Princess Jia Hua nodded: "That's not bad either."
Seeing that she said that, the Seventh Prince relented, and Princess Jia Hua then said to the shopkeeper, "All the jewelry that Miss Xu chose will be recorded in the Seventh Prince's account."
"yes."
Princess Jia Hua casually picked out two items and then left.
The next day
As expected, I saw Miss Xu again when I entered the palace. I noticed that Miss Xu was wearing beautiful ruby jewelry in her hair, which made her look very wealthy.
"Seventh Brother's Wife, what do you think of Miss Xu's embroidery skills?"
Empress Yan kept praising a handkerchief embroidered with peonies. If we're talking about beauty, the embroiderers in the palace are truly skilled.
Miss Xu's was only average.
echoing Empress Yan's words: "Indeed exquisite."
Empress Yan smiled and said, "I am getting old and my eyesight is getting worse. I have always wanted to embroider a picture of Guanyin, but I have not found a suitable person. Miss Xu, would you be willing to embroider Guanyin for me?"
Miss Xu was flattered and said, "I am honored by Your Majesty's favor, and I am naturally willing to accept it."
"Then let's begin today." Empress Yan's smile was somewhat cold as she glanced at the palace maid. "Take Miss Xu to the next room to prepare."
"yes."
Miss Xu excitedly followed the palace maid to the next room.
As soon as the person left, Empress Yan raised her head and looked at the red hairpin in Princess Jiahua's hair, a pair of crabapple blossoms, which was very fitting for her status.
It doesn't overstep its bounds, and there's nothing wrong with it.
Empress Yan suddenly said, "I have never tasted the pastries of Northern Chu. Seventh Prince's wife, my mouth feels bland and tasteless. Could you make some for me to try?"
“Your Highness, it is only right for the Seventh Prince’s Consort to do these things as a daughter-in-law,” the palace maid said.
Princess Jia Hua nodded: "I'll go prepare right away."
"Alright."
She went to the small kitchen, but all the cooks had left, leaving her all alone. The stove was cold, and there wasn't even any firewood.
Princess Jia Hua took a deep breath and quickly familiarized herself with where the items were. She found them and put them away one by one. Suddenly, she saw a long tail in the flour bag, which startled her so much that she gasped.
After hesitating for a moment, she changed to a new one.
Once everything is confirmed to be correct, remove it, knead it, and make the pastries.
It took at least three hours to complete.
The steaming hot snacks had just been served when Empress Yan glanced at them and then looked away, saying indifferently, "Put them down."
He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and looked sleepy.
The palace maid pointed to the door: "Her Majesty the Empress is going to rest now. Seventh Prince's Consort, you may leave."
"yes."
Before leaving, she deliberately went around the side hall and glanced inside from a distance. She saw Miss Xu kneeling on the cold ground, bending over and quickly stitching the fabric.
Counting the time, it has been four hours already.
If I keep embroidering like this, my hands, knees, and eyes will all get exhausted.
"Miss Xu, here is the gold thread you requested... Ouch!" The little palace maid, holding a ball of needle and thread, rushed towards the embroidery without warning.
A loud bang.
The embroidery was broken.
Miss Xu stared blankly at the embroidery. A large patch of auspicious clouds was torn apart, and the hem of Guanyin's skirt was also stained.
The young palace maid shrank back dismissively, saying, "I didn't mean to."
That's a statement made with absolute certainty.
"This embroidery is probably unusable. I'd appreciate it if Miss Xu could hurry up and embroider a new one," the palace maid said.
Miss Xu's heart pounded. She had embroidered for so long, and now they were saying it was unusable? Were they deliberately playing a trick on her?
She glanced up and saw Princess Jia Hua's back. Her steps were extremely slow, and she could barely stand by holding onto Xiu Shu. She took a deep breath and nodded: "Okay."
It took a full ten days to finish one piece of embroidery.
On the day Miss Xu left the palace, she did not return to her residence immediately. Instead, she waited on the road that Miss Xu was sure to pass by. When the carriage curtain was lifted and her face was revealed, she sent a maid to deliver a message.
"Seventh Prince's Consort, my young lady wishes to see you alone."
"You can come to the Prince's residence in the evening. Someone will lead you in through the back gate."
The maid nodded and quickly ran back.
The carriage drove away.
Princess Jia Hua rubbed her aching knees. She had endured these past few days, but Empress Yan not only did not stop, but became even more arrogant and demanding.
She couldn't tolerate it any longer.
It's time to expose the Empress's hypocritical true colors.
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