Tianyun glanced at the maid massaging Shangguan Jingyi's back and casually said to her, "Go and invite Madam to the main hall. Tell her that the young master has come to visit, and ask Mother to come out and greet the guest."
Originally, we should have invited Master Shangguan, but unfortunately, my father was not here, so we had to settle for second best and have my mother come forward. It's always proper to have an elder present when privately meeting with a man outside the family, so as not to break the rules.
Shangguan Jingyi was initially walking quickly, but when he heard footsteps clattering behind him, he changed to running with small, quick steps.
The ground was still slippery from the rain, so the splashed rainwater inevitably dirtied the hem of the skirt.
She disregarded everything else and was determined to vindicate what she had just said!
From now on, the Shangguan Miss of the Shangguan Mansion will no longer be just Shangguan Tianyun, but also Shangguan Jingyi. The two will be equals, with no difference between them!
Tianyun gripped the hem of her skirt tightly as she carefully stepped across the small puddle, unable to understand how she could walk so fast.
Upon reaching the main hall, Shangguan Jingyi became timid, shyly stopping to straighten her clothes and adjust her hairpins. Her dress and headdress were specially coordinated for the day, creating a refreshing and pleasant look, perfectly matching the fresh air after the rain.
It would be even better if it could catch the prince's eye!
She took a deep breath to calm herself, put on a shy smile, and slowly walked into the house.
"Greetings, Your Highness; Greetings, Aunt." Shangguan Jingyi curtsied. His restrained gaze was fixed on the ground, not daring to look at Xiao Ziran, who sat upright in the armchair.
Even feigned modesty is still modesty. She has indeed improved a lot compared to last time, Tianyun thought to himself as he walked in behind her.
Without pausing, she also bowed to the Crown Prince and her mother.
"Um... Miss Shangguan, there's no need for such formalities!"
As the two young ladies entered one after the other, Xiao Ziran's face showed a bit of embarrassment. He touched his high nose bridge awkwardly and suddenly remembered that both of these Shangguan ladies had been kind to his father, while he had only prepared a thank-you gift for Miss Tianyun!
The two young ladies only have one gift. What should they do?
She instructed the servants to serve tea, and Qin said with a smile, "Your Highness is too kind. I only know a little bit about this, and it was disrespectful to Your Highness. Why should Your Highness come all the way here to thank me? I am truly ashamed."
“Miss Shangguan is my father’s savior. Everything I do is just right. Madam, you don’t need to take it to heart!” Xiao Ziran glanced at Tianyun and chuckled heartily.
Qin nodded to herself. Although this young prince was not the biological son of the Prince of Qi, he was still a young prince raised in the Prince of Qi's mansion with a life of luxury and privilege. He was not arrogant at all and was very approachable.
Tianyun responded with a faint smile, remaining silent. He truly didn't know what to say.
Shangguan Jingyi mustered up the courage to look at him, her face instantly turning bright red, no less so than her bright pink dress.
She said timidly, "Auntie is absolutely right! It's all my fault for forcing my sister to take action. I'm already overjoyed that the Prince hasn't blamed me, so how could I dare to accept the young master's gift?"
The topic has circled back to thank-you gifts.
Xiao Ziran blinked more frequently, and after a while, he pretended to be thirsty and took a big gulp of tea.
He coughed a few times before saying hesitantly, "It's...it's like this..."
“On the way here, my clumsy servant knocked over a gift. The road was flooded and filthy, and the gift was ruined. It is unacceptable to present it here. I hope you two ladies will forgive me. I will make a replacement and send it over another day.”
another day?
Shangguan Jingyi couldn't help but hold his breath. It was still unknown whether the Crown Prince would personally deliver it another day!
She stared at the precious wooden box inlaid with gold beads on Xiao Ziran's right, a fleeting greed flashing in her eyes.
This gift was clearly prepared with great care by Xiao Ziran; even the packaging exuded an air of unparalleled luxury, and the contents inside must have been extremely valuable.
Qin waved her hand dismissively, "No need for that! The young master can take this gift back as well. It was just a small favor, nothing to be so generous as to warrant such a gift!"
“What my mother said is absolutely right…”
Tianyun noticed the young master's predicament and wanted to help him out, but Shangguan Jingyi anxiously interrupted her: "Auntie, what are you saying! This is a kind gesture from the young master, how can we refuse it?"
It's not like I'm asking you to accept a gift, yet you're being so direct and decisive in refusing!
This caused Madam Qin to secretly glance at Shangguan Jingyi, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
Lingqi rolled her eyes. She was getting anxious!
Xiao Ziran chuckled awkwardly. He looked hesitantly at the box beside him and said slowly, "This gift was originally for Miss Shangguan..." He had asked several of his subordinates before choosing this gift, which was the least likely to go wrong when giving it to a young lady.
A round fan with begonia gold thread pattern made of Hetian jade as the fan ribs.
※※※※
At first, he was furious and berated the person who came up with the terrible idea: "Giving away fans in winter? Are you out of your mind? You've been bending over for ages and can't even come up with a decent answer! All of you, go and lift the millstone for two hours!"
Surprisingly, that idiot's excuse actually made some sense!
"The fan is a homophone for 'goodness,' and Miss Shangguan's act of helping the prince makes her the most respected and virtuous person in our Qi Prince's Mansion. Isn't it wonderful to use an object to symbolize a person?"
※※※※
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Shangguan Jingyi stood up from his chair, his eyes wide and his face filled with joy.
“No…” Xiao Ziran’s thoughts were interrupted. He pinched his brow bone hard, then forgot that this was also Miss Shangguan. Now he was in an awkward situation again.
She must have thought it was for her, but he still didn't want to make the mistake go unpunished. "This is for Miss Tianyun."
This was a jade he personally selected amidst his busy schedule, a gift he had prepared with great care, and he really didn't want Shangguan Jingyi to receive it without knowing why.
But he didn't expect that Shangguan Jingyi would resort to such ruthless tactics.
Shangguan Jingyi had intended to take advantage of the situation, but he hadn't expected him to expose him so readily. He caught a glimpse of Lingqi, that brat, barely suppressing a laugh; she was undoubtedly mocking his earlier, presumptuous attempt to replace Shangguan Tianyun!
This is worse than death for her!
Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over, but she clenched her teeth and said angrily, "I know the young master favors my sister, but this is too unfair. Am I not good enough to deserve such preferential treatment from the young master?"
The gift fell into the ditch? What kind of ridiculous excuse is that?
Now they say this was prepared for Shangguan Tianyun, it's obvious that the young master has completely forgotten about him...
Shangguan Jingyi burst into tears of grievance. He pressed his fingers hard against his palm, glaring fiercely at Lingqi in unbearable humiliation.
She dared not act rashly against all the tough guys in the room, so she could only bully Lingqi, the soft persimmon.
Madam Qin was fiercely protective of her daughter and was displeased with her reckless words. She scolded her, "Aren't you ashamed to throw a tantrum in front of outsiders?"
The atmosphere was frozen.
Tianyun thought for a moment and finally spoke: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I really cannot accept such a heavy gift. Since my cousin wants it, please grant her wish."
It wasn't that she was a saint, but rather that she anticipated that if she accepted Xiao Ziran's gift today, her resentful cousin would likely continue to gossip about her.
It would be better to just give it to Shangguan Jingyi and shut her up.
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