11 - Cheng En Gong Mansion (1)

Chapter 11 – Cheng En Gong Mansion (1)

Shangguan Yan has a mansion in the imperial city which is under her name and usually, she would return to this house whenever she needs a rest.

Unexpectedly, just as she reached the house, the housekeeper immediately told her that Madam Shangguan had sent someone over to request for her return to the ancestral home. Immediately, she got back into the carriage and returned to the Shangguan Mansion.

The Shangguan Family is a royal merchant family. Since a child, Shangguan Yan was influenced by her family and cultivated an interest in doing business. Master Shangguan is a broad-minded man and built up his fortune as a businessman, so naturally, he would deem it is good for his children to be involved in business. A daughter who is capable of doing business is capable of controlling her family. He is a man, therefore, he naturally understands that men are not reliable and the greatest guarantee for women is to be able to take charge of the household treasury. Therefore, before his daughter marries, he allowed her to have the freedom to develop herself.

With her father and brother as her backing, Shangguan Yan built up her own business network and also pulled her other three sisters in as partners.

After returning to Shangguan Mansion, Shangguan Yan changed into women’s clothing before looking for her mother and accompanied her mother for a meal. Later, Madam Shangguan mentioned to her about the banquet in the Cheng En Gong Mansion and that the Shangguan Family had received an invitation.

As soon as she heard the name Cheng En Gong Mansion, Shangguan Yan remembered why the drunk Ninth Prince became so agitated today and it was all because of the Young Miss of Cheng En Gong Mansion. Thus, her interest was aroused.

She then decided to attend the banquet on behalf of the Shangguan Family. Other than being curious about the appearance of Consort De, she was thinking of meeting her Third and Fourth Junior Sisters of Ling Wang Mansion.

After speaking to her mother, she went to look for her father and brothers and asked for writing materials. After writing a letter, she gave instructions for the letter to be delivered to Ling Wang Mansion. Then she returned to her courtyard to choose the clothes for the banquet scheduled to be held three days later.

She is representing the Shangguan Family which is also a royal merchant family, so she must pay attention to her dressing. After all the necessary items were prepared, on the day of the banquet, she brought along a gift and rode in a carriage engraved with the Shangguan Family’s crest and headed to Cheng En Gong Mansion.

Today, she combed her hair into a fairy bun with a hairpin as an accessory. The hairpin was of the latest design, embedded with white jade, agate, and colored glass and the colors were clear and translucent. It was unlike those that were made from silver or copper with carved patterns and could be described as ingenious. The powder and rouge on her face were also new products and the summer clothes and the jewelry that she was wearing were all exquisite and beautiful.

(Fairy buns are plaited hair that is twisted, looped, and pinned on top of the head.)

The accessories that one wears at a banquet should not be overwhelming as it would be complicated and the result would be vulgar. This time, she aimed to mainly showcase the new fabrics and embroideries of the Shangguan Family as well as the products of Xinlan Cosmetic Shop, a business that belonged to the sisters.

The carriage drove through the gates of the Cheng En Gong Mansion and the young male servants who were in charge of greeting guests had long been waiting to welcome the distinguished guests. At this time, many carriages of the noble families were already parked in the square.

A proficient young servant placed a stepping stool near the carriage door and Shangguan Yan slowly alighted from the carriage with the help of the maid.

As soon as she appeared, she attracted a lot of attention. When the noble ladies and daughters saw her clothes and hair accessory, they stared at her.

She was adept at whatever appearance she puts on. As a man, she was confident and straightforward and when dressed in women’s clothing, she naturally paid attention to her manners and demeanor.

She is now appearing as the daughter of the Shangguan Family, therefore, she has to be gentle and dignified in her every gesture.

Her looks were inherited from her mother. Madam Shangguan was a great beauty when she was young and Master Shangguan did not take any concubines and only had one wife, Madam Shangguan. Therefore, all the eight children in the Shangguan Family were from the main wife and they also inherited the good looks of their mother. The males were handsome while the females were beautiful.

However, although Shangguan Yan was born beautiful, she was taller than an average woman, thus it was very convenient for her to traverse the business arena as a man.

Most of the outsiders knew Shangguan Yan as a man. This time, she came to the banquet in the name of her Sixth Sister, Shangguan Xin. Among the sisters in the family, it was said that the sisters who looked the most similar were she and her Sixth Sister. In addition, she has a cosmetic shop and is very familiar with the magical functions of every cosmetic product. After making good use of her makeup skills, she looked even more like her Sixth Sister.

On the way to the banquet hall, Shangguan Yan subconsciously scanned the surroundings and suddenly, noticed a familiar figure…….the Ninth Prince!

Didn’t this guy say he won’t attend? So why is he here?

She wrinkled her eyebrows.

Unexpectedly, the Ninth Prince suddenly looked over and she quickly turned her face away.

While she is pretending to be a man, she and Ninth Prince can be friends, but she must try her best to avoid meeting the Ninth Prince in her original female appearance.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed that the Ninth Prince was striding towards her.

“Hurry, let’s leave!” She urged her maid and then left with hurried footsteps.

This Ninth Prince really loves to cling to her. Besides, there was once when the Ninth Prince was drunk, he had mentioned that if she was a woman, he would surely marry her. Although she is now appearing as her Sixth Sister, she is afraid that he will take a liking to her which will eventually bring harm to Sixth Sister.

Due to her sudden increase in speed, her maid, who was trying to catch up with her and following behind her in haste accidentally collided with a young man who happened to be passing by.

“Damn! Whose maid is this?!” A servant reprimanded.

Today, all who came were distinguished guests and all have wealthy backgrounds. When Shangguan Yan’s maid was yelled at by another servant, her face turned pale in fright.

Shangguan Yan, who was walking in front, heard the scolding and immediately turned around to find that it was her maid who had bumped into someone and was being scolded by another servant. As a result, she had to walk back the way she came.

“Sorry, it’s my maid who accidentally ran into Gongzi . Please forgive her.”

She did not look at the other party and lowered her head to make a slight bow towards the other party. Then she stretched out her hand to pull her maid to leave.

“Wait…….” The other party suddenly blocked her path and she cursed silently in her heart.

Can it be she had met someone petty who insists on disputing with a woman?

She raised her eyes impatiently and when she was face to face with the other party, she was instantly stunned.

Him again! It’s Di Jing! Why is he here?!

This time, Di Jing was also staring straight at her.

The woman in front of him has beautiful features and exudes a feminine charm. She has crescent-shaped eyebrows and crimson lips and her rippling lively eyes are bright and shining. Her ice silk muslin skirt flaunted her slim and slender curves. She exudes an air of elegance and is as beautiful as the bright moon.

The moment he rested his eyes on her, he was so shocked that he could not move his eyes away because he had recognized her with just that one glance.

It’s her again! This is the third time they are meeting but this is ridiculous! Her appearance had changed once again and that means, she lied to him again!

When the two pairs of eyes met, Shangguan Yan hid the feeling of surprise in her heart. Her face would never reveal any feelings and after mingling in the business arena for many years, she was already skilled in keeping her composure. Even if she experienced any emotional changes in her heart, it would not be easily displayed on her face, so she continued to put on a pretense of being remorseful.

“My maid was not careful. Gongzi , please forgive her.”

Di Jing gathered his thoughts and the corners of his lips drooped. Then without a smile, he said sarcastically. “Miss is decked out in expensive finery from head to toe. Your family doesn’t seem to be in difficulties.” His words indicated that he had already seen through her and knew that she was the shopkeeper of the inn.

She showed a puzzled look. “ Gongzi , what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

He sneered and from the corner of his eyes, he looked at the figure of the Ninth Prince who was walking towards them and said calmly. “I don’t mind carrying on this discussion with you in front of the Ninth Prince.”

This is a threat!

Shangguan Yan wanted to continue with the pretense but when she saw the Ninth Prince was about to reach them, she had to put on a pitiful and innocent look to show her weakness.

“I have my difficulties that Gongzi won’t be able to understand. Don’t just look at my glamorous appearance, in fact, I am not favored in my family.” As she spoke, she squeezed out some tears and her tone sounded extremely aggrieved.

Di Jing was still staring straight at her tear-filled eyes that were very moving and he could not take his eyes off her. He suppressed the throbbing sensation in his heart and his face remained calm and indifferent, knowing that she might be lying to him again.

The first time he saw her, she was dressed as a woman. The second time he saw her, she said that she was a man who loves to dress up as a woman. This time, she is clearly a woman and by looking at her dressing and the maid serving beside her, she should be the daughter of a wealthy family.

Again, she says she is not favored in the family and it inevitably made him suspect that she is playing dumb again.

From the first time he laid eyes on her, he already felt this woman was very familiar. Seeing her reminded him of Ma’er and she always seemed to be hiding something which made him feel more and more suspicious of her.

Upon noticing that the Ninth Prince had arrived, he decided that for the time being he would not make things difficult for her, so he turned around and left.

Shangguan Yan also wanted to leave quickly but it was a pity that her escape was hindered by Di Jing and the clingy Ninth Prince was able to catch up with her.

“Wait……..the Shangguan Family!”

Shangguan Yan sighed and stopped her footsteps. The Ninth Prince had called out to her and it was not nice of her not to respond as there were many pairs of eyes watching them now.

Turning around, she bowed and greeted the Ninth Prince respectfully. “Your Royal Highness, the Ninth Prince.”

The Ninth Prince looked at her from head to toe. “Are you Shangguan Yan’s younger sister?”

“Yes.”

The Ninth Prince was delighted to hear this. “I knew it! You and Shangguan Yan look so much alike. Is he here?”

“Fifth Elder Brother is busy and is away handling some business.”

“Tsk…….he didn’t come……..” His words expressed his feelings of disappointment.

The Ninth Prince, Si Liuyin, was notoriously famous for not getting along with other people and was always harsh and sharp with his words. So when he suddenly took the initiative to stop a woman and spoke to her with a smile on his face, naturally, it aroused everyone’s curiosity and they directed their confused gazes at them.

If she had known the Ninth Prince would be here, Shangguan Yan would not have attended the banquet at Cheng En Gong Mansion. In addition, she did not expect to meet Di Jing here but this put her on alert and she also realized that Di Jing’s identity must certainly be extraordinary.

The Ninth Prince was still staring at her brazenly and it gave her a feeling of unease.

“If Ninth Prince does not have anything else, please allow this humble one to leave first.”

Si Liuyin nodded. “Alright. When you see your Fifth Elder Brother, extend greetings to him on my behalf.”

“Yes.” She gave a slight bow then pulling the maid along, she left in a hurry while the Ninth Prince’s gaze was still focused on her.

In her heart, Shangguan Yan was thinking that since they had already met, therefore, she need not feel afraid anymore. She attended the banquet as Shangguan Xin, and there would be a screen separating the men and women, so it would help to block her from both the Ninth Prince and Di Jing’s view.