bookrebus Chapter 574 Isn’t this obviously a trap?
Chapter 574 Isn’t this obviously a trap?
Su Niantang shouted, "Grandma! This bracelet can't be given away! It belongs to the Empress Dowager and your sister!"
Her eyes turned red with anxiety as she stared at the emerald green bracelet on Old Lady Su's wrist.
The lotus pattern carved on the bracelet is exactly the same as the one in the Empress Dowager's palace.
Old Lady Su sighed and patted her granddaughter's hand gently: "I can't bear to give it up, but the emperor has asked for it."
She stroked the bracelet, thinking back to when she was young, when she and the Queen Mother selected materials and carved patterns together: "Back then, the Queen Mother specially made a pair, saying that each of us sisters would have one. But now..."
As soon as Su Niantang finished speaking, several noble ladies in the hall began to chatter.
Mrs. Zhang, wearing a pomegranate-red skirt, waved her round fan and smacked her lips:
"I thought he looked familiar! He came to the palace to pay his respects last month.
The bracelet the Empress Dowager is wearing is exactly the same as the one Old Lady Su is wearing!
"That's right!" Madam Li quickly replied, glancing at Su Niantang:
"The Queen Mother treasures that bracelet the most and only wears it during festivals.
It turns out they are a pair of sister bracelets, no wonder they are so precious."
Someone in the crowd said lightly:
"The little girl is also ignorant, isn't it just a bet?
It was just a joke, why do you have to ask someone to pay such a valuable thing as compensation? "
Someone immediately echoed:
"That's right, as subjects, we must always consider the dignity of the royal family.
This bracelet was a gift from the Queen Mother. How could this little girl have the nerve to accept it?"
Old Madam Su played a good hand. All the noble ladies in the capital knew the origin of the pair of sister bracelets. They were a testimony to the friendship between the Queen Mother and Old Madam Su when she was young.
Now that the Emperor has asked for it, if you accept it, you will offend the Empress Dowager.
If you don’t accept it, you will offend the emperor.
No matter what they do, the Su family can make its presence felt in this turmoil.
Bai Wanwan glanced at Old Lady Su with a half-smile, and said slowly:
"Since this bracelet was given by the Queen Mother, it would be great if you could keep it as a family heirloom. It would be inappropriate to give it to me.
But then again, the Su family is a prominent family after all. It's possible that they can't even produce something decent, right?
If this is all I can offer to save face, I'd be embarrassed to accept it."
Her words clearly meant to squeeze the Su family. Either they were unwilling to give up the real treasure, or they were just in vain.
Old Lady Su narrowed her eyes and forced a smile: "Miss Bai, you're joking. We have a lot of good things at home, but I didn't bring them with me today."
Bai Wanwan smiled brightly:
"What's the big deal? Go ahead and get it. It's still early for the banquet, so you can even have it delivered to my house tomorrow.
This bracelet is too valuable, I dare not accept it. If the Queen Mother knew about it, she would definitely blame me for being ignorant, and maybe even blame you!
After all, this is a sister bracelet. If it were me, I would never give it away. "
The ladies around immediately started whispering to each other.
Someone murmured quietly, "It's just a show. If they really give it away, will the Queen Mother be happy? Then the unlucky girl will be the one who suffers."
Madam Xu, who was wearing a moon-white skirt, pinched the silk and shook her head:
"Isn't this a clear trap? If Miss Bai really accepts the bracelet...
If the Queen Mother asks about this later, won't all the blame be thrown on her?"
Qi Guangheng glanced at the stalemate and said slowly:
"Alright, stop arguing. Since Old Madam Su said she'd make up a suitable gift later, this is settled.
It’s getting late, everyone must be hungry, right? The banquet is officially starting!
The spring banquet in the palace was very grand. As soon as it started, dozens of palace maids with double buns ran out to dance to the beat of drums.
The hems of their skirts were embroidered with golden peonies, and when they twirled, they looked like flowers blooming in the wind.
When the dance was getting more lively, there were people playing flutes and drums to accompany the performance. The drum beats and flute sounds mixed together, making people feel itchy inside.
Before the dance was over, dishes from the imperial kitchen arrived one after another.
The first dish to be ordered is "Dragon and Phoenix". In the center of the silver plate, an auspicious dragon carved from a tender yellow pumpkin is holding its head high as if ready to fly. Its body is winding around a roasted pigeon covered in abalone sauce, just like a phoenix perched on the dragon's body.
Next up is the "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" dish, featuring a giant ice sculpture on a platter. Eight fist-sized king crab claws are soaked in amber-colored Huadiao wine, the crab meat is as white as jade, and the aroma of the wine mixed with ice mist curls up into the air.
Even more amazing is the "Peacock Spreading its Tail". After the whole deep-sea grouper is deboned, the fish meat is sliced into fan-shaped pieces as thin as cicada wings.
The fish is decorated with wolfberries and gold foil to look like peacock feathers, and the fish is topped with a secret sauce made from more than 20 kinds of spices.
The most eye-catching one is "Purple Air Coming from the East". This dish uses sea cucumbers stewed with purple rice and arranged into the shape of a lotus with a pigeon egg-sized night pearl in the middle. Under the candlelight, the whole dish emits a faint purple light.
The fruit dishes are even more exquisite, served on crystal clear plates.
The seedless grapes sent as tribute from the Western Regions were dark purple, and the Hami melons cut into lotus shapes were still covered with morning dew.
The rarest thing is the iced lychee paste, which is made into the shape of a small jade rabbit. It is sweet and refreshing when you take a bite, and is full of fruity aroma.
The imperial chefs also ingeniously carved strawberries into peonies and adorned them on the emerald-like green dumplings, drawing admiration from the ladies at the table.
Bai Wanwan was so full she ate: "Isn't this too delicious?"
Gu Sinian walked over, picked up a food box and said, "Wanwan, take this back and eat it later."
Then Su Daji's voice was heard: "The Eighteenth Prince has a very good relationship with Princess An Ning. He even brought something back to him."
Qi Guangheng smiled and said:
"This guy is really good to Wanwan, so it's only natural for him to bring some rewards back.
It's strange, Old Six and Old Ten always love to join in the fun, why aren't they here today?"
Su Daji smiled and said, "Maybe he has something to do! Old Six and Old Ten have been working very hard lately."
Qi Guangheng picked up the teacup and took a sip. As the warm tea flowed down his throat, his expression relaxed a little:
"Sixth Brother's experience in the Ministry of Revenue really shows some of the same enthusiasm I had when I first started my political career.
The Tenth Prince has a volatile personality, and the Ministry of Works has a lot of chores to deal with. We need to find a few experienced and prudent officials to keep an eye on him and help him learn some real skills."
Su Daji adjusted the pearl hairpin beside her temples, and the smile in the corners of her eyes deepened a little:
“Your Majesty is thoughtful, and these two princes are truly diligent.
The day before yesterday, I heard the Minister of Works mention that the Tenth Prince ran outside the city for three whole days in the scorching sun to survey the river.
While checking the accounts at the Ministry of Revenue, the Sixth Prince even produced two clearly organized policy papers. The entire court, both civil and military officials, praised him as a formidable young man!
Qi Guangheng picked up the tea bowl, gently blew away the tea leaves floating on the surface, and said slowly: "It's good for young people to gain more experience. Don't always think about achieving success overnight."
At this moment, a minister suddenly stood up from the crowd.
The man cleared his throat, cupped his hands and said loudly:
"Your Majesty! I feel that the position of Crown Prince cannot remain vacant forever! The Crown Prince is the foundation of the country. Only by deciding on a new one as soon as possible can the court be stable and the people feel at ease.
If it remains unresolved, it’s inevitable that people will speculate and cause unnecessary trouble…”