Unable to suppress his burgeoning feelings, Hongli could no longer restrain himself. He wrapped his long arm around her and pulled her into the tent, where they embraced and kissed.
Su Yushan's small hands thumped helplessly in resistance, but she could not withstand his fierce offensive. Later, her voice gradually became melodious. Hongli smiled with satisfaction, took the opportunity to dive into the stream, and carried her to the clouds to experience the ultimate pleasure.
Having tasted the sweetness of the food, Hongli would come to Tingfeng Pavilion almost every night. Su Yushan didn't say any of those polite words about sharing the same favors with everyone. He could come or not come as he pleased; it was all his freedom.
As the sun rose and set and the air grew cooler, it was soon time for Princess Gao's birthday. All the maids went to offer their gifts and congratulations. Today, Changyue had specially chosen a festive scarlet dress for her, but Su Yushan said it was inappropriate.
"The scarlet color is too bright; we shouldn't overshadow it. Just wear that lotus-colored cloak."
It was a good thing that her mistress was so attentive, so Changyue brought her clothes to change into, as she had requested. Then she opened the jewelry box and asked her to choose some jewelry.
"All those princesses will be there today, and they must be secretly competing with each other, vying to outshine each other! Princess, your clothes should be simple, but your jewelry must not be careless, lest you be looked down upon."
Most women are powerless against jewelry, and Su Yushan was no exception. A quick glance revealed a colorful floral hairpin in the box, inlaid with five-colored gemstones. The colors were bright yet elegant, quite unique.
"Let's take this one!"
"Your Highness has excellent taste. I also think this hairpin is beautiful. You are naturally beautiful. With a little dressing up and adorning yourself with jewelry, you will surely outshine all others."
Su Yushan dressed up according to her own preferences and didn't care about competing for any rankings. "Women's beauty is unique and there is no such thing as superiority or inferiority."
The mistress was very insightful. She never became complacent because of others' praise, nor did she become angry or resentful because of slander. She seemed to live in her own world, free and unrestrained.
Chang Yue admired her open-mindedness. Only by seeing the situation clearly can a woman trapped in the inner quarters make her boring days interesting.
While lost in thought, Chang Yue didn't forget to get to work. With her skillful hands, she quickly tied up her mistress's hair in two small buns and then put a pearl tower pendant on her head.
Looking at the beautiful woman's face in the mirror, Chang Yue felt only delight and pleasure.
After dressing up, she followed her mistress to Lan Yue Pavilion. A group of maids arrived one after another, all presenting congratulatory gifts. The gifts they brought were all treasures from their maiden families. Su Yushan did not bring any dowry when she entered the family, so she could only ask Chang Yue to buy some from the shop.
Chang Yue chose a pair of jadeite double hoop earrings. Although the earrings were small, they were exquisite, especially the openwork double hoop, which was extremely challenging to carve.
Su Yushan trusted Chang Yue's judgment and gave it to Princess Gao as a congratulatory gift.
Princess Gao gladly accepted and invited her to sit down and have some tea. Jin Minjing pretended not to see her and didn't bother to say anything. Sitting upright in the mahogany chair, she glanced at her with her phoenix eyes, her little finger, which was covered with a gold nail guard, slightly raised as she fiddled with the teacup.
This was the first time she had ever met Princess Gao. Sitting to the side, Su Yushan secretly observed her. Princess Gao did not have a slender oval face, but rather a round face like a silver plate. Her eyebrows and eyes were gentle, and she had a faint smile on her face. Such a face made her seem easy to get along with.
As soon as Xi Lan arrived, she pulled Fucha Gege to sit down next to Su Yushan. When she noticed the hairpin in Su Yushan's hair, her eyes lit up and she praised with a smile, "Sister, this hairpin is so eye-catching. Which shop did you buy it from? It's really beautiful."
Before Su Yushan could reply, Jin Minjing, who was sitting to the side, sat up straight and sneered, "Has Consort Su forgotten her status? How dare you wear tourmaline? This is a piece of jewelry that only a concubine can wear. Maids are not qualified to wear it. Your open wearing of it reveals your ambition!"
There are such rules? Su Yushan only knew that there were strict standards for wearing pearls. As for the tourmaline that Jin Minjing mentioned, she didn't recognize it at all; she simply thought the hairpin was pretty.
"Thank you for reminding me, Sister Jin. But you may be overthinking it. I have no ambition. I just don't know the rules. I will keep your advice in mind and will not wear it again next time."
Realizing she was in the wrong, Su Yushan didn't argue and sincerely explained herself. However, Jin Minjing was relentless in her pursuit of the truth.
"What are we waiting for next time? Take it off now!" As she spoke, Jin Minjing gestured for Xin'er to take it off. Xin'er went straight forward and quickly pulled the tourmaline hairpin from Su Gege's hair.
Her movements were extremely fast and powerful. As she pulled it out, the jewel-encrusted flower branch tore off several strands of Su Yushan's hair, causing her scalp to tingle and making her hiss softly.
Xin'er took it without asking, causing a strand of her black hair to fall to her shoulder, instantly turning her neat sideburns into a mess. Su Yushan felt offended, and her originally gentle gaze instantly became sharp as a knife.
"How dare you! You're just a maidservant, what right do you have to lay a hand on me?"
"Even if we want to take it, we'll take it ourselves, it's not your turn!" Unable to bear seeing her mistress being bullied, Chang Yue immediately tried to snatch the tourmaline hairpin. Xin'er deliberately pricked her wrist with a needle, and while Chang Yue was in pain, she let go, and the hairpin fell to the ground.
The crisp sound was clearly audible inside the room. The tourmaline was beautiful but fragile, and it fell to the ground just like that, breaking several beads instantly!
Seeing this, Kim Min-jung felt extremely relieved and gratified.
She had finally found a piece of jewelry she liked, and now it was ruined! Su Yushan was filled with grief and indignation, glaring hatefully at Xin'er.
"This was a gift from Fourth Master. How dare you smash it? What do you think of Fourth Master?"
Xin'er was terrified, but refused to admit her mistake and made excuses to shirk responsibility, "Oh dear! This is not my fault. I handed it to Chang Yue, but she didn't take it properly."
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