I Am This Type of Woman

Seeing Junzhu so angry, the old woman's heart felt even more bitter: "It's Lady Ban. This old servant heard that Marquis Jingting's Residence is buying up white fox furs all over the capital, just because Lady Ban said she needed them."

Kangning was so furious she almost spat out blood.

Marquis Jingting's Residence again!

Could that little wretch Ban Hua never settle down?!

As a Junzhu, in order to avoid arousing the current Emperor's suspicion, she had to be careful in everything she did, paying attention to every detail. She didn't dare to be extravagant in her food, clothing, housing, or transportation, for fear that the Emperor would find fault with her family. Even though her status was higher than Ban Hua's, it was Ban Hua who was more favored in the palace. Even outside the palace, people were more in awe of Ban Hua than of her, a Junzhu.

Seeing Kangning's face turn pale with anger, the old woman felt both distressed and helpless, so she could only advise: "Junzhu, that Lady Ban is a reckless person. Our kind of family shouldn't lower ourselves to her level."

Kangning slammed the teacup in her hand onto the ground and said sharply: "I will repay today's humiliation tenfold in the future."

She had thought that after Ban Hua's marriage engagements had been broken off several times, she would learn to be more discreet. Who would have thought that she wouldn't learn her lesson at all and would continue to act as she pleased?

She didn't understand. As a woman, Ban Hua had been rejected by men several times. Didn't she have any shame at all?

"It's only a few months into the year, and there are no white fox furs left?" Wang Ada looked at the furs presented by the various merchants and shook his head. "These furs all have mixed colors. Although our Lord Bo isn't picky, he can't wear a fox fur coat with mixed colors."

The shop manager had also anticipated that Cheng'an Bo's buyer wouldn't be satisfied with the furs he brought this time, so he wasn't disappointed. Instead, he said with a forced smile: "Manager Wang, these are indeed the best furs in our shop. This humble one wouldn't dare to deceive you."

"The best?" Wang Ada sneered. "Do you think I've never seen good furs before?"

"Manager Wang, you don't know. Our shop originally had two of the best furs, but just two days ago, the steward of Grand Princess Dening's Residence came personally to buy furs from our shop. How could we, as merchants, offend such important people? So we had to let the steward take those two best furs."

"Grand Princess Dening's Residence?" Wang Ada was stunned. At Grand Princess Dening's age, could she still wear such bright colors?

"Yes, it was indeed the steward from Grand Princess Dening's Residence. However, this humble one heard that these furs were bought by the Grand Princess for her granddaughter. As for whether this news is true or false, this humble one doesn't know." The shop manager didn't dare to gossip about the royal family, so after telling Wang Ada this news, he didn't say another word.

Hearing this, Wang Ada's expression softened considerably. "I understand. You may leave."

"Yes." Seeing that the buyer's face wasn't unpleasant, the shop manager secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Cheng'an Bo's Residence was a reasonable place, otherwise he might have suffered today.

Wang Ada reported this matter to the steward, who then relayed it to the housekeeper. However, the story changed slightly as it was passed along.

"You say Lady Ban took the furs our buyer had his eye on?" Rong Xia was painting when he heard the housekeeper's report. He chuckled softly. "The young lady likes these fluffy white things. Let her have them."

"Yes." The housekeeper stood before Rong Xia, not daring to breathe.

"By the way," Rong Xia slowly put down his brush and looked up at the housekeeper. "The tangerines we bought last time didn't agree with me. Dispose of them."

"Yes." The housekeeper bowed lower.

Rong Xia put his hands behind his back, his gaze falling on the painting. It depicted an old man riding a crane and holding a peach of immortality.

"Sister, are you collecting so many white fox furs to build a nest or something?" Ban Heng had seen people delivering white fox furs every day for the past few days. Some were complete, some had flaws, and the prices varied.

"I'm going to use them to make clothes, cloaks, hand warmers, hair ornaments. I'm worried that these furs won't be enough," Ban Hua flipped through the small booklet in her hand, which recorded the various items in her small storehouse. "If there are any left over, I'll make you a scarf."

"After spending so much silver, you're only thinking of making me a scarf? You're so generous." Ban Heng reached for a pastry on the table. "The Emperor is going hunting in the western suburbs in a few days. Are you going?"

"Yes, of course I'm going," Ban Hua said with a hint of excitement. "I've specially prepared several outfits for this autumn hunt."

For example, one of the riding outfits took several embroiderers nearly a month to make, just so she could make a dazzling appearance at this year's autumn hunt. If she didn't go, wouldn't it be a waste of the riding outfit she had specially commissioned?

Ban Heng looked at Ban Hua with sympathy. With his sister's abilities, she was hopeless at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Only during hunts could she compete with other noble ladies.

"Hua Hua," Madam Yin walked in. Seeing both siblings there, she placed the box in her hand in front of Ban Hua. "This hairpin was left to me by your maternal grandmother. I haven't worn it much all these years. When you were little, you asked me for it, but I was worried you wouldn't be careful and would break it, so I didn't give it to you."

Madam Yin opened the box and took out the hairpin. The stem of the hairpin was clear and transparent, and the head was somehow fired into a brilliant red color, like a few hawthorn berries placed on ice, clear and bright, red as fire.

"I thought that when winter comes, you'll look beautiful wearing a white fox fur coat and this red hairpin." Madam Yin inserted the hairpin into Ban Hua's hair and clapped her hands in satisfaction.

"My daughter is truly the most beautiful in the entire capital!"

Although a mother always sees her own child as the best, this hairpin did indeed complement Ban Hua's flower-like face.

"Thank you, Mother." Ban Hua took Madam Yin's arm and shook it, acting coquettishly.

"Oh, you," Madam Yin tapped her forehead and couldn't help but laugh. "If your grandmother hadn't passed away so early, how could I have married your father?"

"What's wrong with marrying me?" Ban Huai had just reached the door when he heard his wife's words. He walked over to Ban Hua and sat down, looking aggrieved. "We already have two children, and you still dislike me."

Madam Yin didn't even look at his aggrieved expression. "Whether I dislike you or not, don't you know yourself?"

Ban Huai was a notorious dandy in the capital back then. Which family of equal social standing would be willing to marry their daughter to him? Only she, whose birth mother had died early, whose father was cold and unfeeling, and whose stepmother was a vicious woman, ended up marrying Ban Huai. Life after marriage wasn't as difficult as she had imagined. Although Ban Huai was a dandy, he hadn't picked up vices like lust or gambling. In fact, he was just a bit lazy and playful. In other aspects, he wasn't really like a dandy.

"Want some?" Ban Heng picked a jujube cake from the plate and offered it to Ban Hua, not even glancing at his parents who were arguing about who was more aggrieved. He said lazily, "I've specifically inquired. Many talented young men will be going on this autumn hunt. Go and see if there's anyone you fancy."

Ban Hua found the jujube cake a bit too sweet and threw it back to Ban Heng. "You spend a lot of time outside. Are there any men in the capital who are tall and straight, have an outstanding temperament, have beautiful hands, and like to wear black clothes?"

The man in her dream always seemed to wear black, patterned clothes, making him look extremely luxurious at first glance.

"Black clothes?" Ban Heng didn't mind that the jujube cake was thrown back by Ban Hua. He tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it in a few bites before saying, "There are some with tall and straight figures, and some with outstanding temperaments. There should be some with beautiful hands, but I haven't noticed. It's hard to find someone who meets all three criteria and also likes to wear black."

Why would he pay attention to whether other men's hands were beautiful?

"Really none?" Ban Hua cupped her face in her hands. "Think again carefully."

"In the capital, those who are known as gentlemen and are also good-looking always wear light-colored clothes. Why would they wear black or gray? How could they pretend to be gentlemen then?" Ban Heng said exasperatedly. "Just like how none of the talented women and beauties in the capital dress as brightly as you do. Understand?"

Ban Hua rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with me dressing brightly? I'm beautiful!"

Ban Heng looked at Ban Hua a few times and had to admit that his sister was indeed very beautiful. However, for the sons of aristocratic families who were good at putting on an act, even if they were somewhat interested in his sister, in order to appear as upright gentlemen who didn't indulge in beauty and only valued a woman's inner qualities, they would pretend to be even more righteous and wouldn't even glance at his sister.

But how many times they secretly looked at her in their hearts, only they themselves knew.

He was a man himself, and although he wasn't a gentleman, he understood men's weaknesses very well. But Ban Heng would never tell his sister about these dirty things. His sister was simple-minded; it was enough for her to be a carefree Junjun. She shouldn't know about such messy things.

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. You're the most beautiful in the entire Daye Dynasty," Ban Heng nodded perfunctorily. "No one can compare to you, no matter what they wear."

"Good boy," Ban Hua patted his head and said with a smile, "You should have said that earlier."

Recently, she hadn't mentioned the dream she had to her family much, and her family had also mentioned it less. It was as if they had tacitly agreed to forget the things that might happen five years later and choose to live happily in the present.

In any case, she knew that her family would live well in the future, and that was enough for her.

At the end of September, when the leaves were falling and the grass was withering, Emperor Yunqing began his annual autumn hunt. Although Marquis Jingting's Residence didn't hold much real power, their family had a high status and were related to the royal family, so they would never be absent from such occasions.

That day, Ban Hua woke up especially early. She washed her face, applied makeup, and carefully outlined her features in the mirror. Although her hair was styled in a man's bun, her hair ornament was a woman's golden leaf buyao crown, which swayed gently with every step she took.

Ban Heng had already paced back and forth in front of Ban Hua's courtyard gate several times. Hearing Ban Hua's footsteps coming from behind, he said happily, "You finally came out. If we don't leave now, we'll be late."

When he saw Ban Hua's makeup, he was instantly stunned.

"Oh my dear sister, you… you…"

This would distract all the men from hunting!

Author's Note:

Ban Heng: My dear sister, a walking distraction.

ʕ◉ᴥ◉ʔ

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