If the Duke of Qin's estate was poor, that meant the Duke of Qin was poor!
Was it really alright to say such things in front of His Highness Duke of Qin?
How much silver had His Highness Duke of Qin donated to the charity bazaar? How many limitless gold cards did His Highness Duke of Qin own? How many villas and gardens did he own? His Highness Duke of Qin never took a salary from the court or the imperial clan. How many men and horses did he raise?
Aside from that wretched Han Yunxi, who else in the world dared to say that the Duke of Qin was poor?!
Long Fei Ye's mouth twitched as he ignored her.
Aside from Long Fei Ye, everyone else present felt like they were being abused.
Including Empress Dowager Li, everyone was staring at the crystal bracelet on Han Yunxi's wrist. "Shocked" wasn't enough to describe their current expressions, but "astonished!"
The bracelet was sparkling and translucent, as warm as water without a single impurity. It glowed with a faint layer of fluorescent light, white with hints of purple. It was as beautiful as a dream.
Which woman who could sit in the empress dowager's Palace of Heaven and Earth didn't know her stuff? They could tell at a glance what Han Yunxi was holding.
It was a jade crystal!
Jade crystal was one of the rarest stones in Cloud Realm Continent. It was even more valuable than gold, jade, and luminous pearls. Moreover, the purple jade crystal in Han Yunxi's hand was the most precious of all. Even a tiny bit of it was worth cities.
The largest jade crystal found so far was only the size of a thumb. It had been made into a ring and worn on the hands of the Northern Dynasties Emperors. Even the World Financial Group had fought over that jade crystal when it was first discovered.
Who would have thought that Han Yunxi was wearing a jade crystal bracelet on her wrist!
A bracelet!
What was a bracelet? Of all jewelry, it required the most materials. To make a jade crystal bracelet, the raw materials had to be larger than the bracelet itself. Moreover, the raw materials had to be flawless.
Even if he could imagine how much jade crystal was needed to make such a bracelet, he couldn't imagine the value of this bracelet!
Yet such an unimaginable object was actually wearing Han Yunxi's wrist. It glowed with a unique luster that was impossible to fake.
So … how was the Duke of Qin's estate poor? How was it poor? How was he poor?
Han Yunxi was clearly flaunting her wealth!
Chu Qingge was so angry that she was about to cry. Don't bully me like this! How should she reply to Han Yunxi's "the gift is light, but the thought is heavy"?
Wearing such a "priceless" bracelet, he gave her a white jade hairpin that could be bought with two or three taels of silver. That was one thing, but he had to show the bracelet in front of everyone!
Just now, everyone saw that she gave Han Yunxi her purple-gold bracelet. Now that Han Yunxi showed the bracelet on her wrist, even an idiot could tell that Han Yunxi was using this method to tell everyone that she didn't like the purple-gold bracelet and wouldn't wear it!
For the first time, the proud and cold Chu Qingge admitted that she'd suffered a blow.
Everything that Han Yunxi had was given to her by the man who stood beside her and did her hair for her! As for her, once she entered the palace, she'd never have a chance to fight for the throne in this lifetime.
Chu Qingge looked at Long Fei Ye standing behind Han Yunxi. Although they were in the same room and less than ten steps apart, she felt like she'd never be able to reach him again.
As she stared and thought, the corners of Chu Qingge's eyes actually grew damp …
Noble Consort Xue had wanted to use the difference between Chu Qingge's bracelet and Han Yunxi's white jade hairpin to mock Han Yunxi for being stingy and making the Duke of Qin's estate look shabby. But now she was silently rejoicing that she'd been too slow to speak. Otherwise, she'd probably be trampling on her own face if she did.
Mu Liuyue was the one who'd been slapped in the face the most. She'd been the one who'd mocked Han Yunxi's attire before, but now everything before her was proof of her shallowness and ignorance!
Actually, no one present was poorer than Mu Liuyue.
The crown prince was incorruptible and honest. Combined with the disaster relief funds, the Eastern Palace's finances had always been tight. As the crown prince's consort, Mu Liuyue's monthly allowance was limited.
If "envy, jealousy, and hate" could be seen, then the hall would be filled with them right now!
Even Empress Dowager Li was jealous. How could a commoner like Han Yunxi wear such a precious bracelet? She wanted a bracelet like that too.
Of course, Empress Dowager Li had even more considerations.
Han Yunxi had been flaunting her wealth at the Palace of Heaven and Earth today to compete with the other women in the imperial harem, but the wealth she'd flaunted was His Highness Duke of Qin's.
His Highness Duke of Qin had a knack for making money. It was an open secret in court that he owned many properties. Moreover, the charity auction had exposed the depth of the Duke of Qin's wealth.
But today, the jade crystal bracelet had revealed more than just wealth. It was enough to contend against the imperial clan and the imperial court. His wealth was enough to rival an entire nation!
The more Empress Dowager Li thought, the more worried she grew. The Duke of Qin's strength was far stronger than she and Emperor Tianhui had estimated.
When Chu Qingge didn't reply, Han Yunxi shrugged her shoulders and didn't waste any more words.
"Esteemed Empress Dowager, can Yunxi leave now?"
Although this was Han Yunxi's question, it was as good as Long Fei Ye's.
Long Fei Ye was standing behind Han Yunxi. What other tricks could Empress Dowager Li play if she wanted him to stay?
Actually, Empress Dowager Li wanted nothing more than for Long Fei Ye to leave as soon as possible. She couldn't even fake a smile now. "Since your body isn't well, you should go back and recuperate."
Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi bid their farewells. Under the gazes of the crowd, Long Fei Ye took Han Yunxi's hand and led her out of the room. His movements were natural, as if he'd gotten used to it.
Silence filled the hall as all eyes followed them. Many of the women in Emperor Tianhui's harem were stirred by the sight of His Highness Duke of Qin! Unfortunately, Emperor Tianhui had no time to pay attention to them.
Currently, he was angrily slamming the table because of Northern Li's horse plague. It was his first chance to go to war with Northern Li since ascending the throne, but who knew something like that would happen? In that case, he would no longer have a reason to attack the Baili Navy of Fishery Island!
If he knew this would happen, he might as well have ignored Northern Li's threat at the Three-Way Battlefield and interrogated Baili Yuanlong for his unauthorized deployment of troops. At the very least, he could take back some of his military power!
So far, Emperor Tianhui hadn't gained a single advantage from the disaster relief efforts to Northern Li's retreat. Instead, he'd missed one golden opportunity after another!
How could he not be angry?
News of Han Yunxi's jade crystal bracelet would reach Emperor Tianhui's ears soon enough. He'd be both angry and worried!
The Duke of Qin's power overturned the court and his wealth rivaled that of a nation. How long could he keep his throne?
After Han Yunxi and Long Fei Ye left, the Palace of Heaven and Earth was filled with whispers. Empress Dowager Li's group and Chu Qingge's spirits had waned.
Empress Dowager Li had set up a dinner party for Han Yunxi and Chu Qingge, but there was no need for that now.
After a few false pleasantries, the empress dowager dismissed everyone.
As soon as Chu Qingge left the Palace of Heaven and Earth, Mu Liuyue hurried to catch up. "Noble Consort Chu, please wait."
Chu Qingge didn't stop, but she slowed down her steps. Mu Liuyue walked by her side and murmured, "Noble Consort Chu, may I have a word with you?"
Chu Qingge fell silent for a long time before she replied, "Alright!"
Behind them, Empress Dowager Li and Noble Consort Xue were leaning against the railings on the balcony, staring at their backs.
"Muhou is truly wise. As expected, you guessed correctly," Noble Consort Xue fawned.
She'd gone to find Mu Liuyue to discuss an alliance against Chu Qingge, but couldn't reach an agreement. Instead, she'd come to Empress Dowager Li to complain. Instead of being angry at Mu Liuyue's stupidity, Grand Consort Li was very happy.
"Heheh, as long as Chu Qingge doesn't reject that Liuyue girl, we'll have a chance!" Empress Dowager Li's eyes flashed with malice.
Both Mu Liuyue and Chu Qingge had grudges against Han Yunxi. As long as Mu Liuyue could win Chu Qingge's trust and form an alliance with her, it'd save her and Noble Consort Xue a lot of trouble.
When necessary, they could even use Mu Liuyue to trick Chu Qingge!
Rather than fighting in person, why not borrow Mu Liuyue's stupidity?
"Mufei, if Chu Qingge's thinking the same as ours, then …" Noble Consort Xue hesitated.
After all, it was one thing to have a grudge against Han Yunxi and another to fight for the empress's position. If Chu Qingge used Mu Liuyue against them, then things would get out of hand.
Empress Dowager Li laughed coldly. "Judging from Chu Qingge's heart, heheh, she won't be interested in fighting for the empress's position for the next year or so."
Empress Dowager Li had lived in the imperial harem for half her life. Which young court lady or concubine hadn't been seen through by her at a glance?
Judging from Chu Qingge's personality and past behavior, she'd be thinking of attacking Han Yunxi instead of fighting for the empress's position.
Of course, she'd have to use Mu Liuyue to make Chu Qingge hate Han Yunxi to the core.
"Mufei is wise and brilliant!" Noble Consort Xue rejoiced.
Empress Dowager Li glanced at her but didn't say anything. In the end, she was still worried about the empress. If the empress was here, she wouldn't have wasted so much effort today.
Once Noble Consort Xue left, Empress Dowager Li summoned her trusted aide. "Is there any news from Medical City?"
Although no less than ten famous doctors had already diagnosed the empress's mental illness as incurable, Empress Dowager Li and the crown prince still hadn't given up on finding a doctor. They'd been using their connections in Medical City, hoping to invite the head elder or even the academy head to step in.
"They're still pushing forward, I reckon …" the aide sounded helpless.
Empress Dowager Li knitted her brows before she murmured, "Keep following up. We can't let Noble Consort Xue know about this!"
Relationships between people in the imperial harem were complicated. Even Empress Dowager Li and Noble Consort Xue had their differences. Noble Consort Xue and Chu Qingge were on the same page when it came to whether the empress could return to the palace.
If the empress returned, Noble Consort Xue would have even less of a chance to ascend the throne!
Actually, Empress Dowager Li should be supporting and trusting Mu Liuyue as the crown prince consort. She was the empress's daughter-in-law and her granddaughter-in-law, but Mu Liuyue was useless.
By now, Han Yunxi had already been taken out of the palace by Long Fei Ye.
She had no idea that His Highness Duke of Qin had also followed them out of the palace to 'tie up hair' for Qin Wangfei. Soon enough, news of this spread throughout Tianning's capital city and created a wave of hairbands. White brocade hairbands were in short supply and sold out!
Tearing up sleeves to tie up hair had even become a new way to confess and ask for a hand in marriage. Countless men vied to imitate it.
On the carriage back to the estate, Han Yunxi was sneakily eyeing Long Fei Ye's tattered sleeves …
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