Chapter 91: Jackpot (2) (1/2)

Since Wei Fengzi had spoken, Madam Huang couldn’t do anything but admit to her defeat.

Furthermore, everyone had agreed on the taste of the longevity peach buns, so how could she go back on her word?

“I didn’t expect House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam to have such talent at all. We’ve expanded our horizons today.” After saying so, Madam Huang sent her personal maidservant to bring the tray of accessories to Chu Lian.

However, only she herself knew how conflicted she felt inside. That pearl bracelet was her favourite accessory!

When the maidservant held up the tray, Madam Huang narrowed her eyes purposefully at Chu Lian.

That look was a warning, loud and clear, telling her not to accept those accessories.

However, the young madam standing in the middle of the crowd had her head lowered, revealing her smooth forehead and her exquisitely fair nape. She reached out with her slender fingers and received the silver tray.

She didn’t lift her head at all from start to finish. No one could tell if she simply couldn’t feel Madam Huang’s threatening gaze, or if she really hadn’t noticed it at all.

Madam Huang wrung the handkerchief in her hands. She would’ve never expected Chu Lian to win the bet.

Imperial Princess Leyao couldn’t bear to part with her golden qilin statue. She wanted to ask for it back, but Wei Fengzi stopped her.

When Lady Yang saw how frustrated Madam Huang was at losing, she felt extremely happy.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurting for that pearl bracelet of yours, Madam Huang?”

Madam Huang was so annoyed she almost spat up blood. Although she really couldn’t bear to give up the bracelet, she had to pretend to be magnanimous on the surface. “What are you saying, Lady Yang? It’s just a bracelet after all. Didn’t you put in a coral bracelet yourself?”

Lady Yang’s eyes were crinkled up in a smile. She would give up any number of coral bracelets just to see Madam Huang eat her words like this.

Chu Lian gently smiled after receiving the silver tray and curtsied to each person in turn. “Many thanks to Imperial Princess Leyao, Royal Princess Duanjia, Madam Huang, Lady Yang, and noble madams for your gracious gifts.”

Haha! She had struck gold this time!

When she looked up slightly and caught sight of the madams’ unwilling expressions, the smile on Chu Lian’s face grew a little more pronounced.

She wasn’t the one who started the bet! They were the ones who offered up their treasures to her; not accepting them would be silly.

The crowd watched as House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam smiled with her eyes twinkling before she passed the whole tray to her maidservant for keeping. The madams felt a pang of loss and were envious to the point of bleeding.

Even though Chu Lian had taken the entire tray of prizes without any pretense at modesty, no one thought her greedy. Some madams even thought that she was being genuine.

The moment Chu Lian looked up, her eyes met with Royal Princess Duanjia’s gaze. Very strangely, Royal Princess Duanjia even smiled at her.