Yun Xi was extremely beautiful, as delicate as a willow swaying in the gentle breeze, her beauty seeping into every pore. Every frown and smile of hers would draw everyone's attention.
People almost forgot that this was the so - called idiot young lady of the Prime Minister's Mansion whom they had criticized so vehemently before!
Yun Xi arrived late, but showed not the slightest bit of guilt. The old lady, who had been instigated by Mrs. Jiang and fueled by the crowd just now, immediately sank her face.
She immediately launched an attack:
"Do you still remember to come? I thought you'd only remember your grandma after the banquet was over!"
Her birth mother was from a merchant family, and it seemed that her daughter didn't understand the etiquette of a noble family at all!
This not only made her lose face in front of everyone, but also made the Prime Minister's Mansion the subject of gossip because of this girl.
The words of the people just now were like thorns, piercing into the old lady's heart.
They seemed to be speaking up for her openly, but secretly, who knew how they were laughing at her for not disciplining this girl well and letting such a troublemaker emerge from the Prime Minister's Mansion!
She had even thought this girl was smart a few days ago, but now she felt as if she had been blinded by a ghost and had become stupid!
Yun Xi slightly raised her eyebrows, a bit surprised.
Her grandma, who always valued the family's reputation, rarely exposed the family's dirty laundry in front of outsiders.
At most, she would just discipline her privately. This was the first time for such a situation.
With a glance of her eyes, Yun Xi saw the sarcastic smile on Mrs. Jiang's lips and immediately understood everything.
She smiled faintly, calmly got up, and walked straight up to the old lady.
"Today is grandma's birthday banquet. Naturally, your granddaughter wouldn't dare to be late. But in order to make grandma happy, your granddaughter tried her best to prepare, which is why I was delayed for a while."
"Grandma is so magnanimous. Please forgive your granddaughter this time!"
Ignoring the anger on the old lady's face, Yun Xi brazenly and affectionately grabbed the old lady's arm, imitating Yun Ni's usual behavior, with a flattering look on her face.
Yun Xi's sudden action clearly startled the old lady. Her expression became stiff, and for a moment, she didn't know how to react.
The old lady had never seen this granddaughter act coquettishly before, and she immediately felt extremely uncomfortable.
She awkwardly struggled to pull back her arm, but found that Yun Xi was holding it tightly and couldn't move it at all.
Yun Xi was smart this time. She neither confronted the old lady in public nor refused to admit her mistake.
If the old lady still clung to this matter and wanted to punish her, it would only make her seem petty and damage the reputation of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
"Humph, if you had spent some time on preparing the birthday gift earlier, would you still need to take so long?"
Before the old lady could speak, her younger sister, Mrs. Feng, said in a sarcastic tone.
Two months ago, her elder sister had promised to renovate the courtyard of their natal family and build a manor for her to retire in by the end of the year.
But a few days ago, she was told that it would be postponed indefinitely because the Prime Minister's Mansion had encountered some problems recently.
If Mrs. Jiang hadn't told her secretly, she wouldn't have known that it was this stinky girl who had ruined her chance of getting the manor!
As soon as Mrs. Feng said this, it immediately triggered a discussion.
Everyone thought that Yun Xi was just deliberately being perfunctory and definitely couldn't prepare a decent birthday gift!
After all, in order to curry favor with the queen, she had even offered up a rare treasure like the relic. How could she have considered her grandma's birthday?
Mrs. Jiang deliberately led the public opinion astray. People only saw the surface and didn't know the real reason.
They didn't know that the relic was originally found by the Su family with great effort for their granddaughter.
It was reasonable for Yun Xi to offer it to the temple for the public good. There was no way she could give it to the old lady of the Su family as a birthday gift!
The old lady of the Yun family knew the reason but was unwilling to defend Yun Xi at all. Naturally, it was because she disliked the Su family for being rich and powerful while she seemed inferior in comparison.
Therefore, no matter on any occasion, the old lady of the Yun family was reluctant to mention the Su family.
"Sit down. It's not time to present the gifts yet. Don't be so rude and make people laugh at you!"
The old lady pushed Yun Xi, unable to hide her annoyance.
Yun Xi pursed her lips and didn't explain further. She calmly sat on an empty chair not far away.
Mrs. Jiang had clearly put a lot of effort into preparing this "Hongmen Banquet" for her.
The good show hadn't even started yet. Even if she endured the goosebumps all over her body and tried her best to please the old lady, it would be in vain!
It would be better for her to make good use of Mrs. Jiang's stage and deal with the situation as it came!
She wouldn't end this easily until she made Mrs. Jiang look disgraced!
As the absolute protagonist of the birthday banquet, the old lady of the Su family forced herself to be energetic and tried her best to greet the relatives and friends. Mrs. Jiang helped to push forward the progress of the banquet.
Soon, it came to the highlight of the banquet - presenting the birthday gifts.
Although the number of people invited to this birthday banquet was not large, the birthday gifts prepared by each family showed great sincerity.
Yun Ni's dance performance made the atmosphere on the scene even more enthusiastic. Performing in public, she won unanimous praise.
Even the old lady, who had been gloomy and dejected, couldn't help showing a gratified smile.
"Since when did your dancing skills become so outstanding? Didn't you always complain that practicing was too hard and you didn't want to learn anymore?"
The old lady specially called Yun Ni to her side and said with a teasing smile.
Few people knew that the old lady had been an excellent dancer in her hometown and was quite famous back then.
But since the family's decline, she had never danced again.
So she had always hoped that her favorite granddaughter, Yun Ni, could inherit this specialty of hers.
However, Yun Ni always thought practicing dance was too hard and often slacked off, so her dancing skills had always been mediocre.
Being teased by her grandma, Yun Ni immediately acted coquettishly:
"Oh, grandma. Your granddaughter was ignorant before and made you unhappy. I've always felt very uneasy in my heart. I thought that on this birthday banquet of yours, I must dance well to make you happy! No matter how hard it is, your granddaughter is not afraid!"
Yun Ni's sweet words immediately made the old lady happy, and the relatives and friends present all praised Yun Ni for being sensible.
Mrs. Jiang looked proud.
She knew very well that her in - laws had respected each other deeply. Her father - in - law's last wish before his death was to see his wife dance one more time, but he closed his eyes without waiting for it.
This had always been a regret in the heart of the old lady of the Yun family.
She might not have taken this matter seriously before, but a month ago, she was deprived of the power to manage the family, and her daughter was punished to copy scriptures.
This made her suddenly feel a sense of crisis, and she had to reconsider how to curry favor with the old lady of the Yun family.
Fortunately, Yun Ni was in a high mood because of the return of the crown prince. Under the guidance of the dance master she had hired at a high price, she practiced hard every day, which led to today's amazing performance.
She had been planning this for a long time and was full of confidence.
Taking advantage of this banquet, she must regain the power to manage the Su family!
As for that little bitch Yun Xi, don't even think about having a chance to turn things around!
Everyone saw Yun Ni's outstanding performance and her effort, and couldn't help but turn their eyes to Yun Xi again.
The purpose was to see how she would make a fool of herself!
Facing the expectant looks of the crowd, Yun Xi slowly stepped onto the stage.
Just as she was about to speak and present her gift, a maidservant rushed in in a hurry, holding a wooden box in her hand, shouting:
"Miss, you forgot to bring the old lady's birthday gift! I saw it and rushed to bring it to you!"
At this moment, nearly a hundred pairs of eyes all turned to the door in unison.
Yun Xi turned her head. After seeing who it was, her eyes flashed, and a cold smile instantly appeared on her lips.
You've come just in time, Ding Xiang!