Chapter 69

Chapter 69: The Exquisite Box “Can’t afford it? What a joke. How expensive could your clothes possibly be? Do you think I can’t afford to compensate you?” the Censor’s Wife said with a sneer. “My clothes are indeed luxurious, but the Censor’s Wife can still afford them. However, you spilled wine on the front of my dress. I’m afraid you can’t afford that,” Ling Jiayue said coldly. “Even the clothes on your bodice are well within the means of the Censor’s Residence. Is there any fine garment my residence hasn’t seen before? If the Prime Minister’s legitimate daughter insists on making such a fuss, then name your price. Once the banquet is over, my residence will send the ‘money’ to the Prime Minister’s Residence.” The Censor’s Wife was certain that no matter how beautiful Ling Jiayue’s clothes were, she could afford to compensate her. She had deliberately spilled the wine on Ling Jiayue’s dress today simply to make her lose face. Now, she deliberately emphasized the word “money,” clearly implying that Ling Jiayue was greedy and unworthy of her status as the Prime Minister’s legitimate daughter. Madam Liu was so furious at the Censor’s Wife’s words that her head throbbed. However, as the Prime Minister’s Wife, she still had to maintain her dignity and could not quarrel with the Censor’s Wife like some shrew. All she could do was say angrily, “Don’t bully people too much!” Ling Jiayue was fiercely protective of her own people. Seeing that the Censor’s Wife had not only insulted her but was also insulting the Ling family, she merely gave a cold laugh and said, “Censor’s Wife, you spilled a cup of wine and contaminated the jade pendant that my Ling family has worshiped for many years. How are you going to compensate me for that?” “Jade pendant? What jade pendant are you wearing?” the Censor’s Wife asked suspiciously. It turned out that among the upper echelons of Dayi, nobles were fond of collecting jade. The purer the quality of the jade, the better. Jade that had been worshiped by successive generations was especially difficult to obtain even for a thousand pieces of gold. Noble families would have their unmarried daughters wear such heirloom jade, in the hope that the jade would nourish the wearer and the wearer would, in turn, nourish the jade. However, jade pendants most feared being stained by things like wine. Once contaminated, they would no longer be considered fine jade. At this moment, Ling Jiayue removed the jade pendant from around her neck and showed it to the Censor’s Wife. It was a smiling Maitreya Buddha, entirely emerald green without the slightest impurity. Its surface even seemed to glow. At a glance, it was clearly a jade of extraordinary quality. The moment Madam Liu saw the jade pendant, she knew that Ling Jiayue had only recently returned from the Buddhist temple. Since Ling Jiayue did not like wearing jewelry, Madam Liu had feared that she would be looked down upon at the peach-blossom banquet, so she had given Ling Jiayue the jade pendant she usually wore. The Censor’s Wife stubbornly said, “Who knows whether your jade was really worshiped for generations? It is indeed a fine piece of jade, but it isn’t worth that much!” “You are mistaken, Censor’s Wife. The day before yesterday, I offered ten thousand taels to buy this jade from Miss Ling, but she was unwilling to part with it. Now that you have contaminated its spiritual essence with a cup of wine, it is no longer worth ten thousand taels. No matter how wealthy the Censor’s Residence is, can you produce ten thousand taels?” Seeing that the Censor’s Wife stubbornly refused to compensate her, Mu Yuheng spoke as well. After a pause, he continued, “Or perhaps the Censor’s Residence is so wealthy that ten thousand taels are nothing to you. How much annual salary does your residence receive, that you dare act so arrogantly?” By the time Mu Yuheng finished speaking, he was clearly exerting pressure on the Censor’s Wife. After hearing his words, she was so frightened that she no longer knew what to do. She had only wanted to make Ling Jiayue lose face—how could she have known that Ling Jiayue would be wearing such an expensive jade pendant? When Grand General Murong saw that the Censor’s Wife and Ling Jiayue had come into conflict, he gave his personal guard a look, signaling him to stay calm and wait to see what would happen. Seeing Ling Jiayue like this, Chu Chaoci felt a strange emotion stirring in his heart. When he had once sought to marry Ling Jiayue, she had still been an utterly obedient young woman. Even if he had asked her to go onto the battlefield, she would not have uttered a word of protest. Later, before she took her own life, her lonely courage and determination had also been entirely within his expectations. But the Ling Jiayue before him now was lively and spirited, brimming with the energy of youth. She stirred a different kind of attraction in Chu Chaoci. He thought to himself: If he could marry this version of Ling Jiayue and make her his Empress, that would not be a bad thing. As for the Censor’s Wife, she was so terrified by Ling Jiayue and Mu Yuheng’s words that she no longer knew what to do. She had completely lost her earlier arrogance and domineering bearing. The Censor’s Wife said timidly, “Who could have known you would take such a precious piece of jade outside? I never expected that I would contaminate it. Even if my husband took out all our savings, we still couldn’t afford to compensate you.” Ling Jiayue was so amused by the Censor’s Wife’s logic that she laughed in anger. “You contaminated my family’s precious jade, and now you blame me for bringing it outside? Censor’s Wife, you should simply pay the compensation. Judging by your attitude earlier, the Censor’s Residence must not be short of money.” The Censor’s Wife was driven to tears. She simply could not produce that much money. The Third Prince was pleased to see Ling Jiayue in difficulty, so he spoke up on the Censor’s Wife’s behalf. “The Censor’s Wife did it unintentionally. Miss Ling, be magnanimous.” Upon hearing the Third Prince’s words, Ling Jiayue thoughtfully dabbed at her face with a handkerchief. “What are you doing, Miss Ling?” Mu Yuheng asked in confusion. “The Censor’s Wife did something wrong, and I merely asked her to compensate me ten thousand taels. The moment she shed a tear, the Third Prince came to her rescue. I thought I’d look for my own tears and see whether I could get the Third Prince to speak up for me as well.” Everyone present was amused by Ling Jiayue. It seemed the Censor’s Wife would have no choice but to pay. Mu Yuye and Empress Su Wanrong had long since been alerted by the commotion on Ling Jiayue’s side. When Su Wanrong heard how playful Ling Jiayue was being, she laughed as well. She teased, “Miss Ling, the Censor’s Residence truly cannot produce ten thousand taels. What should we do?” “That isn’t difficult. I heard that the Censor’s Wife has a dowry heirloom called the Exquisite Box. It has been consecrated by several generations of eminent monks and is perfect for enshrining jade. If the Censor’s Wife is willing to part with it and lend me the Exquisite Box, I’ll return it once the jade has been restored. Then she won’t have to compensate me with money.” Ling Jiayue spoke as if she were considering the Censor’s Wife’s interests, but everyone present knew that she had taken a fancy to the Censor’s Wife’s Exquisite Box. Su Wanrong was amused by how shrewd Ling Jiayue was. Mu Yuheng also smiled faintly, his eyes full of approval. The Censor’s Wife screamed inwardly, but outwardly, she merely looked troubled. Seeing that the Censor’s Wife was still unwilling to hand over the Exquisite Box, Ling Jiayue continued, “If you refuse to lend it to me, then once the banquet ends, I’ll send someone to the Censor’s Residence to collect the money. Don’t try to welch on the debt.” “The Censor’s Residence could never produce so much money without corruption or graft. If you really managed to produce it, that would be the strange thing,” Mu Yuheng said with a soft laugh. The Censor’s Wife gritted her teeth. “Fine. I’ll have someone send the Exquisite Box to the Prime Minister’s Residence in a moment!” “In that case, thank you, Censor’s Wife. What about my dress?” “Along with the Exquisite Box, I’ll also have someone send over a luxurious dress. I hope Miss Ling will ‘accept’ it!”