"I have no grudge against Miss Cui. Why does Miss Cui frame me like this?"
Cui Jintang gave a faint smile.
Sure enough, Cui Chunniang had stolen the birthday gift she had prepared.
And it was Luo Xiang who had secretly helped Cui Chunniang pay back the silver!
She glanced at the men's seats and unexpectedly met Pei Zhaolin's gaze.
The sunlight shone on his side face.
His brow bone was as sharp as if carved, and his long eyelashes were half - drooped.
He very slightly raised the corner of his eyebrow, and his fair and slender fingertips tapped on the table three times.
Cui Jintang looked up and saw Fulai carrying a long ebony box.
The surface of the box was plain, with only a crabapple flower inlaid with silver wire.
She was stunned for a moment and then let out a snort of laughter: He actually knew that Luo Xiang had asked Cui Chunniang to replace the birthday gift she had prepared.
Since he knew, why didn't he stop it? Instead, he found a new one to fob her off?
She was both angry and amused.
The spark in Cui Jintang's eyes flared up.
However, Luo Xiang didn't know yet. She held the sandalwood box and bowed gracefully, her voice soft: "This Nine - Revolving Celestial Jade Riddle was personally supervised by me and took seven days to make. I only wish you a long and prosperous life!"
After saying that, Luo Xiang opened the box.
The mutton - fat jade glowed warmly under the numerous lamps. The nine rings gently collided, making a tinkling sound.
The on - looking guests all stood up and cheered.
"Is it really a whole piece of mutton - fat jade? It's really a rare sight!"
"Miss Luo's filial piety touches the heavens, and her ingenuity is unparalleled!"
Even the wife of the Marquis of Wu couldn't help but stand up and point at the jade riddle from afar: "The old madam is really blessed!"
The cheers were like a tide.
Luo Xiang lowered her head as if being modest, but the corners of her lips couldn't help but curl up: "All I've done is just to make the old madam happy."
The old Madam Pei's gaze fell on the mutton - fat jade. Instead of showing the expected joy, she looked at it as if it were an ordinary white jade.
She placed her hand on the sandalwood armrest and tapped it twice gently. Her voice was not loud, but it carried the might of someone who had long been in a high position: "Miss Luo has put in a lot of effort."
These few words contained neither "like" nor "reward", and even the usual polite smile was omitted.
Just thinking that she hadn't invited Luo Xiang today, the old Madam Pei's displeasure deepened a bit more.
Luo Xiang's proud gaze casually swept around and finally landed on Cui Jintang.
She raised her chin haughtily, her eyes full of provocation.
"I've long heard that Miss Cui is considerate and most favored by the old madam. I wonder what birthday gift Miss Cui has prepared today?"
She wanted to see what Cui Jintang could come up with after she had stolen the birthday gift Cui Jintang had prepared!
The old Madam Pei's originally relaxed eyebrows slightly frowned upon hearing this.
As Luo Xiang had expected, Cui Jintang's expression froze for a moment.
She stammered and couldn't come up with an answer for a long time.
"My gift is not as exquisite as Miss Luo's. I'd better not take it out and make a fool of myself. I was just thinking of secretly showing it to the old madam later to make her laugh."
This cute and evasive remark not only didn't make the old Madam Pei angry, but also made her burst out laughing.
She joked: "It's rare for Tang'er to act coquettishly. Alright, alright, I promise not to laugh at you later."
Cui Jintang blushed slightly in embarrassment.
With just a few words, she easily defused Luo Xiang's provocation.
Luo Xiang was quite annoyed and wanted to stir up more trouble.
The old Madam Pei withdrew her gaze. When she saw the jade riddle in Luo Xiang's hand again, she called Cui Jintang over and softened her tone: "Tang'er, go and put Miss Luo's gift into the warehouse."
The word "warehouse" was an obvious sign of cold treatment. She didn't even want it to stay in the birthday hall for a moment longer.
The old madam's word "warehouse" was like a ladle of ice water poured on boiling oil, instantly silencing the whole hall.
The guests who had just cheered for it immediately started whispering.
They exchanged glances quietly and began to speculate about the old Madam Pei's obvious double - standard.
Cui Jintang lowered her eyes and answered. She took two steps forward. Just as her fingertips touched the edge of the sandalwood box—
The old Madam Pei was about to turn around and leave when she suddenly heard a very soft exclamation.
"Isn't this the defective item I made?"
After realizing what she had said, Cui Jintang quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She waved her hands innocently and nervously.
Finally, seeing that everyone was looking at her, she lowered her head aggrievedly and whispered: "… Maybe I was mistaken."
Luo Xiang was quite confident, believing that Cui Jintang had no evidence: "Miss Cui must be mistaken. I personally drew the design and supervised the making of this jade riddle. The craftsmen in the Linglong Pavilion can testify for me! Where is there any talk of it being defective?"
Cui Jintang blinked her eyes, looking suddenly enlightened: "I didn't explain clearly. When I said defective, I didn't mean this one Miss Luo brought. I also made a Nine - Revolving Celestial Jade Riddle for practice a while ago."
"However, mine is still stored in the box. Coincidentally, the gilded pattern on the box surface is exactly the same as Miss Luo's. I was just confused for a moment and thought it was my useless one with a missing inner ring that had been brought here."
She covered her lips, her eyes as clear as spring water. "Since Miss Luo is so confident, it must be my mistake."
"However, I've been curious since just now. Since Miss Luo's jade riddle is called the Nine - Revolving Celestial Jade Riddle, it must have the ability to open one layer with each turn and open nine layers in total. Could Miss Luo please turn the innermost ring one more time in public so that everyone can take a look?"
Luo Xiang's face changed slightly. Only Cui Jintang knew whether it was a defective item or not. If it really was a defective item...
Before Luo Xiang could refuse, Cui Jintang had already taken a step forward and was about to touch it—
Luo Xiang panicked and blurted out instinctively: "No! It will fall apart if I turn it again—"
As soon as the words came out, the hall suddenly fell silent.
Cui Jintang withdrew her hand and showed a confused and innocent expression: "Huh? Isn't this a newly made one by Miss Luo? Why would it fall apart if turned?"
"Could it be... the one in your hand is my defective one with a missing ring?"
Her soft words were like a feather falling to the ground, but they completely tore apart the cracks in Luo Xiang's previous and subsequent words.
The guests were in an uproar.
The old Madam Pei let out a loud laugh. She raised her eyes to look at Luo Xiang. Her tone was still kind and polite, but it carried a hint of coldness:
"Miss Luo, you spent seven days, but in the end, you took in Tang'er's defective item?"
At these words, Luo Xiang's fingertips trembled. Her explanation at this moment seemed extremely pale and powerless: "No, old madam. There must be a misunderstanding! Please listen to my explanation—"
Luo Xiang rolled her eyes and suddenly remembered the real person who had stolen this item!
Like grasping at a floating log, she quickly said: "I got this item from a woman named 'Cui Chunniang'! I couldn't find a good birthday gift for a while, so I was in a hurry and caused this misunderstanding."
"I thought this woman had a hard time doing business, so I trusted her a bit more. I didn't expect such a woman to dare to reach out to the Pei Mansion!"
Luo Xiang's righteous words instantly saved a lot of her face.
Luo Xiang looked at Cui Jintang gracefully and hesitated: "This woman also has the surname Cui... Could it be that Miss Cui instructed this whole thing today?"
"I have no grudge against Miss Cui. Why does Miss Cui frame me like this?"