Transmigration: The Cannon Fodder Suddenly Made a Comeback!
Chapter 853: The Bracelet Worn by the Empress?!

Chapter 853: Chapter 853: The Bracelet Worn by the Empress?!

Jiang Li carefully examined the branches and leaves for a while.

"If I’m not mistaken, this should be Canxue, a type of orchid. The leaves are emerald green, and the petals as white as snow, reminiscent of melting snow in early spring, hence the name."

"Old Madam, I see that your Flower House is like spring all year round, and you take great care of these flowers. However, Canxue prefers the cold and dislikes warmth, and the soil should not be too soft. You can move it outside every evening, and it should bloom in about half a month."

Old Madam Gu nodded in sudden realization, "So that’s it."

She smiled, "I saw those wallets you embroidered mostly had flowers on them, so I knew you loved flowers too. But I didn’t expect you to know so much."

The Old Madam looked at her, a smile at the corners of her eyes and brows.

Then she took Jiang Li’s hand and walked to the other side of the flower stand.

"No wonder Yu’er likes you, even I like you a lot."

Jiang Li was a little surprised.

She initially thought from the Old Madam’s attitude today that she didn’t like her.

Unexpectedly, she had completely changed her demeanor now.

The old lady seemed to have understood her doubts and laughed, "There was a reason why I ignored you at lunch today. The people from the Rong Family who came today are not easy to deal with. If I were too courteous to you, I’m afraid your future wouldn’t be too pleasant."

Jiang Li had guessed as much and smiled slightly, "It’s nothing, Old Madam. It’s already an honor for me that you invited me to dinner, I don’t care about anything else."

"Oh, you shouldn’t say that. It’s our Gu Family’s honor to have you come for dinner." The Old Madam said seriously, "Gu Yu has told us about what you did in Chixia Village and on Dragon Ridge Island before. Rong Sheng and I have always wanted to thank you. You have been kind to Yu’er and to our Gu Family. We could have a hundred-day banquet on Capital City Avenue, and it wouldn’t be too much."

"You’re too kind, I was just doing what I could."

"Yu’er is still young, and might not do everything perfectly. Please bear with him."

Old Madam Gu could see that although Jiang Li wasn’t very old, she was far more composed in her speech and actions than many elders.

She was also very good-looking.

And exceptionally talented.

The more she looked at her, the more she liked her.

No wonder that old man was always watching her on his phone.

Thinking of this, the Old Madam couldn’t conceal her smile, and patted Jiang Li’s hand.

"Such great kindness cannot be thanked enough with words, how about this? You marry into our family, and Rong Sheng and I will express our gratitude slowly."

Jiang Li: ?

Wait...

The topic changed a bit too quickly.

Fortunately, the Old Madam herself laughed again after speaking, "Oh dear, I’m thinking too much, don’t take it to heart. You young people need to figure things out yourselves, just pretend I was rambling."

Jiang Li awkwardly chuckled twice, without saying anything.

The Old Madam turned and brought her to a small carved table, taking a wooden box from the drawer there.

"Actually, I prepared a meeting gift for you today, but given the presence of others, it was inconvenient to bring it out."

With that, she opened the wooden box and took out a bracelet.

The bracelet was made of white jade, utterly luminous and even more transparent than the glazed tiles above.

The rare part was the speck of pigeon blood embedded in the center, making it exceptionally vibrant against the white jade.

Through a craftsman’s ingenious work, the pigeon blood and white jade merged into one, carved into the shape of a phoenix, vivid and lifelike.

In Jiang Li’s somewhat astonished gaze, the Old Madam put the bracelet on her wrist.

"Oh my, it fits perfectly. This bracelet was indeed prepared for you."

Jiang Li’s wrist was delicate and porcelain-white, making the blood-tinted jade bracelet appear even more graceful.

"This..." Jiang Li was a bit nervous, "This bracelet is too valuable, I cannot accept it."

But the Old Madam pressed her hand, "I’m giving this to you, just take it, it’s not valuable. After all, it’s just an object; no object is more valuable than people."

Jiang Li knew the old lady was being entirely modest.

Because she knew the bracelet’s origin.

It was the most cherished item of Empress Zhaode from the Daqi Dynasty—the Phoenix Jade Bracelet.

The original jade material of this bracelet was a tribute presented by an external tribe from Lingnan.

Mutton Fat Jade is usually pure white, but this piece was incredibly translucent, a rarity in the world.

The emperor of that small tribe had it partially cut before offering the entire raw piece to the Daqi Dynasty’s Emperor.

The Emperor and Empress were deeply in love, so he gave the jade to her.

The Empress, being benevolent, invited jade masters nationwide to the palace to admire the treasure.

Yet, the moment the jade was cut open, everyone was greatly disappointed.

Though this jade was rare, it was full of cracks and had color imperfections, including a streak of pigeon blood.

A jade material that could have been a national treasure turned into a waste in an instant.

Everyone mourned and sighed.

Empress Zhaode, however, didn’t want to waste the goodwill from another country, so she commissioned master craftsmen at a high price to create a masterpiece from the raw material.

Many craftsmen hesitated to take on the project.

After all, the jade was too flawed and had impurities, coming from a foreign offering. If mishandled, it could result in more than just losing one’s head.

Under such pressure, a master from a small civilian workshop volunteered, claiming he could complete the carving.

The Empress awarded him a thousand taels of gold immediately and gave him the finest tools.

After seven days, the Phoenix Jade Bracelet was born.

From the jade full of cracks, a flawless piece was crafted, perfectly incorporating the imperfection into the design.

Everyone who saw it was stunned at first sight.

Empress Zhaode was extremely fond of it, rewarding the craftsman with another thousand taels of gold and keeping him in her service.

During a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, she went to the palace with her parents and was fortunate to see the Empress wearing the bracelet.

Under the moonlight, it was extraordinarily pure and lustrous, even glowing slightly, truly a marvel.

It looked identical to the one on her wrist.

Jiang Li realized that the Gu Family was indeed powerful, but she never expected them to be so powerful.

Even owning artifacts left by Empress Zhaode.

This is entirely something that could be a family heirloom.

To directly give it to her?!

The Old Madam dared to give it, but she dared not receive it!

But Old Madam Gu insisted, refusing to let her take it off, and almost got angry in the end.

"Miss Li, if you regard me favorably, accept it, how can we not express anything when you’ve helped our family so much? If you don’t accept it, I won’t be able to sleep from tonight onward."

Helplessly, since the Old Madam spoke up to this point, she could only repeatedly thank her for her kindness.

When she saw Zhao Lang, she didn’t dare lower the hand wearing the bracelet.

Zhao Lang noticed her awkwardness and raised an eyebrow, "What’s wrong with you? Don’t tell me you fought with Grandma?"

"How is that possible?" Jiang Li raised her hand, "Your Grandma gave me a gift. It’s too precious, I’m afraid of dropping it."