Chapter 125: The Blood Jade Bracelet

He had actually forgotten to prepare a gift for Madam Pang for the banquet. If Chen Yuyan had not brought out that white jade Guanyin, he would never have even thought of it. He rarely attended banquets in his daily life; how could he have known to prepare a gift in advance? This concerned everyone's opinion of Ah Zhao. Especially since this was her first time attending such a function, he absolutely could not let her make a fool of herself in front of everyone.

Madam Pang did not even look at the white jade bodhisattva, simply gesturing for a servant to take it away. She turned to the guests and said, "Everyone, please take your seats. I hope you will not blame me for any shortcomings in today's hospitality."

Those who came to the banquet were mostly wives and daughters of officials in the Crown Prince's faction, with a small number being close associates of Madam Pang. How could they possibly blame her? As everyone took their seats, Lin Jiaojiao sat tightly against Chu Mu. She felt a renewed sense of humiliation because Madam Pang had not prepared a seat for her. She was particularly vexed by Madam Shen—what was the woman’s intention? To stay as far away from her as possible, she had leaned more than half her body outside the seating area. Was she some kind of wild beast that Madam Shen found her so repulsive?

As the guests began presenting their gifts to Madam Pang, Chu Mu thought for a moment, then untied his pouch and placed the jasper bracelet he was wearing inside it. The quality of this bracelet was excellent; as a gift, it was beyond reproach. Lin Jiaojiao did not notice Chu Mu's small movements. If her memory served her right, Madam Shen had come alone and had not prepared a gift for Madam Pang. "Madam Shen, oh Madam Shen," she thought, "I have finally caught you in a mistake."

Lin Jiaojiao took the gift she had prepared from her maid and spoke up: "This is a golden Buddha I have prepared for you, Madam." She deliberately pulled the golden Buddha out of its brocade box. It stood as tall as her forearm and was made of solid gold, worth a fortune. If not for the desire to show off today, she would never have been willing to part with it. While Lin Jiaojiao was still gloating, the guests looked at her with mockery, though she remained oblivious.

Who in their right mind gives gold as a gift? Even if one were to give gold jewelry, it should be crafted by a master with fine workmanship. This golden Buddha, while large, was crudely made in both form and expression. The surface of the Buddha was pitted and uneven, clearly not the work of a master or even a well-known artisan. How could she be so shameless as to present such a thing? Giving this golden Buddha was far less pleasant than offering a simple silk flower.

Fortunately, Madam Pang did not practice Buddhism now, or she might have been infuriated by such a gift. Madam Pang’s expression grew cold; the thing she disliked most in this life was the Buddha. If there truly were a Buddha, her Jin'er would not have met such a tragic end. Before the accident, she had been a devout believer, praying at the temple with a pious heart on the first and fifteenth of every lunar month for decades, rain or shine. But the Buddha she worshipped had almost cost her her child. She would always remember the day of the incident; she had been at the temple praying when it happened. The place where Jin'er met with misfortune was not far from the temple, yet her Buddha had not protected her child. Right at the feet of the Buddha, her Jin'er had vanished, his fate unknown. Since then, she had ceased to believe or worship.

Chu Mu looked at the golden Buddha Lin Jiaojiao had prepared, his gaze chilling further. How much had she embezzled from the Great General’s estate to be able to afford this golden Buddha, when she had been a penniless orphan? Lin Jiaojiao had been observing the expression of that wretch, Madam Shen. Seeing Madam Shen’s eyes fixed on the golden Buddha, she felt immense satisfaction. It was clear Madam Shen had not prepared anything, and seeing her own extravagant display must have left the woman in a panic. She provoked her, saying, "Sister, why don't you bring out your gift for Madam Pang? Could it be that you delayed because you didn't prepare anything and came to the banquet empty-handed?" Lin Jiaojiao feigned surprise, but inside, she was overjoyed. Madam Shen would be disgraced in front of everyone today.

Chen Baoyi also noticed the strange behavior of Madam Chu. Could it be that she really had forgotten to prepare a gift, or did she have some unspeakable difficulty?

Chu Mu withdrew his gaze from the golden Buddha, ignored the troublemaking Lin Jiaojiao, took the pouch from his sleeve, and presented it. "I hope you will not find this meager gift offensive, Madam."

Lin Jiaojiao watched the pouch in Chu Mu's hand, thinking that the wretch must be using it to fill the void. "Sister, how could you? Even if you didn't prepare a gift, you shouldn't just offer a pouch as a present."

"Shut up! How do you know I only gave Madam a pouch?" Chu Mu retorted. Lin Jiaojiao truly never missed an opportunity to smear Ah Zhao’s reputation.

Madam Pang took the pouch from the servant. Feeling the weight, it did not seem empty, and she could feel an object inside—likely a bracelet. With a smile, Madam Pang opened the pouch in front of everyone, revealing a jasper bracelet. The quality was superb, moist and translucent—a perfect gift for a noble lady.

"Miss Shen, you are very thoughtful. I like this bracelet very much," she said, putting it on her wrist. This was, after all, a gift from her son's wife to her mother-in-law.

Thinking of the gift, she realized she hadn't given the young woman a return gift yet. She slipped a blood-red jade bracelet, vibrant as fresh blood, from her other wrist. "Miss Shen, this is your first time at our Pang estate. This is a small token of my heart; you must accept it." This was an heirloom of the Pang family, passed down only to the eldest daughter-in-law of each generation. She would pass this blood jade bracelet to Miss Shen now, and the day Miss Shen divorced that man surnamed Chu, she would immediately have Jin'er go to propose.

Everyone’s eyes fell upon the rare blood jade bracelet. Madam Pang was being overly generous to this Madam Chu. It was clearly a priceless treasure, yet she was giving it away just like that.

Chen Baoyi looked thoughtfully at the bracelet in Madam Pang's hand. Her mother had told her that the priceless blood jade bracelet Madam Pang wore was the family heirloom, reserved for the eldest daughter-in-law. She wondered which noble daughter would wear it in the future. What was Madam Pang’s intention in giving it to Madam Chu? Chen Baoyi looked up sharply at Madam Chu. Ever since she arrived, Madam Pang had been calling her "Miss Shen" instead of "Madam Chu." A woman as strict and formal as Madam Pang would not make a mistake in address; it must have been intentional. Could it be that Madam Pang had taken a liking to her and wanted her as a wife for her eldest son? Had she even asked her son for his opinion?

Chu Mu looked at the blood jade bracelet in Madam Pang's hand, his vigilance heightening. What was Madam Pang planning? Giving Ah Zhao such a valuable gift—was she trying to use her to get to him? Could the Pang old thief have had a hand in inviting him to this banquet today? If he did not accept this bracelet, he would surely alert the enemy and make the Pang old thief even more guarded against him. He stood up from his seat and walked toward the head table where Madam Pang sat.