The moment the Prince of Shu placed the plum blossom in front of Jiang Si, the scene fell into an instant silence.
It was in this extraordinary quiet that he came to his senses.
What had he done?
Ah, yes. Following a man’s instinct, he had given the green plum blossom to the most beautiful young lady in the room.
There was some embarrassment, but more regret. However, no amount of regret could change the fact of his momentary impulse.
Though turmoil raged in the Prince of Shu’s heart, he managed to keep his composure outwardly. He lightly touched his nose and walked back.
There were still five plum blossoms left to give to five young ladies, so this momentary impulse didn’t amount to much.
Even so, the Prince of Shu secretly glanced at Madame Zhuang from the corner of his eye, catching sight of her instantly darkened expression.
At this moment, Madame Zhuang was indeed somewhat stunned.
She hadn’t expected her usually intelligent and composed son to make such a shocking move.
How could he give the green plum blossom to the young lady from the Earl of Dongping’s household who had a broken engagement?
After the initial shock came furious anger.
Anger at her son for being blinded by beauty, anger at Madame Xian for being foolish enough to invite the young lady from the Earl of Dongping’s household.
All these emotions manifested on her face as only a faint calmness and a deep gaze. Years of palace life had trained Madame Zhuang, a woman of high position, to mask her emotions perfectly.
At least there were six plum blossoms for six potential consorts, and the final decision on who would become the consort still rested with her.
The noble ladies watched the Prince of Shu walk back, a mix of disappointment, surprise, frustration, and confusion swirling in their hearts. In the end, only bitterness remained: Just because Miss Jiang was beautiful, the Prince of Shu gave her the first plum blossom. This was truly unfair. What use was beauty? Could it feed, drink, manage a household, or assist a husband?
None of these. It was merely a naturally given appearance!
Thinking this way, the noble ladies felt extremely discomfited, twisting their handkerchiefs back and forth, back and forth… almost tearing them to shreds.
At this moment, Yu Jin only wanted to fly over and kick the Prince of Shu in the chest.
That bastard Sixth Brother, how dare he covet his wife!
True, Ah Si was indeed excellent in every way, and this bastard had good taste, but no matter how good his taste, he shouldn’t covet his brother’s wife. It was utterly unconscionable!
As the Prince of Shu approached, Yu Jin gradually calmed down.
Rationally speaking, the Prince of Shu’s action was beneficial to him.
He believed that both Madame Zhuang and Madame Xian were similar people. Seeing their son give the plum blossom to Ah Si, they must be anxious. This way, when he declared his choice of Ah Si, Madame Zhuang would surely help push things along.
Ah, but he was still angry.
What right did those blind fools have to look down on Ah Si? They would regret it one day!
His hand at his side clenched tightly, veins bulging on the back, yet Yu Jin’s face remained impassive.
He wanted to see how the Prince of Shu would continue to dig his own grave. If the second plum blossom went to Ah Si again, he truly wouldn’t be able to hold back.
Watching the woman he loved being picked over by another man, Yu Jin deeply understood the meaning of the phrase “patience is a knife in the heart.”
This feeling was truly unbearable.
The Prince of Shu came to stand before Yu Jin and gestured with a smile, “It’s Seventh Brother’s turn.”
“No need, Sixth Brother can choose them all,” Yu Jin said flatly.
The Prince of Shu declined, “How could that be proper?”
It was customary for them to take turns in selection. If he were to give out all six plum blossoms at once, wouldn’t it seem like the Prince of Yan was picking from his leftovers?
That wouldn’t be appropriate, and if word spread, people might think he was too domineering.
Yu Jin smiled, “Why bother with such trouble? It’s better if Sixth Brother chooses first, and then I’ll choose. I’m too lazy to keep getting up and sitting down.”
Seeing his insistence, the Prince of Shu could only agree.
Yu Jin coldly watched as the Prince of Shu returned to the palace maid holding the flowers, drew out the second green plum blossom, and walked towards the noble ladies. Finally, he placed the flower in front of Kou Lingbo from the Marquis of Shouchun’s household, and the pressure in Yu Jin’s chest eased a bit.
Kou Lingbo stared at the green plum blossom in the white jade plate before her, slightly lowering her gaze as her ears gradually turned red.
The Prince of Shu gazed at the young lady’s delicate ear, his mind flashing to that exceptionally beautiful yet coldly indifferent face. He inwardly laughed at himself: Enough, no matter how beautiful the young lady from the Earl of Dongping’s household might be, an ice beauty isn’t very interesting.
Thinking this, he couldn’t help but glance in Jiang Si’s direction again.
The rose-red jacket, the pure white skirt, the graceful silhouette, and that exquisitely beautiful profile.
The Prince of Shu’s self-consolation was instantly shattered.
He had lied to himself; an ice beauty was very interesting indeed! It was just that he couldn’t have her, so he was deceiving himself.
Having regained his senses, the Prince of Shu sighed inwardly and said with a smile, “The performances of these two young ladies just now truly amazed this prince. These two plum blossoms are gifted to them. I trust the two Madames and all the young ladies won’t accuse this prince of poor judgment.”
He spoke so frankly, and indeed, the talents displayed by Jiang Si and Kou Lingbo were the most impressive among all the noble ladies present. This made his act of giving the first plum blossom to Jiang Si seem less intriguing.
Madame Zhuang’s expression remained calm, a glimmer of amusement flashing in her eyes.
She knew her son was reliable.
Madame Xian raised an eyebrow, feeling quite disappointed.
She had thought she would witness an amusing scene, but it didn’t happen.
Madame Xian had always been wary of Madame Zhuang.
Despite entering the palace later and having unremarkable looks, she had gained the Emperor’s favor merely by being able to recite a few poems and had maintained that favor until now.
Madame Xian had never seen Madame Zhuang make a fool of herself, which was a great disappointment.
The Prince of Shu picked up the third plum blossom, surveyed the room, hesitated slightly, and placed the flower on the white jade plate in front of one of the noble ladies.
The young lady who received the green plum blossom was overjoyed, though she tried hard to suppress her happiness.
The other noble ladies, seeing that this young lady was neither from a top-tier family nor exceptionally beautiful, felt bitter again: It was understandable for the Prince of Shu to give plum blossoms to Kou Lingbo with her excellent dance and the beautiful Jiang Si, but why did this particular lady deserve one?
Comparatively, they thought, this lady wasn’t even as good as themselves.
With this thought, the ladies became hopeful again.
Since the Prince of Shu could give a plum blossom to a lady who was average in all aspects, didn’t that mean everyone had a chance?
As the ladies waited in anticipation, the Prince of Shu gave out the remaining three plum blossoms.
Those who received plum blossoms were overjoyed, while those who didn’t felt disappointed and dejected.
Yu Jin stood up and drew a green plum blossom from the flower basket in front of the palace maid.
The ladies immediately composed themselves, nervously waiting to see to whom the Prince of Yan would give his first plum blossom.
Generally, those who had already received green plum blossoms wouldn’t receive one from the Prince of Yan, so among the remaining ladies, six would receive flowers. Everyone’s chances were not small.
Yu Jin strode towards Jiang Si.
“Please accept this, Miss Jiang.” The smiling young man placed the green plum blossom on the jade plate in front of Jiang Si.
The ladies were slightly shocked, Madame Xian’s smile became a bit stiff, while the Prince of Shu, after a moment of surprise, smiled in understanding.
After all, what man wouldn’t want to stand in the highest position and sleep with the most beautiful woman?
Yu Jin gazed deeply at Jiang Si, turned back, drew the second plum blossom, and once again walked towards the ladies.
The ladies unanimously thought: Could it be that the Prince of Yan would also give the second plum blossom to Miss Kou?
It would make sense for both princes to give their two plum blossoms to the two young ladies who had performed most outstandingly.
But Yu Jin, amidst all these speculations, once again stopped in front of Jiang Si and placed down the plum blossom with a smile: “Please accept this, Miss Jiang.”