cold, so Second Miss Qing is accompanying my aunt today. You mustn't mistake her next time, or Jiao'er will be displeased."

Having said this, Wen Qingyan glanced at Changge Yuqing with a look of feigned apology, adding softly, "Second Miss Qing, perhaps you should call me Miss Wen in the future to avoid any further misunderstandings."

Changge Yuqing’s face flushed bright red instantly. Meanwhile, the young ladies from other noble families who had arrived on the second floor watched the scene with keen interest, some even whispering and discussing it openly. Changge Yuqing felt completely at a loss, wishing she could simply vanish into the floorboards.

With just a single sentence, Wen Qingyan had made it clear to everyone that Yuqing was nothing more than a concubine’s daughter, only granted the privilege of stepping out to see the world because the legitimate daughter was ill.

Yuqing felt in her heart that Wen Qingyan had humiliated her on purpose. Yet, looking at the Miss Wen’s eyes, which seemed as if they could melt into water, and her apologetic expression, she could not be certain of her true intentions. Could it really have been unintentional?

Inside the private room, Changge Yue smiled faintly. Just as in her memories, her "dear sister" always wore the mask of an innocent soul. Soft and gentle, a single look from her could intoxicate a man’s eyes, and a pure, simple word could stir a man’s soul. If it weren't for the time she had revealed her true face in front of her, Changge Yue would never have known that her dear sister, who was so skilled at shedding tears, was also capable of such madness.

Suddenly, the candlelight in all the private rooms dimmed slightly. On the openwork stage, Mr. Ding gave a light cough and said, "The old rules apply: there are ten items for auction this evening." Mr. Ding scanned the positions of the various private rooms before finally letting his gaze sweep over the crowd below the stage.

"The first item is a Glazed Silk Dress from Suzhou. It takes five years to weave a single bolt of glazed silk. Garments made from this material are not only waterproof but also nourish a lady’s skin. As for the wonders it might hold if crafted into a quilt, I shall say no more. As per tradition, the starting price for the first item is one thousand taels." Regardless of how precious the items at the Zhenbao Pavilion might be, the starting price for the first lot never exceeded one thousand taels.

Changge Yue had little interest in such trinkets favored by women; she closed her eyes, appearing lost in thought.

Below the stage, a man suddenly laughed loudly, "I bid one thousand taels! I wonder if this Glazed Silk Dress is large enough. If it is, I’ll take it home and turn it into a bedsheet, call over my eighteen little concubines, and see if it truly possesses those legendary wonders. I wonder if the warmth of this embroidered silk can rival the softness of a woman, ha-ha-ha..."

The other men below followed suit with lewd laughter. "I say, Fatty Three, it might be large enough for a bedsheet for someone else, but for you, it wouldn't even cover half of your underpants!"

Another roar of laughter erupted from the crowd. The man known as Fatty Three just grinned, his mouth wide open.