Lord Li Tianzhuo’s tone was light and airy, clear as the breeze and bright as the moon. He adopted the stance of a spectator, deliberately watching the show to see how the Deng family would resolve this.
Deng Zheng’s eyes were bloodshot. He had never once thought of giving Deng Youning any gift—not for their first meeting, not for the recognition ceremony, nor for any other occasion. It was as if ever since that child had returned, the Deng family had given her nothing, not even a single piece of jewelry.
He was not exactly feeling remorseful or self-reflective; he was simply terrified that, with so many prying eyes in the estate, news of how he had mistreated his own legitimate daughter might leak out.
Seeing him lost in thought and offering no reply, Li Tianzhuo had no time to waste on him. "State Protector, you have your precious daughter to coddle, but I have a child of my own to dote on. As for this bracelet, I’m afraid I cannot yield it to you."
His tone was languid, as if he were joking, yet beneath the final words lay a chilling, predatory sharpness. Without waiting for the sound of his voice to fade, he flicked his cloak as if shunning filth and strode away.
Li Tianzhuo’s words seemed to rouse Deng Zheng. He hurriedly grabbed a mutton-fat jade bracelet—second only to the Jingyue Nine Immortals Blood White Jade Bracelet—and rushed out to the street. He found a random small stall and picked out a chalcedony bracelet.
It cost less than five taels! There was no choice; his salary had to feed an entire household. As for his own private savings, he still needed those for his visits to the Wanhua Brothel.
***
Han Qiongyue had sent invitations for the recognition banquet to nearly half the Capital. Whether it was someone of high standing or an influential figure from the lower ranks, she wanted Deng Youning to meet and make connections with anyone capable of stirring up the city.
Her granddaughter would naturally not go looking for trouble, but should misfortune ever befall her, she hoped Ningning would have the capacity to fight back.
In just the ten days since returning to the Capital, Deng Youning had already gained some weight; she was no longer the frail, scrawny girl she had been. Han Qiongyue was determined to feed her well, filling her three meals a day with rich, oily, meat-heavy dishes. Deng Youning ate them happily.
In her past life, during the two years her grandmother was still alive, Deng Youning had strictly controlled her diet to maintain a slim figure. In both lifetimes combined, she had never eaten so recklessly as she had these past few days. She knew clearly that only by being well-fed and in good health could she better battle the people of the Deng family.
Now that she had put on weight and her complexion had improved, she donned the gorgeous gown Han Qiongyue had tailored for her. It was not just a transformation—she looked leagues better than the half-dead creature she had been before.
As Yingshi finished applying her pearl face makeup, Deng Youning looked at her reflection and recalled the recognition banquet of her previous life. That had been the first time she had attended such a grand event. She had been intimidated by the spectacle, and Deng Xuelian had hypocritically introduced her to friends, only for her to be met with the disdainful sneers of the noblewomen throughout the banquet. Even the fireworks her grandmother had specially arranged had been rigged to malfunction by Deng Xuelian, turning her into the laughingstock of the entire Capital.
But living this life once more, she was no longer that wild girl from the mountains!
She accompanied her grandmother to pay respects to the guests one by one. Over the years, the world had been at peace; with no wars to fight, the prestige of both the State Protector Estate and Han Qiongyue’s Han Family had dimmed. Lady Gu was a woman with no foresight, completely neglecting the people in the Capital they ought to be courting. Han Qiongyue was old, and her days of protecting the family were numbered. She believed that if the Estate were to avoid ruin, all hopes must be pinned on Deng Youning.
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend Ningning’s recognition banquet," Han Qiongyue said, raising a cup of wine to address the room. "I hope you will all extend some kindness to Ningning as she begins to move in the circles of the Capital."
The crowd raised their glasses and drank in unison.
"Youning, this is a recognition gift from your father," Deng Zheng said, happily bringing out the chalcedony bracelet he had bought at the street stall. In his heart, he felt that receiving such a bracelet from him was a privilege Deng Youning should be begging for.
Deng Youning was startled; she hadn't expected Deng Zheng to give her anything. Under the gaze of the entire crowd, she opened the box. Seeing that it was merely a piece of cheap chalcedony that even a village woman could afford with her meager savings, she curled her lips into a mocking smile.
The others in the Deng family craned their necks to see what it was. Lady Gu nodded in approval, feeling that her husband had given the right gift. Deng Yi smirked as well—look, their father didn't even take this biological daughter seriously. What did it matter if she had the blood of the Deng family?
Han Qiongyue’s face turned livid. If not for the need to maintain her composure, she would have liked to slap Deng Zheng across the face right then and there. Giving such a thing to his own legitimate daughter? And at her recognition banquet, no less! What was his intention? Was he so unwelcoming that he had to humiliate her?
Deng Xuelian saw it and felt immensely proud, though she kept her expression perfectly proper. "Oh, a bracelet. Come, let me help sister put it on."
She reached out, intending to take the chalcedony bracelet, but Deng Youning went along with it. If the Deng family wasn't afraid of making a fool of themselves, why should she be?
"Sister, this bracelet is so lovely, why don't we wait until we are among the guests to put it on?" Deng Youning had already grabbed Deng Xuelian’s wrist, pulling her forward firmly. With her martial arts skills, Deng Xuelian was powerless to resist and could only submit.
As they stood in the middle of the hall, Deng Zheng realized something was wrong, but it was too late to stop them.
"Huh? I wondered what it was—it’s just a cheap chalcedony bracelet, and the quality is so common!"
"Exactly, my housemaid wouldn't even care for something like this."
The murmurs of the guests left Deng Zheng and Lady Gu feeling they had lost all face. Han Qiongyue glared at them and muttered under her breath, "You brought this on yourselves!"
As Deng Xuelian fastened the bracelet on Deng Youning, the mutton-fat jade bracelet her father had given her two days ago was visible on her own wrist. In the bright sunlight, it gleamed with the warmth of congealed grease.
"Look at that mutton-fat jade bracelet on the eldest daughter’s wrist. If I’m not mistaken, that was a tribute brought by the envoy from Nanxin."
"Alas, how can the State Protector Estate be like this? Giving the concubine-born daughter something so fine, and giving the legitimate second daughter such a worthless trinket?"
The guests’ gossip was like an overturned ants' nest. The Deng family members began to boil with shame and anger.
"Deng Youning, what are you unhappy about now?" Deng Yi, hearing the chatter of the guests, assumed their thoughts were Deng Youning’s own. He pointed at her and roared, as if venting his own frustration.
Deng Youning was so angry she laughed. "I haven't said a single word! Besides, if Father is capable of giving out such cheap chalcedony, why fear what others say?"
She stared straight at Deng Zheng, watching him look away, too guilty to meet her eyes. Though she didn't know why he had given her a gift in this lifetime, she instinctively knew it was meant solely to humiliate her.
Suddenly, a servant at the entrance announced at the top of his lungs:
"Commander Lord Li has arrived!"