Su Xiaoqi felt the palpable aversion in her eyes and was somewhat bewildered.
If she remembered correctly, she had never met the lady in front of her.
Why was she looking at her with such distaste?
"I didn't expect this Liuyuan garden to be hers. If I had known, I wouldn't have come," the lady whispered to the person beside her.
The lady next to her gently advised, "Don't underestimate this Madam Shen. Her husband, like Master Qin, also passed the imperial examinations as the top scholar; he is a talented man."
"Hmph, top scholar, who knows..." The rest of her words seemed unflattering, and she stopped herself in time.
However, deep disdain was hidden within her words.
Just then, Wen Ruohua introduced her to Su Xiaoqi.
It turned out she was Madam Song Lanping, the wife of Qin Yunpu, another academician in the Hanlin Academy. She was the youngest daughter of Song Sanqing, the current Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.
Her background was truly noble.
No one present could compare to her.
But Su Xiaoqi disliked her demeanor.
She had never even met this woman before, yet she was treated with such dislike.
If it weren't for this being her Liuyuan garden, and her principle of serving her guests well, she would have stepped forward to retort long ago.
At that moment, she could only pretend not to see anything and still greet her enthusiastically.
Unexpectedly, Song Lanping was truly petty. Spreading gossip behind her back was one thing, but she also snorted coldly at her face.
It was clear she didn't want to talk to her.
"What's wrong with Lanping's nose? Has she caught heatstroke from the hot weather these past few days?" Madam Xu asked gently.
She was subtly the leader among these official ladies.
Like an elder, she touched Song Lanping's forehead and asked.
Song Lanping could completely disregard Su Xiaoqi, but she couldn't disregard Madam Xu.
Only then did her expression soften. She said no, she was just feeling a little unwell and wanted to soak in the hot spring again.
She said this and left.
Su Xiaoqi breathed a sigh of relief and chatted with the other ladies, answering their questions about Liuyuan.
Madam Xu smiled at her gently and said nothing more.
Su Xiaoqi then took the opportunity to bid farewell. As she left, she thoughtfully gave everyone a watermelon, asking the attending staff to cut it for them.
After all, any lady who could soak in a hot spring at this time must not have their period, so they could naturally eat watermelon.
Wen Ruohua, having an unusual relationship with Su Xiaoqi among the group, specifically stayed behind and comforted her, holding her hand:
"Don't take it to heart. Madam Qin is just like that. Her background is higher, and she's proud, just like her husband."
They were both known to be difficult to get along with in the Hanlin Academy.
Su Xiaoqi wouldn't stoop to the level of someone she didn't know.
She just treated it as being bitten by a dog.
She smiled and shook her head, "It's nothing. Relationships between people are all about fate. I might not be to Madam Qin's liking."
She would just avoid her in the future.
Song Lanping didn't like her, but had she ever liked Song Lanping? Her face was dark, as if others owed her a hundred thousand taels of silver.
Moreover, listening to Wen Ruohua, it was clear that she also didn't like Song Lanping.
As long as it wasn't her problem, that was fine.
If others wanted to act out, what did it have to do with her?
"By the way, I saw Madam Zhong seemed very interested in those chili peppers. Send someone to show her later," Wen Ruohua kindly reminded her.
Madam Xu was, after all, Shen Yun's direct superior in the Hanlin Academy.
Although there was no need to curry favor with a superior's wife, maintaining a good relationship was always beneficial.
Sometimes, things that men found difficult to say needed to be handled by their wives.
Su Xiaoqi understood this point.
Since she had decided to firmly follow Shen Yun, she was naturally willing to manage these matters for him.
She didn't shirk her duty and personally found Madam Xu, who hadn't gone far and was eating watermelon in a small restaurant nearby.
She came from the truly noble Xu family.
For hundreds of years, the male members of her family had prioritized study and scholarly pursuits.
In every dynasty, there were always members of the family who entered officialdom.
The highest position attained was Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, from the first rank. During the previous dynasty, someone had even served as Prime Minister.
In the current dynasty, one of the six ministers in the Cabinet was from the Xu family, serving as the Grand Scholar of Wenhua Pavilion. Her family background was exceptionally prominent.
Her demeanor was impeccable, without any artificiality, as if it were innate.
Even the simple act of eating watermelon was done by her in a way that was a pleasure to behold.
Su Xiaoqi didn't want to disturb her.
But Wen Ruohua spoke up, greeted her, and stated their purpose.
Madam Xu washed her hands and face, dried them with a handkerchief, performing these actions with unhurried composure and elegance.
Upon hearing the suggestion, she was very pleased, saying she had the same intention but was afraid of disturbing the host by not bringing it up herself.
Seeing her give such face, Su Xiaoqi's heart immediately brightened. She enthusiastically led Madam Xu and Wen Ruohua out through the back door towards the fields of the estate.
The sun was blazing at this time. The three wore veiled hats and walked along the small ridges between the fields.
The chili plants were planted at the foot of a nearby mountain.
It was Madam Xu's first time seeing chili seedlings.
Each plant was a tender green, slightly wilted from the sun, but the fruits were borne upright.
They appeared exceptionally steadfast.
"Wow, so this is how chili peppers grow," Madam Xu said with curiosity.
She asked Su Xiaoqi if she could pick one.
Su Xiaoqi pointed to a ripe chili and indicated for her to pick it.
She also quietly reminded her not to rub her face with her hands after picking it, as it would cause a stinging sensation.
"Ah, these chili peppers are delicious, but unfortunately, my skin breaks out whenever I eat them." It was precisely for this reason that Madam Xu agreed to come to Liuyuan.
Because Wen Ruohua had told her that the facial masks made here were very effective.
Su Xiaoqi said that her acne was indeed caused by eating too many chili peppers, leading to excessive internal heat.
To completely eliminate it, she needed to eat fewer chili peppers.
Of course, she had an aloe vera paste here, which could also help if she used it.
Madam Xu took the small white porcelain bottle. The aloe vera paste inside was light green, shimmering with a gentle luster, and had a faint, pleasant fragrance.
At that moment, she used her fingernail to scoop a little and applied it to her pimples.
A cool sensation spread.
"Oh, this is quite good," Madam Xu couldn't help but sigh softly.
Su Xiaoqi smiled and said it was her secret remedy, and its effects were very significant.
Madam Xu became happy and said that if it was truly effective, she could confidently eat chili peppers with her lord.
Su Xiaoqi decided to go the extra mile and transplanted twenty chili seedlings each for Madam Xu and Wen Ruohua to take back.
Both of them owned estates in the suburbs of the capital.
Upon hearing this, they were very pleased.
After this incident, Su Xiaoqi had, with almost no effort, won over the wife of Shen Yun's direct superior.
When she returned, she praised Su Xiaoqi profusely to her acquaintances among the ladies.
She said that Su Xiaoqi was smart, clever, considerate, interesting, and possessed a very gentle and generous disposition, making her very likable.
Consequently, those who liked her liked her even more.
Those who didn't like her disliked her even more.
After finishing her tasks here, Su Xiaoqi could have returned to her room to rest for a while.
But she thought of Mei Xin, who had returned with Shen Yun.
Her heart sank, and she immediately lost the desire to return.
She found a ginkgo tree and sat on a rock in its shade.
"Master, you don't know, the two ladies loved the chili seedlings you sent.
As for the other ladies, upon hearing Madam Zhong praise you like that, they all said she had good judgment and that anyone she praised must be worth associating with...
Huh? Master, you're not happy?" Zhang Yu was excitedly recounting the reactions of Madam Xu and Wen Ruohua when she escorted them out.
Normally, the master and servant would discuss things a bit.
But today, their master was unusually silent.
Zhang Yu's heart tightened, and the words at the tip of her tongue stopped.
But she could tell that her master was unhappy, very unhappy!
Zhang Yu sensed Su Xiaoqi's mood, and Shen Yun, who had arrived at the guidance of Madam Zhao, also felt it.