Chapter 652 - Where Are the Gifts from? Nail the Lie!

“Fifth Sister, since they are both from the imperial palace, they are naturally similar!” Shao Yanru realized what Shao Wanru meant first, hurriedly put down the hairpin in her hand with a smile, picked up another gorgeous hairpin, and said. The hairpin including several strings of pearls with a small gold bead at the end of each string was dazzling when it was swayed slightly.

It was so gorgeous.

Shao Wanru, who was sharp-eyed, noticed there was a phoenix-shaped widget under the largest gold bead, and her eyes became deep. If she remembered correctly, not everyone could wear this kind of jewelry with a phoenix-shaped widget.

Even though there might be this kind of phoenix-shaped widgets on the jewelry from the imperial palace, only someone with an imperial mandate could wear them.

She looked at the tray in front, where there were eight hairpins including both plain and gorgeous ones, but all of them looked valuable. She then looked at several other trays around her, where there was also some jewelry but they seemed to be less valuable.

However, none of the jewelry on other trays was against the rules, while half of the eight hairpins on the tray in front of her were against the rules. So she had half the chance of picking a hairpin against the rules.

“Big Sister, this is beautiful and looks good on your head!” Shao Wanru said and reached out to take the hairpin, but inserted it in Shao Yanru’s black bun instead of her own bun with a gentle smile.

“How… how can I do that? I can’t pick before you!” Shao Yanru hurriedly reached out to pull the hairpin out of her bun, put it on the tray, and refused with a smile.

“Big Sister, you should pick first. After all, they are sent by Honored Consort Shu, it’s reasonable for you to pick before me. I’ve got enough jewelry from the Empress Dowager.” Shao Wanru still said with a smile, as if she didn’t notice the displeasure across Shao Yanru’s eyes.

It fell silent again in the room. Except for Shao Wanru, who came in last, everyone knew that these were the gifts from the Empress Dowager. They looked towards Old Madam.

With her face turning livid in an instant, Old Madam almost failed to suppress the urge to strike the table. In Duke Xing’s Mansion, no one had ever embarrassed her like this.

Nevertheless, knowing that it was not the time to get angry, she held back her anger and said slowly, “Just pick one!”

“Big Sister, you should pick first!” Shao Wanru took a step back to make room for Shao Yanru, who was standing beside her, turned to Shao Yanru and said with a smile.

“Fifth Sister, after you!” Shao Yanru gave Shao Wanru a questioning look and said.

At this moment, she had to suspect that Shao Wanru had known something before and came to spoil the party. However, Shao Wanru did it so naturally by making use of the topic of hairpin started by her. If it were not for the fact that she started the topic of the hairpin, she would have suspected that Shao Wanru had been informed by someone!

“Big Sister, go ahead. As the youngest, how could I pick before several elder sisters? Honored Consort Shu sent the gifts for your sake, so it’s reasonable even if you have them all. You are so considerate to us. How could we pick before you?”

Shao Wanru said with an increasingly friendly smile, but her words made Shao Yanru’s face turn blue and white alternately. Besides Shao Wanru, there were also other sisters in the room. The sisters from the third branch, whom she had always looked down upon, now looked at her with a faint smile and scornful eyes.

Shao Yanru almost failed to maintain her hypocritical mask. Although she was scheming, she blushed in rage, clenched her handkerchief tightly with her fingers, and suppressed the impulse to slap Shao Wanru.

Shao Wanru’s words were like a slap in her face in front of everyone. However, Shao Wanru looked so innocent as if she didn’t know anything. She had no excuse to lose her temper even if she wanted to.

“These are not given by Honored Consort Shu, but by the Empress Dowager. You haven’t finished cultivating in seclusion, so you can’t wear gorgeous jewelry. I decide to let you pick first and then divide the rest of them among your sisters. I’ll give you some other jewelry as compensation after you finish observing mourning for your parents.” Old Madam had to suppress her anxiety and said.

She had no choice but to say that, otherwise, she would be completely disgraced!

Shao Wanru and her maid were the only ones who didn’t know the truth in the room. Under the gaze of those who knew the truth, if Old Madam still didn’t explain it, she could no longer say pretend to be a person of high morals speaking sternly out of a sense of justice.

“They turn out to be the gifts from the Empress Dowager!” Shao Wanru whispered to herself with a surprised look, as if she really didn’t know it, and then raised her head with a smile and said generously, “Grandma, since you’ve sent some of them to me, several sisters should have these!”

“Since these gifts are for you, you should pick first!” Old Madam said in a deep voice with no pleasure. How could she be pleased after she had to admit the truth, which was like a slap to her face!

“Okay. Big Sister, pick one for me. You always have good taste!” Shao Wanru turned to Shao Yanru and said with a smile, agreeable to Old Madam’s request this time.

Shao Yanru clench her fists hard and then unclenched them. She reached out to pick a hairpin out of the tray, handed it to Shao Wanru, and asked, “Fifth Sister, what do you think of this one?”

“Big Sister, you certainly make the best choice, since you always have good taste!” Shao Wanru glanced at the hairpin, took it casually, put it in Qu Le’s hands, and said, “How about having a look at the arrangement of the Piaoyun Courtyard when you are available? I don’t dare to compare it with your courtyard and just want to make it similar to yours!”

“I will definitely go there when I am available!” Shao Yanru said. Although she was so furious that she almost wanted to spit blood, she had pretended to be a caring elder sister. After Shao Wanru pointed out the truth, it could be considered that all the sisters present received kindness from Shao Wanru. Strictly speaking, these gifts were given to Shao Wanru anyway.

Moreover, these were not ordinary gifts, but the gifts given by the Empress Dowager for Shao Wanru’s saving Chu Liuchen.

Since Shao Yanru received kindness from Shao Wanru, Shao Yanru had no choice but to consent to Shao Wanru’s request. Although she did not know why Shao Wanru asked her to have a look at the Piaoyun Courtyard and she was irritated, she reluctantly agreed.

Shao Wanru dropped the topic and picked a hairpin. After that, it became reasonable for Old Madam to let other sisters pick from the gifts.

Everyone felt very embarrassed and aggrieved when they were picking and looking at Shao Wanru, who was sitting there and drinking tea with a smile.

Even Shao Yanru, who intended to pick more jewelry, felt embarrassed at this moment, only pick three of them and stepped aside.

Before Shao Wanru pointed out the truth, it was reasonable for other sisters to pick more after letting Shao Wanru, the youngest sister, pick first.

But now Shao Wanru pointed out that the gifts were for her. In front of such a group of servants, Shao Yanru really didn’t have the cheek to pick more.

In this round, not only did Shao Yanru fail to get the jewelry she wanted, but she also had to help Shao Wanru have a look at the arrangement of the Piaoyun Courtyard.

Fortunately, Shao Wanru was going to visit Honored Consort Shu with them. At the thought of this, Shao Yanru suppressed the anger in her heart and showed a much more sincere smile.

Old Madam kept the rest of the gifts in the name of putting them away for Shao Wanru. Shao Wanru didn’t care about it, thanked Old Madam for her kindness, and then came out with her sisters.

When they got out of the courtyard, Shao Caihuan and Shao Cailing made their farewells first. The two sisters seemed to be in a good mood and even specially said goodbye to Shao Wanru before leaving with their entourage.

“Big Sister, can you come with me to the Piaoyun Courtyard to have a look?” Shao Wanru invited Shao Yanru, who just wanted to leave, with slightly raised eyes and a faint but clear smile.

“Now?” Shao Yanru said hesitantly. Of course, she didn’t want to go.

“Big Sister, it won’t take you long to come to have a look at my courtyard. After that, you can help me fix the improper arrangement slowly later!” Shao Wanru said eagerly.

She winked at Qu Le, who was standing aside. Qu Le understood, left silently, and took a shortcut to the Piaoyun Courtyard. The Piaoyun Courtyard had been prepared, so she just needed to rearrange it slightly now.

“Big Sister, let’s go and have a look together. I happen to be free now, so I’ll go with you!” Shao Jie’er raised her eyebrows, looked at Shao Wanru with disdain, and said, “I heard that Fifth Sister’s courtyard is the best in the entire mansion and picked by Rui’an Great Elder Princess. The decoration must be exquisite. I’ll go and have a look!”

She suggested that Rui’an Great Elder Princess occupied the courtyard. Shao Jie’er also coveted the courtyard secretly, but it fell into Shao Wanru’s hands in the end. How could a Miss returning from outside occupy such a good courtyard, while she, a Miss born and grew up in Duke Xing’s Mansion, couldn’t?

Shao Wanru certainly understood what Shao Jie’er meant, but now she pretended that she didn’t, raised her watery eyes and said friendly, “Second Sister, since you are free now, come with us and have a look. However, you’d better not gossip about my maternal grandma. When she loses her temper, even I can’t comfort her. What’s more, as a member of the royal family, she always has a hot temper!”

Her words seemed to be cautionary, but they made Shao Jie’er blush in anger but unable to think of a word to talk back to her. Who was Rui’an Great Elder Princess? Someone intimidating enough to make Shao Jie’er tremble when seeing her from a distance. How dared Shao Jie’er describe her as a tough person in front of her?

She said that in an attempt to displease Shao Wanru, but she didn’t expect that Shao Wanru not only talked back to her but also made her so angry that she didn’t know what to say. She stamped her feet in rage and went to the Piaoyun Courtyard ahead of them with the intention of seeing what good stuff Rui’an Great Elder Princess had prepared for Shao Wanru. If there was anything against the rules, she would immediately report it to Old Madam.

Old Madam almost didn’t try to hide her deep hatred against Shao Wanru!

Since Shao Jie’er had gone, Shao Yanru couldn’t find an excuse to refuse even if she wanted to and could only nod with a forced smile. She decided to look around casually and say everything her mother arranged was good. In this case, Shao Wanru couldn’t make her say they were “not good”.

With different intentions in their mind, Shao Yanru and Shao Wanru went to the Piaoyun Courtyard after Shao Jie’er. When they entered the courtyard and saw the furniture in the room, although Shao Yanru had made her decision, she immediately failed to maintain her composed look, looked at the furniture in front of her in astonishment, and failed to say “good” with her trembling lips!

She really couldn’t describe anything in front of her as good!