"Hang oneself to commit suicide?" Bai Que snorted coldly.
Then said to the maid beside her, "Take the person to Lady, and say this girl tried to cause trouble at the Commandery Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony, but I caught her and locked her up, a triumph of justice!"
Mrs. He, having long known about Wang Yanran’s actions, sighed and ordered someone to deal with the maid, as she was somewhat afraid of Mrs. Han.
Especially today, although there were not many guests, all were among the most powerful and influential in the Capital City, and the gifts couldn’t fit in several halls. Right now, several children in the household had gone to Niannian Garden to help unwrap the gifts.
"Lady!" Tianmi called softly.
"Sister Bai Que from the second Lady’s side sent over a maid, the one locked in the woodshed, and she’s already lifeless!" Tianmi whispered, not daring to say that Bai Que sent over a corpse.
"Outrageous!" Mrs. He cursed in anger.
Though she knew it was her daughter-in-law who provoked others, she was furious and ashamed of Mrs. Han’s obvious exposure and aggressive pressure.
Tianmi kept her head low, not daring to breathe.
After a moment, Mrs. He said, "Bury her and give her parents two hundred taels of silver!"
Tianmi hurried off to handle matters.
The maid’s parents were initially saddened by the loss of their daughter, but the eldest daughter-in-law sent over five hundred taels of silver, and Lady sent another two hundred, making it seven hundred taels in total. By the time Tianmi’s foot was out the door, they couldn’t hold back their smiles.
They cheerfully saw Tianmi out the door.
Tianmi felt a lump in her throat, neither going up nor down.
She felt a sorrowful sense of betrayal, more urgently wanting to marry and leave the Yun Family’s pit of fire!
Yun Jinnian had no interest in those gifts but instead opened the silk pouch Yun Qi gave her, looking at the two characters written on the snow-white rice paper: "Harmony and Peace."
This was her given name!
Harmony and happiness.
"Harmony..." Yun Jinnian whispered softly.
She didn’t know if it was her father or mother who gave her this name, but she loved it very much.
In life, all one seeks is peace and harmony.
Xu Xinmo and a few others were unwrapping gifts, their hands almost giving out.
Nanny An led people from Niannian Garden to register and record everything, as Yun Jinnian needed to return gifts to those who sent them.
So everything sent had to be meticulously recorded.
"Cousin, when eldest sister came of age, she didn’t receive this many gifts!" Yun Musi said, full of envy.
Xu Xinmo smiled slightly.
Not only were there fewer, but the value was incomparable.
Of the ten items, none equaled this one, not to mention the ones carried into the house. The ten-plus boxes bestowed by the Empress Dowager, and the gifts from the Crown Prince and the Grand Princess of the Great Zhou Kingdom, which of those aren’t worth a fortune?
If only there were so many gifts for her coming-of-age next year!
Xu Xinmo thought and suddenly looked at Yun Jinnian, seeing her leaning by the window, quietly holding the rice paper, so serene and beautiful, such that people couldn’t take their eyes off her.
Biting her lip, Xu Xinmo still got up and approached Yun Jinnian, "Cousin, what name did uncle give you?"
Next year she would come of age, and her father would return, then who would dare bully her!
Yun Jinnian smiled slightly, "One cannot easily share their given name with others!"
"Is that so?" Xu Xinmo asked.
Xu Xinmo responded and then asked, "Cousin, what will you do about that man today?"
"Why should I deal with him? For slandering the Commandery Princess, the Ministry of Punishment will certainly interrogate him; his end won’t be good. I’m just curious, who does the bellyband in his hand belong to? It seems quite familiar!"