“Oh, by the way…” Lin Xiangning smiled subtly, slightly tilting her head as she removed the jade hairpin from her bun. She stroked the hairpin, genuinely praising, “It’s quite rare to see such a fine jade piece carved into a single hairpin like this. It makes it exceptionally precious. I chanced upon it, and my husband bought it for me as a gift.”
She didn’t bother to hide her smugness and sense of show-off.
Then, furrowing her brows as if in puzzlement, she said, “It seems somewhat familiar to me. Jianli, have you seen it before?”
Gu Jianli glanced at the pure white lotus-shaped hairpin. The hairpin had a small lotus flower carved on one end, matching the color of the rest of the hairpin. It looked very elegant and simple.
Just as Gu Jianli was about to speak, Long Yujun walked over in a few steps, exclaiming in surprise as he carefully examined the hairpin in Lin Xiangning’s hand, “This looks familiar. May I take a look?”
“Of course,” Lin Xiangning agreed happily.
Lin Xiangning naturally knew that Gu Jianli and Long Yujun used to be close, but now their statuses were worlds apart. Having her former close friend humiliate her would be even more satisfying.
Lin Xiangning looked at Long Yujun expectantly.
Long Yujun smiled and suddenly realized, “Isn’t this Jianli’s hairpin?”
“Is it?” Lin Xiangning exclaimed, unable to hide the schadenfreude in her eyes.
Long Yujun turned to Gu Jianli and said loudly, “Jianli, didn’t you give this hairpin to that maid by your side? What was her name again? Jichun, right?”
The smile on Lin Xiangning’s face stiffened.
Gu Jianli nodded, her expression unchanged as she gently lied, “I did have a hairpin just like this. I wore it when I was mourning my grandmother. After the mourning period, it was no longer appropriate to wear it, so I gave it to Jichun.”
She paused before continuing, “It’s quite a coincidence that Xiangning has one exactly the same.”
Her gentle gaze swept over Lin Xiangning’s purple and red outfit, kindly suggesting, “This elegant hairpin would look even better if Xiangning wore lighter-colored clothes.”
Lin Xiangning’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Long Yujun glanced at Gu Jianli and smiled to smooth things over, “It’s just a coincidence. Xiangning, your hairpin certainly isn’t the one Jianli wore during her mourning period. How could your top scholar husband buy such a thing for you?”
Gu Jianli’s eyes were clear and sincere. She smiled slightly, taking the white jade hairpin from Long Yujun and continuing, “This one certainly isn’t mine. Mine may look like a single piece, but it’s actually not. The lotus on the hairpin can be detached, though the craftsmanship is so fine you wouldn’t notice. Unlike Xiangning’s, which is truly a single piece…”
Gu Jianli suddenly gasped softly, looking at the hairpin in her hand in surprise. The supposedly single-piece hairpin had come apart into two sections, with the small lotus flower lying quietly in her palm.
Gu Jianli and Long Yujun exchanged a knowing glance. Gu Jianli silently reassembled the hairpin. Long Yujun cleared his throat and said somewhat awkwardly to Lin Xiangning, “It seems your husband, engrossed in his scholarly studies, accidentally bought the wrong item. He surely didn’t intend to give you a mourning piece as a gift.”
Long Yujun took the hairpin from Gu Jianli, feeling slightly embarrassed as she handed it back to Lin Xiangning. However, just before Lin Xiangning could take it, Long Yujun let go. The white jade lotus hairpin fell onto the blue bricks and shattered.
“I’m sorry, it wasn’t on purpose,” Long Yujun apologized.
Given her status as the granddaughter of the Left Prime Minister, her apology didn’t need to be sincere, and Lin Xiangning couldn’t afford to make her bear the responsibility. Acting along with her for so long was already giving her enough face.
Gu Jianli frowned and sighed regretfully, “Such a beautiful hairpin, what a pity. Today, it’s just that Xiangning chose the wrong clothes. If she had chosen the right ones, this hairpin would look even better.”
She looked at Lin Xiangning and said generously, “Xiangning, since you’ve had your hair up for a long time without a hairpin to hold it, the bun will come loose.”
She slightly tilted her head, touching the hair ornament in her hair, and said, “Unfortunately, I’m not wearing any hairpins today, so I can’t lend you one.”
“No need,” Lin Xiangning gritted her teeth, trying hard to stay calm, “I have a spare with another maid!”
She turned and walked away, her teeth grinding audibly.
Long Yujun watched Lin Xiangning’s back with undisguised contempt. She approached Gu Jianli, lowered her voice, and said, “An unrefined concubine-born daughter used some shameful means to marry the top scholar, yet she remains a vulgar person. Don’t let such a lowly insect upset you.”
Gu Jianli shook her head with a gentle smile, “I’m not angry; it’s not worth it.”
The two exchanged a smile, and the clouds of gloom in Gu Jianli’s heart lifted slightly.
Long Yujun examined Gu Jianli’s eyes and believed that she truly wasn’t angry. Feeling somewhat reassured, she said, “I can’t touch the top scholar, but teaching her a lesson is still easy.”
Gu Jianli smirked, “I just know that if you don’t go back soon, your grandmother will punish you again.”
Long Yujun’s expression indeed changed slightly, and she stuck out her tongue in mild apprehension, losing her earlier bravado. She quickly left without saying more to Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli had just sat down when she heard Ji Wujing casually say, “I’ll replace it for you later.”
“What?” Gu Jianli turned her head to look at him. She didn’t understand or hear him clearly.
Ji Wujing didn’t say anything more or pay further attention to Gu Jianli.
Not long after, Lin Xiangning came back, this time not alone but accompanied by three or four other ladies from unknown families. She didn’t approach Gu Jianli directly but sat with those ladies at a not-too-far, not-too-close distance. Then, she loudly boasted to the people around her about the grandeur and elegance of her wedding ceremony and endlessly bragged about the betrothal gifts she received. Her small mouth chattered like a storyteller, recounting each item from the betrothal gift list one by one. Four chickens absolutely couldn’t be described as three. Two geese, however, could be exaggerated into four.
Everyone around heard her.
After all, she had the “skills” to marry this year’s top scholar as his main wife, and it was indeed her time to shine.
Ji Wujing initially paid no attention to what she was saying, but he soon got interested as she recited the gift list. Resting his chin in his hand, he lazily listened to Lin Xiangning listing the betrothal gifts one by one like picking beans. Amused, he suddenly spoke in a raspy voice, “What is she doing? Storytelling? Why isn’t anyone giving her a reward?”
A copper coin flicked from his hand, flew through the air, and landed on the table in front of Lin Xiangning, its long resonance echoing as it wobbled on the wooden surface.
Lin Xiangning’s speech was stuck in her throat, unable to continue. She stared at the copper coin in front of her, her heart fluttering in sync with its wobbling.
“Why did you stop?” Ji Wujing changed his posture, leaning lazily against the chair back, a sly smile playing at the corners of his fox-like eyes.
While Lin Xiangning was bragging, the people around, though listening to her boasting, occasionally chatted among themselves. Now, there was dead silence; no one uttered a word.
No one answered Ji Wujing, which displeased him. He tapped on the table in front of Gu Jianli, “You say!”
Gu Jianli glanced at him, then solemnly said, “Perhaps the reward was too little.”
Ji Wujing laughed heartily, a laugh that sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
He raised his fox-like eyes, scanning the crowd, and drawled lazily, “You can’t listen for free—”
Someone stood up, trembling as they placed the silver hidden in their sleeve in front of Lin Xiangning. Many didn’t bring gold or silver when entering the palace, so they had to place some of their jewelry on Lin Xiangning’s table.
A girl of thirteen or fourteen years old reluctantly shook her head as she handed over her bracelet. Her nanny whispered in her ear, “Ask the master for more when we return, but don’t provoke that madman!”
Lin Xiangning looked at the pile of jewelry on the table, her face flushing red as if with a fever. She was a concubine’s daughter who wasn’t favored at home, having few pieces of gold or silver jewelry. Now, some of the jewelry before her was so expensive that she had only dreamed of owning such pieces. But at this moment, she couldn’t smile. The immense humiliation overwhelmed her. Though she coveted these jewels, she didn’t want them; she wanted to have the courage to return them and even more so to smash them on the spot.
But she couldn’t.
She could only clench her hands, her nails digging into her palms, forcing herself not to cry in public.
Ji Wujing suddenly remembered something and turned his head towards Gu Jianli, casually asking, “When you married me, how much betrothal gift did our household send to that old man Gu Jingyuan?”
Gu Jianli thought for a moment and honestly replied, “Two rolls of cloth, a bag of rice, and a bag of flour.”
Ji Wujing waited for her to continue, and when she didn’t, he asked in surprise, “That’s it?”
“And fifty taels of silver,” Gu Jianli added. She thought for a moment more, ensuring she hadn’t missed anything, then confirmed, “That’s all.”
Ji Wujing stared at Gu Jianli’s eyes for a while without any expression.
Gu Jianli slowly blinked, gradually realizing something. The betrothal gifts were indeed few; the Marquis of Guangping’s household likely thought Ji Wujing wouldn’t wake up and casually dealt with it. But now that Ji Wujing had woken up…
Based on her interactions with Ji Wujing over this period, Gu Jianli tried to gauge his thoughts. She decided to play the role of a troublemaker. Lifting her eyes, she met Ji Wujing’s gaze squarely and said seriously, “Of course, your brothers received much more when they married. Yes, your family is bullying you.”
Ji Wujing immediately stood up and walked out.
Gu Jianli also rose and followed him. Walking behind Ji Wujing, she discreetly smiled. The remaining half of the gloom in her heart quietly dissipated.
The palace was bustling with activity, people constantly moving about. Gu Jianli followed Ji Wujing, moving against the flow of people as they left the banquet hall. Ji Wujing, being tall with long legs, moved quickly, making it difficult for Gu Jianli to keep up, and she struggled a bit to match his pace.
Ji Wujing stood by the red wall, waiting for her. Seeing her approach with her skirt swaying, the midday sun shining down, her very shadow seemed fragrant.
Gu Jianli hurried over, smiling apologetically for making him wait.
Ji Wujing coughed lightly, impatiently saying, “Can’t walk? Help me.”
A young eunuch came running over, speaking in a high-pitched voice, “Master, our director invites you to the Western Depot.”
“Chen He?” Ji Wujing squinted slightly, looking towards the west with an unclear expression.
