During the flower-viewing banquet at Baoci Palace that day, Songyue had caught Xiao Youlan’s eye, and she had been wearing that very jade hairpin tucked into her hair.
The hairpin was beautiful, an exquisite piece of jewelry rarely seen among the palace maids. Rumor had it that after the banquet, Baoci Palace had held an investigation, docking Songyue’s wages for several months as punishment. Since she had no other jewelry, that hairpin had become indispensable, and she was sure to wear it every single day.
Back in the room, while continuing to serve the meal, Nan Xueyin spoke softly: "Oh, by the way, Your Highness, didn't you buy me a lot of jewelry yesterday? I gave one of the white jade hairpins to Linglang this morning."
Chapter 40