Chapter 332 Congratulatory Gift
Upon hearing Princess Jinning's words, everyone's hearts were in their throats. Those who had given expensive gifts naturally wanted to show them off, but most people didn't want their gifts to be displayed. They would still have to interact with others in the future, and if the gifts they received were not as good as the ones they received today, even if others understood, they would still feel uncomfortable.
"Never mind, what's so interesting about it? She's acting like a child. She's already so grown up, yet she's still acting like a little kid." In front of everyone, the old lady couldn't say anything to Liu Zijun, so she could only gently scold her.
Unexpectedly, Liu Zijun started to whine: "No way, I've already shown all my gifts to others, I want to see theirs too. You all say she's pretty, and I think she's pretty too. I just want to know what kind of gifts pretty people give as congratulatory gifts. Are they also very pretty?"
This statement is intriguing; it seems to be directed at Jiang Mi, but it also sounds like she's praising her.
Zhao Zhilan then said weakly, "Miss Jiang seems very confident in her gift. I think I heard her say that her gift is definitely the best one there and will be the one that the old lady likes the most. That's why Sister Liu is so curious."
Liu Zijun never expected Zhao Zhilan to lie in front of so many people, and gave Zhao Zhilan a satisfied look.
The others frowned as they listened: "Really? They've made such a bold claim. I'm curious."
"Yes, none of us dare to claim that our gifts will satisfy the old lady, but this girl is quite confident."
Jiang Mi smiled coldly. She hadn't expected Zhao Zhilan to be so bold as to lie in front of so many people. She was not one to be easily bullied.
"Really? When did I say that, where did I say it, and who heard me?"
Zhao Zhilan lowered her head, seemingly afraid to speak as if threatened by Jiang Mi.
Liu Zijun then said, "You have quite the airs. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were an official interrogating a prisoner here. Of course, it was what you said in the backyard just now. We all heard it. Who would lie to you?"
Jiang Mi sneered, "The backyard? Before I saw you, I saw Princess Jinning. May I ask, Princess, did you hear me?"
Princess Jinning, who had long been unable to stand by and watch them bully Jiang Mi like this, quickly stepped forward and said, "Of course not. I was talking to you the whole time, and they came over later. Why didn't I hear Jiang Mi say that?"
Liu Zijun hadn't expected there to be a Princess Jinning. She didn't want to compete with the Princess Jinning for anything, so she could only glance at Zhao Zhilan. Zhao Zhilan said, "Maybe I misheard."
At this point, it's obvious who's lying, and everyone's impression of Zhao Zhilan and Liu Zijun has worsened.
Zhao Zhilan took two steps back, discreetly observing the crowd from an inconspicuous spot, trying to discern their attitudes, especially Huo Ran's.
Jiang Mi then said, "Now that the princess has cleared my name, I naturally cannot let the princess lose face. The gift I gave is very simple and not a priceless treasure, but I hope it will be of use to the old lady. Please do not find my gift too meager."
The old lady smiled and said, "It's your thought that counts. Gifts are not important. I'm already so old, why would I care about such material things?"
Everyone laughed, and in this lively setting, Jiang Mi took out her gift, which turned out to be two bars of soap.
"This is... Daisy soap? I think I saw it at Moonrise before. I heard there were only a few, and they were all bought by people in the palace. Why do you have one here?"
There were quite a few discerning people around, after all, soap is very popular in Beijing now, almost everyone knows it, and many people have seen daisy soap. The people here are all high-ranking officials and nobles, so it's quite common for them to have seen daisy soap.
Liu Zijun never expected that the soap she had been longing for was in Jiang Mi's hands. She didn't believe it and immediately said, "Where did you steal it from? Or did you get a fake one to fool the old lady? You're practically asking for death!"
Jiang Mi said calmly, "Whether it's true or false, the old lady will know at a glance. What's the point of faking it? Does Miss Liu often do this kind of thing?"
The maidservant presented the soap to the old lady. The old lady picked it up, looked at it, and smelled it. She said, "It's real. I was fortunate enough to see it once in the Empress Dowager's palace. The Empress Dowager loved it so much that she was reluctant to use it. It's a really nice item. I like it very much. But Miss Jiang, where did you get this?"
Liu Zijun pressed on, asking, "Yes, where did you get it? There are only a handful of people with it, and they are all nobles in the palace. How did someone as insignificant as you manage to get it?"
As soon as Liu Zijun asked the question, she regretted it. What if Jiang Mi brought up Huo Ran? Wouldn't she become a laughing stock?
Jiang Mi frankly said, "Naturally, it's what I got myself. I have another one here, this one is from Walnut. I haven't put this soap out to sell yet, so I'm giving it to the old lady first."
Liu Zijun said with disdain, "What kind of nonsense is this? It's of dubious origin, and you've even made something new. We've never heard of walnuts at Yue Shangshao. Don't lie to the old lady here, or I'll kick you out."
The old lady looked at the walnut with a skeptical attitude, but she liked it very much: "This one is also very good. Where did you get these? Do you know the shopkeeper of Yue Shang Shao?"
Jiang Mi thought for a moment and said, "More or less. I can decide many things. As long as it's something the old lady likes, I'll give it to you."
"Such boastful claims! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the manager of Yue Shang Shao." Liu Zijun showed a disdainful expression. "Old Madam, you can't just use these things she gave us carelessly. What if something goes wrong? Maybe we should have the imperial physician examine us. Who knows what this person's intentions are?"
Jiang Mi didn't want to make things too embarrassing in front of everyone, so she patiently explained, "It would be best if the imperial physician could examine it. Even the noble ladies in the palace need to have it checked."
The old lady disagreed: "I don't need them now. I still have a lot more that I bought before. Let's put these aside for now and have the imperial physician take a look before using them. There's no rush."
Liu Zijun was very anxious: "Grandma, let's check her first. What if there's a problem? She's here now. We can find her later if something happens. What if she runs away? We can't give her that chance."
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