Free Web NovelChapter 649: Chapter 648: Lowering Their Status
The new coachman arrived early this morning to report for duty. He is a man in his thirties, silent and reticent, named Gu Heng.
As he was about to hit someone, Gu Heng pulled the reins and steadily brought the carriage to a stop.
Xia Wenjin squinted her eyes, and Nanny Zhou had already lifted the curtain, looking out from inside the carriage. There were three carriages just in front of Xia Wenjin’s, which had just come to a halt. As the passengers disembarked and were about to leave, they noticed Xia Wenjin’s inconspicuous carriage.
The plain blue cloth carriage was out of place among the luxurious ones.
Among those from the three carriages, the man on the left wore a suit of bright green brocade clothes, which, instead of making him look lively and energetic, only highlighted his pale face, as if he were malnourished.
The other two were young women, around the ages of fifteen or sixteen, clearly unmarried girls of eligible age.
After all, young married ladies were seldom invited to such gatherings.
Though engaged couples would receive invitations, they seldom attended such parties.
After all, these gatherings, regardless of the host, generally aimed to allow the young ladies and gentlemen of the Capital City’s circles to socialize and get acquainted, showcase talents and possibly gain fame. But there was another implicit yet very real purpose: to allow these young people to subtly assess each other from a distance, potentially leading to matchmaking and good marriages.
Although a single encounter might not reveal a person’s character and temperament, it was certainly better than blindly marrying someone only discovered on the wedding night!
Therefore, almost everyone invited would attend these gatherings, especially when hosted by someone of status like the Seventeenth Princess; receiving an invitation was a supreme honor!
After all, an event hosted by a Royal Princess would be selective in its invitations.
This is where social standing and family background truly come into play; children of officials below the fifth rank could hardly hope for such an invitation.
So an invitation had already weeded out a large group of people.
Now, a carriage that could almost be considered shabby suddenly appeared and parked next to theirs, practically lowering their perceived status.
It was the attendant of the young man in green clothes who spoke.
The young man in green wore an arrogant expression, perhaps managing a controlled demeanor to maintain an image in front of the two young women. Though restrained, he couldn’t hide the disdain and contempt in his eyes.
The two young women glanced over, disdain evident in their eyes as well.
Nanny Zhou sighed inwardly, having anticipated such a situation, but there was nothing to be done now. She turned to look at Xia Wenjin, who appeared calm and unruffled.
Xia Wenjin knew all three of them. The young man in green was Geng Shuang, the son of General Geng Yan of the Imperial Guard. Although he was the son of a Military General, he liked to pretend to be refined, donning green clothes and carrying a folding fan, trying to appear graceful but ending up looking rather absurd, yet he remained unaware of it.
The young woman in yellow on the left was Luo Fu, daughter of Luo Zheng, a Guanglu Doctor, and the one in purple on the right was Xu Man, daughter of Xu Yong’an, the Xuanping Marquis.
They were attended by servants, nannies, and maids, forming an impressive entourage of three masters and over ten servants.
Geng Shuang’s attendant still blocked the carriage in front, preventing it from moving forward.
Xia Wenjin asked, "What’s happening?"
There was a hint of smug mockery in Geng Shuang’s eyes, clearly condoning his attendant’s actions. However, upon seeing Xia Wenjin’s appearance under the curtain, a fleeting amazement crossed his eyes, and his expression turned blank.
His attendant, accustomed to showing off, immediately spoke harshly, "Your shabby carriage is not allowed to park next to ours!"
The carriages were parked in sequence, so Xia Wenjin’s carriage would indeed end up next to theirs.
Nanny Zhou was about to speak when Xia Wenjin lightly pressed her hand. With such a trivial issue, she could handle it herself. She frowned and said, "Whose servant is this? So ill-mannered?"
Geng Shuang still looked dazed, not even hearing what Xia Wenjin said.
The attendant shrank slightly under the girl’s cool gaze but quickly straightened up again, saying, "My master is from the General Mansion of General Geng, and who are you? You better watch out if you offend my master!"
Xia Wenjin’s gaze skimmed past Geng Shuang, and she said indifferently, "Mr. Geng, keep your dog on a leash! Don’t let it bark around randomly!"
"Huh, what? Yes, yes!" Geng Shuang snapped back to reality, instinctively responding because a beauty was speaking to him. After responding, he even turned back and asked, "What happened?"
His attendant was furious, complaining, "Master, she called me a dog!"
Geng Shuang immediately showed displeasure. Even in front of this beauty, he believed that a woman without status or background was merely a plaything. And the face of the General Mansion could not be tarnished.
Moreover, with Miss Luo and Miss Xu present, one boasting a distinguished family and the other charming looks, he was undecidedly swaying between proposing to one of them. Now was the time to impress them.
He quickly shook off his infatuation and sternly said, "Who are you to insult the servants of my mansion?"
Though Xia Wenjin was a businesswoman, she was also a person of the Jianghu, and in her previous life, she was more of a decisive Grand Prince Consort, assisting an ordinary Imperial Grandson in ascending to the position of Grand Prince, clearing obstacles, and becoming Emperor.
As a businesswoman, she was adaptable and resourceful, but people of the Jianghu value straightforwardness and settling grievances openly. Her past experiences often drove her decisive actions, bearing the power and momentum of someone who had been in charge.
Although the three people weren’t particularly high-ranking in the grand event, their snobbish attitudes upset Xia Wenjin. She wouldn’t ingratiate herself just for business!
If people don’t provoke her, she won’t provoke them, but Geng Shuang clearly intended to step on her face to show off in front of the two young women, who only wanted to see a joke at her expense. Why should she be polite?
They were about ten zhang away from the parking spot—neither too far nor too close—while the road was wide enough for luxurious carriages.
Usually, once people got out of the carriages, there would be no conflict with those behind.
But Geng Shuang’s attendant and servants were blocking the way. Geng Shuang and those two women were not in the middle of the road, but with so many people standing around, the road was cramped.
Though Xia Wenjin’s carriage was small, it might still bump into things.
Xia Wenjin glanced over, saying indifferently, "It’s not your place to ask who I am!" Then, ignoring Geng Shuang and the others, she told Gu Heng, "Just park in the parking area. Don’t mind anyone who blocks the way; just crash through. If something breaks, it’s their own fault!"
