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Compared to the insufferable Wu Hanyu, this younger and adorable little girl was truly amusing.

Madam Cheng, seemingly overwhelmed by the loud discussions from the audience below, couldn’t help but frown and turned to Lady Du beside her to say, "Madam Wu, is your daughter feeling unwell? Today she seems..."

Before Lady Du had a chance to reply, Lady Jiang from the other side snorted first, her words laced with cold mockery, "What sickness? She’s probably just too scared to embarrass herself."

The two women sitting in the center, who could not stand each other, were the matriarchs of the Chen and Wu families of Jiangnan, Lady Jiang and Lady Du.

Hearing Lady Jiang’s cold taunt, Lady Du’s nostrils flared, and her finely drawn eyebrows nearly stood upright, "Jiang Yue’e, hold your tongue! It is your daughter who dares not to show her face for fear of embarrassing herself! My daughter is perfectly fine, what does she have to fear!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Lady Jiang raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes dismissively, "If she isn’t afraid of embarrassment, then let her remove the Curtain Lattice. My daughter is standing there openly for all to see! Unlike some, who don’t even dare show their true faces!

Who knows if the person behind that screen is even your daughter? "

"You!"

Lady Du was left speechless in indignation, so she turned her head away, ignoring her and instead, with an apologetic expression, she said to Madam Cheng, who appeared somewhat embarrassed, "Madam Cheng, I am terribly sorry.

Yukyuk caught a chill a few days ago, which was quite severe.

The doctor advised her to avoid the cold to prevent the illness from worsening.

I initially wanted her to forfeit the competition, but, alas, my child is so dedicated to embroidery she insisted on competing despite her illness. "

As she spoke, Lady Du was already on the verge of tears, an image of demure coquettishness, living up to her name, Du Meijiao.

"This... so she caught a chill!" Madam Cheng, with her hand tightly grasped by Lady Du, was torn between refusal and agreement, unsure of what to decide.

"Yes, Madam Cheng." Lady Du dabbed the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, looking at her somewhat frail daughter standing on the stage with an indulgent gaze, she expressed her concern, "I have urged her for many days, but ultimately failed to persuade her.

Oh, my heart aches as a mother. I hope you can understand and make an exception for my Yukyuk. "

"This..."

Despite all the talk, they still couldn’t remove the Curtain Lattice.

Madam Cheng’s expression was filled with difficulty, if it were any other lady in the capital city, she certainly would find an excuse to brush it off, but the one before her was this year’s Imperial Merchant.

Even with her status in the capital, Madam Cheng could not easily dismiss Lady Du’s request over such a trifling matter.

However, Madam Cheng did not need to speak, for someone was ready to speak on her behalf.

"Heh, Du Meijiao, did you forget to take your medicine when you left the house today? Or did the carriage ride here rattle your brains? To be able to utter such words, you truly have some nerve!"

Lady Jiang scoffed coldly, her remarks showing no concern for Lady Du’s feelings. Not only Lady Du, but even Madam Cheng, Embroiderer Ru, and Embroiderer Rui listening beside them were finding it hard to maintain their composure.

Cheng Haoxuan, who had been idly playing with his Jade Pendant, suddenly let out a "Heh" and leaned forward with interest, adding fuel to the fire, "So what does Madam Chen suggest should be done to ensure that Miss Wu can continue the competition without catching a cold?"

Madam Cheng furrowed her brow and shot Cheng Haoxuan a look, but alas, the young man was intent on being deliberately contrary to his mother, not only did he not shut his mouth, but he also put on an innocent expression of "concern" and said, "Mother, are you also suffering from a cold? Your eyes are twitching."

Madam Cheng almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. It wasn’t her eyes that were twitching—her hand was cramping so badly she truly wanted to smack the boy to make it stop!

Lady Jiang pretended not to see the silent battle between mother and son, and with a smile, she stroked the emerald bracelet on her wrist, turning her head to say with a laugh, "The Wu Family is this year’s Imperial Merchant, is there really no suitable fabric to help solve this problem for your dear daughter-in-law? "

Suitable fabric? Now even Madam Cheng couldn’t stop her son from speaking, as her eyes lit up. As someone passionate about embroidery, rare fabrics were something she was extremely fond of.

Meanwhile, Lady Du was inwardly cursing Lady Jiang. Matters concerning the Imperial Merchant were a competition among men. For her, a woman, to bring it up at this time—did she really think she herself could become an Imperial Merchant?

"Humph, being an Imperial Merchant is men’s business.

I, as a woman, should only take good care of the household affairs.

Those fabrics and such, I do not understand, nor do I need to understand," Lady Du said, lifting her chin high, deeply embodying the principle that a woman without talent is virtuous.

Cheng Haoxuan sulked, and even Madam Cheng felt a few degrees less fond of Lady Du.

Lady Jiang sneered mercilessly, "Oh right, how could I forget? Your Wu Family has several concubines! And there’s the two sons from the legitimate wife.

No wonder you, Madam Wu, are too busy to inquire about the Wu Family’s fabrics!

Tsk tsk, I really do sympathize with you, look at me—though I do have a Concubine’s Son, he is very respectful toward me.

See, he went early to Drunken Immortal Tower to arrange a celebration banquet for his sister! "

Lady Du’s mouth twitched, as a second wife, the thing she hated most to hear was the mention of the words "legitimate wife," and yet Jiang Yue’e always jabbed at her sore spot on this very matter!

Seeing the tension flare up, Madam Cheng quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Ladies, please calm down. The competition is about to start now. Look, the girls have already drawn their numbers and taken their seats!"

Indeed, while the two Madams of the Chen and Wu families were having their verbal duel, the twenty contestants had already drawn their numbers and were seated in order from one to twenty.

Lin Wei drew number eight, which placed her in the middle of the second row. For someone of her introverted nature, this was a great spot. She was surrounded by people, which meant she wasn’t exposed to everyone’s gaze, creating a relatively enclosed space and giving her a sense of security.

Lin Wei looked around and let out a small sigh of relief.

Tian Xuan was seated behind her. Although not right next to her, having an acquaintance behind gave her even more peace of mind.

Chen Leyao, who drew the first spot, was seated on the side of the second row, while Wu Hanyu, adorned with the Curtain Lattice, seemed to be the butt of some cosmic joke and had ended up in the first row. This only intensified the crowd’s gossip about her.

As the murmurs in the audience began to grow into real discontent, Madam Cheng could not let the reputation of the Red Smoke Pavilion, built up over more than a decade, be ruined by a single Wu Hanyu.

Glancing at Lady Du, whose face was also not looking great, her mind raced.

Offending the Wu Family was one thing, but wasn’t there still the Chen Family?

Relatively speaking, she preferred Lady Jiang of Chen Family.