Chapter 761 - 763: The Ruthless Mother
The Empress Dowager, Emperor, Empress, Princess Diao Bin, as well as the Emperor’s seven-year-old eldest son, took the lead and got some food on their plates. However, as members of the Royal Family, they just showed off for a while before returning to their seats and let their maids fetch the food. The seven-year-old Crown Prince deliberately acted serious and matured. Along with his childish face, he looked extremely adorable.
Bai Ruozhu noticed that the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince were interested in getting food themselves, but it was not safe for them to mingle into the crowd, which may compromise their guards’ ability to protect them.
Suddenly, Bai Ruozhu felt a chill down her spine as a thought popped into her head. What if Chengshui Country’s previous plot in the palace hadn’t been disrupted? Would they act on this day she wondered? Feeling this chill, she hoped it was just her paranoia and nothing like that would happen.
In the corner where the meals were served, Xue Wenqian cast a glance at Bai Ruozhu. His sister, also the eldest daughter of the Xue Family, Xue Xue, spoke to a whispering tone, "Stop staring. I don’t think she’s that great being married to that woman’s son; her taste in men can’t be that good."
Xue Wenqian just shook his head and said, "Little sister, don’t underestimate her. Bai Ruozhu is truly talented which I admire. Her husband might be that woman’s son, but he is not to be underestimated either."
That’s what he said, but the tone of his voice when mentioning Jiang Yichun wasn’t so pleasant.
Xue Xue snorted, "They already regard you as a scheming villain, you should save your breath. If you want to learn business, you might as well study under one of the elders from the Commerce Association. I refuse to believe they are less capable than this young girl."
Xue Wenqian shrugged, saying, "She’s certainly not as experienced as those in the Commerce Association, but she makes up for it with her quick wit and innovative ideas."
Just as Xue Xue was about to speak, her stepmother approached. She nudged her older brother with her elbow as a silent cue.
Gai Ya walked towards them casually, and said in a whisper while picking up dishes, "I’ve heard that Wenqian is planning to invite Bai Ruozhu to our residence. Such a drunkard’s interest is not in drinking, alas, it will all be in vain."
Not waiting for the siblings to respond, she walked away with a smug smile. It seemed as if Gai Ya had always secured the upper hand in their daily hustles.
"You..." Xue Xue, only being a fifteen-year-old girl, almost lost her temper and started yelling at her stepmother. Luckily, Xue Wenqian stopped her and whispered, "Don’t cause a scene in public. If you do, our father will reprimand you and she will get what she wants."
Xue Xue took a deep breath, and painstakingly managed to control her anger.
Bai Ruozhu hadn’t moved yet. She took a jug of wine and began pouring for Jiang Yichun. His gaze was fixed on Gai Ya, and he even overheard her conversation with the Xue siblings. He felt a chill in his heart. If he had inquired about his mother when he returned to the Capital, he might’ve known about her remarriage. His ignorance was probably an attempt to avoid such a circumstance.
In Danliang country, where the customs were liberal, women were allowed to divorce and even remarry without issue.
However, his mother, whom he hadn’t seen in nine years, didn’t greet him with joy or inquiries. She just brushed him off with a glance, much like a stranger. How could she be so heartless?
Jiang Yichun thought to himself and drank another glass of wine. His eyes turned cold. How could he forget? His mother had decisively left him and his father. Wasn’t that heartless enough? And now this?
Bai Ruozhu held Jiang Yichun’s hand and said, "There’s no need to be upset over someone who doesn’t care about you. Let’s get our meal, or we’ll draw attention."
Jiang Yichun, having worked at the Ministry of Public Affairs for so many years, was adept at controlling his emotions. He quickly repressed his dejection with an aura of frosty indifference that prevented people from approaching casually.
The two stood up and the Leng siblings hurried over. Miss Leng took Bai Ruozhu’s arm and Leng Bin enthusiastically suggested they go together to get some food and then sit down for a good drink.
At that time, Jiang Yichun’s colleagues from Jinwu Guard also came to greet him. Jiang Yichun’s demeanor relaxed somewhat. Although he was still distant, his demeanour was not as alienating as before.
The gentlemen conversed among themselves, so Bai Ruozhu naturally didn’t join them. Instead, she and Leng Wanhua went to get their meals. But because she wasn’t comfortable leaving Jiang Yichun alone, she didn’t stray too far.
"Sister Ruozhu, I thought you knew..." Leng Wanhua said apologetically.
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, "I’ve been busy with a lot of things recently, and forgot about it. I don’t blame you."
Leng Wanhua gave a sheepish laugh as she felt it inappropriate to bring the matter up and feared causing awkwardness for Bai Ruozhu and her husband. It might have even jeopardized their relationship with the Leng family.
While everyone crowded around getting their meals, a performance of music and dance has already begun on the platform by the lake, making the atmosphere lively. Meanwhile, the eunuchs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were bringing up the longevity gifts, one after another, and placing them in the center of the table for the Empress Dowager to inspect.
When everyone entered the palace to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s birthday, the gifts were handed over at the palace gate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where they checked and confirmed that there were no dangerous items. Only then were the gifts presented to the Empress Dowager.
Bai Ruozhu found this amusing. She figured the Empress Dowager feared that any of the concubines would want to perform in the middle of the table, so she deliberately placed the things in the middle, preventing anyone from entering her field of vision.
The gifts were presented according to the officials’ ranks. The first gifts were naturally from the princes and imperial relatives, followed by officials of lower ranks. Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun were perhaps the lowest-ranked officials present, so she wasn’t in a hurry. Their gifts wouldn’t be presented for quite some time.
The Duke of Duan wasn’t present, but his gift had arrived. It was a Guanyin statue carved from white jade about forty centimeters high. The statue was exquisitely crafted, and the jade was smooth and creamy. At first glance, it was clear to be made of top-quality jade. Furthermore, it was rare to find such a large piece of fine jade, due to which, the jade Guanyin was the center of everyone’s attention as soon as it appeared.
Someone immediately commented that the Empress Dowager had a long and prosperous life and was indeed a living Guanyin. The Empress Dowager laughed and nodded in agreement at her seat. However, Bai Ruozhu noticed that her smile didn’t reach her eyes, indicating that she wasn’t real fond of this gift.
Whether the gift was good or not wasn’t important. The real question was - who was the sender? The Duke of Duan had his eyes on the throne, so it would be a surprise if the Empress Dowager had a favorable opinion of him.
Subsequently, other gifts were presented one after the other. Bai Ruozhu chatted with Leng Wanhua while also keeping an eye on Jiang Yichun, and from time to time, she looked back at the gifts. Soon it was time for the Meng Family’s gifts to be presented.
Since it was a not-so-small screen, it had to be moved by two guards covered with a cloth. The cloth was lifted only when it reached the Empress Dowager. As soon as it was unveiled, everyone present was stunned...
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I noticed some fans asking if Mouka was going to stop writing - absolutely not! I apologize for being a bit inconsistent recently. From today on, I will let my updates speak for themselves. Today, I have five updates for you! So, please don’t abandon me, aaaah...