As dusk began to fall, Su Wan went to sleep.
Adequate rest was the best skincare. The next morning, she woke up early as usual, went for a run, practiced yoga, took a bath, and even applied a hydrating cucumber mask.
Gazing at her fair, rosy complexion in the mirror, Su Wan was quite satisfied.
Then she began applying her makeup.
She didn’t use powder—at her age, youth and freshness were her most lethal weapons of innocence. A bare face was all she needed.
She only used an eyebrow pencil to add a hint of sharpness to her soft brows.
Additionally, she put great care into drawing her eyeliner.
Next, she applied pearl powder as a highlighter.
No matter how you looked at it, she appeared naturally beautiful, with not a trace of makeup visible on her face.
Only today’s carefully crafted eye makeup gave her a somewhat dashing aura.
After Jin Tao tied her hair into a high bun, she looked in the mirror again.
A heroic and spirited air greeted her.
When choosing her outfit, she deliberately selected a form-fitting dress that accentuated every curve of her waist.
To have a chance at winning over Eldest Young Master Liang, she had truly gone to great lengths.
“Miss, your attire today is completely different from before.”
Can Yan rubbed her eyes and praised in delight, “But Miss looks just as beautiful this way.”
Su Wan smiled faintly. “I’m just adapting to local customs. I’ve noticed the noble ladies of Shangjing City prefer this style of dressing.”
Jin Tao nodded beside her. “Indeed, the clothing style of northerners is quite different from ours in the south. Their attire is, well, more bold and strong.”
Having learned from Madam Zhou in advance that Eldest Young Master Liang hailed from Jiangnan, Su Wan assumed he was already accustomed to the delicate beauties of the Jiangnan water towns. Thus, she decided on a unique approach.
She deliberately applied such eye makeup and paired it with her outfit, making her appear both graceful and soft, yet with a touch of androgynous heroism.
Her attire left both Jin Tao and Can Yan in awe, while also opening Lu Jiayu’s eyes to something new.
Once in the carriage, Lu Jiayu pulled her aside, examining her from all angles.
“Sister Wan, you look like an attendant of an immortal.”
“And our Sister Jiayu looks like a fairy by the immortal’s side.”
Su Wan was particularly skilled at giving compliments. Lu Jiayu, in the prime of her youth and at the stage where beauty mattered most, naturally wanted to look her best at all times, especially since she had someone special in her heart.
Even though she knew Su Wan was flattering her, she couldn’t help but feel delighted.
“Sister Wan, you should find a noble gentleman in Shangjing City to marry and not return to Liuzhou. That way, we can stay in touch and become sisters who share everything.”
“My matters aren’t urgent. It’s you I’m more concerned about. I’ve noticed Aunt Zhou worrying about you day and night. Oh, by the way, has Young Master Chen written to you recently?”
Su Wan smoothly steered the conversation toward Lu Jiayu. The two chatted and laughed in the carriage, soon arriving at the property the Liang family had purchased in Shangjing City.
The Liang family, with their immense wealth, had bought a garden estate in the western suburbs of Shangjing City. The carriage didn’t stop at the main gate but was directly guided by Liang family servants through a side entrance.
Following the path, they rode through the Liang family garden for another stretch before finally reaching their destination.
After alighting from the carriage, Su Wan helped Lu Jiayu steady herself while carefully surveying their surroundings.
Carved beams and painted rafters, mountains, water, paths, bridges, blooming flowers, and flourishing trees—everything was present in abundance.
Indeed, regardless of the dynasty or era, those who ran banks were always immensely wealthy.
Su Wan helped adjust the red flower in Lu Jiayu’s hair bun.Lu Jiayu had come to accompany the Liang family’s young lady to her wedding, deliberately adorning her hair bun with a red flower to signify the festive occasion.
The two were led by an alert young maid to the boudoir of the Liang family’s young lady.
Upon arriving, however, Su Wan and Lu Jiayu felt somewhat awkward.
The room of the Liang family’s young lady was packed with people. The entourage of young ladies accompanying the bride already numbered eight, and with Lu Jiayu added, there were nine in total.
“You must be Sister Jiayu. I’ve often heard my mother mention you.”
The Liang family’s young lady was named Liang Fu, and true to her name, she was as beautiful as a lotus flower.
Her porcelain-white skin was tinged with a joyful blush, clearly indicating that this bride was in the happiest time of her life.
Of course, Liang Fu was marrying the third son of the Imperial Household Department.
The Imperial Household Department was responsible for managing palace gates, curtains, utensils, and even the meals for officials during court assemblies. With close ties to the royal family, it was an institution that could reach the emperor’s ears.
As the daughter of a merchant family, Liang Fu’s ability to marry into the Liu family relied on her lavish, seemingly endless dowry.
Su Wan lowered her gaze and saw that even the tips of Liang Fu’s embroidered shoes were adorned with pearls larger than a thumb.
She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—the Liang family truly possessed immense wealth and were incredibly generous.
Glancing at Liang Fu’s wedding dress and phoenix hairpins from the corner of her eye, Su Wan felt almost blinded.
Everything she saw screamed wealth.
She couldn’t help but recall how magnificent she had been in her previous life. Whenever she attended major award ceremonies, she too had worn custom-made gowns and luxurious jewelry.
But now, she was merely a beautiful but powerless and impoverished concubine’s daughter, stripped of her starlight and wealth.
Two years after transmigrating, Su Wan felt envy for the first time.
Coincidentally, having drunk too much tea, she excused herself to use the restroom.
The Liang family’s restroom was scented with incense to prevent any unpleasant odors from clinging to one’s clothes.
However, Su Wan found the scent irritating, feeling as though even the incense reeked of the stench of money. She sought out a quiet spot to sit and wait for the scent to dissipate before returning to Liang Fu’s room.
Su Wan wandered to a row of dense trees and idly plucked leaves while playing.
The Liang family was simply too wealthy. If only she could be reborn into such a family, she wouldn’t have to rely solely on her own efforts to climb the social ladder.
But as disheartening as it was, Su Wan quickly adjusted her mindset.
Everyone feels envy, and envy can be a driving force for self-improvement. Liang Fu had been fortunate in her reincarnation, but Su Wan wasn’t lacking either—at least she had retained her beauty.
With her beauty and ambition, why fear failing to climb the social ladder?
Once she secured her place among the elite, she too could live a life of opulence and luxury.
With this thought, Su Wan no longer felt so unbalanced. She wiped her hands with a handkerchief and was about to leave when she heard a sharp slap. Startled, she quickly crouched down and hid.
Through the gaps in the trees, she saw two figures standing in a corridor around the corner—one old and one young.
An elderly mammy raised her arm and slapped the young girl.
The girl covered her face and immediately burst into tears.
“Auntie, I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Since you call me Auntie, I must discipline you properly. Look at what you’re wearing—scantily clad with hairpins in your hair. Is this how a maid should look?”
This mammy, surnamed Yang, was a long-serving elder in the Liang household.
Mammy Yang took out a handkerchief and handed it to the weeping maid.
“Wipe your tears first. Don’t let anyone see you like this.”The little maid covered her mouth with a handkerchief, still crying, though her sobs were very, very soft.
At the same time, she mumbled, “All the other sisters are eagerly trying to get close to the young master. They can do it, so why can’t I?”
Mammy Yang sneered coldly, “That’s because they’re foolish. I’ve been in the Liang family for many years, and no one understands the master and madam, or the young master, better than I do.
I advise you to behave yourself and give up that idea. The young master’s bed may be easy to climb into, but what happens afterward? Once the young master grows tired of you, what then?
The eight top courtesans of Qinhuai River—which one of them wasn’t a delicate, soft beauty? The young master played with them all, but in the end, what happened? He neither redeemed them nor gave them any status.
As for maids like you who try to climb into his bed, the young master occasionally plays with them too, but their fate is always miserable—they’re driven out with a sum of silver, not even given the status of a concubine.”
Mammy Yang sighed, “Our madam has long made it clear that the young master’s wife must be a daughter of a noble family, someone who can serve as a backing for the Liang family’s business.
This time, the young master personally escorted the young lady to her wedding and will stay in Shangjing City for a while, all for the purpose of seeking a noble maiden to marry.
Our master and madam have extremely high standards. Let me give you a hint so you can give up this idea sooner.”
“Unless you were born into an official family of the third rank or above, or into a noble or aristocratic household, don’t harbor any illusions about the young master.”
The little maid still refused to give up, “I only want to be a concubine.”
Mammy Yang sneered again, “A concubine? Which high-born eldest young lady would tolerate her future husband having a concubine before she even marries him?”
These words not only chilled the little maid’s heart but also froze Su Wan’s heart to ice.