The mistress just wanted to be bad, but she took off after being replaced

Upon hearing this, Si Qi glared at Sun Xiuniang fiercely, then casually moved a stool and sat next to Sheng Junwei without any courtesy.

Pei Yu, who was left out, could only remain silent helplessly in the face of this situation.

Although everyone present had complaints about Si Qi's joining, due to the presence of Pei Yu, the only son of the prime minister, no one dared to drive her away. They could only restrain their emotions and continue to admire Hua Chang.

At this moment, Sheng Ruijiao rarely found fault and was immersed in the joy of victory.

However, a trace of deep uneasiness flashed across Sun Xiu Niang's eyes. She looked at her daughter quietly, only to see her daughter give her a comforting look, as if telling her that everything was under control.

With her daughter's encouragement, Sun Xiu Niang managed to calm herself down and tried to look calm and composed.

Everything went as expected and on the surface there seemed to be no problems.

However, Sun Xiu Niang could never completely calm down the inexplicable uneasiness in her heart, which was an anxiety that came from the bottom of her heart.

According to the rules of the viewing banquet, after the display comes the exciting purchasing session.

The purchasing process is similar to an auction. The building gives a reserve price for each item, and then the guests present bid freely. The highest bidder can win the item they like.

The original plan was to auction eighteen gorgeous dresses today, but unfortunately the dress that He Siqi had carefully made was stolen, and now there are only fifteen gorgeous dresses left for sale.

Each dress has a starting price of three thousand taels of silver, a price that is enough to demonstrate the preciousness and uniqueness of these gorgeous dresses.

After the auction started, the scene was once plunged into a fierce competition.

Three skirts were bought by three discerning guests at a price of 3,500 taels each.

Afterwards, three more skirts were sold at the high price of 6,100 taels of silver.

What is even more amazing is that one of the fish, named “Late Autumn”, was sold at a staggering price of 13,000 taels of silver, causing an uproar in the audience.

The skirt named "Maple Leaf", which was second only to "Late Autumn" in value, was bought by Pei Yu on behalf of Sheng Junwei.

Sheng Junwei smiled slightly and understood Pei Yu's actions.

The viewing party ended in a heated bidding atmosphere. Although there were some minor incidents during the period, it ended successfully in the end.

However, the uneasiness in Sun Xiu Niang's heart did not dissipate, but became even stronger.

She knew that the real storm might still be behind...

At this moment, the moonlight is like silver, sprinkling on every corner of the courtyard.

Sheng Ruijiao, wearing a gorgeous long dress named "Deep Autumn", walked slowly into the moonlight.

Sheng Ruijiao smiled brightly. She turned to Sheng Junwei beside her and said with joy, "Sister, look, aren't the wheat ears on this 'Late Autumn' skirt vivid? Aunt loves to collect beautiful skirts. If I send it to the palace, she will be very happy."

As she spoke, she seemed to have seen the surprise and appreciation on Concubine Sheng's face when she received the skirt.

However, when Sheng Junwei heard this, she sighed softly, and a hint of helplessness appeared between her eyebrows.

She advised earnestly: "Rui Jiao, if you don't want to make your aunt hate you, you'd better not do such a stupid thing. Things in the palace are far from as simple as you think."

Concubine Sheng, the younger sister of Minister Sheng, has been deeply favored by the emperor since she entered the palace because of her peerless beauty and outstanding talent.

As a third-rank official in the court, Minister Sheng was able to marry his two daughters to the Duke's Mansion and the Prime Minister's Mansion respectively. The influence of Concubine Sheng's favor undoubtedly played a key role in this.

Everyone in the Sheng family is proud of this, and whenever they mention this matter, they all look proud.

If the emperor was not old enough to be the grandfather of Sheng Junwei and her sister, and all the princes had already married their principal wives and there were no vacancies for concubines, Minister Sheng would probably have already considered sending his daughters to the palace to further consolidate the family's status.

For Sheng Junwei, not having any connection with the royal family is a blessing in disguise.

And Sheng Ruijiao, perhaps because she was certain that Zhang Tianshun would be crowned a king of a different surname in the future, didn't care at all.

At this moment, Sheng Ruijiao heard Sheng Junwei's dissuasion, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She stared at Sheng Junwei pitifully, her voice trembling slightly: "Sister, are you afraid that I will steal your limelight?"

The noble ladies beside them all whispered to each other when they saw this. One of them couldn't hold back and said bluntly, "Madam Pei, you are so ridiculous! Madam Zheng Sanshao is the real daughter of the Sheng family and the niece of Concubine Sheng. Even without this dress, Concubine Sheng would definitely prefer her to you."

Facing such sharp sarcasm, Sheng Junwei did not get angry. Instead, she looked at Sheng Ruijiao with a smile and said, "If you don't believe me, send it over now and see whether Concubine Sheng praises you or scolds you for being stupid."

Sheng Junwei's behavior seemed quite strange, which not only made Sheng Ruijiao feel inexplicably uneasy, but also made the noble ladies watching around her fall into confusion.

Sun Xiu Niang was even more anxious.

Shen Xiner noticed her mother's nervousness, and quickly held her hand, whispering to comfort her: "Mom, don't worry, Madam Sheng and that bitch are on the same side, and this is to support her. But there is no evidence, they can't make any waves."

Although Shen Xiner's comfort temporarily calmed Sun Xiu Niang, the uneasiness in her heart did not dissipate.

Sheng Junwei keenly caught the subtle changes in Sun Xiu Niang. She glanced at Sun Xiu Niang calmly, then turned to Pei Yu: "You are well-read, so you should understand what I mean, right?"

Although Pei Yu didn't know much about women's preferences, his keen observation skills came in handy at this moment.

His eyes were fixed on the flowing patterns on the hem of the skirt. Those lifelike ears of wheat seemed to sway gently in the breeze, but their existence was out of place with the theme of this gorgeous dress - "late autumn".

"This wheat ear is clearly a symbol of summer, how can it match the strong autumnal feeling of 'late autumn'?"

Sheng Junwei obviously caught the doubt in Pei Yu's eyes. She clapped her hands gently and said, "Pei is indeed a great talent. He has a keen eye and his reputation is well-deserved."

When Pei Yu heard this, a blush suddenly appeared on his cheeks for some reason.

Normally, he was accustomed to people's compliments, and even managed to remain calm about those words of praise. He neither accepted them completely out of excessive arrogance nor rejected them completely out of humility.

Sheng Junwei didn't notice Pei Yu's subtle emotional fluctuations, and urged Si Qi directly: "Okay, Si Qi, stop keeping us in suspense and reveal the answer quickly."

Si Qi stood up in response, and as she moved, a few strands of hair on her chest danced gently with her gestures.

She turned her eyes to Sun Xiu Niang and her daughter, full of contempt and ridicule: "You two ignorant women, don't you know that there are no ears of wheat in autumn?"

Sun Xiuniang looked at Si Qi in astonishment. The blood instantly drained from her face and she became as pale as paper.