The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 9 Support
Upon hearing this, the garden fell silent instantly.

Those young ladies who had initially looked down on Zhiwan now looked at her with caution.

They all came from aristocratic families, so they naturally understood the significance of Wei's immediate support for Zhiwan.

This shows they really value Zhiwan.

Regardless of whether they were convinced or not, at this moment, everyone put away their contempt for Zhiwan.

After all, they had to consider the power of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

Several clever young ladies immediately vied to take Zhiwan's hand.

"Miss Zhiwan, let's admire the flowers together."

“Miss Zhiwan is more familiar with this Duke Dingguo’s mansion than we are. Miss Zhiwan, why don’t you show us around?”

Zhiwan was not used to being so intimate with strangers, but she did not want to disappoint her aunt's kindness, so she smiled and greeted the few young ladies who came up to her, "Okay."

Madam Wei was very satisfied and instructed, "Wan'er, you are the hostess, so you must treat the guests well."

Her face was kind and approachable, a stark contrast to her earlier confrontation with the young ladies. However, her words made everyone even more cautious.

The Duchess of Dingguo had no daughters, so she clearly treated Zhiwan as her own daughter.

After today, I'm afraid no one will dare to look down on this orphan girl, Zhiwan. Those who want to curry favor with the Duke of Dingguo's family will surely praise her to the skies.
Zhiwan no longer needs to worry about marriage.

Zhiwan understood her aunt's intention and was grateful. She said to Wei Shi, "Aunt, then I will take them for a stroll."

"Go ahead," Madam Wei said with a smile, waving her hand with a look of affection.

Not far away, Lu Xin, who witnessed this scene, was so angry that she crumpled the flowers in her hand.

That bitch Zhiwan, what right does she have?
And her dear aunt, she only thinks of outsiders. By praising Zhiwan so highly, she, a proper young lady, is made to look worse than an orphan.

Lu Xin was both jealous and resentful.

Unbeknownst to Zhiwan, a pair of venomous eyes were watching her from afar. Surrounded by a group of young ladies, she was enjoying the flowers, composing poems, and chatting in the garden.

The luncheon was held in a waterside pavilion, with a screen separating the men's and women's tables. Everyone could drink and eat, enjoy the scenery, and compose poems, which was a win-win situation.

Just as Zhiwan and her tired ladies sat down, a voice suddenly rang out beside them, "Is this seat empty?"

Zhi Wan turned her head and realized that a round-faced girl had sat down next to her without her noticing.

"You are..." Zhiwan looked at her in surprise. Among the young ladies who had been admiring the flowers with her, it seemed that this girl was not one of them.

"My name is Ouyang Zhenzhu." The round-faced girl introduced herself confidently, resting her chin on her hand.

Zhiwan nodded. "So it's Miss Ouyang."

Ouyang Zhenzhu looked at her with a smile, "I've heard of you before, but I've never had the chance to meet you. Today I'm so glad to finally meet you."

Zhiwan was surprised, "You've heard of me?"

“My brother, Ouyang Lei, is the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He works with your cousin. I’ve heard my brother mention you before,” Ouyang Zhenzhu said.

"I see." Zhiwan nodded.

She had met Ouyang Lei a few times.

While eating, Ouyang Zhenzhu asked, "What do you usually do for entertainment?"

What does she usually do for entertainment?
Zhiwan blinked and said demurely, "I usually read books, paint, and admire flowers."

"Even your leisure time is so elegant, Sister Wan'er." Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly felt a little ashamed of herself.

No wonder her mother always complained about her; she couldn't do this or that, and she didn't act like a proper young lady at all.

In comparison, she is indeed quite useless.

"And what about your cousin? What does he do on a daily basis?" Ouyang Zhenzhu seized the opportunity to ask. Zhiwan paused, vaguely understanding why the other party had become so close to her.

Another admirer of my cousin.

“I’m not close to my cousin, so I don’t know what he does on a daily basis,” Zhi Wan said truthfully.

"No way, we live under the same roof and we're not familiar with each other?" Ouyang Zhenzhu obviously didn't believe it, and nudged her arm with her elbow, winking, "I'm different from them, just tell me."

Zhiwan looked at her sincerely, "Really, I haven't seen my cousin for half a year now."

Disappointment was undisguised on Ouyang Zhenzhu's face.

Zhiwan looked at her and couldn't help but say, "Instead of asking me about my cousin, you'd be better off asking your brother. Isn't your brother the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review? He works with my cousin every day, so he should know my cousin better."

Speaking of her brother, Ouyang Zhenzhu pouted, "My brother... he's not even as good as an outsider." She said this through gritted teeth.

Zhiwan: "..."

Seeing the two whispering and chatting happily, Lu Xin's eyes flashed with malice, and she deliberately chose to sit at the same table as them.

Upon seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Zhiwan's eyes.

She was just looking forward to teaching Lu Xin a lesson when Lu Xin delivered herself right to her doorstep.

“Zhiwan, Young Master Wang said that he fell into the water because you pushed him!” Lu Xin stared at her hatefully and suddenly shouted.

Upon hearing this, the young ladies at the table looked at Zhiwan in surprise.

The incident of Wang Zeren falling into the water caused quite a stir. Everyone went to watch and even laughed at him, but no one knew why he fell into the water.

Upon hearing what Lu Xin said, the young ladies couldn't help but start to have doubts.

Could it be that Zhiwan really pushed Wang Zeren into the water?
But why did she do that?
Ouyang Zhenzhu looked at Zhiwan curiously, "Was it really you who pushed Wang Zeren?"

Zhi Wan glanced at Lu Xin, who had a malicious look on her face, but she remained calm and instead looked surprised, "Who is Young Master Wang?"

Before Lu Xin could speak, she looked at Lu Xin with timid eyes and shrank her shoulders, saying, "I know you have never liked me, that you think I eat and drink for free in the Duke's mansion, that you don't like me and always humiliate me, but I can tolerate all of that. But for you to fabricate facts to slander me like this today is really, really too much... Could you... could you call that Young Master Wang to confront me face to face?"

Upon hearing this, the young ladies immediately felt sympathy for her, never expecting that Zhiwan's situation in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was so difficult.

Although she was loved by the Duchess of Dingguo, she couldn't always be taken care of. Moreover, the people under her were used to being two-faced, and Zhiwan, being a timid and cowardly little orphan, could only suffer losses.

Judging from the looks of it, Lu Xin has bullied Zhi Wan quite a bit. Look how scared Zhi Wan is!

Now, they still want to smear Zhiwan, which is really going too far.

For a time, the young ladies were filled with righteous indignation and stood up for Zhiwan.

"Lu Xin, don't go too far," Ouyang Zhenzhu was the first to rebuke.

"That's right, what are you up to by slandering Zhiwan with such baseless accusations?"

"Don't be so immoral. It's one thing to bully someone in private, but to do it in public is quite another."

"Lu Xin, you are so vicious!"

Lu Xin watched as Zhi Wan feigned pitifulness and tried to gain sympathy in front of the young ladies, and her eyes widened in anger. Now, seeing the young ladies all talking at once to criticize her, she gritted her teeth in hatred.

She pointed at Zhiwan and said angrily, "Don't be fooled by her appearance. She's not like this at all in private. She's very formidable."

"So you mean that you couldn't beat Zhiwan in private, and you were resentful, so you deliberately slandered her in front of everyone? Lu Xin, you're shameless!" Ouyang Zhenzhu said with a look of disdain.

Lu Xin was so angry that she lost all reason and shouted, "It was she who pushed Young Master Wang into the pool! I didn't slander her!"

"Lu Xin, who do you think pushed Young Master Wang?" Hearing the commotion, Madam Wei walked over, looking at her with a deep, warning gaze.

(End of this chapter)