Dingxiang seemed not to notice the cold determination in Yun Xi's eyes. Holding the wooden box, she walked straight and quickly towards Yun Xi.
However, on the way, as if walking too fast, she stumbled on her heel and fell to the ground in the direction of the old lady. The wooden box fell open, and the so - called "birthday gift" inside was suddenly revealed to everyone's eyes.
A torn piece of rags!
"Please forgive me, old lady! Please forgive me, miss. This servant didn't do it on purpose!"
Dingxiang quickly knelt down and kowtowed. Everyone present stared at the torn rags on the ground in disbelief. Vaguely, one could see the pattern of "The Fairy Ma Gu Offering Birthday Wishes".
Nanny Qian stepped forward and picked up the rags. By chance, she pieced together a character "shou" (longevity).
It was extremely eye - catching!
The old lady gasped. Her face turned as yellow as parchment. Suddenly, she thought of the crabapple tree that had withered suddenly this morning.
Out of anger, her chest heaved violently. Her fingers trembled as she pointed at Yun Xi:
"You! You're trying to curse me to death!"
This unlucky wretch. She knew it!
Mrs. Jiang had said before that someone had deliberately damaged the crabapple tree to curse her, but she just didn't want to believe it.
Although she knew Mrs. Jiang was insinuating, she always thought Yun Xi was kind - hearted.
Even though Yun Xi didn't get along well with Mrs. Jiang and wasn't liked by herself, she never resented and would never do such a despicable and vicious thing.
However, the evidence was right in front of her eyes. She couldn't tolerate and protect Yun Xi anymore!
The old lady trembled with anger. Regardless of anything else, she immediately said to Nanny Qian beside her:
"Quickly, throw her out for me!"
Nanny Qian hesitated. After all, Yun Xi was the apple of the prime minister's eye.
But at this moment, Mrs. Jiang stepped forward and consoled the old lady earnestly:
"Old lady, your health is not good. You mustn't get angry again! Maybe there's some misunderstanding in this."
"Yun Xi, if it was really you who did this, you should quickly kneel down and ask grandmother for forgiveness. You mustn't make her angry anymore!"
Mrs. Jiang's words added insult to injury, and the effect was remarkable. It almost indirectly convicted Yun Xi!
Facing the old lady's anger and Mrs. Jiang's kicking her when she was down, Yun Xi didn't explain. Instead, she calmly pulled Dingxiang up from the ground.
Then she picked up the wooden box on the ground, took the torn rags from Nanny Qian's hand, put them into the wooden box, and stuffed it all into Dingxiang's hand.
"Dingxiang, don't be afraid. It's not your fault. You just stand aside."
Yun Xi's eyes were gentle, and her voice was soft. There was not a trace of guilt or panic on her face.
Her actions puzzled everyone.
Her evil deeds had already been exposed. What was the use of hiding them now?
Moreover, she was in such a difficult situation herself, yet she still had the leisure to comfort a maid?
"Yuzhu, bring in the birthday gift for grandmother!"
Yun Xi raised her voice. Everyone was shocked:
Birthday gift? Wasn't her birthday gift already torn to pieces by her?
Mrs. Jiang couldn't help frowning when she heard this.
According to her information, this little bitch didn't prepare any other birthday gifts. Moreover, she didn't even give the other party the time!
She wanted to see how long this little bitch could keep up the pretense!
Yuzhu, who had been sweating nervously since just now, felt relieved when she heard Yun Xi's words.
She answered and then rushed out of the door in a hurry. Soon, one crabapple tree after another was carried in from outside the door.
Eighteen crabapple trees of various colors were blooming vigorously, as if instantly filling the banquet hall with spring!
Without looking at Mrs. Jiang's stunned expression with the veins on her forehead almost popping out, Yun Xi slowly knelt down in front of the old lady under everyone's surprised gazes:
"Grandmother, I heard that you were ill because of a crabapple tree. I was extremely anxious. So without having the time to visit you, I rushed to the palace and asked the queen for these eighteen crabapple trees."
In the capital, although some noble families had greenhouses in their mansions and it was not difficult to enjoy flowers in winter, the winter in the Liu Kingdom was extremely cold. Cultivating flowers not only required financial resources but also people who were proficient in horticulture. This greatly increased the difficulty of managing the greenhouse.
If one wanted to gather eighteen crabapple trees at once, one could only turn to the queen.
Because in the entire capital, only the queen's bedroom was like spring all year round, almost containing all kinds of rare flowers.
Yun Xi dared to go directly to the queen for her grandmother, which showed her great courage!
The old lady looked at Yun Xi in surprise with a complex expression.
But in the face of others' admiration, she asked:
"Why eighteen trees?"
Yun Xi gave a dazzling smile:
"Because the number eighteen is of great significance to grandmother. It was the age when you met grandfather."
Then, Yun Xi reached out her hand to Yuzhu. In a moment, there was a scroll wrapped in red velvet in her hand.
Yun Xi slowly unfurled the scroll. When the painting was fully revealed, the old lady could no longer control her excitement. She suddenly sat up from the couch and covered her face with sobs.
Seeing this, everyone's mood fluctuated. They thought Yun Xi had annoyed the old lady again.
However, the old lady stood up with the help of her walking stick and walked step by step towards Yun Xi.
"Stand up."
Yun Xi stood up as she was told. The old lady's fingers trembled as she gently stroked the scroll, as if she was afraid of accidentally tearing the painting.
In the painting was a woman in her prime, with a beautiful face and slender eyebrows. The crabapple trees around her were in full bloom, but they were still not as charming as the woman's happy smile.
The old lady looked at herself in the painting with blurred eyes, longing to find the look in her husband's eyes when he looked at her back then.
This painting, titled "The Crabapple Fairy Descends to the Mortal World", was painted by her late husband for her. It was her favorite painting in her life, but it was lost during the family's decline and hasty escape.
After her husband's death, it had been her only consolation...
"Grandfather and grandmother were deeply in love. They were a loving couple for life. One can catch a glimpse of this from this painting!"
Yun Xi smiled and helped the old lady wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She held the old lady's arm and helped her sit on the soft couch.
"When I was young, I often heard people say that grandmother was a lucky person. You not only had a husband who cherished you, but also a promising and filial son. I originally wanted to be a well - behaved and considerate granddaughter. Unexpectedly, things didn't go as I wished, and I still made grandmother sad."
Yun Xi was telling the truth. Everyone present who was familiar with the old lady knew that she had a good husband.
It was rumored that the old master of the Yun family was well - learned and talented back then. He was also handsome and was a well - known model of a loving husband among men!
Recalling the bits and pieces with her husband, the old lady's eyes were filled with tears.
For her, this unexpected surprise of getting back what was lost was incomparable to anything else!
However, this girl who she had always disliked and had even wanted to strangle with her own hands just now had achieved this for her!