Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 418 Jewelry(2)_1

Chapter 418: Chapter 418 Jewelry(2)_1

Cai Wei managed a laugh, just about to reply, when she heard Du Wanru, the eldest daughter of the second room, scoff with a cold laugh, "The eldest sister surely shines, with her yearly visits to the palace to broaden her horizons. It’s quite a pity, though, after so many visits, she’s still a solitary figure, squandering our valued spot from Duke An’s Mansion."

Caught off guard by Du Wanru’s mocking words, Du Wanqiu was left speechless for a moment. After gathering her thoughts, she replied scornfully, "I only attend to feast at the Empress’s banquet, without any ulterior motives. Unlike some people who, for the sake of clinging to the dragon and phoenix, are even willing to play the role of a maid, not worrying about demeaning themselves!"

Understanding the situation, Cai Wei realized that the Du Wan sisters were planning to enter the palace, posing as their maids.

It seemed that Duke An’s Mansion was going to the extent of shamelessness in order to cling onto power and nobility.

However, Du Wanqiu wasn’t willing to bring the sisters along. Using Cai Wei’s situation, she was subtly mocking them. Du Wanqiu’s unwillingness to bring the twin sisters along was not only due to fear of being outshone, but mainly because her mother, Lady Guo, and Du Wanru’s mother, Lady Wang, have always been at loggerheads.

Although Lady Wang and Lady Guo were sisters-in-law, they were almost at the brink of breaking off their relationship due to disputes over control of the family finances. On the surface, they maintained a facade of harmony, but their relationship was sour within.

Madam Guo, the lady of the primary family line, had always considered herself to be in charge of Duke An’s Mansion’s finances. However, Old Madame Wang didn’t trust Madam Guo with the handling of such large amounts of family wealth. Weighing the options, she decided to have her own niece, the second lady Wang, and Madam Guo jointly handle the family finances.

However, in reality, the second room’s Lady Wang had accumulated most of the power, leaving the main room’s family practically marginalized. Despite the resentment in Madam Guo’s heart, she didn’t dare to display it outright, and could only vent a bit by murmuring and complaining to her children privately.

Regularly hearing of her mother’s grievances, Du Wanqiu naturally sided with her mother and carried a grudge against the Du Wanru sisters. Moreover, the sisters had no liking for Du Wanqiu, and disapproved of her parading around under the title of the eldest granddaughter of Duke An, always getting the better end of the stick. Consequently, whenever these sisters met, it was inevitable for them to squabble and bicker.

After being mocked by Du Wanqiu, the Du Wan sisters wouldn’t admit defeat. Du Wanyue gave a few cold laughs and said, "We sisters are merely following grandmother’s orders to gain experience from the festivities in the palace and possibly get fortune rubbed off on us. Otherwise, if the eldest sister remains unmarried, we sisters might not get a chance to witness it."

She was plainly mocking Du Wanqiu for not finding a satisfactory in-law house, while making it clear that they had no ulterior motive for entering the palace. But in fact, the second house family had already decided last night to let the two daughters enter the palace as maids along with Cai Wei and Wanqiu. If they got a chance, they would make the best of it to socialize with other influential figures, otherwise, it would be difficult to find a suitable son-in-law with their minor sixth-rank official status.

Duke An’s Mansion was just an empty title with no real power and after three generations without a successor, it had come to Du Ruohai. Seeing the declining state of his own family, how could they not be anxious? They wouldn’t miss any opportunity to turn things around.

The Du Wan sisters were beautiful and had high expectations. Despite the swarming mediators from families of all status visiting their home daily, none caught their eye. They always dreamed of following the league of their eldest aunt, having a chance to catch the eye of the nobility, and thereby soaring into the skies.

Their eldest aunt was noticed by their great uncle at the Shangsi Festival feast during her performance of "Phoenix Seeking Phoenix." Now she was the wife of the nation’s great general, a noble lady of the first rank acknowledged by the court, and deeply respected by her uncle. Every time she appeared, she was fawned over and flattered, just like the moon surrounded by stars, exceptional and extraordinary.