Chapter 44: Determined to Obtain the Jade Bracelet!

Chu Yanluo had no idea that she had called the wrong name; her mind was completely focused on the bracelet on Shen Wantang's wrist.

Her eyes were red as she stared intently at Shen Wantang, repeatedly saying, "This is mine! Mine! What right do you have to wear it! You thief, you shameless thief! You stole my status as the Crown Prince's consort, you stole my life, and now you want to steal my jade bracelet! Give it back to me!"

As she cursed, she tried to reach out and snatch the bracelet off Shen Wantang's hand.

Unfortunately, Qin Xin and Granny Chai stood in her way like two mountains, preventing her from taking even a single step forward.

Qin Xin stared at her disdainfully: "Oh, in broad daylight, you're already dreaming. Who would steal your identity or your life? You're so shameful, who would want to steal your life!"

"You say the bracelet is yours? Why don't you just say the entire palace is yours? When you came here, you were so poor you only had a plain white dress on you. Forget about a jade bracelet, even your hairpin was made of wood! Now you've set your sights on our Crown Princess's bracelet and claim it's yours? Nobody believes that!"

Granny Chai sneered, "I think you've gone mad with poverty. You're here to ask for the things the young master gave to the young master's wife, and you're even trying to steal the young master's wife's bracelet. Why don't you go out and rob people on the street? Are you too scared? Or are you afraid of losing face?"

"Oh, you shouldn't be ashamed, after all, you've done even more shameful things. It's because you're so shameful that the Chu family has already severed ties with you. Only because the young master is kind-hearted and took you in did you have the opportunity to come to our Wutong Garden and act crazy."

Chu Yanlu glared at the two of them fiercely: "Stop talking nonsense, you two get out of my way! I've already said, that bracelet is mine! It was a gift from the young master to me, and it should have been on my wrist!"

Granny Chai, seeing how vividly she spoke, as if it were the truth, thought she had truly gone mad. Her gaze was rather enigmatic: "If you've lost your mind, you should hurry and see a doctor! Stop yelling here, it's really creepy."

"The Crown Princess's bracelet was a gift from the Crown Prince. It's a pair, but since the Crown Princess needs to write with her right hand, she only wore one on her left wrist for convenience. Before the Crown Prince took them out, they had been stored in the storeroom for at least five years."

"This was bestowed upon the young master by His Majesty the current Emperor. He said at the time that it was for the young master's future wife! And now you're saying it's yours? Do you deserve it?"

Chu Yanluo was furious. She stomped her foot angrily: "Fine, very well, I'll remember you! You just wait. You're bullying me now, but when I become the Crown Prince's consort, I'll make you pay!"

The jade bracelet that Shen Wantang wore did indeed belong to her once, but that "once" was in her previous life.

At that time, she had just returned to the Prince's Mansion with Xiao Qingyuan. She was disliked by the Princess and suppressed and scolded by Shen Mingxuan. She was in a bad mood. In order to cheer her up, Xiao Qingyuan took her to his private treasury and let her pick out whatever she wanted.

To maintain her aloof persona, she didn't take anything, even though she was secretly drooling over the warehouse full of treasures; she still looked completely uninterested.

But Xiao Qingyuan took a pair of bracelets and put them directly on her wrists.

She was overjoyed and gave Xiao Qingyuan a rare smile, which made him feel flattered. He knelt down on one knee in front of her almost reverently, kissed her hand, praised her for her clear mind and indifference to worldly things, and said that she was the fairy-like woman he had been looking for to spend his life with.

These bracelets accompanied Chu Yanluo for several years, helping her escape danger and avoid being framed by Shen Mingxuan time and time again.

But before she died, the bracelet suddenly disappeared. She had a bad feeling at the time, and sure enough, a few days later, she was tricked by Shen Mingxuan into falling into the water and drowning in the cold river.

She had a vague feeling that the bracelets were somewhat unusual, so when she saw them again, she was determined to get them back no matter what!

Unfortunately, the people of Wutongyuan would never give her that opportunity.

Seeing that she really wanted to snatch Shen Wantang's bracelet, Granny Chai and Qin Xin each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her out.

Then the gate to Wutong Garden slammed shut, and no matter how much she shouted and pounded on it, the gate wouldn't open again.

As more and more maids and servants gathered to watch the spectacle, Chu Yanluo had no choice but to give up in frustration. She held her head high, suppressing her anger, and returned to Xinghe Courtyard.

As soon as Xiao Qingyuan returned, she smashed a teacup.

Xiao Qingyuan was startled. He looked up and saw Chu Yanluo's face was as dark as if it were about to rain. He frowned deeply and said, "What's wrong with you now? Why did you smash the teacup? This is our last teacup. If you smash it, what will we drink tea from now on?"

Chu Yanluo's constant antics over the past few days have left Xiao Qingyuan exhausted. He didn't even realize that his tone of voice towards Chu Yanluo had changed and was no longer as gentle as before.

He himself couldn't realize it, but Chu Yanluo could.

Her tears fell instantly: "What do you mean, 'What happened to me again'? I've suffered so much injustice in this mansion, and you don't even ask about it, yet you care about a teacup?"

Xiao Qingyuan was puzzled, but seeing her cry, his heart immediately ached, and his tone softened: "I know I've made you suffer. There isn't even a maid to serve you in this courtyard, and you have to do your own laundry. So, I just went out and bought a few maids. From now on, they can do all the rough and tiring work, and you can just drink tea and tend to the flowers every day."

Chu Yanluo said angrily, "I wasn't talking about the maid!"

"What is it?"

"It was me who went to Wutong Garden and was bullied and kicked out by that group of them!"

Xiao Qingyuan was taken aback, then became somewhat displeased: "You went to Wutong Garden? What were you doing there? Didn't I tell you not to go there for the time being?"

He was maintaining a delicate balance with his mother. He tacitly approved of Shen Wantang as his crown princess, and his mother tacitly approved of Chu Yanluo, an unnamed and unrecognized person, living in his courtyard.

Shen Wantang was law-abiding and never provoked Chu Yanluo, nor did he interfere in the affairs of Xinghe Courtyard. Therefore, Chu Yanluo could not take the initiative to go to their place to cause trouble.

Chu Yanluo sensed Xiao Qingyuan's displeasure, and she became even angrier: "What's wrong with me going to Wutong Garden? This entire palace belongs to you, and Wutong Garden belongs to you too. Since it belongs to you, why can Shen Wantang live here, but I can't even go there once?"

Xiao Qingyuan felt a strange sense of irritation: "That's not how you see it. Even if the Prince's Mansion were mine, it wouldn't be appropriate for you to go to Wutong Garden. Besides, the Prince's Mansion isn't mine anymore. Anyway, you shouldn't go there again."