roccoschili Chapter 271: Precious Treasures
Chapter 271: Precious Treasures
The next morning, Lin Rusi rubbed her aching back and nestled in a garden lounge chair to bask in the sun.
A moment later, Su Xiangqing came over with a big smile, holding a pretty beaded flower in her hand: "Asi, Asi, Gao Tuan gave this to me, isn't it pretty?"
The round beads emitted a soft glow under the sunlight.
Lin Rusi's heart stirred.
She was still worried about the birthday gift; perhaps Gao Tuan could help.
Lin Rusi was still planning how to bring up the birthday gift with Gao Tuan when Su Xiangqing brought it up first: "By the way, Rusi, didn't you say you didn't know what kind of birthday gift to give? Gao Tuan's family is in business and has seen a lot of treasures. I'll go ask him."
Before Lin Rusi could answer, Su Xiangqing skipped away again.
Looking at her retreating figure, Lin Rusi's eyes softened.
In just one night, Su Xiangqing subconsciously began to rely on Gao Tuan.
The two seemed to get along very well, which put Lin Rusi at ease.
Recalling the phrase "my family is in business," she couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking how incredibly modest Gao Tuan was.
"Asi, Gao Tuan said he has a very beautiful bead at home. He's going back now and will be able to get it in four or five days." Before long, Su Xiangqing came back skipping around.
Very beautiful beads?
Based on Gao Tuan's discerning eye, he believed that the pearls, worthy of being presented as a birthday gift to the palace, must be of extraordinary quality.
It was something he had to retrieve in person, which made it even more unusual.
But for the time being, she really couldn't think of any beads that were so valuable.
Three days later, Gao Tuan, who had left overnight, returned with a sandalwood box nearly a foot long and wide, and immediately sought out Lin Rusi.
"This item was acquired at the next auction and will be given to Princess Jinglie." He placed the box in front of Lin Rusi, his gaze quickly sweeping over the box: "Xiang Qing, she..."
"Taking a nap."
Lin Rusi knew what he was thinking and couldn't help but chuckle: "She's been talking about you several times these past few days, but she's only just fallen asleep. You can look for her later."
As Lin Rusi spoke, she unfastened the clasp on the box and opened the lid.
A fleeting, dazzling light from inside the box caught her eye.
Lin Rusi squinted and then saw clearly that the box, which was only a foot long and wide, contained only a glass bead the size of a fist, held in the middle of thick dark red silk, which was quite conspicuous.
"This is... the Pearl of the Ocean that stunned everyone at the auction four years ago, and then disappeared without a trace after being bought by a mysterious person at a high price?" Lin Rusi instantly recalled the auction four years ago, and the overwhelming praise.
Recalling the auction price back then, Lin Rusi also felt a headache coming on: "This item is truly valuable..."
"Your Highness is too kind." Gao Tuan seemed to guess what she was going to say and interrupted her: "Pearls are easy to buy, but true feelings are hard to come by. Or does Your Highness think that my heart for Xiang Qing is not worth such a pearl?"
These words completely blocked her escape route.
Lin Rusi carefully closed the box: "Then I'll accept it. If there's ever a chance to repay this kindness in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
With the birthday gift issue resolved, Lin Rusi breathed a sigh of relief.
In the days leading up to the Emperor's birthday, Lin Rusi, out of respect for Liulizhu, kept away from Su Xiangqing and dutifully played the role of matchmaker, creating enough time for the two of them to be alone.
Li Jingyang was extremely satisfied with this, and these past few days he had been enjoying the warmth and fragrance of her in his arms, feeling very pleased with himself.
In a better mood, he found those he didn't get along with much more agreeable when he went to court, making them uneasy.
Could it be that Prince Jinglie has found something to hold against us?
These past few days, it's been watching us and the others laugh every day from the Golden Hall. It's terrifying.
……
Time flies, and before they knew it, it was the Emperor's birthday. Lin Rusi followed Li Jingyang into the palace.
The emperor's birthday was a major event, and the atmosphere became noticeably lively as soon as one entered the palace gates.
Palace maids carried exquisite plates and cups back and forth. Many people had already arrived in the main hall, leaving only a few empty seats at the front.
Lin Rusi sat down with Li Jingyang in the front seat, remaining perfectly composed despite the various gazes directed at her.
"The Princess Consort of Jinglie had such a big fight with Lord Yuan a while ago. Today she met with Her Majesty the Empress. I'm afraid there will be a good show to watch."
"I've heard that Princess Jinglie has a good reputation among the people and is very popular."
"What's the use of being popular? You said it yourself, that's only among the people."
Some scoffed, "In this imperial palace, who doesn't have the final say? What trouble can a few commoners possibly cause?"
"Stop worrying about others. With Prince Jinglie protecting us, what could possibly happen?"
"Tsk tsk, I wonder what kind of bewitching potion this lady gave the prince, that he actually asked for an imperial decree to never take a concubine. Let alone the nobles of the imperial family, even ordinary merchant families rarely do such absurd things."
"Shh, do you have a death wish? How dare you say such a thing here?"
"Shut up, if you don't want to live, don't drag us down with you."
"Shh, His Majesty is here."
The empress helped the emperor out and seated him on the highest dragon throne.
All the civil and military officials on the stage rose to pay their respects.
The Empress sat down next to the Emperor, her gaze falling on Lin Rusi, a faint smile playing on her lips: "It's been a few days, Princess Consort Jinglie looks quite well. She and Prince Jinglie truly have a deep affection for each other."
Right from the start, the Empress directly targeted Princess Jinglie.
The ministers below exchanged glances, their faces all bearing an expression of "I knew it."
Everyone present was shrewd and wouldn't be the first to stand out. They kept their eyes down, afraid of being targeted, but their ears were perked up, afraid of missing anything exciting.
His princess was being harassed by the empress in front of so many people. Li Jingyang was not a good-tempered person. He frowned and was about to speak when Lin Rusi grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly.
Lin Rusi winked at him, signaling him not to be impulsive, and smiled at the Empress above her: "Your Majesty is too kind. The Prince treats me with all his heart, which makes me feel more at ease than others."
The expressions of the high-ranking officials watching changed.
Princess Jinglie is truly amazing.
The two short sentences were spoken gently and politely, but it was self-evident who the "other person" in those words referred to was.
The Empress's smile vanished, replaced by a dark, murderous glint in her eyes: "Princess Jinglie is truly blessed. She must be able to handle this unexpected honor."
The emperor had three thousand concubines in his harem. She entered the palace relatively early and was not as young and beautiful as the later concubines. Apart from the first and fifteenth of each month, she often did not see the emperor for several days in a row.
The seemingly casual phrase "treat me with all your heart" was, in front of all the officials, a blatant and painful exposure of her vulnerabilities.
"Your Majesty's kind words are appreciated." Lin Rusi replied calmly, her expression unchanged. "This humble woman will certainly not fail Your Majesty's kindness and will repay you handsomely."
The shrewd ministers automatically interpreted her words in their minds: I'm in a hurry to see what you're doing; just wait and see how I get my revenge on you later.
Very good, Princess Jinglie is remarkable, she actually went against the Empress directly.