Qiu Ju said angrily, "Miss, in my opinion, it must be that You Xian'er was resentful about losing just now and instigated everyone to cause trouble."
"Let her do as she pleases. At worst, let her bleed again and make a contribution to Ciyintang."
Upon hearing that there was another prize, Du Yutong jumped up from the soft couch.
"That's right, Sister Yue'er will go out and kill her without leaving a single one of them, and let her see why the flowers are so red."
At this moment, in Du Yutong's eyes, Jiang Shuyue was an omnipotent being.
She looked at Pearl, "Did you bring any money?"
Pearl jumped in surprise, "Miss, what are you going to do?"
"What else can we do? Of course, Sister Ya Yue'er won. Stop talking nonsense and quickly check how much is in your purse."
Du Yutong made up her mind that she would take the initiative and set the rules of the game before anyone else.
It feels terrible to be led by the nose.
Pearl took out her purse, opened it, and glanced inside.
“Miss, we only knew we were here to have fun before we left, and we didn’t plan to buy anything. I didn’t bring any money with me. Here are the gold and silver melon seeds that Miss Jiang gave me earlier. You can take them all.”
Pearl was too lazy to count, so she handed over the whole purse.
Du Yutong took the purse and glanced at it. Inside, besides gold and silver melon seeds, there were only a few pieces of loose silver.
"Okay, take whatever you have, I'll bet it all in a bit."
Du Yutong thought for a moment and realized that the girls who came didn't bring much money, and she had quite a bit of money with her.
Jiang Shuyue stopped at the door and turned to look at Qiu Ju.
"No matter what happens later, you and Zhu'er don't need to worry about it. I can handle it."
“This servant understands. Saying anything in that situation is useless and will only give people something to say, that Miss is not disciplining her servants properly.”
After leaving the dressing room, Qiuju pulled Zhuer aside and whispered something to her while the young lady wasn't looking.
Pearl nodded repeatedly, then left the hall without a word.
The hall was warm, so Jiang Shuyue didn't wear a cloak.
Her moon-white dress perfectly accentuated the curves of her body.
Like a graceful white-clad fairy descending to earth, she dazzled everyone.
Upon seeing her emerge, a palace maid led her and Du Yutong to their seats.
You Xian'er spoke first, "We just heard Miss Cui play a tune that came from your restaurant. I wonder if Sister Jiang could demonstrate it for us so we can observe and learn."
The tone was polite, but it left no room for refusal.
"Since we've already heard Miss Cui play it, there's no need to hear it again."
Jiang Shuyue didn't want to be used as a pawn. If she wanted to crush others, she should try it herself!
Seeing that Jiang Shuyue was not cooperating, You Xian'er became anxious.
She added, "That's different. Miss Cui might have missed some sheet music. Could you help her fill in the missing pieces?"
"Sister Jiang, could it be that you can't play the piano?"
Du Yutong rolled her eyes. "You Xian'er, don't be so childish. Is it fun to use reverse psychology? What does it matter to you whether Sister Yue'er can play the zither or not?"
You Xian'er raised her eyebrows and said, "Whether Sister Jiang has studied the Six Arts is none of my business. Look, everyone is waiting to appreciate the original score."
"Yes, Sister Jiang will play a piece so that we can also enjoy it."
Cui Yudie noticed that the other young ladies were looking at Jiang Shuyue with expectant eyes.
She stood up and bowed gracefully to the seat where Jiang Shuyue was sitting. "I made a fool of myself just now. Please enlighten me, Miss Jiang."
"I dare not presume to offer my guidance. I have not played the zither for a long time and I fear I may disappoint everyone."
Jiang Shuyue gave her a polite smile.
"I think she's just being modest because she's afraid of losing to Miss Cui." You Xian'er's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for all the girls around her to hear clearly.
Wu Shiyin, who was always close to You Xian, suggested, "Why don't we put up a bet again, and whoever wins keeps the bet?"
Du Yutong suddenly stood up and waved her hands repeatedly, "That won't do. When we played pitch-pot earlier, Sister Yue'er won a prize and then donated it all to Ciyin Hall. Why don't we change the game?"
Seeing You Xian'er glare at her with displeasure, Du Yutong smiled and looked at everyone.
"Ladies, you may choose to bet on whose musical skills are superior. The loser must hand over all the money they have bet to the winner."
"Whether the winner donates the silver to Ciyin Hall or distributes it among everyone, the participants can specify this beforehand to avoid upsetting anyone."
As the conversation progressed, it eventually turned to the piano skills in the competition.
Cui Yudie was not about to let go of the opportunity to gain a good reputation.
If she wins the music competition, the Emperor will definitely look at her with new respect.
Donating all the winnings to Ciyintang would also earn a good reputation.
It is said that Her Highness the Princess is raising funds for Ciyin Hall. This is a win-win-win situation, so why not?
She glanced at the crowd and said softly, "I can participate in the competition. If I am lucky enough to win, all the money I win will be donated to Ciyin Hall."
Jiang Shuyue didn't care that Cui Yudie had taken the initiative.
She didn't care about winning or losing; as long as the money ended up in Ciyin Hall, her goal would be achieved.
Such a great opportunity could not be missed by the other noble ladies, who all stood up to sign up and participate in the competition, and were willing to donate all the money they won.
The girls all participated enthusiastically, and the atmosphere in the hall was harmonious, without any hint of tension.
Seeing her plans disrupted, You Xian'er cursed inwardly, "They're all petty people trying to gain fame. They're so eager, as if they can win."
She turned to look at Jiang Shuyue, "Sister Jiang, don't you want to do something for Ciyin Hall?"
"Does Miss You have selective amnesia? Sister Yue'er has already donated it; it was the gold hairpin she won that she donated."
Du Yutong's words struck a nerve with You Xian'er.
You Xian'er gritted her teeth and said, "I heard you, I meant now."
Jiang Shuyue saw that the atmosphere had been set up quite well by the girls.
She slipped her right hand into her left sleeve, and with a thought, several silver notes appeared in her palm.
When You Xian'er looked at her, she smiled gently and raised the silver note in her hand.
"Here are five hundred taels of silver notes. I'm betting on myself to win. It just so happens that Your Highness is also donating silver to Ciyin Hall, so I'm doing my part as well."
Anything that can be solved with money isn't a problem. Princess Yonghe invited everyone to the imperial palace to enjoy the snow and admire the plum blossoms, and she couldn't afford to spoil the banquet.
The crowd was astonished by Jiang Shuyue's lavish spending.
Among the noble ladies of the capital, there are very few who can casually produce several hundred taels of silver.
People are even more curious about Jiang Shuyue's mysterious family background.
They all looked at her with admiration and envy.
"Her Highness is a role model for us all, and we should support her."
A young lady took off her bracelet and had her maid place it in front of the contestant she favored.
A palace maid brought a tray; none of the young ladies present today had brought much cash.
There were no extra hairpins; most people took off their jade bracelets or gold chains, and some even took off their necklaces.
The fundraising was completed in no time.
The trays in front of Cui Yudie and Jiang Shuyue had the most jewelry.
If Jiang Shuyue's five hundred taels of silver notes are included, the value of the items in front of her far exceeds that of Cui Yutongdie.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
