Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 304 - 14: Sudden Enlightenment (Second Update)
Susu had already set a plan in her heart; everyone might as well go crazy together and see who would ultimately fall!
The beginning of the plan was today’s banquet.
Susu said somewhat helplessly, "Life goes on, and the battle never stops."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Qin patted Susu on the shoulder, "Don’t worry, Aunt Qin is on your side. Susu, as I just said, your Uncle and I have discussed and want to adopt you as our goddaughter. Would you be willing?"
Aunt Qin couldn’t bear to see Susu being criticized because of her background.
Hong Sheng, having risen too quickly without a strong foundation, faced slander, most of which came from those envious of Hong Sheng.
Those people couldn’t do anything to Hong Sheng, so they seized upon Susu’s background, spreading rumors and malicious words.
If she and her husband recognized Susu as their goddaughter, at least in the Northwest, no one would dare to openly gossip about Susu, thus giving her some protection.
Furthermore, since Hong Sheng undoubtedly had a promising future, with people being shallow and rumors flying like wild, if he heard too much gossip, could he truly not mind Susu’s background?
Today, Susu’s beauty was unrivaled, which was naturally advantageous. But what about when her beauty faded?
Hearts were fickle!
Mrs. Zhao hadn’t thought so much; upon hearing her sister-in-law’s words, she clapped her hands and said, "Why didn’t I think of this? If adopting a goddaughter, it should be me adopting Susu. I’m worried that Sister Miao has been spoiled by your brother and has lost her feminine grace. It’d be perfect for her to learn from Susu, yet she spends her days wielding swords and spears, which is quite unseemly."
Hearing this, Susu looked at the alluring and curvy Qin Miao, unable to imagine her handling swords and spears.
But that wasn’t the point.
"Aunt Qin, Aunt Zhao, please don’t mention adopting me as your goddaughter anymore. I’m already drawing enough attention; adding both of you into the equation would make it even harder to avoid such attention. Besides, even without being adopted as a goddaughter, would you really stop caring for me?"
This last remark, made with conviction, turned the initially saddened faces of Aunts Qin and Zhao into smiles.
Qin Miao clapped her hands and said happily, "Your personality suits me perfectly. Don’t worry, I’ll support you as your sister!"
So, this person had the personality of a domineering older sister!
What puzzled Susu was why such a stunning and noble person was never mentioned in the original story.
But she had long noticed that there were many people who existed in reality but not in the original story.
The original story didn’t even mention Hong Sheng capturing the Sixth Prince of Tartar.
In the original story, after the Tartar Khan died, the Sixth Prince succeeded to the throne after some twists and turns, and after five years of recuperation, launched an attack with one hundred thousand soldiers against Great Chu, during which Great Chu suffered heavy casualties, seemingly also due to a traitor.
Subsequently, Prince Ke led a campaign on behalf of the emperor, commanding in the Northwest.
Since the original story was mainly from the female protagonist’s perspective, this part was mainly to increase Prince Ke’s likability, focusing more on life-and-death love rather than specific war content.
Since recognizing her sisters, Susu hadn’t thought about the original plot for a long time.
Now thinking about it, compared to the original, reality had added many plotlines, and Susu inadvertently became a butterfly stirring the winds!
Although Susu now had an excellent memory, there was no time to carefully recall the details of the original story, as guests had arrived!
Upon hearing the servant’s report of the guests’ arrival, Mrs. Sun naturally went to greet the guests.
The invited ladies came with mixed feelings of curiosity, anxiety, jealousy, and disdain.
Without a festival or occasion, the commander’s wife hosting a banquet left the invited ladies puzzled.
Upon inquiry, they learned that Mrs. Qin was hosting the banquet to welcome the newly appointed female members of Commander Hong’s family, notably the well-known Madam Su who had stirred up so much attention even before reaching the Northwest.
This Madam Su, rumored to be of maid origin, had soared to become a Fourth Rank Madam, becoming a "sparrow to phoenix" archetype with seemingly extraordinary methods.
But why would indifferent Mrs. Qin specially host a banquet for her?
Moreover, she invited the ladies of high status from both civilian and military official families from the Hami Guard, arousing curiosity.
Was it because Hong Sheng had such a strong influence with Commander Liu? Or was there another reason?
Soon, it became known that when Susu visited Aunt Qin, she brought several carts of gifts. Since she made no attempt to hide it, several large carts of goods were certainly factual.
Everyone, having heard this, seemed to have a sudden realization.
Commander Liu was known for his love of wealth, deeply affectionate and unwavering, and this Madam Su apparently knew how to ingratiate herself, paving the way with silver.
But wasn’t this Madam Su of maid origin? Could she really afford such a dowry to squander? Or perhaps Commander Hong was willing to spend so much on his wife? 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Those unaware of the truth harbored preconceived notions. The female relatives of the civilian officials thought sourly: "No doubt a military wife is boisterous and vulgar, afraid of no one knowing their wealth."
However, the military wives mostly envied the situation, noting Hong Sheng’s ability to earn money and his willingness to spend it on his wife.
Yet both sides looked down on Susu.
As for those familiar with Susu’s character, their families either didn’t reside in Hami County, or their official rank was not sufficient to attend this banquet, so they received no invitation.
They defended Susu amidst the disparaging comments, only to be accused of "cuddling up to Hong Sheng and naturally flattering Grandma Shangguan." Annoyed by such remarks, they said nothing further, waiting for the moment Susu would prove them wrong.
Some wise individuals realized one thing: Mrs. Qin came from a noble background, being the sibling of Qin Dusi. What treasures hadn’t she seen?
If Madam Su were truly vulgar, she wouldn’t have warranted such effort from Mrs. Qin for a welcoming banquet.
If it was due to Commander Liu’s favoring Hong Sheng or those several carts of items, it seemed implausible.
Remember, Commander Liu’s well-known affection for his wife matched his love for wealth across the Nine Guards of the Northwest.
Moreover, Hong Sheng’s swift promotion to the Fourth Rank as a Commander within two years implied he was no fool; a mere maid made his legitimate wife couldn’t be some ordinary fool.
Thinking this way made the rumors about Susu in Hami County seem laughable.
When news of the events at Hami Camp involving Susu spread, it was like a bomb dropped into calm waters, causing a sensation in Hami Guard!
Many people had seen Susu’s beauty that day, and when men gossiped, they could be just as keen as women.
Thus, phrases like "celestial beauty" and "benevolent heart" began to be attached to Susu.
Of course, praise went hand in hand with criticism, accusing Susu of being malicious, attention-seeking, and overly public.
Yet, they wondered why Susu could address Commander Liu as "Uncle?"
Susu cared little about all this; unknowingly, it was this very matter that spurred Yue Baiyou and Bai Lili to manipulate her chaotic heart early, intending to disgrace her spectacularly at this banquet and ruin her reputation.
