Song Chaoyu waved her hand at Madam Zhang, signaling her not to intervene on her behalf. "It's alright. No one in this world can be liked by everyone. Since Madam Qian dislikes me, yet still came today, it shows she's giving me face. However... Madam Qian spoke some words we didn't wish to hear, so I won't keep her any longer."
This was effectively a dismissal, but Madam Qian's eyes flickered with uncertainty, unsure of what Song Chaoyu intended to do or say.
As her body was about to move, Song Chaoyu raised her cup to everyone. "I know, Sister, you called this a banquet, but the dishes prepared were truly lacking for all of you. Therefore, today I have prepared a small gift for everyone who came. It was specially sent to me from the capital the other day, and I only hope you will accept it with a smile. In the future, in Yuezhou City, we will still rely on all of you for your help!"
Upon hearing there were gifts, Madam Qian's steps halted, and she decided not to leave.
In Song Chaoyu's opinion, Madam Qian was indeed thick-skinned.
However, she had known Madam Qian would be like this, so she wasn't surprised at all.
She clapped her hands, and Tiaohong and Qiuqing brought out several small boxes from behind.
Just looking at those exquisite boxes adorned with brocade and gold thread, they were truly elegant.
Madam Zhang was the first to step forward, and even before seeing what was inside the boxes, she bowed to Song Chaoyu. "Thank you, Princess Consort, for thinking of us!"
Song Chaoyu waved her hand, signaling for the boxes to be distributed, but deliberately did not give one to Madam Qian.
She smiled at Madam Qian. "Madam, like Madam Han, since you felt my banquet was not worth attending and spoke those words, I presume you wouldn't care about the gifts I'm giving, would you?"
Madam Qian's heart itched, and she regretted speaking too soon. She should have taken the gift first before saying anything!
But at this moment, she naturally could not lose face. Instead, she put on an air of indifference. "Although Princess Consort comes from the capital, it doesn't mean we people here haven't seen anything. No matter how good something is, do we not have it in Yuezhou City?"
She then sneered at Madam Zhang and the others. "It's only people like you, with your limited vision, who think what they've brought is something good and treasure it so much!"
Her words made Madam Zhang retort with an eye-roll. "If you look down on it, then leave. Don't be an eyesore here!"
As they bickered back and forth, Song Chaoyu waved her hand, signaling Madam Zhang to stop. "Why don't you all open them and see if you like the gifts or not?"
Madam Zhang knew that if the argument continued, it would ultimately disrespect Song Chaoyu.
She shot Madam Qian a glare, then turned to the brocade boxes with a smile. "What the Princess Consort gives is naturally good. Let's open them and see!"
The others, along with Madam Zhang, opened their boxes.
"Hiss—"
Song Chaoyu heard someone gasp.
Even Madam Zhang, who had seen a bit of the world, stared wide-eyed at the contents of the box. "This... could this be..."
She swallowed and looked at Song Chaoyu in disbelief. "Could this be a South Sea pearl? It's rare to see such a fine item in our court! I remember five years ago, a South Sea merchant came to Yuezhou City and sold a similar pearl. However, the pearl he sold looked smaller, and it didn't have this kind of luster and clarity, yet it sold for a thousand taels of silver!"
She looked back at the pearls in everyone else's hands. Their size and luster were similar to hers, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "I never imagined Princess Consort would give so many of these to us as rewards! We truly must thank Her Highness!"
Her thanks were sincere.
Song Chaoyu waved her hand at them. "Since the disaster in Yuezhou, you have all worked tirelessly, day and night, to help the people of Yuezhou. These rewards are nothing. These South Sea pearls were brought back from the Southern Kingdom by my Lord. They are considered rare treasures, and the South Sea pearls are getting worse year by year. I should have used these items for disaster relief to help the people. But thinking of your hard work and contributions, I specifically had them sent from the capital, hoping you would like them."
"We like them, of course, we like them very much!"
In fact, these pearls were part of the betrothal gifts that Mu Changxi had given to Song Chaoyu. How could Madam Zhang and the others not like such precious items?
And Madam Qian's eyes widened when she saw such fine pearls.
Song Chaoyu clearly saw a hint of regret in her eyes.
Seeing that everyone liked the pearls, Song Chaoyu's smile became even gentler. "In the future, in Yuezhou City, I hope you will continue to help us greatly!"
Madam Zhang and the others happily accepted the pearls. Madam Qian, seeing this situation, wanted to ask Song Chaoyu for one but felt too embarrassed, so she could only stomp her foot in place.
Madam Zhang naturally wouldn't let her off the hook. As she put away her box, she deliberately dangled it in front of Madam Qian and then smiled at her. "Madam Qian, why haven't you left yet? Didn't you not care for Princess Consort's banquet? Besides, the food doesn't suit your taste, so why are you still here?"
Madam Qian's eyes seemed glued to the box in Madam Zhang's hand.
But ultimately, she still felt too embarrassed to say that she wanted one too.
It was only then that she realized Song Chaoyu had done this intentionally.
She wanted to let them know that even though they were in Yuezhou City and listened to Madam Han, they might not receive such good benefits.
Especially for women like Madam Qian, who wanted to gain an advantage in everything, her heart felt extremely uncomfortable.
Ultimately, this meal made Madam Qian feel particularly miserable.
And that afternoon, the news spread throughout Yuezhou City.
Everyone knew about Song Chaoyu's generosity and thoughtfulness, which made Madam Qian and Madam Han and their group appear much more petty.
Naturally, Mu Changxi, knowing that Madam Han and Madam Qian had been disrespectful to his Princess Consort, did not indulge them.
Previously, when their husbands tried to gain favor from Mu Changxi, they only received a disdainful look from him.
By evening, Song Chaoyu saw Tiaohong return happily.
Without Song Chaoyu asking, she excitedly said, "Princess Consort, do you know that the Qian family is in an uproar today!"
She grinned at Song Chaoyu. "They say the head of the Qian family had a shipment of goods seized. He went to the yamen today to retrieve it. As it happened, he ran into the Prince, who then reprimanded him and told him to wait! He naturally knew it was because of Madam Qian, so he returned home and had a huge argument with Madam Qian. I heard he even got physical! This Madam Qian truly brought it upon herself!"