Chapter 285 - 283: You Call This a Delicate Wife, a Green Tea Bitch, a Female Competitor

Words : 1338 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Shen Yinning sneered lightly, "She won’t let me return? So I just won’t return? I’ll return precisely because she doesn’t want me to." When news of Shen Yinning’s return to Lotus Alley reached Madam Gao’s ears, she was in the Hanging Flower Hall, selecting silks alongside Yin Shanshan and Gao Yun. Upon hearing it, she spat, "Why didn’t she return sooner or later, but right when Shanshan is making money? What a bad omen!" Yin Shanshan curled her lips, holding a roll of silk in her hands, "Mother, haven’t I already told you? Sister is jealous of me being favored by Zheng Lang. That’s why she stormed off to the Small Ridge Temple, hoping Zheng Lang would go coax her. She waited for him for two months, but he didn’t show up. Now, upon hearing my achievements and wealth, she panicked. Afraid that if she doesn’t return to the mansion, she’ll lose her footing completely. That’s why she hurried back in such a rush." Gao Yun rolled her eyes with contempt, mocking, "She wouldn’t let us stay at her Hot Spring Villa before, but now she has the audacity to cling to our family without leaving? That just goes to show women can’t live without men. Look, Mother mentioned promoting Shanshan to be a formal wife and she instantly panicked! But doesn’t she know that marital life requires mutual affection? Eldest Brother doesn’t like her—no amount of scheming will help her!" "Is it safe to assume you and your husband are mutually affectionate, Yun?" Yin Shanshan teased, pinching Gao Yun’s cheek, "Just look at you—this springtime glow on your face—it’s clear that you and your husband are as sweet as honey!" "Oh, stop it, Shanshan! You’re so annoying!" Blushing furiously, Gao Yun swatted away Yin Shanshan’s hand. She lowered her lashes, but her lips couldn’t help curving upward. She and Zou Dacheng weren’t sweet as honey at all. After all, they hadn’t shared a bed for nearly three months. Lately, she had been secretly in contact with the Princely Heir from the Prince Mansion. When she was a child, she had drawn a blossom lot during a game with her sisters, signifying that she would one day marry a noble husband. Who would have thought it would come true with the Princely Heir? The Heir wasn’t only nobly born and exceedingly handsome but also whispered sweet words on the bed, far better than Zou Dacheng, that block-headed lump! What is Zou Dacheng, really? In the future, she was meant to marry into the Prince Mansion as the Princely Consort! Thinking about being sisters-in-law with a woman as distinguished as the Crown Princess Consort in the future, Gao Yun felt as though she was floating on clouds. No one in the Gao family could measure up to her. Shen Yinning stepped into the Hanging Flower Hall and saw the table piled high with colorful silks. Yin Shanshan gloated, "Didn’t Sister say my ready-to-wear business wouldn’t succeed? Yet now, not only did I receive an entire shipload of silk as a reward from the Crown Prince, but I invited famed embroiderers back from Jiangnan. My boutique has officially opened, and orders are scheduled even into autumn. Just the prepaid deposits alone could scare you to death. Sister is just a backward, sheltered woman who knows nothing of the world. She’s never heard of the concept of pre-sales, nor platforms like Taobao, JD, or Pinduoduo. My business acumen is something Sister, a mere frog at the bottom of a well, could never comprehend!" Shen Yinning glanced over at the silks. Another month and summer would arrive. Though the silk quality was decent, they were clearly thick spring fabric—not ideal for summer dresses. And if her memory served her, Yin Shanshan had initially proposed quite exquisite and intricate skirt designs in the catalog. It would take at least ten days or longer just to embroider one piece; if the delivered skirts didn’t match the advertised artwork, the noble ladies wouldn’t accept them. She couldn’t understand where Yin Shanshan got her confidence. Shen Yinning fluttered her gold-inlaid small folding fan, "Have the skirts been embroidered yet, Sister?" "...Not yet. But they’re almost done." "Perhaps once the skirts have been finished and delivered to the customers, Sister should then boast about your accomplishments to me." "Who are you underestimating?!" Yin Shanshan couldn’t help but stand akimbo in anger, "You suddenly return, purely because you sensed a crisis from me, didn’t you? You make these pessimistic remarks deliberately to dampen my enthusiasm, don’t you? You’re a useless, cloistered wife who can’t stand seeing other women achieve success and shine like men. Back in our era, a woman like you would be called a green tea, a pampered trophy wife, a competitor among women! Do you even understand?!" "Exactly!" Gao Yun chimed in, "Shen Yinning, how dare you compare yourself to Shanshan? Shanshan making money through business is an inspiration to all women. You, on the other hand, are useless to my brother. I don’t even know why he married you!" Madam Gao also glared at Shen Yinning indignantly, "Zheng’s stipend isn’t nearly enough to cover expenses. Our family relies entirely on Shanshan now, and here you are, saying these ill-omened things just as our boutique opens? Are you trying to jinx its success?!" And with that, as if truly afraid Shen Yinning’s words would curse the boutique, the three women clasped their hands together and began fervently praying to Bodhisattva and Buddha. Shen Yinning was speechless. The women of the Gao family were truly something else. If her words were really so potent, would she need to go through all the trouble of winning over Lu Ying? Revenge wouldn’t even matter—she could aim for becoming Emperor. You can’t reason with willfully ignorant fools. She shook her gold-inlaid fan as she left the Hanging Flower Hall, turning down the corridor only to run into Gao Yun chasing after her. Gao Yun cleared her throat awkwardly, "Um, weren’t you once the youngest daughter of the Duke Mansion? You must know a few nannies and palace maids from the palace, right?" Shen Yinning scrutinized her, "Why do you ask?" "I want to learn the rules and etiquette of the palace." "What for?" Gao Yun bit her lip. She was destined to be the consort of the Princely Heir of the Prince Mansion, accompanying Lu Jiazhe to palace banquets frequently. Palace etiquette and manners must be learned quickly to avoid scrambling and embarrassment later. Under Shen Yinning’s curious gaze, Gao Yun snapped impatiently, "Why care about why I’m learning them? Just find me two nannies to teach me. They must train me thoroughly in one month! If you do this properly, I might consider putting in a good word for you with Eldest Brother, at least making sure you’re not left to languish alone in your matrimonial chamber." Shen Yinning noted the faint blush on Gao Yun’s ear and suddenly recalled glimpsing her two months ago having a tete-a-tete with Lu Jiazhe’s guard, mistaking him for Lu Jiazhe himself. She raised her brow slightly. Could her nominal sister-in-law... Honestly think she’d ensnared Aze and become the Princely Consort? Unable to contain her amusement, she broke into laughter. Gao Yun was left fuming, "What are you laughing at?! Are you looking down on me?! I may come from humble beginnings, but do you even know how high I’ll climb in the future?!" "I wouldn’t dare look down on you," Shen Yinning hid her smile behind her fan, leaving only her delicate upturned phoenix eyes visible, "Rest assured, Yun. I’ll handle it. I’ll find you the finest nanny for your training." Satisfied, Gao Yun finally departed. Shen Yinning returned to her courtyard and directly summoned Nanny Chen, instructing her to personally teach Gao Yun rules and etiquette. She herself rested for a day, and by the next morning, headed to pay respects to Empress Dowager Li and her teacher. Yet unexpectedly, she ran into Cui Ji in her teacher’s study.

Chapter 285 - 283: You Call This a Delicate Wife, a Green Tea Bitch, a Female Competitor

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