Chapter 362: Woodwork Display

Chapter 362: Woodwork Display

Luo Qingge said indignantly as well, "Earlier, it was Third Young Master Ji who said my third sister-in-law wasn't a blood relative of the Marquis Yongning household and demanded a blood oath to prove kinship. Now you're saying she's possessed by a mountain spirit. You and your son really are two of a kind—neither of you is any good."

Madam Meng: "..."

Madam Meng: "!!!"

She never expected Luo Qingge's sharp tongue to be a match for Ji Yuntang's.

But Madam Meng dared not retort a single word. Although what Luo Qingge said was harsh, it was something everyone had seen with their own eyes.

Since the Marquis's household had no leg to stand on in this matter, and she didn't dare sass a princess, Madam Meng took the initiative to lower her head and admit fault.

"Empress, Ninth Princess, please calm your wrath. This humble woman admits her wrongdoing. I should not have made such wild accusations. I beg the Empress and Ninth Princess for forgiveness."

"Forgiveness?" Luo Qingge sneered. "If forgiveness were just words, then what would be the point of laws?"

"If you truly want to atone, then show some sincerity. This princess will grant you ten slaps as atonement!"

At Luo Qingge's command, a matron immediately came over. Rolling up her sleeves, she started slapping Madam Meng across the face.

The "smack, smack, smack" echoed as her cheeks quickly swelled red, yet she could only bear the pain in silence.

Madam Meng's expression was stoic, but inwardly she was seething: Ji Yuntang, all this suffering I'm enduring now is because of you.

I'll make you pay blood for blood!

After the ten slaps, her face was no longer presentable. Ji Nanchuan hurried over and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Empress, Ninth Princess, my wife has always had a loose tongue. She didn't mean to offend Your Highnesses. This subordinate official will discipline her properly once we return home. I beg the Empress and Ninth Princess not to stoop to her level."

The Empress glanced at him, her gaze slightly cold. "I hope the Marquis will keep his word."

Just then, a palace maid whispered something in the Empress's ear, and she nodded.

She said calmly, "Marquis, the Enrong Banquet is about to begin. Take your wife to freshen up and apply medicine first."

"Yes, Empress, Ninth Princess. This official takes his leave."

Ji Nanchuan, with a look of utmost respect, led Madam Meng away.

The moment they reached a secluded spot, his expression shifted instantly!

He looked at Madam Meng with great admiration and said, "Madam, you handled this well. Soon enough, word that Ji Yuntang is possessed by a spirit will spread all over the palace."

"By then, when Master Yuqing steps forward, everything will fall into place naturally."

Madam Meng's face was full of malice, fury blazing in her eyes. "As long as I can have Ji Yuntang killed and save Hang'er, I'd take not just ten slaps—even a hundred would be worth it!"

Indeed, Ji Nanchuan and Madam Meng had planned all this out.

Her claim that Ji Yuntang was possessed by a spirit wasn't really meant to stir trouble before the Empress, but rather to plant a seed of suspicion in advance, paving the way for Master Yuqing's next move.

Such things, though seemingly absurd, were actually believed by quite a few people.

The higher one's status, the more one believed in ghosts and gods.

As long as a seed of doubt was planted in their minds, Master Yuqing could make it take root and grow.

After Madam Meng washed up and applied medicine to her face, the swelling had gone down considerably.

She and Ji Nanchuan returned to the edge of Taiye Pool, just as a eunuch's voice rang out.

"The Emperor arrives! Consort Chu arrives! The Crown Prince arrives! Prince Qi arrives! Prince Chen arrives! Consort Li arrives! Tenth Princess arrives..."

A procession of magnificently dressed figures filed in, their bearing noble and imposing, followed by Mei Zhuyu, Cheng Rushan, and others.

Consort Li, draped in a snow-white fur cloak and leaning on Jian Lan, walked in. Her pale face showed barely a trace of color, and she had visibly thinned out considerably.

As she passed Ji Yuntang, she cast her a cold, thin glance, a morbid hatred flickering faintly in her eyes.

Ji Yuntang raised an eyebrow. Wasn't Consort Li under house arrest? Emperor Jingyang actually let her out?

Emperor Jingyang and the Empress took their seats, and everyone knelt to pay their respects.

Emperor Jingyang lightly raised his hand and sat down on the dragon throne.

"All my ministers and ladies, no need for ceremony—rise!"

He then turned to Ji Yuntang. "Today's Enrong Banquet is mainly held for the examinee who won the laureate in the Canglang Poetry Talk. I never expected this time's first place to be Princess Ye. You've truly impressed me."

There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Ji Yuntang curtsied and smiled lightly. "Your Majesty flatters me. Winning first place was just a matter of good luck."

Emperor Jingyang: "..."

Everyone: "..."

Was this how one was supposed to be modest?

If mere luck could win the laureate, then she must have saved the world in a past life to be blessed with such fortune.

Emperor Jingyang laughed heartily. "Princess Ye certainly has a sense of humor. Even Headmaster Cheng and Director Mei praise you as a genius, yet you stay so humble."

Ji Yuntang couldn't be bothered to banter with him. She felt that Emperor Jingyang was only saying this for show—deep down, he didn't truly acknowledge her.

After all, the dismissiveness in a person's eyes couldn't be faked.

Just then, a young eunuch came forward to report, "Your Majesty, the woodwork pieces designed by Princess Ye and the other examinees have been completed. Shall they be brought up for display now?"

The first segment of the Enrong Banquet was to display the finished products from the woodwork competition, then assess their practicality to determine whether they could be mass-produced and promoted.

Emperor Jingyang waved his hand grandly and ordered, "Bring them up quickly! I'm sure all my ministers and ladies are eager to see them."

He was quite looking forward to the finished woodwork pieces—the better the examinees' designs, the more honor it reflected on him.

Soon, one finished piece after another was carried up by the guards, each covered with red cloth.

According to the rules, each examinee had to unveil the red cloth themselves, then present and explain their design to everyone.

Nearly thirty finished pieces from this round were brought up for display.

As the laureate, Ji Yuntang's washing machine was placed first in line.

She stepped forward and pulled off the red cloth, and everyone watched with rapt attention.

They were all extremely curious—could this washing machine really be as miraculous as she claimed, freeing one's hands and washing clothes clean?

Beneath the red cloth, everyone saw the true appearance of the washing machine.

It was a cylindrical object with a large internal space, its exterior held in place by three complete rings of copper bands.

It had a wooden lid on top that could be lifted, and a slender tube extended from the lower back.

Most remarkably, at the back of the washing machine, there was a large wheel-like device, with equal-arm levers connecting its inner parts, resembling a giant cartwheel.

After Ji Yuntang briefly explained the design principles, she had the guards carry the washing machine and place it downstream of Taiye Pool.

Taiye Pool had a direct connection to the outside of the palace, with flowing water.

Then, a miraculous scene unfolded—the wheel-like device began to turn on its own, and soon water flowed into the interior of the washing machine.

Ji Yuntang had a maid bring dirty clothes and place them inside, then poured some of her specially made soap powder into the soap box. Driven by the water's flow, the washing machine began to operate on its own.

Everyone was reluctant to blink, afraid of missing any crucial detail.

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