Chapter 118 Hundred Longevity Paintings
The guests were in an uproar, and some whispered among themselves: "I didn't expect Madam Pei to be so stingy. This is all she gives the old general for his sixtieth birthday?" "They say that daughters born out of wedlock are no good, they don't even know the proper etiquette."
General Pei's face darkened. Ye Wanning picked up the painting from the ground, both angry and anxious—she had clearly put the real Longevity Painting in the brocade box, how could it have become a replica?
“This isn’t my embroidery!” Ye Wanning took a deep breath and held up the imitation in her hand. “My embroidery of the Longevity Characters has hidden silver thread patterns in each character. It’s made of tribute silk from Sichuan, and it has a soft sheen under the light. Look at this imitation. It’s made of ordinary cotton thread, and there aren’t even any hidden patterns in the characters. The color is also dirty. Such a crude product is definitely fake.”
The Crown Princess's expression changed, and she said with a forced smile, "Madam Pei, don't try to deny it. You were the one holding the brocade box. Everyone saw what was inside."
"Is that so?" Ye Wanning looked at the guard standing at the door. "A-San, bring over the mahogany box I put in the side room."
A moment later, the guards brought over the mahogany box. Ye Wanning opened the box, inside which was her actual embroidered "Hundred Longevity Characters". She picked up the embroidered piece, and sunlight shone through the window, making the silver threads glow softly. The subtle patterns within each "longevity" character were clearly visible, stunning everyone present.
"This is the Hundred Longevity Picture I embroidered." Ye Wanning looked at the Crown Princess. "Crown Princess, when you were 'accidentally' bumping into me while 'entertaining' me just now, did you see who switched my birthday gift?"
The Crown Princess's face turned pale; she hadn't even noticed, and she stammered, unable to speak.
Pei Zhi walked over at this moment, shielding Ye Wanning behind him, and looked at the Crown Princess with a cold face: "How dare you trample on my wife's feelings like this? Do you really think that by exchanging my wife's birthday gifts, she will be embarrassed? Let me tell you, if it weren't for Father Emperor's sake today, your position as Crown Princess would probably change hands very soon!"
The Crown Princess's legs went weak, and she almost knelt down. General Pei looked at the real Hundred Longevity Painting, and his anger subsided considerably. He said to Ye Wanning, "Good child, I'm sorry to have wronged you. I like this birthday gift."
"I'm glad Father is happy." Ye Wanning breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes a little red. Pei Zhi held her hand, his fingers gently rubbing her palm: "I won't stand for anyone who dares to bully you again."
After the birthday banquet began, the Crown Princess sat in a corner, no longer daring to utter a word. General Pei, holding a scroll depicting a hundred longevity symbols, boasted to the guests, "Look, this was embroidered by my daughter-in-law; it's even more skillful than the imperial craftsmen in the palace!"
Ye Wanning sat down next to Pei Zhi, who placed a piece of her favorite braised pork on her plate: "Eat quickly, you must be very hungry after standing for so long."
"You were so fierce just now, you scared the Crown Princess to tears," Ye Wanning said softly.
“Fierce?” Pei Zhi raised an eyebrow. “She dared to bully you, so she deserves to suffer. If I see her causing you trouble again, I’ll send her back to the palace and let the Emperor judge her.”
Ye Wanning couldn't help but chuckle and picked up a piece of green vegetable for him: "Eat up, don't just criticize me, you haven't eaten much either."
Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, spilling onto the table and reflecting the glistening braised pork in the bowl. Pei Zhi took a bite of vegetables, but his eyes didn't look at the table: "Next time you prepare something this elaborate, you should tell me in advance so I can have my guards keep an eye on it and prevent it from being replaced by someone else."
Ye Wanning nodded, picked up a piece of tofu and put it in his bowl: "I know, I won't embarrass you next time."
At this moment, General Pei walked over with a cup, sat down beside the two, and smiled at Ye Wanning, saying, "Good child, thanks to you today, that slut didn't get her way. I'm going to hang this 'Hundred Longevity' painting in the most conspicuous place in my study, so that everyone who comes and goes can see how capable my Pei family's daughter-in-law is!"
"Father, you're too kind." Ye Wanning's cheeks flushed. "Your daughter-in-law just wanted to prepare a thoughtful gift for you, but I didn't expect this to happen."
"It's good to have a mishap, because only through mishaps can you see people's true colors!" General Pei took a sip of wine, looked at the Crown Princess in the corner, and pointed. "Some people just can't stand to see our Pei family doing well, and they always want to stir up trouble. If you encounter such people again, don't be polite, your father will back you up."
Ye Wanning felt a warm glow in her heart. Just as she was about to speak, she saw the First Princess Consort walk over with a cup, her face somewhat pale: "General Pei, General Pei, Madam Pei, I was wrong just now. I will punish myself with three cups to apologize to you."
As she was about to pour it into her mouth, Pei Zhi stopped her: "The Crown Princess's mistake cannot be forgiven with three cups of wine. My wife stayed up for three months straight embroidering that Hundred Longevity Scroll, pricking her fingers with the needle several times. Do you think you can just dismiss this with a few words?"
The Crown Princess's hand froze in mid-air, tears welling in her eyes: "Then what does General Pei want? He can't possibly embarrass me in front of so many people, can he?"
"You lost face yourself." Pei Zhi was still angry. "You either apologize to everyone in public and explain that you switched the birthday gifts; or I will go to the palace right now and talk to the Emperor about this matter, and let the Emperor judge how you, the eldest prince's wife, bullied people at the Pei family's birthday banquet."
Hearing his words, everyone turned to look at the Crown Princess. Her face flushed and paled in turns, her fingers gripping the wine cup tightly until her knuckles turned blue. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and bowed to Ye Wanning: "Madam Pei, I'm sorry. I was confused for a moment and deliberately switched your birthday gifts, causing you to suffer."
Ye Wanning looked at her and said, "No need to apologize. Just don't do things that harm others and yourself in the future, Princess Consort."
The Crown Princess straightened up, said nothing more, turned and walked quickly out, not even attending the birthday banquet. General Pei watched her retreating figure and sneered, "She should have done this a long time ago. She's already given us face, but she's still pushing her luck."
After the birthday banquet, Pei Zhi led Ye Wanning back to her room and hugged her as soon as they entered, saying, "I'm sorry you had to go through all this trouble today; your hands are all cold."
Ye Wanning leaned against him, smelling the alcohol on his breath, and shook her head: "I'm not that scared, with you and Dad here. If I were scared, wouldn't that be being looked down upon? It's just a pity about that replica; it ruined a perfectly good birthday banquet."
“It’s no pity.” Pei Zhi lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. “If it weren’t for that replica, how would everyone see the true face of the Crown Princess? If anyone wants to cause you trouble in the future, they’d better think twice.”
He pulled Ye Wanning to sit down on the edge of the bed, took out a small box from his pocket, and opened it to reveal a silver hairpin with a small "Ning" engraved on the head: "I wanted to put this on you at the birthday banquet today, but I didn't find the opportunity. In the future, when you embroider something, don't always hold the thread with your hands. Use this hairpin to hold it in place so you won't prick your hand."
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