in2ebook Chapter 534: Trip to Jinxiu Villa (3)
Chapter 534: Trip to Jinxiu Villa (3)
When Bai Jinqi was thinking this, Bai Jinhua beside her obviously also noticed this. Compared with the second lady of the Yu family who was very interested, the queen obviously felt that the quality of the materials at hand was too low.
He couldn't help but become more respectful to Yu Qingli. A prince's consort who was used to good things would definitely have a guaranteed status in the palace, and in the future, her status would only be higher.
"Come here, bring up the cloth from Nanyang."
At Bai Jinqi's command, servants soon came in carefully holding several bundles of cloth. This time, Yu Qingli's eyes really lit up.
The fabric in front of me looks fresh and transparent. Although it is mainly light-colored, the patterns on it are very bright, and it is truly a top-quality product.
When Yu Zhenzhen saw this, she quickly put down the material she was selecting and walked to Yu Qingli's side. The joy in her eyes was self-evident.
"What kind of material is this? It's so thin and transparent?"
"This material is a specialty of Nanyang. It's thin, translucent, and very comfortable. I'm not sure what it was originally called, but we call it Yunbo here."
"It's a good name indeed. This thing is so precious, it might be inappropriate to only give it to us..."
Yu Zhenzhen looked a little worried, and Bai Jinhua smiled and said, "Don't worry, sister. The palace has already sent a batch over, and the fabric for the Empress's clothes this time is all made of this Yunbo."
Yu Qingli took over and said, "You are thoughtful. This material is indeed good. However, since the Queen Mother and the others have already used it, it would be inappropriate for us to use it again. How about this, the clothes in the Prince's Mansion will use the Yanxia Luo that we just used."
"Yes!"
Bai Jinqi looked at Yu Qingli with admiration. This woman was indeed thoughtful. If she stole the Queen's limelight because of a momentary preference, it would definitely be more trouble than it was worth.
After hearing this, Yu Zhenzhen realized that she had not considered it carefully. Yu Qingli was right. If they insisted on using this cloud silk, it would only make the queen unhappy. No woman wants others to steal her limelight on her birthday.
Thinking of this, Yu Zhenzhen looked at Yu Qingli with a hint of complexity. Although she was unwilling to admit it in her heart, she had to say at this moment that Yu Qingli was more suitable to be the queen than her.
After deciding on the fabric, the next step was to take measurements. Since it was Yu Zhenzhen and Yu Qingli's first time here, Bai Jinhua personally took measurements for them, while Bai Jinqi, as a man, naturally avoided it for the time being.
The flowers bloom at two ends, one on each side.
After Yu Qingli and the others followed Bai Jinqi away, Murong Feng and Bai Jinshu entered a room in the villa together. A chessboard had already been placed in the room, and on the board was a half-played chess game.
Murong Feng helped Bai Jinshu push the wooden wheelchair and said with a smile, "Brother, you are really thoughtful. You set up the chess game so quickly. Did you expect me to come here today?"
"Afeng, you're joking. I don't have that kind of skill. I'm just bored on weekdays, so I play chess with myself. But I was thinking you might come over in the next few days, but I didn't expect you to bring anyone with you."
"One of them was brought by me, and the other was sent by the Queen Mother."
"Let me guess, the one who came with you must be the prince's consort Yu Qingli disguised as a man, right? But I really didn't expect you to treat her so well all of a sudden. Didn't you say before that you were just using her?"
Murong Feng smiled but said nothing. After a long while, he spoke again, "People's feelings always change. I suddenly realized that Yu Qingli is much more interesting and infatuated than I thought."
"Oh? It looks like you, Afeng, are in love? Or have you been won over by this young lady from the Yu family? Does your stepmother know about this?"
"I haven't told my mother yet. Besides, my feelings for Qingli have only just begun to blossom. As for whether she's worthy of my continued trust, I still need to observe."
Bai Jinshu turned serious. "Afeng, it's good that you know. You should also know the secret of what we are doing now. You must not tell anyone except those you can trust. Even if it's the woman you sleep with. Moreover, these two people are from the Yu Mansion. Although Prime Minister Yu has changed his stance, he has always supported the prince. Naturally, we must be wary of him."
Murong Feng nodded very seriously. At this time, his attitude towards Bai Jinshu was very respectful, as if he was Bai Jinshu's biological brother.
In fact, the Bai family does have a close relationship with Queen Li. Before Queen Li entered the palace, she and Bai Jinshu's father were childhood sweethearts. The relationship between the two has always been very good, and they even developed to the point of discussing marriage. As a result, Murong Shiling appeared, and the marriage between the two was called off.
For this reason, Queen Li felt guilty. After all, he was the first man she fell in love with, so he was naturally different from others. So after that, Queen Li always took good care of the Bai family. Later, Bai Jinshu's parents died early, and Queen Li adopted Bai Jinshu as her adopted son and secretly became a supporter of Jinxiu Villa.
And Bai Jinshu did not disappoint Queen Li. Although he had difficulty walking due to an accident in his childhood, he still became a rare talent.
As the two were talking, they walked to a huge bookcase in the room. Bai Jinshu pressed a button on the bookcase, and the entire bookcase moved to the side. In front of them was a long secret passage.
Immediately afterwards, Murong Feng and Bai Jinshu quickly disappeared into the secret passage, and Bai Jinshi, who had come with them, silently closed the door of the secret room again.
Yu Qingli was just selecting some clothes and trying them on. She refused Bai Jinhua's invitation to accompany her, and only allowed Xiluo to follow her. After they were the only two left in the fitting room, Yu Qingli lowered her voice and asked, "Xiluo, do you think this villa is a little strange?"
Xiluo nodded slightly. "As far as a villa is concerned, this place is not too big, and there are not many servants. Another thing is that the owner of the Bai Villa is probably skilled in martial arts. And the third daughter of the Bai Mansion, Bai Jinshi, walks silently, so her martial arts skills must be quite good."
"Xiluo, this place is really weird. I've never heard Murong Feng mention Bai Jinshu before. But judging by his personality, he wouldn't be so sincere unless he knew and trusted someone very well."
"Miss, if that's the case, why don't I investigate secretly?"
"I'm afraid it's going to be difficult. Don't you see that although the Bai family seems to be very relaxed with us, they have people following them everywhere? If you leave rashly, I'm afraid it will alert the enemy. What's more, we know nothing about this place right now, so it's better to wait and see what happens."
Xiluo thought for a moment and asked, "Miss, should we inform the prince about this matter? The prince has many friends in the martial arts world, and he may know more about the Bai family than we do."
"Okay." Yu Qingli agreed to this matter decisively. Xiluo was right. Murong Yanhui had lived in the capital for a long time and should be very familiar with the Bai family. Everything would be decided after asking.
"Princess, does your dress still fit? Would you like to try another one?"
Bai Jinhua's voice came from outside. Yu Qingli and Xiluo looked at each other. The people of the Bai family were indeed cautious. This further proved that this villa was hiding some secrets.
"That's it, but it's a little tight around the waist and abdomen. I'd like to trouble you to make some minor adjustments."
As Yu Qingli spoke, she walked out with her clothes. Yu Zhenzhen, who was trying on clothes opposite her, had also come out, holding a piece of exquisitely crafted clothes in her hands.
Bai Jinhua took the clothes from Yu Qingli with a smile and marked it.
"Please wait a moment, Princess. The dress will be altered soon. You and Concubine Zhen may go to the front hall to rest for a while. Jinhua will bring the altered dress over shortly."
"Miss Jinhua, just take your time. We are not in a hurry. But I wonder if the Queen Mother's clothes are ready yet."
"My eldest brother personally took care of the Queen's clothes. They should be ready by now. Princess Consort, don't worry."
Yu Zhenzhen, who was standing by, couldn't help but become curious when she heard this. "Does the owner of the manor also make clothes?"
Bai Jinhua smiled and said, "Of course. As the owner of Jinxiu Villa, how could he not know how to make clothes? Besides, my eldest brother is also very good at embroidery. Even the embroiderers in the mansion mostly learned from him!"
Xiluo, who was standing by, couldn't help feeling a little nauseous when she heard this, imagining Bai Jinshu embroidering with an embroidery needle in his hand. Although she knew that all professions were equal, she still couldn't accept a man doing such a feminine action. Just thinking about it was a little unacceptable. But the fourth lady of the Bai family seemed very proud of having such a brother.
But speaking of it, it is indeed admirable that Bai Jinshu, as a man, can achieve such a level of skill in sewing clothes.
Yu Qingli disagreed. When she was in Jiangnan, she had seen many embroidery masters, many of whom were men. In other words, men were sometimes more active and careful in doing these things, and could better understand the thoughts of those who wanted the embroidery, and had a broader vision.
A good embroidery is not just a simple embroidery, it is like a precious painting, which can even make people who see it feel the thoughts of the embroiderer.
Yu Zhenzhen murmured upon hearing this, "It would be great if one day I could get a piece of clothing sewn by the owner of the manor himself."
Her voice was not loud, but it was just loud enough for the people in the room to hear clearly. Yu Qingli secretly found it funny. Bai Jinhua beside her took over and said, "It's not difficult. If Sister Zhenfei likes it, let big brother make one. But I'm afraid it's too late today."
Yu Qingli's eyes flickered as she came up with a good idea. She smiled and said to Yu Zhenzhen, "What Fourth Miss said makes a lot of sense. If you really want it, Zhenzhen, let His Highness go and talk to Master Bai."