Opening it, she found a golden hairpin inlaid with pearls and jewels, palm-sized. The base was gold, with tiny seed pearls dangling along the edge. Tourmalines formed peaches, and jade slices shaped leaves, making it both opulent and exquisite.
Someone with a discerning eye immediately exclaimed, "Could this be the dowry that was bestowed upon Princess Wenyi by the palace back then?"
"Sister has a keen eye. I pleaded with Mother for a long time to use this as the grand prize. What do you think?"
"If that's the case, then as your elder sister, I won't hold back. I'm determined to win it!"
The speaker was the fourth daughter of the Duke of Zheng's household. She had always been fond of collecting jewelry, so how could she miss this opportunity? She immediately gathered two or three relatives and friends, forming a team and taking red wristbands.
Bai Siruo, of course, wanted to join the fun. She chose a white wristband and pulled Feng Jinyao, Xu Mingyue, and a young lady she was close with into a team.
Soon, the yellow wristbands also found their owners, leaving only the purple ones. Just as Bai Siruo was about to inquire, Liang Luo declared with a resounding voice, "We'll take the purple ones."
As soon as she said this, even those who might have wanted to participate lost their courage.
Wei Lanxuan, Liang Luo, and Wen Yuwei stepped forward slowly, all taking purple wristbands, but one person was still missing.
Unexpectedly, Bai Sihan emerged from behind and curtsied to Wei Lanxuan, her voice as clear and melodious as a lark's.
"Sister Wei, if you don't mind, Sihan wishes to join your team."
"Oh? And you are?"
"The legitimate daughter of the Bai family, Bai Sihan."
At these words, everyone turned to look at Bai Siruo, their eyes filled with both curiosity and schadenfreude.
The curious ones were naturally the noble ladies who were on good terms with Bai Siruo; they had never heard that Bai Siruo had a sister. The schadenfreude came from Wen Yuwei, Liang Luo, and the others, whose eyes held a mockery that was almost palpable.
Wei Lanxuan offered a dignified and graceful smile, then personally stepped forward to help Bai Sihan up. "Younger sister Bai is rarely seen. We must interact more in the future."
"Thank you, Sister." Bai Sihan's demeanor, as if she would follow Wei Lanxuan's lead without question, made Wei Lanxuan feel a secret delight.
Prime Minister Bai and Duke Wei were both veteran officials who had served three dynasties. Although they were not overt political rivals, Duke Wei was already a supporter of the Ninth Prince. After numerous attempts to win over Prime Minister Bai, who remained uncommitted, he had become somewhat irrationally angry and had privately caused trouble, only to have it all resolved. From then on, a subtle rift formed between the Bai and Wei families.
While it wasn't a deep-seated hatred, if it meant causing the other party to stumble, they would gladly oblige.
Bai Siruo looked at Bai Sihan, her warning gaze unmistakable.
Her eyes were practically bulging, yet Bai Sihan didn't even spare her a proper glance. She was extremely annoyed, but Feng Jinyao held her back tightly and whispered in her ear,
"Don't forget your maternal aunt's instructions. No causing trouble today."
"Hmph, she's lucky. After the birthday banquet is over, see how I deal with her."
This girl had completely disgraced the integrity of the Bai family, shamelessly throwing herself at the Wei family to be trampled upon. She was truly as detestable as her mother. Her hatred for this mother and daughter intensified.
"If that's the case, let's first discuss the rules of the competition, as there can be no order without rules."
Xu Mingyue interrupted Bai Siruo's anger, which drew a sneer from Liang Luo.
A subtle coldness flickered in Liang Luo's eyes. As expected of a Xu family daughter, her demeanor was impeccable. They were all engaged to the Liang family, yet she refused to speak more than a word with her, her future sister-in-law. Every time Liang Luo deliberately approached her, she was met with cold rejection. Now, standing beside the Bai family members, wasn't this a direct slap in her face?
Truly a hypocritical noble lady, looking down on others behind their backs!
Thus, with a hint of gunpowder in her tone, she provocatively addressed Xu Mingyue, "Miss Xu, how do you propose we compete? Let's be clear from the start, everyone here is a witness. Don't let it be that we win, but can't claim the prize."
Bai Siruo already disliked Xu Mingyue's future sister-in-law, finding her sharp-tongued and condescending, always thinking too highly of herself, as if all the noble families in the capital should befriend her. She retorted,
"What a joke. I pledge my name as County Princess. Since I've brought this out, I won't be biased. If Miss Liang truly has the ability, she can take it."
"Very well, then watch closely."
Liang Luo's confident tone made the other two teams feel uneasy. It only further fueled Bai Siruo's determination to compete.
Once the parties were arrayed, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zheng's household acted as the arbiter.
The rules were simple: ten riddles in total. Whichever team guessed them all first would win.
With a ding, a jade chopstick struck a jade chime, and the competition began.
Bai Siruo decisively opened all ten riddle scrolls and distributed them to the other three.
She wasn't good at guessing riddles, but with Xu Mingyue present, they wouldn't lose.
Initially, she just wanted to add a bit of flair and let the elder sisters and sisters-in-law have fun. She hadn't expected Wei Lanxuan's group to be so competitive. Since that was the case, there was nothing to fear.
After all, there were probably no riddles in the entire capital that Xu Mingyue didn't know.
The Xu family possessed millions of scrolls, and she had grown up immersed in their library, naturally possessing a wealth of knowledge.
Xu Mingyue frowned and glanced at her, whispering, "Don't mind her. She's just a child."
Although the words were not explicitly directed at anyone, everyone present knew she was referring to Liang Luo, the legitimate daughter of the Liang family. After all, the Xu and Liang families were engaged, and after the New Year, they might become family at any moment. A dispute now would benefit no one.
"You mustn't hold back. Before you become her sister-in-law, you're still my best friend."
Bai Siruo pouted, using their sisterly bond as a form of "coercion." Seeing her like this, Xu Mingyue couldn't help but lower her head and chuckle. This scene, however, appeared to Liang Luo and the others as if they were being mocked.
"Hmph, ungrateful!"
On the other hand, Bai Sihan, standing beside them, had fewer intricate thoughts. Her mind was solely focused on seizing this opportunity to perform well today.
"Wind comes and goes, geese fly in slanted formation before the peak."
Muttering this line, she quickly arrived at an answer.
"Phoenix Immortal" the two characters appeared on paper. The next one.
"Younger sister has great talent. You guessed the answer so quickly."
Wei Lanxuan was clearly filled with curiosity about this newly appeared legitimate daughter of the Bai family. She had initially thought she was merely there to annoy Bai Siruo, but unexpectedly, she had some real skill.
"Sister praises me too much. I've simply read a few more books at home, and this line happened to be in one of them, so I remembered it."
Her humble attitude greatly pleased Wei Lanxuan.
Liang Luo looked at the answer and her initial underestimation of Bai Sihan diminished slightly.
She was about to say something when Bai Siruo's loud laughter interrupted her.