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墨書 Inktalez
The Duke of Zhongyuan's residence was a considerable distance from the Qi State Manor, and it took about seven moments for the carriage to arrive. When the carriage came to a stop, Bai Zhi lifted the curtain and helped Gu Qingning down.
As she raised her head, the imposing signboard of the Qi State Manor came into view. A green smoke wafted from the entrance as the steward held a notice in his hand. He turned to instruct a nearby servant to lead Gu Qingning and her companions inside.
Under the guidance of the servant, Gu Qingning was brought into Cuihua Pavilion. She had lingered on the streets for quite some time today, arriving a bit late, and many young ladies from noble families were already gathered in the pavilion.
The ladies sat in the cool breeze of the flower hall, sipping tea and chatting in small groups, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.
"Your Highness, Miss Gu Qingning has arrived."
Instantly, the flower hall fell silent. The young ladies looked up in surprise, turning their heads to focus their various curious gazes on Gu Qingning. Aside from the ten ladies who had just competed with her at the Treasure Pavilion, most were familiar with her.
Among those who had spent years in their boudoirs, only Zhang Yiwen, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Zhang, was particularly close to Gu Qingning.
"Qingning, you’re here!" Zhang Yiwen broke the silence as she stepped forward to walk beside Gu Qingning. "Come sit with me."
The ten ladies beside Princess Pingning glared angrily at everyone’s attention on Gu Qingning, their teeth gritting in frustration.
"I heard that the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhongyuan, Gu Qingning, is about to marry the Ninth Prince. I wonder if it’s true?"
"She is simply too beautiful!"
"What’s there to see? Perhaps we should keep our distance."
Whispers of gossip reached Gu Qingning's ears as she gracefully took a seat behind Zhang Yiwen. The praises directed at her felt like spells igniting jealousy deep within the ten ladies.
Suddenly, one of them stood up abruptly, suppressing her anger as she spoke: "Today is my cousin Pingning’s birthday. I had Si Zhenfang create a set of pearl adornments worth ten thousand taels of gold—truly one of a kind."
Princess Pingning was the daughter of Qi State and Lord Chang, beloved by many. Moreover, she had won Emperor Jing's favor, drawing admiration and envy from all around.
As soon as she finished speaking, the ten ladies cast a smug glance at Gu Qingning, who was sitting not far away with her head bowed while conversing with Zhang Yiwen.
Princess Pingning looked at the adornments presented before her; they were indeed exquisite and skillfully crafted. She nodded in satisfaction.
Having grown up in wealth and privilege, she had seen all sorts of things; however, Si Zhenfang's craftsmanship surpassed that of other artisans by far.
"I wonder what gift the Duke of Zhongyuan has prepared for Princess Pingning?"
The earlier slap from Treasure Pavilion had left one of the ten ladies feeling quite displeased; she thought that someone as lowly as Gu Qingning would surely not be able to present anything valuable.
Gu Qingning slowly raised her head and bowed slightly to Princess Pingning, then turned to nod at the green smoke standing behind her.
The green smoke approached Princess Pingning and opened the box she was holding, revealing a small, unremarkable vial inside.
Curiosity piqued, everyone leaned in to see what kind of gift Gu Qingning had prepared for Princess Pingning.
The princess, puzzled by the sight of just a vial, opened her mouth to inquire.
"My lady, I am unsure of what you might like, so I have prepared this small vial of beauty pills for you."
Although Gu Qingning appeared empty-handed, she had an abundance of various pills.
Upon hearing that it was merely a vial of beauty pills, everyone felt that Gu Qingning's gift was rather thoughtless.
To offer something as common as beauty pills, which could be found anywhere on the streets, to the princess seemed utterly disrespectful. Gu Qingning, this is too much!
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