The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Chapter 218 Birthday Banquet Gifts

Prince Qing asked lazily, "Who are you?"

Fearing that Prince Qing might harm innocent people, Qin Xiuyuan quickly replied, "He is the son of the Grand Master of the Palace, named Xie Bailing."

"A Grand Master of the Imperial Secretariat?" Prince Qing scoffed, clearly looking down on this mere fourth-rank official, and then stopped asking questions.

Murong Peifeng, who was sitting not far away, heard all these words clearly. He felt contempt. They had been secretly in contact before. Prince Qing wanted to seize power, and he wanted to return to Qi Kingdom. They were in the same boat. Now that his hand was injured, Prince Qing had never come to see him again.

People leave and things cool down. Murong Peifeng has seen through Prince Qing's true colors, but for Jingrou's sake, he can't turn against him.

As he pondered this, Murong Peifeng looked towards the women's section. Where was she? He darted around several times but couldn't find Murong Ruoyan. What was going on?

Seeing that everyone was about to celebrate Old Madam Qin's birthday, Murong Peifeng was unaware of what had happened to Murong Ruoyan and was only thinking about finding her as soon as possible. After all, he was still the heir of the Pingchang Marquis's mansion, and having a brother-in-law from the General's mansion would be of help to him, so he left his seat to go find her.

Jing Anle, standing to the side, was also puzzled. Although everyone was trying to curry favor with Prince Qing, what Prince Qing said today was clearly treasonous. Ordinary people wouldn't speak up so easily, but Xie Bailing not only spoke up but also easily got away with it. He was truly amazing.

Just then, the steward of the Qin family came to ask when the opera would begin. It turned out that Qin Xu had specially invited the opera troupe to celebrate the birthday of Old Madam Qin. Qin Xu had long wanted to shut up Prince Qing, so he raised his hand and said, "Let's begin."

The people on stage were heavily made up, and Jing Anle could never appreciate their singing, whether in her past or present life. But seeing that Old Madam Qin was genuinely happy, Jing Anle was also overjoyed.

After the song ended, Jing Anle presented the framed calligraphy to Madam Qin, saying, "Anle personally wrote this calligraphy for my maternal grandmother, wishing her longevity, good health, and all the best."

Madam Qin was also surprised. She took the calligraphy herself and examined it carefully. She was filled with mixed emotions and smiled broadly. "Thank you, Princess. With your words, this old woman can live a few more years without any problem."

“It shouldn’t just be a few years, it should be several decades,” Qin Zhihua continued.

"You have such a big mouth!" Old Madam Qin's smile widened.

Qin Zhihua smiled mischievously, then turned to Zhao Yayi, who was sitting next to her, and asked, "Sister Zhao, what did you prepare?"

Jing Anle took a small sip of tea, knowing that Qin Zhihua was deliberately trying to convey a message, but remained calm and composed.

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to look in this direction.

Zhao Yayi was not intimidated and said directly, "The General's Mansion has everything exquisite. What rare items hasn't the old lady seen? So I personally embroidered a chrysanthemum painting to wish the old lady good health and longevity." As she spoke, the corners of her mouth turned up, and she instructed her maid to bring out the embroidery.

Granny Cui quickly took it and unfolded the embroidery. It was a golden chrysanthemum embroidered with needle and thread, with a large longevity character in the middle. It was clear that she had put a lot of effort into it.

"The embroidery is so beautiful!" Qin Zhihua praised sincerely.

After cramming on the arts of qin (a stringed instrument), chess, calligraphy, and painting in his previous life, Jing Anle was quite skilled in all of them. However, her embroidery skills were truly demanding. Jing Anle admired Zhao Yayi's high level of skill and nodded, saying, "I didn't expect Miss Zhao to not only be so good at playing the qin, but also so skilled at embroidery."

"Thank you for your praise, Princess."

"Xiuyuan, come and take a look quickly," Old Madam Qin urged.

Upon hearing Qin Xiuyuan's name, Zhao Yayi's face finally came to life, filled with a mix of joy and shyness, a scene witnessed by Jing Anle.

Qin Xiuyuan, who was not far away, heard Old Madam Qin calling him, put down his cup and came over.

The young man, dressed in blue robes and with dark hair, had sharp, piercing eyes and exuded the aura of a chivalrous young swordsman.

As soon as Qin Xiuyuan arrived, his gaze was unconsciously drawn to Jing Anle. She was dressed in her finest attire today, and her beauty was so striking that it was impossible to look away. He was momentarily stunned, then quickly bowed, "Greetings, Princess, County Princess."

Jing Anle nodded, "Cousin, there's no need for such formalities." He didn't give Qin Xiuyuan a second glance.

For no apparent reason, Qin Xiuyuan felt a sharp pain in his heart.

"Grandmother, what do you need me for?" Qin Xiuyuan asked.

Madam Qin asked, "What do you think of this embroidered chrysanthemum?" Qin Xiuyuan looked over there and saw that Granny Cui was holding an embroidery piece with a lifelike blooming chrysanthemum on it.

"Although my grandson doesn't know how to embroider, the colors of these chrysanthemums are so vibrant, they look just like the real thing," Qin Xiuyuan exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yayi lowered her head shyly, a rare occurrence for her.

Upon seeing this, Madam Qin smiled and said, "This was embroidered by Miss Zhao. We should invite her to visit our residence sometime in the future."

Zhao Yayi looked up and met Qin Xiuyuan's gaze, then quickly looked away.

Qin Xiuyuan immediately understood what Old Madam Qin meant. She wanted to match him with Zhao Yayi. He had known this day would come, but he still couldn't accept it.

Seeing that things were not going well, Qin Zhihua quickly said, "Miss Zhao's embroidery skills are so amazing, I'd like to ask Miss Zhao for some pointers."

Despite Qin Xiuyuan's reaction, Zhao Ya still wore a polite smile. "It's not about seeking advice. If you don't mind my stupidity, we can discuss it."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Zhao Yayi's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.