Chapter 29 The Long Test and the Prince's "Ugly" Gift
After the autumn hunt, the Regent's Palace returned to its usual tranquility.
But for Jiang Mianmian, a huge crisis was lurking beneath these peaceful days.
That afternoon, she was sprawled on the soft couch, directing her maid to peel grapes for her while she plotted how to "monetize" the few pieces of mediocre jade in Shen Jin's private treasury to open a hot pot restaurant.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew by.
"Your Highness, Minister Jiang of the Court of Judicial Review has arrived."
Jiang Mianmian's hand trembled, and the grapes fell to the ground.
[Oh no! That perverted older brother is here!]
[Last time, with so many people around, I managed to slip through. This time, he came specifically to visit; he must have discovered something! After all, during the autumn hunt, I was throwing stones and tearing open car doors. This guy's a criminal investigator; his sense of smell is sharper than a dog's!]
Before she could come up with a solution, Jiang Li's gloomy and thin figure, dressed in red, had already drifted into the main hall.
He remained expressionless, his eyes lifeless, except for a fleeting, almost imperceptible, fervor when he saw Jiang Mianmian.
"Mianmian".
Jiang Li sat down opposite her, not drinking tea, but staring straight at her, her voice hoarse, "I've heard about the autumn hunt."
Jiang Mianmian chuckled dryly: "Heh...hehe, brother is really well-informed."
"He can break a boulder with one hand, tear a car door apart with his bare hands, and throw stones in the forest."
Every word Jiang Li uttered made Jiang Mianmian's heart tremble.
He suddenly leaned forward, his pale face close to Jiang Mianmian's, his eyes as sharp as knives:
"The Mianmian of the past wouldn't even dare to step on an ant. Now... are you still my sister?"
boom--!
Alarm bells rang in Jiang Mianmian's mind.
[His identity's been exposed! He's really been exposed! This guy really got suspicious! Is he going to pull out that boning knife from his waist? Is he going to give me a live verification?]
[What to do? Admit I'm a time traveler? No way, I'd be burned at the stake as a monster! In that case, I'll have to use magic to defeat magic!]
Jiang Mianmian took a deep breath, switching into full "actress mode".
Suddenly, her eyes reddened, tears welling up instantly. Then, she looked at Jiang Li with an extremely aggrieved and sorrowful expression:
"Brother...you actually doubt me?"
"Why did I change? It's because... because I wanted to protect my brother and protect this family!"
Jiang Mianmian cried as she fabricated a story, "I know my brother has offended many people at the Dali Temple, and I know my father has a hard time in the court. If I remain as weak as before, I will only become your weakness! That's why I secretly practice martial arts and endure hardship, so that one day I can stand behind my brother and protect you from harm!"
As she spoke, she pulled a pre-prepared, crookedly stitched purse from her sleeve and shoved it into Jiang Li's hand:
"Look! This is something I embroidered for my brother's birthday gift, staying up three nights in a row! My hands are all pricked and bleeding! And you still doubt that I'm not your sister? Waaaaah... my heart is breaking..."
Jiang Li was stunned.
He looked at the ugly, somewhat abstract purse in his hand, embroidered with two things that he couldn't tell were ducks or mandarin ducks, and there were several obvious bloodstains.
In that instant, the sinister look in Jiang Li's eyes vanished, replaced by overwhelming emotion and... an even more perverse obsession.
His inner turmoil was like a volcanic eruption:
[Ahhh! Mianmian cried! She cried for me! She became stronger to protect me! This is the most touching sibling bond in the world!]
Look at these stitches, so clumsy, yet so endearing! Look at these bloodstains, that's my sister's heart's blood! This is love sewn stitch by stitch by my sister! I'll frame it! I'll enshrine it in the ancestral hall!
On the surface, Jiang Li still maintained that deadpan expression, but with extremely careful movements, she stuffed the purse into her bosom and placed it close to her body.
"Don't cry."
He reached out and stiffly touched Jiang Mianmian's head. "It's because I... I misunderstood you. Anyone who dares to say you're not my sister, I'll skin them alive."
Then, he pulled out the small black booklet from his pocket and quickly began to write:
"In the late autumn of the third year of Xuanhe, my younger sister gave me a purse that she had embroidered herself. Although it was ugly, it was the most beautiful work of art in the world. My sister said she wanted to protect me. At that moment, I wanted to release all the prisoners in Dali Temple to celebrate."
Jiang Mianmian peeked at him writing in his diary and breathed a sigh of relief.
[Phew...that was close. This is what they call "if I'm emotional enough, logic can't keep up with me." Even a perverted siscon falls for this.]
...
After seeing Jiang Li off, before Jiang Mianmian could even catch her breath, another big day arrived.
On the eighth day of the tenth month, it was the twenty-fifth birthday of Regent Shen Jin.
As the regent who wielded immense power, Shen Jin naturally held an extremely lavish birthday banquet. Although Shen Jin himself did not enjoy large gatherings, he could not resist the arrangements made by the young emperor and empress dowager, as well as the enthusiasm of the court officials in presenting gifts.
At the banquet, melodious music filled the air, and toasts were exchanged.
Shen Jin, dressed in a dark purple python robe, sat upright on the high seat. Although his face was expressionless, his aura was so overwhelming that those below dared not even breathe.
Jiang Mianmian sat beside him, dressed in a bright red princess gown, looking dignified and proper (if you didn't notice that she was secretly eating peanuts hidden under the table).
"Uncle! This is a gift from me!"
The young emperor Shen Xingchen was the first to step forward, presenting an imperial sword, saying, "This was left by our ancestors. I give it to my royal uncle, wishing him to eliminate all the wicked in the world!"
Shen Jin nodded: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Immediately afterwards, the Empress Dowager sent a fine jade ruyi, symbolizing "everything goes well." Prime Minister Jiang Zhan presented a rare calligraphy and painting from a previous dynasty. The various ministers then vied with each other, presenting items like a luminous pearl from the South China Sea, a thousand-year-old ginseng, and a pure gold Buddha statue… piling them up in a corner of the hall.
Shen Jin looked at these priceless treasures with a completely unmoved expression, even showing some weariness.
It's the same thing every year, nothing new.
Moreover, as these things were delivered, everyone was scheming about how to get something out of him, and their calculating thoughts gave him a headache.
Finally, it was the Regent's wife's turn.
All eyes were on Jiang Mianmian.
Everyone was curious about what kind of shocking gift this supposedly favored and somewhat unconventional princess would give.
Jiang Mianmian stood up, straightened her skirt, and then took out a long, rectangular brocade box from behind her.
Hehe, it's finally my turn.
Compared to those gifts worth tens of thousands of taels of silver, mine is indeed a bit meager. But! I made it myself! It's packed with technology and hard work!
She walked up to Shen Jin, presented the brocade box with both hands, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, this is a birthday gift I prepared for you. It is not expensive, but it is a token of my affection."
Chen Jin raised an eyebrow and reached out to take it.
He was a little curious. She'd been secretly hiding in the small kitchen these past few days, fiddling with something—was it food again?
He opened the brocade box.
The entire room fell silent.
Inside the brocade box lay a... strangely shaped wooden stick.
The stick is thick at one end and thin at the other. The thick end is covered with thick cotton cloth and has two strange little round balls sewn on it, making it look like... a club with tumors?
Moreover, the stitches on that cotton cloth were simply appalling, crooked and twisted like a centipede crawling.
"What...what is this?"
Someone below couldn't help but whisper, "Did the princess send a... club?"
"Pfft... This is just too embarrassing to show off!"
Shen Jin was also stunned. He picked up the "club" and looked at it from left to right, but he really couldn't figure out what kind of magical artifact it was.
“Your Highness,” Jiang Mianmian introduced with a proud expression, “this item is called the ‘Heart Massager’! It was specially made by me based on ergonomics… cough cough, based on your body structure!”
"Look, this end is wrapped in cotton, it's just the right firmness. When you're tired from reviewing official documents, you can use it to massage your shoulders and back. These two little round balls are for tapping acupoints. This is wood I carved myself, and cotton cloth I sewed myself!"
[I got my hands pricked by splinters several times while making this thing! It hurt like hell! Shen Jin, if you dare complain, I'll smash your head in with this!]
His steady fingers paused slightly.
He heard it.
My hands are all pricked...it hurts so much...
His gaze fell on the ugly-cute massage hammer, and then he glanced at Jiang Mianmian's hands, which were hidden in her sleeves but whose fingertips were vaguely bandaged.
Those priceless luminous pearls and antique paintings and calligraphy instantly turned into wasteland in his eyes.
Only this ugly thing seemed so cute and so hot at this moment.
She made this by hand. For him. She even pricked her hand in the process.
An indescribable warmth welled up in his heart, and a gentle, even slightly boastful smile suddenly appeared on his usually icy face.
"good."
Shen Jin held the massage hammer, weighing it in his hand with obvious delight. "I really like this gift."
"I really like it."
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
like?
The regent actually likes a blockhead?
"Your Highness," Jiang Mianmian pressed on, "shall I demonstrate for you?"
"allow."
Jiang Mianmian took the massage hammer, went behind Shen Jin, and started pounding his shoulders.
The force is just right, and the rhythm is cheerful.
"How is it? Are you comfortable?"
Shen Jin closed his eyes, enjoying the unprofessional but incredibly relaxing tapping, mainly enjoying her little desire to "please him".
"Hmm." He let out a comfortable sigh. "Not bad. This gift is indeed... unique."
[Hehe, comfortable, right? I made this to the standards of a bathhouse from my past life! From now on, consider this my get-out-of-jail-free card! If you dare to yell at me, I'm going on strike!]
Looking at the queen in the main hall, who was giving the regent a back massage without any regard for her image, and the regent who looked like he had the whole world and was enjoying himself.
The courtiers below looked at each other, and could only come to one conclusion in the end:
The Regent is indeed spoiled rotten.
They can even treat a stick like a treasure.
For Shen Jin, this birthday was the one in his twenty-five years that was least like that of a "Regent" and most like that of "Shen Jin".
Because there was no scheming in that gift, only the clumsy yet genuine warmth hidden in every stitch.
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