High-class Spring Joy

Princess Jing'an's words left the young ladies from noble families present with increasingly uncertain expressions. Some were relieved that they hadn't spoken up, expressed their opinions, taken sides, or spoken up for Jiang Qingge during the incident.

Some are now completely silent, thankful that their words weren't too outrageous, and thankful that Jiang Qingge is there to protect them. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and even if Princess Jing'an wants to punish someone, it should be Jiang Qingge first, not them.

Even so, they couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. This was unavoidable, since some of them had said the things they wanted to say, and it was true that what they said was unpleasant.

Princess Jing'an is known for her bad temper, and many people have witnessed it. Unless Princess Jing'an is truly determined to stand up for Qinghe and seek justice for her, even if they had only said those words, they would still have been in trouble.

At this moment, they didn't dare to even breathe loudly, fearing that they might anger Princess Jing'an and be severely punished, or that Princess Jing'an might remember their existence and bring trouble upon themselves.

Jiang Qingge, who had been quite imposing with Song Yun'er just moments before, now had a stiff smile on her face, though it hadn't changed. Looking at her pale expression, everyone roughly understood what was going on.

This is the most basic rule: the survival of the fittest. Before Princess Jing'an arrived, Jiang Qingge's family background was among the best of these young ladies, so she naturally spoke with great authority. She was also determined to get what she wanted, and her words and actions, every gesture, exuded confidence and arrogance.

Aside from the young ladies of slightly higher social standing than Jiang Qingge, the others, like Li Zi and Song Yun'er, especially those whose backgrounds and status were inferior to hers, could only be manipulated by Jiang Qingge and become her background. They would never dare to compete with Jiang Qingge for anything.

If Song Yun'er hadn't already planned this out, and he hadn't been carrying out her plan, under normal circumstances, given Song Yun'er's wisdom and ability to assess situations, she naturally wouldn't have argued with Jiang Qingge over such a piece of embroidery.

This is the law of the jungle. Sometimes, one's birth and status alone determine many things, whether one's back is straight or hunched when speaking, whether one's life and death are in one's own hands, whether one's marriage is one's own decision, and a whole host of other things concerning oneself.

But this was before Princess Jing'an arrived. After Princess Jing'an arrived, Jiang Qingge, who was determined to compete with Song Yun'er, was not only suppressed by half, but her arrogance was basically completely gone. The young ladies who had intended to agree with Jiang Qingge were now too scared to say a word.

The reactions of the crowd were quite complex. Hu Shisi Niang was surprised that Princess Jing'an would actually come, and that she would come for only one purpose: to support Qinghe. This was something Hu Shisi Niang had not expected. Of course, Hu Shisi Niang had heard about what had happened when they were choosing the Buddha statue.

That's why Hu Shisi Niang was able to confidently say that the embroidered portrait she was selling at Hongxiuzhao was made by an embroiderer who even the Empress Dowager praised highly.

However, there are still some things that Hu Shisi Niang doesn't know, such as the relationship between Qinghe and Princess Jing'an, which Hu Shisi Niang is not very clear about.

Even though Qinghe had only casually mentioned that he and Princess Jing'an knew each other, how could Hu Shisi Niang have imagined that this acquaintance between Qinghe and Princess Jing'an would make Princess Jing'an leave the palace and travel all the way to support Qinghe?

Seeing how Princess Jing'an was so protectively shielding Qinghe behind her, Hu Shisi Niang realized that she had underestimated the affection between Qinghe and Princess Jing'an. However, the extent of this underestimation remained to be seen.

In this situation, Hu Shisi Niang did not rush to speak.

Song Yun'er took in the whole scene and listened to Princess Jing'an's words. She could hardly contain her smile. The extent to which Princess Jing'an protected Qinghe was truly beyond Song Yun'er's expectations.

Originally, Song Yoon-ah thought the worst outcome of this matter would be that her relationship with her partner would become tense. However, Song Yoon-ah's biggest and most pressing issue right now is that her marriage is still undecided. It is precisely because it is still undecided that Song Yoon-ah's biological father and so-called legal wife have room and leeway to play their roles.

It is precisely because it remains unresolved that this unknown wait is the most worrying. What people fear most is not always the worst or most difficult consequences, nor is it how terrible or how much of a mess needs to be cleaned up.

What people fear most is the unknown. The unknown means they don't know what will happen next, what will happen next, or how things will go in the future, whether it will benefit them or not. It is precisely because of the unknown that there is uncertainty, and uncertainty brings about a variety of consequences for the development of a matter, making it impossible for people to be very cautious and make perfect preparations.

No matter how terrible the ending or how awful the outcome, no matter how much price or consequences it will cost, as long as it's certain, as long as it's certain, Song Yoon-ah has a way to prepare. If it's a bad ending, she'll find a way to solve it and clean up the mess. If it's a good ending, she'll plan for the next step and prepare for the next planned area.

Whether it's good or bad, as long as it's clear, it's enough to give people a direction. But the unknown is the most deadly. It makes people anxious and fearful little by little in the endless and boundless unknown, as if a person is walking on a floating white cloud with their feet suspended, without any solid ground. It can't give people any sense of security or belonging. It's as if they could fall off the cloud in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, Song Yun'er preferred that his wife and his biological father reveal their intentions now, so he could prepare himself, rather than endure this feeling of being suspended in mid-air. Although Song Yun'er was thankful that his scheming had worked—at least he hadn't been sold to some old man as a concubine yet—who could guarantee what the future held?

The feeling of something sudden and unknown, that could come at any day or hour, is the most tormenting.

Therefore, for Song Yun'er under these circumstances, the primary concern and the most important issue is resolving her own situation within the Song family and overcoming her own difficulties. As for her hatred towards Jiang Qingge, even if Jiang Qingge intends to retaliate, she cannot interfere in the Song family for the time being. Even if Jiang Qingge were to have the ability to harm her in the short term...

Song Yun'er was also prepared. She at least knew who was behind it. No matter how many layers of cover-up there were, the most likely culprit was Jiang Qingge.

Then Song Yoon-ah will know who to target for that crisis, who to seek help from, or where the breakthrough lies.

This feeling is something Song Yoon-ah has experienced most often over the past decade, and it's also the situation she's best at handling.

How could I not have thought of that? How could someone who's been unlucky for over a decade suddenly become lucky one day? Looking at how much Princess Jing'an valued Qinghe, Song Yun'er felt as if she'd been hit by a gift from heaven. This ending wasn't just good, it was better than she expected, better than she could have imagined. No matter how she calculated it, she absolutely couldn't have imagined Princess Jing'an protecting Qinghe like this.

Like a gamble, Song Yun'er had already staked most of her fortune on Jiang Qingge. Song Yun'er had made countless plans, including the worst-case scenario, which was that she would lose this gamble.

This matter will not affect Princess Jing'an and Qinghe in any way, so Song Yun'er will not be treated kindly by them, and will have Jiang Qingge as an enemy, which is the worst outcome.

Compared to the fact that she couldn't influence Princess Jing'an and Qinghe, having Jiang Qingge as an enemy wasn't such a bad outcome. After all, if she didn't break ties with Jiang Qingge, she would be subject to his control in countless ways in the future. If things really went according to Jiang Qingge's plan, it would all benefit Jiang Qingge, and what would it have to do with Song Yun'er? Jiang Qingge naturally didn't care about the lives of others, but Song Yun'er had worked hard for over a decade, all to live a more comfortable and better life.

If she continues to rely on Jiang Qingge and act according to his orders, then Song Yun'er will only become a tool for Jiang Qingge. And this tool might not even have to wait for Jiang Qingge to get into any trouble before she, as the tool, will get into serious trouble.

But now that we've seen how much Princess Jing'an values ​​Qinghe, Song Yun'er has not only won, but the more Princess Jing'an cares about Qinghe, the more chips Song Yun'er gains.

Winning so many chips was truly like a pleasant surprise, hitting Song Yoon-ah on the head.

But Song Yun'er was no ordinary person; her reaction was naturally incredibly quick. However, seeing these young ladies from wealthy families scheming against each other, none of them dared to speak. Some even had completely reversed their previous attitudes. They had been aggressive before, but now they were meek and submissive. Song Yun'er was well aware of this contrast.

Having grown up in a prominent family like the Song household, she naturally encountered such behavior as commonplace as eating a meal, without a doubt.

But when this incident affected her, and she inexplicably won the bet and became a beneficiary, her mindset was completely different from before.

Song Yoon-ah's gaze swept across the faces of the young ladies from prominent families present, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Song Yoon-ah was not surprised by the drastic change in the group's attitude, but as she witnessed all of this, a mocking smile still rose in her heart.

Qinghe looked at the group of young ladies from noble families who had been so aggressive before, now as quiet as chickens. A smile crossed Qinghe's face, but she didn't know what to say.

You see, that's how people are. They bully the weak and fear the strong. When they think they're tough, they'll naturally pick on the weak. The softer the persimmon, the more they'll bully it and the harder they'll squeeze it.

Once they encounter someone tougher than themselves, they quietly and obediently become the easy target.

This world will always be like this; otherwise, some people wouldn't strive so hard for themselves. For example, soldiers charge into battle, firstly to protect their country, and secondly, naturally, to fight for a better future. A better future means a higher status, honor for their family, and more power and wealth. These are the simplest things, so we should strive for them. They would risk their lives to fight for it. Even street vendors selling snacks or trinkets—in a city as large as Bianjing, there are countless vendors.

But there are only so many things that can be sold, so the probability of selling the same thing is actually very high. When selling the same thing, if you want to earn more money and more business than your competitors, you naturally have to innovate or highlight your own unique features.

Therefore, everyone is constantly striving for themselves, fighting for a better future, and for a better future for themselves or their families.

Embroiderers should strive to produce the best embroidery, and officials should do their best to achieve the highest level of success. Part of this is for their own pursuit, and another part is to try their best to improve their background and status so as not to become easy targets for others.

These young ladies from aristocratic families don't seem to have any outstanding talents or abilities. Their most valuable asset is their birth and status, which they were born into. If they lose that birth and status, or if their families are demoted or their fathers get into trouble, then their glory will naturally disappear.

These young ladies from wealthy families have been raised too well and never think about these things.

Qinghe just found it funny, especially when she saw Jiang Qingge.

Sometimes, it really does take a tit-for-tat approach, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Since Jiang Qingge's initial plan was to use her status and position to bully him, the best way to silence her was to find someone with even higher status.

Even so, Qinghe never expected Princess Jing'an to leave the palace to support him at this time. Although Qinghe had a relationship with Princess Jing'an, he knew that although she seemed a bit arrogant, she was a very kind, responsible, and loyal person.

If she just says the word, Princess Jing'an will definitely come.

However, Qinghe also thought that she couldn't ask others to solve everything. Even if it was difficult and troublesome for her to solve it, and the results might not be as direct or good, it could still be considered as her own ability.

Princess Jing'an would naturally not consider it a big deal if it happened once or twice, but if it continued like this, it wouldn't be good, and Qinghe herself would feel embarrassed.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Jiang Qingge could only force an even more obvious smile, a smile that was difficult to maintain, but she had to smile: "Your Highness is right. Many of the sisters here have actually seen how exquisite and stunning Qinghe's embroidery is. So, it is no surprise that Qinghe's embroidery is also excellent. The princess is right. That is why I disregarded my dignity as an older sister and was determined to compete with Sister Song Wu. Now that the princess is here, I have come to my senses. Since Sister Song Wu likes it, then let her have it. As the older sister, I should naturally give way to her."

The way he said that made it sound like he had done countless good deeds, and people who didn't know the truth would think she was magnanimous for not competing with Song Yun'er.

Indeed, sometimes you still need to know the art of speaking, because some people are just too shameless.

Song Yun'er didn't directly expose Jiang Qingge's intentions. Instead, she smiled more calmly, her words laced with sarcasm: "Although if you hadn't tried to take it, I could have gotten this embroidery for only ten taels of silver, Qinghe's embroidery is certainly worth the price. I don't regret it. I can certainly afford the hundred-plus taels of silver, even though you didn't contribute to it. But if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had to pay that much. Since you've said that, I thank you for your generosity."

Although Song Yun'er didn't name names, her words were pretty much what they meant. At least, to these young ladies from aristocratic families, how could anyone with a modicum of intelligence and shrewdness not understand what she meant?

So when Song Yoon-ah said this, everyone present had very strange expressions, most of them with odd looks.

Yu Jiang Qingge's face turned pale and then red, but because Princess Jing'an was present, she couldn't say anything. She could only swallow her anger and nod to Song Yun'er with a smile.

Seeing this scene, Princess Jing'an spoke up at the opportune moment: "I was right, there are indeed some people with good taste among you. Now that the ownership of this embroidery has been decided, there should be no one questioning its quality. So, please let Hu Shisi Niang reveal the secret of this embroidery to us."

Princess Jing'an had no choice but to agree. She smiled and nodded respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."

At Hu Shisi Niang's command, the servants beside her began to move. Everyone's eyes were on the servants, who weren't trying to tamper with the embroidery, but rather closing the windows and doors. Once the servants had the doors and windows tightly shut, only a very small amount of light could see in from outside, and the entire Hongxiuzhao was darkened, making it feel like dusk, though not quite midnight.

The servants hadn't stopped yet. After closing the doors and windows, they brought over a thick, dark cloth. Each servant took a corner and used it to completely enclose the small area of ​​the embroidery appreciation event.

If Princess Jing'an weren't here, many young ladies from prominent families would probably be questioning what was going on or if it was just some kind of charade.

But with Princess Jing'an sitting there, even if they had something to say, they could only remain silent and hold it in.

Then, someone exclaimed in surprise, "Look! This embroidery has really changed!"

Before anyone could find out who had said it, they all turned their attention to the embroidery on the side. When they saw what the embroidery looked like, they were all completely stunned.

Just moments ago, the embroidery was exquisite and of the highest quality, but now it has completely transformed into a different scene!

Although it is still about butterflies loving flowers, both the position and posture of the flowers, as well as the size of the butterflies' wings as they take flight, have undergone considerable changes.

It was perfectly clear that the butterfly was still the same butterfly, and the flower was still the same flower, but it was different from before. Everyone's eyes were on the embroidery, trying their best to find the difference or connection between them.

It wasn't until Song Yoon-ah, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "This flower doesn't seem to be like the others. The color and variety are the same, the only difference is that its posture seems slightly different. The location is also slightly different, but in terms of size and color, it should be the same. This flower looks like the one I saw before, from a bud to full bloom?"

Song Yoon-ah's words provided everyone with a new perspective and way of thinking. After a moment of silence, some of the young ladies truly understood what Song Yoon-ah meant, their voices filled with barely concealed excitement:

"If that's what you're saying, look at the butterfly. This butterfly is exactly the same as the previous one, the patterns on its wings are exactly the same, and the colors are exactly the same, but this posture is like a still butterfly turning into one with outstretched wings... If these two images alternate..."

The young lady's words hit the nail on the head, and Hu Shisi Niang immediately showed a knowing smile and waved her hand confidently.

The servants immediately realized what was happening and quickly put away the black cloth, revealing that the embroidery pattern had returned to its previous state.

After everyone clearly saw the pattern, the servants quickly pulled the black cloth back up, repeating this several times. Those who still didn't understand finally realized what was happening.

Qinghe's embroidery is indeed just about butterflies and flowers, but what she embroidered is the process of flowers from bud to bloom, and butterflies from folding their wings to spreading them.

If the speed is faster, it looks as if the butterfly is constantly flapping its wings while the flower is blooming.

This amazing effect actually appeared on the embroidery on the clothes!

The scene was even quieter than before.