Rong Mo gazed at his cousin. Seeing that her expression remained entirely normal—as if she truly viewed the jewelry as nothing more than a simple thank-you gift—he let out a silent sigh in his heart. He had been so obvious, yet she hadn’t grasped his intentions at all. It seemed she was still quite dense in the matters of the heart.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, a single man gifting precious jewelry to a woman was a subtle admission of admiration and affection.
Unfortunately, he had encountered Cheng Ruyi, a soul from another world. She had read plenty of ancient romance novels and believed that expressions of love between men and women were done through gifting hand-embroidered pouches with unique patterns or through original poems and paintings. It simply hadn’t crossed her mind that jewelry was part of that language.
Cheng Ruyi returned to her courtyard, happily carrying the box of expensive, precious jewelry. Following Cousin Rong Mo’s suggestion, she planned to wear it to the Lotus Viewing Poetry Party in two days.
Fortunately, Rong Mo hadn’t mentioned the actual market value; otherwise, Cheng Ruyi would have almost certainly taken it straight to the pawnshop.
“Miss, is this jewelry from the young master?” Moxiang’s expression was a mix of conflict and curiosity.
She hadn’t expected that the young master—who usually seemed so cold and unapproachable—would like her mistress. If her mistress hadn’t broken off her engagement with the second son of the Marquis of Huaiyang, the young master probably would never have shown his hand.
Moxiang was busy filling in the romantic blanks in her own head.
“Yeah, it’s a thank-you gift from Cousin. Isn’t it pretty? He even told me to wear it to the poetry party. I’m just a little worried if the value will drop after I wear it once. I wouldn’t want it to fetch a lower price if I sell it,” Cheng Ruyi said with a hint of concern.
“It shouldn’t. I’ve heard that there is a set at the Treasure Pavilion crafted by the famous Master Zhao over two hundred years ago. He poured his life’s blood into it before he died, and people still scramble for it today. Unfortunately, no one knows whose hands that set has fallen into.”
Moxiang’s mouth twitched. Seeing her mistress heartlessly thinking about selling the gift for silver, she shed a silent tear of sympathy for the young master.
Cheng Ruyi froze slightly when Moxiang mentioned Master Zhao’s jewelry. She remembered the book saying that this legendary set eventually fell into the hands of the reborn Cheng Qingyao.
It allowed her to steal the spotlight at the poetry party, overshadowing Ye Wanlin, the daughter of the Left Prime Minister and one of the “Twin Pearls of the Capital, and establishing her reputation as the “Pearl of the Capital.”
Poor Ye Wanlin. She was a woman of both talent and virtue who should have been destined for great honor, but not only was her jewelry and poetry plagiarized by the reborn Cheng Qingyao, even her future husband was stolen.
The very poetry party she hosted became a stage for someone else’s glory while her own reputation suffered. It was a tragedy written in bold letters.
Then there was the scheme against Cheng Ruyi, which made her the laughingstock of the capital once again.
Cheng Ruyi had only read the novel to pass the time. From the perspective of the female lead, Cheng Qingyao, watching her slap the faces of various supporting characters and “cannon fodder” was indeed satisfying.
As long as Cheng Qingyao didn’t plot against her, Cheng Ruyi—who lacked a strong sense of justice—couldn’t be bothered to get involved. Unfortunately, the protagonist Cheng Qingyao was a woman who sought revenge for the smallest grievance. New chapters come out on novelping dot com first.
In Cheng Ruyi’s eyes, the original host’s mocking remarks and the way she kicked Cheng Qingyao while she was down in the previous life were just petty squabbles. They weren’t lethal or cruel; it was just verbal sniping.
Compared to the “kill or be killed” atmosphere of the post-apocalyptic world, it was child’s play.
Yet, Cheng Qingyao used “revenge for her past life” as a pretext to relentlessly destroy others. For this poetry party, aside from Cheng Qingyao, Cheng Ruyi would also run into Princess Lin (whom she had nearly disfigured) and many other noble ladies she had offended. She felt this party was going to be very exciting indeed.
Two days later, the sky cleared after the rain, and the weather was beautiful.
Today was the day of the Lotus Viewing Poetry Party that Cheng Ruyi had looked forward to for two days. Under the guidance of her mother, Rong Susu, she changed into a red silk skirt embroidered with peonies and colorful butterflies and put on the set of jewelry gifted by Rong Mo.
With her hair pins, rings, and jade pendants, she was in full dress. Her skin was like cream, and she looked breathtakingly beautiful.
Rong Susu looked at her daughter’s reflection in the bronze mirror and nodded in satisfaction. However, a chill appeared in her eyes when she remembered how bad rumors followed her daughter every time she attended a banquet.
This time, my daughter has acquired that mysterious monstrous strength; surely no one will dare to scheme against her, right?
Unaware of Rong Susu’s worries, Cheng Ruyi reviewed the plot of the poetry party in the book while her mother finished her styling.
An hour later, a magnificent carriage departed from the Marquis of Changle’s manor.
The party was held in the “Lotus Garden,” a property under the name of the Grand Princess Zhaoming. The Grand Princess had loved lotus flowers since childhood, and the late Emperor had gifted her this villa after her marriage. Every year in early July, she would host a poetry party, inviting children of the imperial family and noble ladies.
In reality, this poetry party was a disguised matchmaking event.
Since the Grand Princess passed away from illness last year, the hosting duties had been handed over to her daughter, Princess Qingling, and the highly reputable and virtuous Ye Wanlin.
Princess Qingling and Ye Wanlin were known as the “Twin Pearls of the Capital.” Naturally, they took this year’s event very seriously.
Unfortunately, all their hard work was destined to be a stepping stone for the reborn Cheng Qingyao.
Cheng Ruyi had attended many banquets but had only seen these two women three or four times. Regardless of status, some high-threshold banquets simply didn’t invite someone with a reputation as “notorious” as hers. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
The Lotus Viewing Poetry Party was no exception, but Cheng Qingyao had somehow managed to get her an invitation.
Having eaten pasture grass nourished by wood-element energy, the horses ran exceptionally fast. In about fifteen minutes, Cheng Ruyi’s group arrived at the garden.
The Lotus Garden was massive, featuring rockeries, flowing water, and pavilions. It was as beautiful as a fairyland. Besides various small artificial ponds, there was a huge natural lake filled with lotuses of every color. Since it was peak blooming season, the entire garden was filled with their fragrance.
It was still early, so most of the guests were daughters of low-ranking officials (fifth or sixth rank). They were huddled in groups, chatting and laughing.
As soon as Cheng Ruyi arrived, she instantly drew everyone’s gaze. Seeing her in full regalia, these girls couldn’t hide their envy and jealousy. There was no helping it; Cheng Ruyi’s beauty was so dazzling and flamboyant that she became the center of attention at every banquet.
There were other beautiful women whose looks rivaled or even surpassed hers, but they usually carried an ethereal, fairy-like aura. They were nothing like Cheng Ruyi’s beauty, which was as hot and brilliant as a roaring flame.
The maids responsible for hosting at the Lotus Garden had seen Cheng Ruyi before, but they were still stunned every time. They respectfully led her and her maid to a pavilion not far from the large natural lake.
Cheng Ruyi sat contentedly in the pavilion, sipping tea while looking at the layers of green leaves and flowers. As the breeze blew, her nose was filled with the light scent of lotus.
She paid no mind to the whispering nearby. However, among the low-ranking officials’ daughters, one woman was particularly striking. She was covered in gold—not only was her hair full of jewels, but every visible part of her was draped in gold ornaments, and even her embroidered shoes were inlaid with gold.
She was the living embodiment of a nouveau riche.
Her face was covered in thick makeup, making it hard to see her features, but her voice was incredibly cloying and affected as she giggled. She was surrounded by a crowd of girls.
From her pavilion, Cheng Ruyi stared at the woman’s gold ornaments with glowing eyes. Truly deserving of her nickname as the “Mobile Jewelry Vault,” this Li Meihua made Cheng Ruyi feel a sudden urge to commit highway robbery.
At that moment, a familiar, soft voice drifted over.
“Ruyi, why did you arrive so early today? I went to your manor to pick you up, but Second Aunt said you had already left.”
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