Chapter 681: Accept It or Not
The Cloud Fabric was carefully taken over by a palace maid. Before, everyone had only looked at the Cloud Fabric from a distance and was attracted by its bright color. But now when they looked at the fabric carefully, they found that it was much more beautiful. It was a piece of fabric of the same color, but when they stood in a slightly different position, they could see different colors. Moreover, these colors were mixed together into different patterns, which made the whole fabric more beautiful and charming.
It was just a piece of cloth, but it had already made people feel so amazed. If they could really wear a dress made of this cloth, how beautiful they would be. As a woman, no one could refuse such a beautiful thing. However, the people present were not ordinary women, and they knew that there were some things that they couldn’t afford to get it.
Only the prince’s wives and princesses in the room deserved to own such a gorgeous and spectacular Cloud Fabric.
Some people even thought of other things. They looked at the smug Princess Caifeng and then at the quiet and curious Sixth Princess sitting beside her. Their eyes were filled with admiration and an inexplicable sense of national honor. The two girls were both princesses who were going to be married off in another country. In fact, the Sixth Princess was never beneath Princess Caifeng. However, Princess Caifeng had such a treasure, but the Sixth Princess did not.
“Princess Caifeng, this Seven-colored Cloud Fabric is really beautiful. It matches our Sixth Princess well. Could it be that Princess Caifeng took it out today to specially give it to our Sixth Princess in order to congratulate her on her journey to the Southern Barbarian Lands?” a madam joked with a smile on her face while waving her fan.
The fan in her hand seemed to go unconsciously from the Cloud Fabric to the Sixth Princess and immediately attracted everyone’s attention to the Sixth Princess.
It sounded like a joke, but it revealed the identity of the Sixth Princess. Of course, it also showed that the Sixth Princess was not only the princess of the Qin Kingdom, but also the future wife of the prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands. How could the Empress give the treasure of the Southern Barbarian Lands to the daughter-in-law and not the daughter?
What’s more, the well-informed people present also heard that the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands was the biological mother of the Third Prince. She could not be kind to a princess whose mother was a palace maid and be mean to her future daughter-in-law.
While Princess Caifeng was enjoying the envious looks in everyone’s eyes, she was stunned by these words that sounded like a joke but were provocative. She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say for a moment. Anger rose in her heart.
She had planned that she would propose to give it to the Sixth Princess after she got enough admiration and praise from these people. In this way, it could not only show her kindness, but she could also deliberately flatter the Sixth Princess and make her look good. In the future, even if the Empress gave the Sixth Princess another piece of Seven-colored Cloud Fabric after she arrived in the Southern Barbarian Lands, the effect would not be as good as hers.
The effect hadn’t reached her expectations yet, and she hadn’t felt sufficiently elated or appreciated, but the situation had changed and it suddenly stopped. How could Princess Caifeng be happy? She looked at the ignorant madam and said with a sullen face, “Madam, do you mean that I’m not suited for the Cloud Fabric?”
Her words were extremely rude and arrogant. Although there was a hint of provocation in the madam’s words, she asked for it for the Sixth Princess. Moreover, she said it in a joking way. No matter what Princess Caifeng answered, no one would be embarrassed. After all, everyone sitting here was a legal wife and they all could use such means with great facility in daily life.
However, this madam had clearly misjudged the extent of Princess Caifeng’s arrogance. She did not know Princess Caifeng’s temper. After being questioned by Princess Caifeng in such a rude manner, she was immediately stunned. Her face turned pale and livid. She could not even continue to speak. How could she dare to say in front of so many people that Princess Caifeng was not suited for the Cloud Fabric?
However, since Princess Caifeng was suited for it, why did she only mention the Sixth Princess just now? It sounded as if Princess Caifeng was far inferior to the Sixth Princess.
As the madam had been scolded by Princess Caifeng bluntly, everyone had strangely quietened down.
The large hall suddenly fell into silence; you could even hear a pin drop.
Hu Qianyue hung her head calmly, but there was a hint of mockery in the corner of her eyes. She knew that someone would be defiant when Princess Caifeng made a big deal out of taking out the Cloud Fabric. It was inevitable that someone would deliberately compare the Sixth Princess with Princess Caifeng and mock her. Of course, she was happy to see the situation develop quietly.
She glanced at the other side and met another pair of eyes. The two of them looked at each other and no other words were needed. Then they looked away as if nothing had happened.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
“Don’t be angry, Princess Caifeng. With your extraordinary beauty, how could this Cloud Fabric not suit you? I’m afraid that the Cloud Fabric is unworthy of you, Princess Caifeng.” The topic was about the Sixth Princess. Even though she did not stand out now, she had no choice but to help the madam when she saw everyone’s gaze on her. She smiled gently at Princess Caifeng and explained for the madam.
This was what the Sixth Princess said, and she had even flattered Princess Caifeng, which made the latter happy. Since Princess Caifeng had been trying to show her kindness to the Sixth Princess, she naturally could not refuse to give her face. Of course, she would take the opportunity to quell the situation.
With a laugh, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Looking at the confused crowd, she smiled like a flower. “I’m not angry. I’m just joking with this madam. Such a gorgeous and beautiful Cloud Fabric is certainly worthy of Sixth Princess. I gave it to Sixth Princess as a gift.”
She waved her hand generously and motioned for the palace maid to take the Cloud Fabric to the Sixth Princess.
The situation changed rapidly, which was completely out of everyone’s expectations. Even You Yue’e, who was absent-minded, was attracted by it. She looked up at Princess Caifeng as if she wanted to see how much sincerity she had in her eyes.
All the noble madams present had fought their way out of the battle in their back courtyard. All of them could tell that Princess Caifeng had been truly angry just now. There was no way for her to hide the anger in her eyes after all. However, when the Sixth Princess spoke, her anger immediately dissipated. She seemed to be sincerely wanting to send the Cloud Fabric to the Sixth Princess.
Everyone could see the look in Princess Caifeng’s eyes when she looked at the Cloud Fabric. Her heart ached! It was obvious that she was extremely reluctant to give it to others.
The madam heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Princess Caifeng’s words. She was afraid that if she were to make another mistake, Princess Caifeng would embarrass her. She hurriedly flattered Princess Caifeng with a smile, “Princess Caifeng is indeed a princess of a country. You really make us admire you for your graciousness.”
She meant to say that Princess Caifeng was so generous that she was willing to give away such a precious treasure, and she deserved to be a princess.
However, the Sixth Princess happened to also have a speech. As a result, it sounded as if she was belittling the Sixth Princess. Therefore, as soon as she finished speaking, the madam’s face darkened.
The Sixth Princess happened to open her mouth and spoke tactfully. She refused, saying, “Many thanks for your kindness, Princess Caifeng. It’s just that it’s a precious treasure that anyone would value. If I had a piece of Cloud Fabric, I wouldn’t be willing to give it to anyone. That’s why I don’t dare to accept it.”
These two sentences were correct, and everyone would feel that the person who spoke was extremely polite. However, in contrast, Princess Caifeng was generous enough to send the Cloud Fabric away while the Sixth Princess said that she would be unwilling to give it away. Her generousness and demeanor as a princess surpassed that of the Sixth Princess in general.
Therefore, as soon as the Sixth Princess finished speaking, Princess Caifeng proudly raised her head and looked at the madam with a kind nod.
The corner of the Sixth Princess’s eyes twitched unconsciously. If she had not had good manners, she would not have been able to control her anger. She cast a cold glance at the madam. The coldness in the corners of her eyes made the madam pull back uneasily. She hid behind the others and did not dare to say another word.
She sighed in her heart that she was unlucky. When she went out, she didn’t read the calendar. The more she said, the more mistakes she made. She spoke only twice, but she offended both of the princesses present.
“Sixth Princess, you don’t have to be so polite. Since Princess Caifeng is so sincere to give the Cloud Fabric to you, it’s a token of her kindness. It’s too polite of you to refuse. Besides, you’re going to go to the Southern Barbarian Lands. Anyway, we are a family. It’s distant to be too polite.”
It was Ling Mingyan who was trying to smooth things over. Everyone looked at the smiling woman, who looked especially kind and amiable, in shock. What happened today was too abnormal. Ling Mingyan, who had always been arrogant, actually said something so considerate in front of others. Looking at the corners of her eyes and her eyebrows, if they were not familiar with her, they would really think that she was not Ling Mingyan.
When was Marquise Mingguo so sensible?
“That’s right, Sixth Princess. When I was in the Southern Barbarian Lands, Third Brother treated me very well. I re-gift it to you. In other words, I sent the Seven-colored Cloud Fabric to you on behalf of Mother. If you don’t accept it, you don’t treat me as family.” The smile on Princess Caifeng’s face grew even more friendly. She knew that the person who spoke earlier was Marquise Mingguo of noble status, so she especially smiled and nodded at her.
The Four Duke Manors were the top aristocratic families in the Qin Kingdom. Even though these madams’ status was different from that of the prince’s wives, every prince’s wife would be polite to them. Furthermore, Marquise Mingguo was not only the future Duchess Mingguo, but also the legitimate daughter of Ding General Manor. Princess Caifeng had already found out that she came from the Empress’s family, so no matter what, she would think highly of her.
Hearing their words, the Sixth Princess frowned slightly. She also liked the Seven-colored Cloud Fabric very much and even wanted to have it. No young woman could resist such a beautiful treasure. But now, seeing Ling Mingyan was also so enthusiastic, she was involuntarily lost in thought.
Ling Mingyan was not stupid. How could she not mind what had happened in Mingguo Manor? In the memory of the Sixth Princess, Ling Mingyan had never been a generous person, especially when she had been chasing after You Yuecheng for so many years. The Sixth Princess had been paying attention to You Yuecheng, so how could she not know what Ling Mingyan had done?
After such a thing happened, how could she stand on her side? Moreover, she was acting too kindly to be herself today. Would Ling Mingyan complain? There was only one answer: no!
Then why did she say those words?
Should she accept it or not? In the blink of an eye, the Sixth Princess had already made up her mind. She withdrew her suspicious eyes and smiled generously at Princess Caifeng. “Princess Caifeng, you’re too kind. Since you’ve already said so, I can only accept it. Thank you very much, Princess Caifeng.”
At this point, it would only make her look petty if she refused to accept it. However, she was worried about accepting it. The Southern Barbarian Lands was indeed strange. The Sixth Princess suddenly remembered what had happened in the Empress Dowager’s palace. It was said that the thing Princess Caifeng had obtained from the Empress Dowager then was not something good.
Although the Sixth Princess possessed excellent medical skills, she didn’t focus on this aspect, so she didn’t dare to be careless.
Of course, she would not accept the Cloud Fabric. She turned to the other side with a smile, her beautiful eyes shining…