Chapter 46 Ladies Tea Party
Deep in Fengyi Palace, in the side hall that Dongfang Yuning had occupied and turned into a "research room", a strange fragrance floated in the air.
It is neither flower nor powder, but has a hint of cool sweetness in its freshness. When you take a breath, your internal organs feel as if they are washed, and it is so comfortable that you want to hum.
Dongfang Yuning was buried in a pile of bottles and jars, his fingers flitting like butterflies. In front of him stood a row of a dozen plump little white porcelain jars, their glaze as warm as freshly peeled eggs.
She carefully used a small silver spoon to scoop the last bit of the paste, which emitted a soft, pearly glow, into the jar. With a soft "click", the porcelain lid closed tightly.
There was a bit of white frost on her face, making her look like a little cat caught stealing glutinous rice flour, but her eyes were surprisingly bright, burning with the pure enthusiasm of an inventor and infinite longing for the upcoming wealth and fortune.
"It's done!"
She straightened up, took a long breath, put her hands on her waist, and looked at the "white fat army" lined up in front of her, feeling an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
The effect? It's awesome!
The Empress Dowager became the Chief Experience Officer. After only three days of using it, the fine lines around her eyes were almost gone. She held the Emperor's hand and laughed:
"I'm afraid my shamelessness has gone back ten years!"
The old lady was so happy that she decided on the spot to personally support this precious baby.
The changes in Empress Dongfang Qiwu were even more subtle. Her skin was now moist and translucent, like the finest mutton-fat jade imbued with a watery sheen. From the inside out, she exuded the languid elegance of a well-nourished woman.
This made life difficult for Emperor Nangong Yu. His clinginess was upgraded to the Pro Max version of a dog-skin plaster. He would go to Fengyi Palace as soon as the court session ended, and even when reviewing memorials, he would move to the side of the empress. His eyes were like those filled with super glue, and he wished he could stick them on his beloved wife's face.
The palace maids and eunuchs in Fengyi Palace walked on tiptoe, for fear of disturbing the sweet and succulent atmosphere between the emperor and empress.
As for those little palace maids who took advantage of the situation and were given some trial pieces, they have become walking billboards these days.
Their little faces were rosy and tender, and their eyes were brighter than before. When they gathered together, they couldn't help pinching each other's cheeks, and low exclamations and laughter never stopped.
Dongfang Yuning himself? He was already blessed with good looks, and now he is even more stunning.
Her skin was so delicate that even a mosquito would split its legs if it stood on it. It was so soft and delicate that it could be broken by a baby's touch, and it was so bright and smooth. When she looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but touch it a few more times, muttering:
【These points are worth spending! 】
After this powerful advertising combination was launched, the invitations to the tea party for noble ladies jointly issued by the Queen Mother and the Empress arrived at various mansions, and the entire circle of noble ladies in the capital was in an uproar.
Everyone has the same cat-paw-scratching thought in their mind:
What on earth is Princess Fuxing's miraculous face cream?
On this day, the Xiefang Garden, which was built specifically for the female members of the imperial family deep in the garden, was filled with flowers, beautiful women in fragrant clothes, and the jingling of jewelry.
In early summer, the garden's famous flowers vie for splendor, their fragrance rich and fragrant. But today, even the most precious of the flowers' scents are subtly overshadowed by another, more elegant, and refreshing fragrance.
Dongfang Yuning specially ordered people to put the newly made face cream in an exquisite incense burner, and only dripped a few drops of warm water into it, so that the water vapor could evaporate and emit a light and elegant fragrance.
The fragrance is so subtle that every lady who steps into the garden can't help but take a few deep breaths, their eyes full of curiosity and anticipation, just like a group of cats smelling top-notch catnip.
In the center of the garden, low tables covered with brocade and cushions were arranged in an orderly fashion. The ladies and daughters of noble families sat down according to their rank and family background, exchanging pleasantries, but their eyes kept drifting involuntarily towards the main seat.
The Queen Mother was dressed in bright yellow casual attire, her complexion was rosy, and the smile lines at the corners of her eyes were relaxed. She was chatting and laughing with an old feudal lord, looking so relaxed that she didn't seem like an old ancestor in the deep palace.
Queen Dongfang Qiwu was dressed in a Tianshui green palace dress, which made her skin look whiter than snow and her eyebrows and eyes look like paintings. Her dignity revealed a lazy and luxurious feeling that came from being well-nourished.
The movement of her eyes attracted a murmur of admiration filled with envy.
And the well-deserved C position today - Princess Fuxing Dongfang Yuning, wearing a primrose-colored soft silk dress with scattered flowers, stood coquettishly in the open space in front of the main seat.
Beside her, on a large rosewood table, dozens of plump white porcelain jars were neatly arranged, shining with an attractive warm luster in the sunlight.
Dongfang Yuning cleared his throat, his voice clear and penetrating:
"Ladies and young ladies! It is an honor for Yuning to be able to gather here at Xiefang Garden today. It is also a testament to the deep love that the Empress Dowager and the Empress have for us women!"
She scanned the audience with her sharp eyes, her little face showing undisguised confidence and enthusiasm, just like an anchor who was about to start a large-scale live broadcast selling goods.
"I'm sure everyone is curious about the reasons for the subtle changes in the faces of the nobles in the uterus and those around them these days."
She paused deliberately, successfully whetting everyone's appetite, then smiled brightly, picked up a white porcelain jar, and with a light "click", unscrewed the lid.
A cold fragrance, clearer and purer than the one that filled the air, instantly emanated, carrying with it a chill like the first melting of ice and snow. The ladies standing nearby craned their necks longer than swans.
“That’s it!”
Dongfang Yuning used a small silver spoon to pick up a little bit of the snow-white paste and showed it to everyone. The paste glowed with a soft pearl-like halo in the sunlight.
"This is Jade Skin Snow Cream. Yuning has spent countless efforts searching for ancient recipes, adding rare medicinal herbs, and repeatedly refining it! Not for anything else, but just for us women!"
Her voice suddenly rose, with a fervor that could ignite the entire audience:
"Why can't women live for themselves? Why can't they take care of their appearance? We take care of household chores, support our husbands and raise our children, honor our elders, and work so hard! Shouldn't we be a little better to ourselves? This face is our own facade, and it's proof that we please ourselves and cherish ourselves!"
[118, isn't that a loud enough slogan?]
[The host is awesome! His emotional power is MAX! The leeks…oh no, the ladies have been successfully incited!] 118 promptly delivered the rainbow fart.
This declaration of "pleasing oneself" was so straightforward and passionate from the mouth of a princess who was deeply favored by the royal family, and the effect was extraordinary.
A small spark of recognition ignited in the eyes of the young ladies, and the dignified ladies also nodded slightly, as if thinking about something.
"This cream,"
Dongfang Yuning's voice is full of temptation.
“I wouldn’t say it can turn you back to youth, but long-term use will definitely make your skin radiant and plump, reduce fine lines, and make you look radiant!
The Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the maids in my Fengyi Palace are the best proof! Good things cannot be enjoyed alone! Today is the day it comes to light! "
She put down the silver spoon and clapped her hands. Immediately, the well-trained palace maids filed in carrying red lacquer trays, each of which held three or five jars of "White Fatty".
"This cream is extremely difficult to make, using rare ingredients. Quantities are limited, so we're only accepting pre-orders today! A deposit of fifty taels of silver per bottle is required, and the balance of one hundred and fifty taels must be paid upon delivery! Deposits are non-refundable, first come, first served!"
Dongfang Yuning's voice was crisp and clear, with an unquestionable business aura, which seamlessly matched her image of working for the welfare of women at the moment.
"hiss--"
Even the ladies, accustomed to the opulence of luxury, gasped in shock at the exorbitant price of two hundred taels per bottle! Two hundred taels! That was enough for an average family of five in Beijing to live comfortably for two or three years!
However, after a brief period of silence, there was an even more turbulent undercurrent.
"The Empress Dowager said it was good after using it!"
"The Queen looks...tsk, like a peeled lychee!"
"How could anything Princess Fuxing brought out be any worse? That fragrant dew from last time..."
"Two hundred taels is expensive, but face is worth a thousand gold!"
The discussion started buzzing. As soon as Dongfang Yuning finished speaking, the anxious lady yelled at the maid beside her:
"Hurry! Go order! Three bottles! No, five bottles!"
The maids were like ignited rockets, rushing towards the palace maid holding the tray.
"Marquis Yongchang's Mansion, order three bottles!"
"Prince Jingguo's Mansion, five bottles!"
"Madam Zhang, the Minister of Personnel, please order two bottles!"
"Madam Wang Shangshu of the Ministry of Works, four bottles!"
The calls of names came one after another, the brushes in the hands of the palace maids danced on the reservation book, and silver bills and heavy silver ingots fell into the rosewood money box beside them like water.
The scene instantly became as hot as the New Year's shopping spree. The reserved ladies didn't care too much about their manners at this moment, for fear of being too slow to get what they wanted.
Dongfang Yuning looked at this grand occasion, the corners of his mouth curled up wildly, and his eyes curved into crescents, just like a little squirrel with a full stock of nuts and feeling satisfied.
[118, see! What is a business genius! What is the Midas Touch?]
She rubbed her fingers happily, as if she could hear the beautiful background music of the jingling of silver coins.
"Mother! Quick! Ask Madam Liu to order more! I want ten bottles!"
A sharp voice with a hint of urgency suddenly rang out, drowning out some of the noise.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. On a seat near the edge, Ning Hou's wife, Yang, sat upright. Her well-maintained face wore her usual graceful smile, but deep in her eyes there was a subtle hint of fatigue and alienation.
Next to her stood a young woman in a gorgeous attire. It was none other than Ning Xiangying, the legitimate daughter of the Ning Marquis's mansion. She wore the most fashionable silk dress embroidered with gold and white butterflies, her hair adorned with pearls and jade, and she was as dazzling and flamboyant as a peacock with its tail spread. She was shaking Yang's arm vigorously, pointing at the crowd scrambling to place an order, her face filled with impatience and determination.
Yang frowned slightly because of her shaking. Before she could speak, her eyes involuntarily slid to the side behind her.
There, quietly stood a young girl in a half-worn lilac dress. Slightly taller than Ning Xiangying, she was slightly hunched over, her head lowered, revealing a slender, pale neck that seemed so fragile it could break at the slightest snap. She was Ning Xiangru, the concubine of the Ning Marquis's mansion.
Like a shadow that could disappear at any time, if Ning Xiangying's high-pitched voice hadn't attracted attention, almost no one would have noticed her.
Ning Xiangying followed her mother's gaze and glanced at Ning Xiangru, and the irritation caused by the rush to place orders instantly found an outlet.
Her eyebrows were raised, her lips curled in disgust, and her voice was shrill and piercing:
"What are you looking at? You unlucky thing! How dare you come to such a gathering of nobles? You've soiled Princess Fuxing's face cream! What are you still standing here for? You're an eyesore! Get out of here!"
The sound was neither loud nor soft, and in the garden, which had calmed down slightly due to the rush to book reservations, it was clearly heard by the people at several nearby tables. The ladies exchanged disapproving glances.
Although the status of a concubine's daughter is low, it is really inappropriate to insult and drive her away in public. The family education of the Ning Hou Mansion is worrying.
Yang's face changed slightly, and a complex emotion flashed across her eyes - there was anger at Ning Xiangying's rudeness, unhappiness at having her authority challenged, and a hint of... almost indifferent disregard for the silent concubine.
She moved her lips, and finally uttered a warning:
"Ying'er! Shut up! Pay attention to the occasion!"
He still didn't even look at Ning Xiangru.
Ning Xiangru lowered her head even lower, almost burying it in her chest. Her thin shoulders trembled imperceptibly beneath the lilac-colored fabric.
She bit her lower lip so hard that it turned white, and her hands clenched the corners of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned blue from the force. Humiliation was like an icy snake wrapped around her heart, bringing sharp pain and suffocating numbness.
Sixteen years later, every time, the pain still pierced her heart. She only wished she could turn into dust and disappear.
In this oppressive, silent moment——
[Ding! Melon radar activated! Shocking melon discovered! Host! Host! Nuclear warning ahead!]
A scream with exaggerated electronic sound effects that only Dongfang Yuning could hear exploded in her mind! System 118, so excited that the electronic sound was floating.
Dongfang Yuning was happily counting money when he was startled by the "noise":
[118! What the hell are you yelling about? Can't you see I'm busy harvesting... uh, busy benefiting the women of the world?]
[Stop counting! The most melodramatic drama of the year is right before our eyes! Host, look over at the Ning Marquis's mansion! That Ning Xiangying who pointed at the concubine and called her an "unlucky thing"! She! Is! A! Fake! ]
118's voice was as excited as if he had won the lottery.
What the hell? Is it fake? Is the cream fake?
Dongfang Yuning's attention was drawn back, and he looked towards the seat at Ning Hou Mansion in confusion.
[The identity of the legitimate daughter is fake! Host! ]
118 was so excited that she set off electronic fireworks in her mind.
[I just retrieved the core files of the Ninghou Mansion! Sixteen years ago, Ninghou's wife, Yang, and a concubine named Lin Liuli gave birth almost simultaneously! Both were daughters!]
Lin Liuli's ambition was so high that he bribed the midwife who delivered the lady! Taking advantage of the postpartum confusion and the lady's exhaustion and sleepiness, he directly played a trick of replacing the prince with a cat!
He moved his daughter to the lady's side and she became the precious and respected daughter Ning Xiangying!
And the real legitimate daughter... is Ning Xiangru, who is now being called an unlucky thing and has been rolling in the mud for sixteen years!
[What the hell?!]
Dongfang Yuning cursed in his heart, his eyes widened as he stared at Ning Xiangru's thin figure.
Is this Aunt Lin really that brave? Is she really going to die?]
[I want more than just life, I want wealth and glory, host!]
118 The tone was full of contempt,
[Here comes the more outrageous part! Ning Xiangying, who grew up as a legitimate daughter and was spoiled to the point of lawlessness, has a morbid hatred for her 'illegitimate sister', Ning Xiangru!
She always finds Ning Xiangru's pretty face annoying and finds fault everywhere! Guess how she treats Ning Xiangru in private?
Without waiting for Dongfang Yuning's reaction, 118 immediately imitated Ning Xiangying's sarcastic tone and started a "reenactment" in Dongfang Yuning's mind:
[You lowly slave! You're worthy of wearing new clothes? Take them off! Is this material even suitable for someone as lowly as you?]
[Go clean the toilet! If you can't clean it, don't eat! Look at it again? If you look at it again, I'll dig out your eyes and feed them to the dogs!]
[In the cold winter, a basin of cold water was poured over my head: "Little bitch, don't you like to seduce me? I'll freeze you to death! Let's see if you can still be horny!"]
[He intentionally splashed ink on the scriptures Ning Xiangru had copied: "Oops, my hand slipped. Re-copy it. Can't finish it? Watch your skin!"]
Even more vicious! She even deliberately harassed Ning Xiangru on her way to pay her respects to Madam Yang! She even caused Ning Xiangru to break her leg!
Just because she was jealous of Ning Xiangru wearing a brightly colored skirt! She said to the maid behind her back: "It would be better to throw that little bitch to death! So that she won't bring shame to our mansion!"
118's simulation was so lifelike that the vicious words and details of his actions pierced Dongfang Yuning's mind like an ice spike.
[Beast! Ning Xiangying is worse than pigs and dogs! Lin Liuli shouldn't die ten thousand times!]
Her chest heaved with anger, and her little fists clenched in her sleeves.
【The most ironic thing is the host! 】
118 adds fuel to the fire,
Every time Ning Xiangying insulted Ning Xiangru, she called her a slave girl, a lowly creature, and a slutty person! Hahaha! The more she cursed, the more she was insulting herself!
Because she was the daughter of that lowly aunt! Every word she said was a curse on her own origins! She deserves the Best Black Comedy Award of the Year!
The electronic voice trembled with laughter.
Dongfang Yuning looked at Ning Xiangying's face, which was smug because of her successful booking, and found it extremely ugly! Then she looked at Ning Xiangru's head, which was drooping and suffering. She felt a strong urge to rush over and uncover the truth!
However, at this moment when anger was boiling and the system was enjoying itself—
The entire Xiefang Garden fell into deathly silence.
It wasn't silence, it was a dead silence, the kind that froze the air. All sounds—the ladies' conversations, the maids singing the names of the ladies, the wind rustling the petals—had vanished.
Dongfang Yuning was immersed in the storm of anger in his head and was unaware of it.
But the expressions of everyone else in the garden—the ladies, young ladies, palace maids, eunuchs—suddenly became extremely strange. It was as if they were collectively under a spell of immobilization, or as if they had witnessed something extremely horrifying but had to suppress it.
Countless gazes, like invisible probes, converged in unison, with unspeakable horror and awe, on the table at Ning Hou's mansion! On the arrogant Ning Xiangying! On the humble Ning Xiangru!
They heard it!
The conversation between Princess Fuxing and a strange voice called "118" that suddenly appeared in my mind! Every word was like thunder!
Child exchange! Sixteen years! Lin Liuli! Vicious bullying! Fake legitimate daughter! Real daughter! The slave girl's child is cursing at me!
An explosion of information! Subverting cognition! A giant hammer shattering all perspectives!
Countless ladies clutched their handkerchiefs, their fingertips sinking deep into their palms. Beneath their dignified masks, their hearts were in turmoil: Oh my God! The man Lady Ning had kept by her side for sixteen years was actually a fake? Her own flesh and blood was being treated like this?! This...
Their eyes turned to Yang with complicated expressions. Yang's expression was frozen, her graceful smile as stiff as a stone sculpture. Only her eyes, with pupils rapidly constricting and dilating, were filled with incredible horror, rage at being fooled, and...
A belated, sharp, needle-like prick of heartache for that touch of mauve? His body trembled slightly, and the knuckles of his fingers, gripping the edge of the table, turned pale from the strain.
Ning Xiangying also noticed the strange atmosphere. She looked around and found that everyone was staring at her with extremely strange and complex eyes, shock, contempt, pity...
Was there also a kind of scrutiny that made her feel creepy, like she was being looked at by a clown? Her heart was in a state of panic, and she raised her voice in a timid manner:
"Look...what are you looking at? There's nothing good to see!"
The voice is trembling.
Ning Xiangru, who had been looking down the whole time, was shocked when she heard the earth-shattering "truth" in her mind! It was as if she was struck by invisible lightning!
She looked up in disbelief, her pale face filled with shock and bewilderment. Subconsciously, with a humble desire and a desire for confirmation, her eyes timidly and quickly glanced towards the distinguished Princess Fuxing in the main seat.
Is… is that voice… what is it saying? The real legitimate daughter? Myself? No… it can’t be… it’s a dream…
At this moment, a cold, supremely majestic thought, like an invisible brand, instantly and clearly imprinted itself deep within the minds of everyone present! It was cold, unwavering, unquestionable, and carried the chilling killing intent of an emperor:
"I am Nangong Yu. These are the whispers of Princess Fuxing's mind, mysterious and unfathomable, beyond your power to decipher. If even a single word is leaked, whether intentional or not, upon verification, it will be considered as disrespect for the emperor's authority and conspiracy—execute the entire clan!"
The three words "Exterminate the Nine Clans" were like three cold guillotines, hanging over everyone's head! Their hearts, just boiling, were instantly frozen by this death threat!
All the horror, pity, anger, gossip... all emotions were forcibly and roughly pressed back into the deepest part of my heart!
The color drained from the ladies' faces, their eyes turning from shock to utter terror. They bit their lips hard, forcing themselves to look away. Their hands, once again picking up the tea, trembled violently, and the lids of the cups made a distinct, crisp, "cluck" sound as they bumped against the rims.
In such a big garden, only the trembling cup, which symbolizes fear, remains.
Deathly silence. A silence even heavier and more stifling than before.
Dongfang Yuning finally came back to his senses from the storm in his head and was stunned by the eerie silence.
[Huh? Why are you all so silent all of a sudden? Are you shocked by the price of my face cream? Not really, right? Weren't the rush to pre-order it quite fierce just now?]
She blinked in confusion.
System 118 scans the environment:
[Host, the atmosphere is unusual. Fear levels are skyrocketing, and thoughts are severely confused. The departure of Lady Ning was the trigger, but... it's as if they've collectively experienced a cognitive nuclear explosion?]
Dongfang Yuning curled her lips, thinking that the ladies were just being pretentious or that Ning Xiangying had turned them off. She cleared her throat and put on a professional smile:
"Ladies and young ladies, please continue taking pre-orders! Jade Skin Snow Cream is in limited supply, so hurry up and buy now! Women, you should treat yourself better..."
The voice seemed abrupt in the overly quiet garden. Her response was only a more tense silence and countless pairs of eyes, complex and inexpressible, hesitant to speak. In those eyes, there was a foreknowledge of the coming storm, and... awe and fear of her "ignorance."
Ning Hou's wife, Yang, suddenly stood up from her seat! With such force, the embroidered cushion behind her made a dull thud! It resounded like thunder in the deadly garden!
The last trace of color drained from her face, leaving only a terrifying lividity. Her lips were pressed into a sharp line, and her eyes, once graceful and gentle, now burned with the raging rage of sixteen years of deception and a cold, murderous intent bordering on madness!
His gaze, like a poisoned ice cone, first fixed itself on Ning Xiangying's face, which was filled with panic, as if to burn through the mask! Then, he slowly shifted to Ning Xiangru, who was looking up blankly in shock, with a pain that was almost greedy and belated regret.
Ning Xiangru met this unprecedented look of mixed rage and regret, and her whole body trembled violently. She subconsciously wanted to lower her head, but was nailed to the spot by that gaze.
Yang didn't say a word, and didn't even look at Dongfang Yuning and the Empress Dowager.
He turned abruptly, his wide sleeves stirring up a cold breeze, and addressed the stout old woman he had brought with him, who was also terrified by the information in his mind. He squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, his voice hoarse and low, carrying the chill of hell:
"Return home! Now!"
The maids were startled and pounced on her like wolves and tigers. Two maids grabbed Ning Xiangying's arms like iron clamps and dragged her away without mercy! Ning Xiangying screamed
"Let me go! Mother! What are you doing?!"
An old woman roughly stuffed a hand towel back into his body, leaving only muffled whimpering sounds and futile kicking.
The other two maids were very cautious and had an unprecedented fear and awe. They almost half-supported and half-carried up Ning Xiangru, who was weak all over and had a blank mind. Their movements were gentle, which was completely different from how they treated Ning Xiangying.
Yang took one last look in the direction of the main seat, meeting the complex gaze of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, and nodded miserably in apology. With her back straight, like a blood-stained sword unsheathed, she carried a resolute aura of destruction and purging all filth. Under the gaze of terrified eyes, she swiftly left without a backward glance! A resolute figure!
The group from Ning Hou Mansion came in a ostentatious manner and left in a thrilling manner, leaving Xiefang Garden in a dead silence and chaos and countless frantic hearts beating wildly.
Dongfang Yuning was stunned:
[118, What…what's going on? Has Lady Ning been possessed by an evil spirit? Why is she suddenly dragging someone away? Two of them? The way she looks at Ning Xiangru…is eerie.]
System 118 stuck:
[Uh... Host, emotional analysis shows that the look in his eyes contained shock, rage, murderous intent, and... a strong and twisted maternal love? For Ning Xiangru.]
The contradiction index is off the charts! The logical chain doesn't quite match up. Maybe... Yang suddenly had a change of heart, felt Ning Xiangying was too much, and took her back to discipline her? And to protect the bullied concubine?
【Isn't this too sudden? 】
Dongfang Yuning scratched his head.
[And her aura doesn't sound like she's trying to discipline someone, it sounds like she's going to massacre the whole city...]
At this moment, a voice as clear as a silver bell, with undisguised admiration and greed, broke the silence:
"Aunt! Aunt!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. At the garden entrance, the eldest princess Nangong Yue, who had just returned to the palace, came running in with her skirt lifted.
She was dressed in a goose yellow palace dress, and her figure was more mature and graceful than Dongfang Yuning. Her eyes and eyebrows showed the brightness and unrestrainedness of having experienced the vicissitudes of life. At this moment, her face was flushed with excitement, and her eyes were surprisingly bright. Her target was directly directed at Dongfang Yuning... and the pile of white porcelain jars and the rosewood box full of silver bills in front of her!
She rushed to Dongfang Yuning like a gust of wind, ignoring the strange atmosphere, and took her aunt's arm, rubbing it affectionately. Her voice was sweet and crisp, with exaggerated praise:
"My dear aunt! You are truly the number one golden boy under the seat of the God of Wealth! How long has it been? Look at the pile of banknotes! The number of pre-orders! My God! The speed at which you make money, who in the whole of Dayan can even compare to you?"
As she spoke, she scanned the white porcelain jar with her sparkling eyes, as if she saw moving mountains of gold.
【It’s better to follow my aunt to eat meat! 】
Nangong Yue's arrival was like a stone dropped into stagnant water. However, this "break" brought about an even more bizarre contrast.
The ladies' faces were still shrouded in fear, their eyes tinged with lingering fear, yet they forced their stiff lips into smiles uglier than tears. The hand holding the teacup was still trembling slightly, and the clinking of the cup lids echoed.
Nangong Yue was completely unaware, immersed in admiration and the prospect of dividends, shaking Dongfang Yuning's arm:
"Aunt, please calculate how much you ordered. You can't refuse to pay the dividends you promised me! Yue'er is counting on it to buy new jewelry!"
[Invest all your private money with my aunt~! ]
Dongfang Yuning was stunned by her, temporarily putting aside his doubts, poking her smooth forehead with a smile:
"Little money-grubber! You're the one I can't miss! Go away and don't get in the way of me benefiting women all over the world!"
Nangong Yue chuckled, contentedly letting go of her hand, and bounded over to the Empress Dowager to act coquettishly. Her mature, bright, and heartless demeanor formed an absurd contrast with the suppressed fear and trembling silence in the garden.
Dongfang Yuning shook his head, put on a professional smile, and prepared to continue selling. His eyes swept across the audience, and a strange feeling rose in his heart again.
[118, Something's wrong. Why are they looking at me like... like they're looking at a statue of a deity in a temple? A mixture of respect, awe, and a hint of ghostliness? Is there something on my face? Or are they frightened by Lady Ning?]
System 118 Deep Scan:
Host, emotional feedback is complex. Fear averages 85%, awe 78%, and confusion caused by intense information overload.
Behavioral patterns have deviated. Lady Ning's departure was a contributing factor, but not the only one. It's as if they've all... collectively experienced a cognitive nuclear explosion?]
Dongfang Yuning is confused:
[Nuclear explosion? I'm just selling a face cream? A little more expensive for better results... not really necessary, right? Could it be...]
A light bulb went off in her head.
Did they hear it too?
As soon as the thought came up, I denied it myself:
[Impossible! 118, didn't you say this is the only channel?]
In theory, yes.
118 The tone is uncertain,
[Unless... there is a powerful rule-level interference force beyond the scope of this system's understanding...]
The electronic sound gradually fades.
Dongfang Yuning shook his head:
[Who cares about them! I'll just put the money in my pocket!]
Decided to ignore the weird looks.
"Ladies and gentlemen,"
She raised her voice and smiled.
"Don't worry about this little incident. Keep going! Jade Skin Snow Cream is hot on pre-order! Women should keep the best for themselves! Pamper yourself, starting with a bottle of cream! Next batch..."
The sound echoed in the silent garden. The ladies woke up as if from a dream, twisting their necks stiffly, trying to pull their attention away from the secrets of the Ninghou Mansion and the emperor's death threat and back to the white porcelain jar.
“Order…order a bottle!”
"I...I'll have another bottle!"
"Anyuan Marquis' Mansion...order...order two bottles!"
The call for fame returned, but with a trembling, unsure tone. The rush to place orders lost its urgency, becoming mechanical and slow. His eyes fixed on the cream, his mind drifting off to the bloody events of the Ning Marquis's mansion, the stigma of "Extermination of Nine Clans" firmly etched in his mind.
Dongfang Yuning looked at the slower growth in the reservation book, then at the distracted "customer", and muttered to himself:
[118, this money is... a bit scary, isn't it?]
As she was muttering, a wave of blood was surging in Ning Hou Mansion.
Yang returned home with a cold and murderous aura, and the door slammed shut.
She didn't return to the main courtyard, but instead ordered her men to drag the struggling Ning Xiangying to the open space in front of the ancestral hall. Marquis Ning rushed over upon hearing the news, but was stunned by Yang's fierce aura and stopped in his tracks.
"Madam! What are you doing..."
"Shut up!"
Yang suddenly turned around, her eyes bloodshot, her voice hoarse and resolute,
"Whoever dares to stop me today will die together with me!"
She no longer looked at Ning Hou and shouted, "Drag that bitch Lin Liuli here! Now! Immediately!"
Soon, a woman wearing a pink shirt, still charming but pale-faced, was dragged in like a dead dog. It was none other than Ning Hou's favorite concubine Lin.
She saw Ning Xiangying, who was bound and gagged, crying in fear, and Yang's murderous gaze. She knew something was wrong and fell to her knees, crying:
"Madam! Madam, please spare me! I did something wrong..."
"What did you do wrong?"
Yang sneered bitterly, like a night owl crying, and took a step forward to look down at Lin Liuli, with a look that wished she could eat her alive.
"Lin Liuli! Sixteen years ago! When you bribed the midwife and switched my child, did you ever think of this day?!"
"boom!"
A bolt from the blue struck Lin Liuli and Ning Hou! Lin Liuli collapsed to the ground, shaking like a sieve:
"No...no...Madam is being wronged..."
Ning Hou took a step back in shock, his expression changed drastically:
"Madam! Nonsense! How is it possible..."
"impossible?"
Yang suddenly pulled out a cold dagger from her sleeve - she had hidden it in her dowry for self-defense when she got married and had never shown it to anyone - and threw it hard on the ground in front of Lin Liuli!
"You want me to use this knife to cut open your heart and see if it's red or black?! Or dig up the midwife's remains and confront her?!"
She stopped talking nonsense, her murderous intent boiling, and yelled to her trusted butler:
"Execute! Beat her! Beat this vicious woman to death! Right here! In front of the Marquis! Beat her hard! Beat her until she dies!"
"yes!"
Several burly servants, armed with mahogany rods as thick as bowls, roared in agreement! They were the sons born into Yang's family as part of her dowry, and they only recognized her!
The rod was raised high, with the sound of wind, and fell down without mercy!
"ah--!"
Lin Liuli's shrill, inhuman scream pierced the sky above the Marquis' Mansion!
"Snap! Snap! Snap!"
A heavy, muffled sound, accompanied by the crackling of bones, sounded like the death knell of hell! Blood quickly dyed the blue brick floor red.
Marquis Ning was stunned by the bloody and violent scene. He wanted to rush forward to stop it, but was stopped by the guards brought by Yang.
"Madam! Stop it! Even if it's a serious mistake, you should report it to the authorities..."
Ning Hou's eyes were bloodshot.
"Are you a minister?"
Yang turned her head suddenly, her eyes were crazy and cold,
"My Lord, do you want the whole capital to know that the Ning Marquisate has been toyed with by this lowly concubine for sixteen years, and that his own bloodline has been enslaved and bullied in the mansion?! Does the Marquisate still have any dignity left?!"
Every word is heart-wrenching!
Ning Hou felt as if struck by lightning. Looking at Yang's madness to destroy the world, and then looking at Lin Liuli whose breath was gradually weakening on the ground and Ning Xiangying whose face was ashen, the chill went up from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
He opened his mouth, but under Yang's piercing gaze, he dejectedly took two steps back, closed his eyes in pain, and acquiesced to the lynching.
“Bang!”
The last heavy blow landed, and Lin Liuli's body twitched violently, and she collapsed silently. Her eyes were wide open, filled with fear and disbelief, frozen on her pale face.
The open space in front of the ancestral hall was filled with the smell of blood.
Yang did not look at the corpse, but turned her cold gaze to Ning Xiangying, who was lying limp on the ground, frightened and incontinent, and smelling bad.
"As for you..."
The sound is like the cold ice of the Nine Netherworld.
"You've enjoyed the status of a legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family for sixteen years, and you've also abused my own flesh and blood for sixteen years! From today on, you are no longer Miss Ning!"
She pronounced sentence on the housekeeper word by word:
"Strip her of this presumptuous clothing! Change her into coarse cloth! Immediately! Stuff her into a sedan chair and send her to the residence of Manager Liu of the Funeral Shop in West City! Tell him that this is his new eighteenth concubine! Whether she lives or dies, we will not question her!"
Owner Liu of the funeral shop? A sixty-year-old man known for withholding wages and torturing his concubines? His eighteenth concubine? Worse than selling her to a low-class brothel!
"No! Mother! Father! Save me! I'm Ying'er!"
Ning Xiangying screamed in despair and struggled with tears streaming down her face.
"Drag him away!" Yang shouted harshly, without any warmth.
The two old women came forward, regardless of the biting and kicking, and roughly stripped off her gorgeous clothes and pearls, and put on a coarse linen shirt, and dragged her towards the shabby blue cloth sedan like a torn sack.
Ning Xiangying's shrill cries and curses gradually faded away.
Ning Hou looked at everything, his face pale, and he instantly aged ten years. He slumped down on the cold stone steps, covering his face with his hands.
Yang finally seemed to have exhausted all her strength, her body swaying. She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and without looking at Ning Hou, turned and walked towards the secluded room next to the ancestral hall.
Ning Xiangru was placed on a soft couch, and the court doctor took her pulse. She had been so shocked that she fainted.
Yang walked to the bedside, looked at her daughter's pale and frowning face, looked at her half-worn thin dress, and thought of the inhuman treatment she had received over the past sixteen years... The belated heart-wrenching pain and overwhelming regret completely overwhelmed her.
She slowly and tremblingly reached out her hand, wanting to touch her daughter's cheek, but stopped when her fingertips were about to touch her, as she was afraid of disturbing her and felt unworthy.
Big, hot tears broke through the cold shell, slid silently across the iron-blue cheek, and fell on the cold floor tiles.
"Ru'er...my...daughter..."
Broken sobs, tinged with blood, lingered in her throat. She slowly knelt before her daughter's bed, her shoulders heaving violently as she wept silently.
The bloody waves in Ninghou Mansion were tightly sealed by high walls.
The strange atmosphere in Xiefang Garden spread silently among the ladies returning home like a plague.
A few days later, Yueji Pavilion officially launched its Jade Skin Snow Cream. The scene was ten times more lively than the tea party. Carriages blocked the streets, and servants and butlers of wealthy families squeezed in.
Dongfang Yuning sat in a private room on the second floor of Yueji Pavilion, happily counting the banknotes pouring in, and watching the frantic shopping downstairs through the glazed window.
Nangong Yue was calculating with a gold-inlaid jade abacus, her little face flushed with excitement.
[We're rich, we're rich! 118! See?! This is strength!]
The villain in my heart laughed wildly with his hands on his hips.
[The host is mighty! Energy point harvesting is MAX!]
118 flattery.
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