The next day was Lu Yingying's birthday.
Wen Nongnong handed the prepared gift to Lu Yingying early in the morning.
"Happy birthday, Yingying! May you have many more birthdays to come!" she said with a smile.
Lu Yingying took the box and said sincerely, "Thank you, Nong Nong."
Wen Nongnong shook her head. "What are you thanking me for? I don't know if you'll like this gift. I came in a bit of a rush this time and didn't prepare a proper gift. Open it and take a look first."
Lu Yingying opened the box as instructed.
Inside is a jade bracelet that is entirely emerald green, with excellent translucency; it is clearly a top-quality item.
"This is too valuable." Lu Yingying was somewhat surprised.
"It's not very valuable, I'm glad you don't mind, please accept it." Wen Nongnong said with a smile.
Su Qianqian sighed and said, "Sister Nongnong is so generous, I'm almost embarrassed to take out my gift."
“It’s just an ordinary bracelet, but you’ve made it sound so valuable. I’m starting to feel embarrassed,” Wen Nongnong said, deliberately sighing.
Lu Yingying was both amused and exasperated. Such a valuable jade bracelet was being described as ordinary.
Su Qianqian stuck out her tongue, held her gift, and walked up to Lu Yingying.
"Although the gift I prepared isn't as expensive as the one Sister Nong Nong gave me, it's still a token of my affection. Sister Ying Ying, please don't find it offensive." With that, she opened the box and showed it to Lu Ying Ying.
Lu Yingying reached out and took it, saying, "Thank you."
"This jade pendant is very beautiful," Wen Nongnong said, praising it.
Su Qianqian said shyly, "But it can't compare to the jade bracelet that Sister Nongnong gave me."
"You're too modest. Your jade pendant is clearly better." Wen Nongnong shook her head and chuckled.
Lu Yingying handed the box in her hand to the maid behind her, then held the two girls' hands and said sincerely, "Thank you both, I really like the gifts you gave me. Actually, I was already very happy that you came, but I feel bad that you had to spend money on me."
"No, no, no, today is Yingying's birthday, we should be happy." Su Qianqian said, taking her hand.
“That’s right, thanks to you, we are able to enjoy ourselves in such a beautiful villa. We should be thanking you,” Wen Nongnong added.
“Exactly, exactly,” Su Qianqian agreed.
The three chatted and laughed as the Wang sisters came over and presented Lu Yingying with her birthday gift.
Before long, Lu Yanyan, Si Lan, and Si Luo also came over.
"Miss Lu, we are so sorry. We only found out it was your birthday after we arrived, and we haven't been able to prepare a proper gift. This hairpin is not anything expensive, but it is a token of our appreciation. We hope you won't find it offensive." Si Lan opened the box in her hand and handed it to Lu Yingying.
Lu Yingying did not reach out to take it, but shook her head and said, "Miss Si, you are too kind. I cannot accept this gift."
Si Lan insisted on giving her the gift, saying, "Does Miss Lu think my gift is too insignificant?"
Lu Yingying frowned slightly, her gaze falling on Si's face. She sighed and said, "Miss Si, you're overthinking it. You came here mainly because of Yan Yan, and it just so happened that we bumped into each other. If I were to ask you for a gift because of that, it would be very impolite. Please take it back, Miss Si."
Si Lan paused for a moment, then said softly, "Before coming here, I really didn't know it was your birthday today. Yan Yan and I mainly wanted to visit Tunzhou, and we didn't expect to run into you. But since we've met, it's fate, so please don't refuse, Miss Lu."
Lu Yingying didn't want to accept her gift, but refusing it repeatedly in front of everyone would be embarrassing. She hesitated for a moment, and was about to reach out to take it when Lu Yanyan suddenly said, "Lanlan, since she's so ungrateful, then let it go. Maybe she's just jealous that you can become empress."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.
Lu Yingying frowned and had no choice but to withdraw her outstretched hand.
"Yan Yan, don't talk nonsense!" Si Lan was very embarrassed. She learned from Lu Yan Yan that Empress Dowager Guo's original choice for Empress was Lu Ying Ying, but she ruined it herself...
Thinking about it this way, it's because Lu Yingying messed things up that the position of Empress fell to her.
Si Lan suddenly felt uneasy.
She admired Gu Heng and always wanted to marry him. When her brother brought back news that the emperor wanted to make her empress, she was so happy that she couldn't sleep all night and thought she was dreaming.
But later, she learned from Lu Yanyan that Empress Dowager Guo had initially favored Lu Yingying and wanted her to be Gu Heng's empress. Her joy faded considerably. She repeatedly told herself not to care, after all, this time it was the emperor himself who said he wanted to marry her as empress, which was different from the one Empress Dowager Guo had chosen.
But Lu Yanyan's words immediately reminded her of this incident, and the more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt.
She couldn't help but look at Lu Yingying with a hint of probing.
Lu Yingying was shocked to hear Lu Yanyan say such a thing, and her expression turned very ugly.
An awkward silence fell over the room, and no one dared to say anything.
At this moment, Wen Nongnong suddenly chuckled and said, "The Empress is the queen of a country, the most noble woman in the world. She is meant to be the mother of the nation. Tell me, which unmarried woman in the world wouldn't envy or be jealous? Miss Lu is probably also very jealous of Miss Si, isn't she? But you don't need to talk about others."
Hearing her say that, Lu Yingying's expression relaxed, and the others were no longer so embarrassed.
Just as everyone was about to let the matter drop, Lu Yanyan suddenly retorted loudly, "I'm not envious, I'm not jealous, and I don't like the Emperor..."
"Lu Yanyan!" Lu Yingying suddenly shouted in a deep, cold voice.
Everyone's expression changed again, and they looked at Lu Yanyan as if she were a fool.
How could she possibly speak of the Emperor like that?
Who does she think she is? Does the emperor have the right to like or dislike her?
However, Lu Yanyan didn't realize there was anything wrong with what she said, and stubbornly retorted, "Don't think that just because you're a few months older than me you can boss me around. Let me tell you, you're not qualified..."
"Guards, slap him!" Wen Nongnong suddenly said in a deep voice.
Green Beauty and White Pear immediately stepped forward. One twisted Lu Yanyan's arm, while the other raised her hand and slapped her several times.
"How dare you be so presumptuous in front of the Princess Consort? The Emperor is the supreme ruler, revered by all the people under heaven. How dare you be disrespectful? Miss Lu, do you think your life is too long?" Green Fairy said sternly after slapping Lu Yanyan several times.
Lu Yanyan was about to throw a tantrum, but after hearing the second half of the sentence, she was so frightened that she didn't dare to utter a sound.
Bai Li let go of her hand and, together with Lü Qiao, returned to Wen Nong Nong's side.
Wen Nongnong looked at Lu Yanyan, who was stunned, and curled the corners of her lips.
Some people, you can't reason with them, but if you give them a couple of slaps, they'll behave.
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