Huo Danlan sat on a stone bench under the wisteria blossoms. She wore a light purple satin dress embroidered with pear blossoms and white cloud patterns. Her hair was styled in a smoky hibiscus bun, and the pearl flowers in her hair were also exquisite and complemented the purple color. Two strands of her dark, lustrous hair hung down on either side of her chest.
Her face was covered by a purple cloth, making it impossible to see clearly or guess her age. All that could be seen were her straight eyebrows and large eyes, which seemed to speak volumes and inexplicably calmed the heart of anyone who looked at her.
She was tall and slender, with long, beautiful, bare hands that resembled scallions, though her skin was somewhat unhealthy and pale.
Zhao Nihong sat opposite her. Compared to her, Zhao Nihong seemed rather vulgar. She was wearing a moon-white dress embroidered with light blue bamboo, a dress that should have accentuated her purity and tranquility, but she was completely outshone by Huo Danlan, who was wearing purple.
Seeing Zhao Shu walk over, Huo Danlan stood up and gracefully bowed, "Your Highness has been talking about the Princess every day along the way. Now that I've seen her, the Princess is indeed as lovely as Your Highness described."
Zhao Shu was a little unaccustomed to being praised right off the bat. In her memory, noble ladies would avoid her like the plague. This was the first time in all her years that she had heard the eldest daughter of a noble family praise her without any perfunctory words.
"Miss Huo is too kind. My father loves to talk nonsense." It was the first time she had been praised by a noblewoman, and judging from her tone, it was definitely not a perfunctory or insincere remark. She smiled shyly for the first time.
Zhao Nihong, standing to the side, was so angry that she gritted her teeth. She had been acting out her own story for so long, but this Miss Huo hadn't said a word to her. Zhao Shu came in and started praising her. What did Zhao Shu have that was better than her?
Besides being the Empress Dowager's granddaughter, what else is so remarkable about her? The Huo family of Bianzhou is nothing special; they practically begged the Prince Yong's mansion for her as soon as they arrived in the capital!
Just you wait, one day in the future, the Huo family will be begging her on their knees, and Zhao Shu will be begging her on her knees!
Trying to hide her displeasure, Zhao Nihong forced a smile and said, "Miss Huo, it's rare for my sister Ajun to be praised like this. Look, she's blushing."
Her teasing words made it seem as if she were very familiar with Huo Danlan, while also belittling Zhao Shu. However, Huo Danlan ignored her, beckoned, and a magpie standing next to her came over and placed a box on the ground.
Upon hearing this, Huo Danlan placed the box on the stone table and pulled Zhao Shu aside, saying, "I came in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare a gift. These are things I usually keep. I'm getting old anyway, so they're perfect for you."
Opening the box revealed a gold bracelet with carved cloud patterns and inlaid gemstone bells, a sapphire bracelet with carved water patterns, a jade hairpin with eight treasures and peony design, a hairpin with openwork orchid design and inlaid white jade, a hairpin with vine and entwined branches, and many other hair ornaments. The materials could all be found in the Prince's Mansion, but what was rare was the extremely exquisite workmanship. It was probably made by the Huo family's own craftsmen and could not be bought outside. Even those sent from the palace were not as exquisite as those in the box.
"Could this be the Golden Phoenix Emerging from the Clouds, a Golden and Jade Hairpin?" Zhao Nihong suddenly reached out and picked up the hairpin from the box in surprise. She took it so suddenly that neither Zhao Shu nor Huo Danlan noticed, but the magpie had been watching her every move.
Almost as soon as she got her hands on it and hadn't even had a chance to look at it properly, the magpie snatched it away, saying, "Miss, please just look at it for now. This hair ornament isn't something just anyone can touch. If you break it, you can't afford to pay for it."
"You!" Zhao Nihong was furious. It was one thing for the eldest daughter of the Huo family to be arrogant, but what was a mere maid? She immediately reached out and snatched the hairpin from Xique. "A mere servant dares to snatch things from this princess. How dare you!"
“Princess? Miss, you must be mistaken. Only those who are officially appointed by imperial decree are true princesses. If any prince’s daughter can become a princess, wouldn’t Dayong be full of princesses?” Magpie was not to be outdone, her expression and tone full of contempt.
Green Ivy watched from the side, secretly gloating. "Hmph, this Japanese princess, relying on being the princess's cousin, doesn't bow when she meets anyone and always acts like an older sister. Finally, someone can teach her a lesson."
It's almost a consensus that the daughters of the Prince of Dayong are Princesses of the County and the daughters of the Princess are Princesses of the County. However, few people investigate the truth: only those who have been officially appointed are true Princesses of the County and Princesses of the County. Those who are appointed receive fiefdoms and stipends, while those who are not appointed receive nothing and are no different from ordinary noble ladies.
Especially since Zhao Nihong was born out of wedlock, and just now she told Huo Danlan all the rumors about Zhao Shu. No wonder Xi Que didn't like her; Zhao Shu was the key to curing their daughter's illness.
"Miss Huo, is this how the Huo family visits other people's homes? The servants don't know manners, don't you know them too?" She couldn't out-argue or out-quit Magpie, so she turned and glared at Huo Danlan with hostility.
Huo Danlan glanced at her indifferently without speaking. Magpie said, "Miss Zhao keeps saying that I don't know manners, but how much does Miss Zhao know? If I remember correctly, this is the Yong Prince's Mansion, right? The Yong Prince's Mansion only has one monarch. When did you come along?"
Zhao Nihong was speechless. After searching for a while, she couldn't find the right words to refute He Shi. She glared at Xi Que several times, then said smugly with a glint in her eyes, "The Yongwang Mansion has no mistress. My father took pity on my nineteenth uncle and asked my mother to help manage the mansion. Naturally, I also regard the Yongwang Mansion as my own home."
"So the Second Imperial Uncle is so kind-hearted. My poor father is truly touching. Consort Zhang, you've worked hard. Little Zhu, send some service fees to the Second Imperial Uncle later, to thank him for letting his concubine help manage the palace."
Zhao Shu's gaze was icy as she glanced at Xiao Zhu Zi. Xiao Zhu Zi hurriedly stepped forward and reported, "Princess, the other day neither the Prince nor you were at the residence, nor was Steward Fu. Aunt Bi Qiao also went out. The concubines in the residence were fighting, and His Highness Prince Duan saw it and sent Consort Zhang to persuade them."
"You've worked so hard, Consort. Please give her some extra silver to reward her and make sure to convey the Prince's gratitude to the Second Prince." After saying this, Zhao Shu picked up the sapphire carved water flower bracelet from the box and put it on her wrist. It was the height of summer, and this color looked refreshing on her.
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