Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 162 - 160: One Can’t Get Rich Without a Windfall

Chapter 162: Chapter 160: One Can’t Get Rich Without a Windfall

The Prime Minister’s daughter, Li Yunning, was the chosen wife of the First Prince. Humiliated by Shangguan Xuanyi, he decided to play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress, hoping to leave a good impression on Li Yunning.

"Sixth Brother, you’ve spoken wrongly. Why not prove oneself by writing another poem? A poem produced in the blink of an eye does indeed cause suspicion! Miss Li, don’t you think there’s nothing wrong with her poem not being composed on the spot?"

In the end, the First Prince did not forget to make it clear whom he was speaking in favor of. If not, it would not be as satisfying if the other party didn’t know!

Just when Shangguan Xuanyi was about to speak, Xiao’er quickly stepped in.

"The moon over Chang’an, the sound of laundry pounding in ten thousand households.

The autumn wind never ceases, always it’s the emotions at Jade Gate.

When will the northern barbarians be pacified, the day, my love, may stop afar?" She could not let Shangguan Xuanyi and her older brother publically quarrel because of her. Even if she won, there would be no point in it, and they will certainly be punished by the Emperor. Not only will the two of them be implicated by the censors, she will surely gain the title of a troublemaker. Nobody would benefit from it, and they would all lose too much.

After hearing the poem, everyone fell silent.

Then, applause echoed from every corner.

She truly made another good poem. Is she really a little girl, or is she the reincarnation of the goddess of literature and art?!

The old lady and the general’s wife wiped the tears from the corners of their eyes with a handkerchief, even the Empress’s eyes were somewhat moist. She truly spoke the words of their hearts.

The Empress stabilized her emotions. She had to be the one to placate the situation now.

"Alright, now the Lady of Rui’an County has also met Miss Chu’s challenge by writing a poem on the spot. Lady Rui’an is in first place. Does anyone object now?"

A group of people led by Li Yunning shook their heads.

After hearing this, everyone else also shook their heads. The first poem with the topic of autumn, it was plausible that she had written such a poem in daily life, this could be overlooked. But this poem was clearly a difficult topic posed by Chu Die. How could she have cheated? Because of this, everyone had an even deeper appreciation for the talent of the Lady of Rui’an County.

The title of the capital’s top female scholar is going to change hands!

Li Yunning was stooping her head, biting her lower lip, extremely upset at her heart. She actually lost to a farmer’s girl again and again! Now she’s given her an opportunity to show off her talent! After tomorrow, everyone will no longer consider her as the number one female scholar in the capital.

"Competing with my girl, aren’t they asking for trouble? My girl is so profound that even I can’t gauge her depth!" Di Shaowei pityingly glanced at Li Yunning

"How did the Lady of Rui’an County become your girl? Has this young man already settled an engagement with the Lady of Rui’an County?" Lai Zhemin jokingly asked.

Shangguan Xuanyi coldly glanced at the two of them.

Di Shaowei quickly explained, shivering, "The Lady of Rui’an County is my adopted sister. I treat her as my own sister, so why can’t I call her my girl?!"

The old lady and the general’s wife were taken aback by his words.

The old lady playfully scolded, devoid of any actual blame, "You child, you recognized a sister without telling us. If we had known earlier, we would have hosted a party to welcome our granddaughter!"

"Isn’t it? Such a big matter, as a mother, I only find out now. The gifts for the first meeting have not been prepared yet. It makes us seem so inconsiderate." After reprimanding her son, the general’s wife ordered her maid to fetch something from her private collection.

They publicly recognized Xiao’er in front of everyone today!

Everyone knew the truth behind today’s events! Wasn’t it just taking advantage of her low background, thinking she was ignorant? Wanting to use her as a foil?

Who would have known that a huge reversal would take place!

Now that the old lady and the general’s wife openly admitting this relation, it’s meant to be a support for Xiao’er.

Xiao’er understood this in her heart. Honestly, it was by pure chance that they met, and to have them defend her like this, she felt very grateful and touched.

"Since my mother and sister-in-law have accepted this granddaughter, as an aunt, I must show my feelings as well. I happen to have a guqin in my boudoir from before I got married. It would be a waste to just leave it there, so I might as well give it to Xiao’er."

The people who knew the worth of this guqin were all casting envious and jealous glances at Xiao’er after hearing these words.

The guqin that the Empress played before her marriage, isn’t it the famous ancient guqin "Fei Yan Liuyun," made entirely of warm jade carved into a pair of swallows, with strings made of golden silkworm silk?

The golden silkworm has been extinct, and the silk spun for the guqin strings is unaffordable. Not to mention that the guqin body is made of warm jade. To find such a large piece of warm jade is not as easy as you think, right?

Why would a little farm girl repeatedly be elevated by the Empress, the Sixth Prince, and the people from the Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion? Many people didn’t understand.

Li Yun Ning had wanted this guqin for a long time. Unknown whether it was intentional or not, the Empress had once mentioned that she intended to give the guqin away as a gift to her future daughter-in-law. But only a couple of ladies knew this, and one of them was her mother.

What did the Empress mean by giving the guqin to the lady of Rui’an County? Her age didn’t match that of the three princes, so it should be only because of the relation that has been acknowledged, right?

Without seeing the guqin, Xiao’er was unaware of its value, so she readily expressed her gratitude.

Afterwards, the noble ladies and girls present no longer dared to show any disrespect towards Xiao’er and her family. The atmosphere became harmonious until everyone dispersed.

Before Xiao’er boarded the carriage, Xiao Fuzi walked over holding a box and handed it to her.

"Miss Xiao’er, this is the dividend from the toy store and colored glaze workshop for this month."

Xiao’er took the box, opened it, and saw a thick stack of silver banknotes!

"Why is there so much?" The businesses of both the shops were now stabilized, with similar incomes each month. What had happened that suddenly contributed to this windfall?

"Wasn’t it because of the poem you wrote that won earlier? The First Prince made a gamble on this. He staked ten to one if Miss Xiao’er won. My master put all of the 100,000 taels of your dividends on you winning, hence, all the silver banknotes."

So, this box contained one million taels of silver banknotes? Was she about to become rich? Indeed, without windfall, one couldn’t become wealthy!

"Little Fuzi, your master is really farsighted!" Xiao’er was so happy that she couldn’t stop smiling!

As for the First Prince, she had never liked him. It felt great to win this money from him!

Then she wondered, having won one million taels, how much had Shangguan Xuanyi and Di Zhaowei won?

"Did Brother Shangguan and Brother Di place any bets?"

"Yes. Initially, master only placed a bet of 10,000 taels. After hearing it was the First Prince who ran the gambling, he added another 90,000 taels. Young Master Di also placed a bet of 100,000 taels. The Second Prince and Fourth Prince also followed and placed a bet of 100,000 taels each." Xiao Fuzi tried to hold in his laughter and continued in a casual voice. Even he had bet 1,000 taels!

He was the one who told his master that it was the First Prince running the gambling. When his master and the others went to ask the First Prince for the money, the First Prince was so angry that his face turned black. In the end, he could only pay out one million taels in silver banknotes and wrote IOUs for the rest.

His master was indeed a petty person. He had rounded up the Second Prince and Fourth Prince to place bets against the First Prince, saying that if they lost, he would cover it.

Xiao’er’s eyes widened when she heard this!

So, it meant that just from their bets alone, the First Prince owed them five million taels of gambling debt?

Shangguan Xuanyi was cunning! Thankfully, he was on their side and not an enemy!

Xiao’er already started to feel sorry for the First Prince now.