Song Yuru glanced at the jade bracelet on Jiang Segu's hand. The color was rich and clear, and the quality was really good. It must have been bought for her by Jiang Segu's wealthy maternal grandparents!
Although the quality is good, the Song family could easily buy an emerald bracelet of this quality if they wanted to!
They have no sense at all. It's just a jade bracelet, and they're making such a fuss over it!
That's fine, though. If Jiang Segu pretends to be generous and doesn't want her to pay, it would make her look inferior!
Song Yuru said with a hint of pride, "Sixth Sister Jiang, although our Song family is not as wealthy as your maternal grandfather's family, my grandfather was the Grand Tutor, my grandmother was Princess Qingyi, and when the Empress Dowager was alive, my mother was often summoned to the palace for a chat. Our family received rewards from the palace every year, so replacing a jade bracelet is no problem!"
"Does my sister mean she wants to compensate me for the gifts His Majesty bestowed upon me?"
Jiang Segu's tone was normal, but a hint of greed rose in his eyes.
Because of Song Yuru's obstruction, others could not see it.
Song Yuru looked down on Jiang Segu's money-grubbing attitude even more. It was true that like begets like; he had the lowly blood of a merchant and was also full of the stench of money!
Song Yuru was about to feign magnanimity and say, "As long as it makes my sister happy, of course there's nothing wrong with it!"
Just then, a soft, girlish voice rang out.
"Miss Jiang, you are putting my cousin in a difficult position. How can you give away something bestowed by the Emperor so easily? Besides, my cousin has already compensated you with her bracelet and hairpin. I hope Miss Jiang will not be greedy!"
Jiang Segu looked toward the girl who was speaking, following the sound.
This sight truly astonished her.
The girl was originally a beautiful and refined person with delicate features, but today her makeup was intentionally made to be seductive. Her almond-shaped eyes were deliberately made to point upwards at the corners, and her previously graceful and gentle eyebrows were transformed into elegant and charming eyebrows.
Her pomegranate red dress today was eye-catching, yet also felt strange!
This girl was none other than Song Yuhui!
Didn't she become Wu Feitao's concubine? How come she's at the Peach Blossom Banquet?
Jiang Segu was surprised, but he stood up with the bracelet in his hand and gave her a greeting as an equal, "It's been a long time, Sister Song, how have you been!"
The girl returned the greeting before saying, "Sixth Miss Jiang, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not your second cousin. My name is Song Yurong. I just returned to the capital with my father, and this is the first time I've met Sixth Miss Jiang."
"Yes, Sixth Sister Jiang, look closely, my Second Sister doesn't have this mole on her nose!"
Song Yuting stepped forward and explained, "This is my third uncle's daughter. She just returned to the capital with my third uncle and Prince Jing'an yesterday!"
Jiang Segu stared intently at Song Yurong, and indeed there was a mole on the left side of her nose that Song Yuhui did not have.
But she still felt that the person in front of her was Song Yuhui!
Appearance can be changed with makeup, but a person's eyes cannot be easily changed!
If the person in front of her was truly seeing her for the first time, why did their gaze always seem to carry a hint of hatred?
Song Yurong, who had never met her, naturally wouldn't hate her. The only one who would hate her was Song Yuhui, who had tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead and was sent to Wu Feitao as a concubine!
However, she didn't know why Song Yuhui had turned into Song Yurong!
Song Yurong let her look her over, her face beaming with a smile she had never seen before, revealing her white teeth, completely disregarding the etiquette of not showing one's teeth when smiling.
"Everyone says I look like my second cousin. At first, I thought it was just my sisters teasing me, but now I believe it! However, my father says I look like a mischievous monkey and can't compare to my gentle and quiet second cousin!"
Then she turned the topic back to Jiang Segu, "Sixth Miss Jiang, I think you are a well-educated and reasonable person. My third cousin's mistake today was unintentional, and she intends to make it up to you..."
As she spoke, she took off the mutton-fat jade bracelet from her wrist. "This is my first time meeting Miss Jiang Liu. I'll give this mutton-fat jade bracelet to you as a gift. I hope you'll be lenient with me!"
Look!
As expected of the granddaughters of Grand Tutor Song, they are all so knowledgeable and reasonable!
In contrast, look at Jiangse Valley!
Tsk tsk!
They're really from a small, insignificant family, not worthy of being presented to the public!
Jiang Segu pushed Song Yurong's mutton-fat jade back, "Sister, I am not a short-sighted person. As everyone in the capital knows, my maternal family is a wealthy merchant family. What rare things haven't I seen? It's not worth it for me to be stared at like a monkey with you sisters for a jade bracelet!"
Upon hearing this, everyone inwardly scorned him. So he was from a merchant family; no wonder his language was so vulgar and unfit for refined tastes!
"Sixth Miss Jiang's words are rather..."
"I'm just telling the truth! My cousin and I were just trying to cool off here when Sister Song Si and Sister Song Wu came over, and as soon as they saw me they said..."
Her face showed a hint of sadness. "She said those insulting things to me! This isn't the first time. Today is my first time attending this banquet, and I didn't want anything to go wrong, but she tripped me up!"
Without realizing it, I stepped on Sister Song's foot. I heard her cry out pitifully, so I thought I'd check her foot, but instead she kicked me!
None of that matters, but the way the bracelet broke really alarmed me!
Since none of you recognize this bracelet, we can only ask Madam Song to come and see what we should do! This bracelet was given to me by Madam Song when she came to our residence to apologize and calm my nerves!
I don't usually wear this bracelet, but today is my first time attending such a banquet, and I'm afraid of being laughed at, so I'm wearing it to bolster my courage!
Her words seemed to explain the origin of the bracelet, but they also seemed to leave things unclear!
But after she mentioned it, everyone remembered the incident at Zhenbaozhai a while ago, and also recalled how the Song family girls bullied the sixth young lady of the Changping Marquis's mansion and even pricked her palm with needles.
For a moment, everyone's eyes were drawn to Song Yurong, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Although Song Yurong didn't do what happened that day, who could blame her for looking so much like Song Yuhui!
Song Yurong's face turned pale and then red under the gaze of everyone.
At this moment, Song Yuting spoke up, "Since the bracelet was a gift from my mother, why don't I have my mother give another pair to Sister Jiang Liu later!"
Jiang Segu waved his hands repeatedly, saying in a panic, "As long as Madam Song doesn't blame me, how dare I accept Madam Song's courtesy again!"
"Sixth Sister Jiang, you are joking. My mother is a magnanimous and forgiving person. She rarely blames the servants in the house. Today you are a guest of my household, so how could she blame you for your unintentional mistake!"
That was a brilliant way to put it—"a slip of the tongue."
Does this mean she didn't accidentally step on Song Yuru, or that she didn't accidentally break the jade bracelet?
Whichever it is, this matter will be pinned on her today!
What a pity...
Jiang Segu's lips curled into a smile that spread like waves across her face, her eyes sparkling. "That's good then! I was quite worried, after all, it was Sister Song who kicked me, which is why the jade bracelet bestowed by the Empress Dowager broke..."
Upon hearing that the jade bracelet was a gift from the Empress Dowager, everyone was stunned...
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