After hearing what the maidservant in ginger had said, all eyes landed on Chu Lian.
Amongst the various mocking, appraising, smug, and complicated looks of the crowd, Madam Huang had the fiercest gaze.
When she finally spoke up, slowly and surely, everyone could hear the frost that emanated from her.
"House Jingan's Third Young Madam. I expect you to take full responsibility for this matter."
"Dean Restaurants Mr. Wang didn't accept requests from just anyone. In the entire capital, he was the only one who could make such beautiful longevity peach buns. It was considered a great honour if he produced a plate for a nobles longevity feast."
Madam Huang had gone to Dean Restaurant three times, and spent a whole thousand taels of silver to do so.
However, the freshly steamed longevity peach buns she had spent so much effort to obtain were now ruined, just like that.
Madam Huang's current rage was to be expected.
Compared to House Jingan, House Dingyuan was currently much more favoured with the Emperor, as they had an imperial concubine from their house sitting in the palace. If they were to go against each other, House Jingan would have to bow to House Dingyuan.
Furthermore, the cause of the trouble was House Jingan's new Third Young Madam, who had come from the declining House Ying.
She was most likely going to be utterly humiliated here, and her crime of disrupting the Old Marquis longevity feast would probably spread through word of mouth, affecting her reputation.
The noble madams who had come from similarly poor houses were starting to sympathise with Chu Lian.
Xiyan was in a fit upon seeing the situation. She wanted to squeeze out of the crowd to look for Eldest Young Madam, Madam Zou. If Eldest Young Madam were here, Madam Huang might let her go for Eldest Young Madam's sake. However, she was being held back by a few maidservants, and she couldn't get away. She was so frenzied that her eyes were turning red.
Wei Fengzi noticed that Chu Lian still remained rather expressionless despite the trouble she was in. There wasn't a single shred of cowardice or fear in her eyes as she stood her ground in the middle of the crowd. Wei Fengzi raised a single eyebrow and she stood up; this just turned more interesting.
Meanwhile, a spark of interest flared in the eyes of Royal Princess Duanjia, who was standing behind Imperial Princess Leyao.
Zou Yuanqin lowered her voice to a whisper that only she and Imperial Princess Leyao could hear. With a smirk on her face, she asked, "Imperial Princess, are you satisfied?"
Imperial Princess Leyao couldn't resist laughing as she watched the sorry-looking Chu Lian surrounded by the crowd, with fingers pointing at her from every direction.
She was extremely satisfied! Such an average, useless woman had dared to marry above her rank and snatch her Brother He away. She was going to make this useless woman suffer today; see if she would dare to ever come out of her estate again after this!
House Dingyuan's Fifth Miss, Zou Yuanqin, angrily added, "House Jingan's Third Young Madam, do you know how much this plate of longevity peach buns are worth?! Let me tell you, without counting the effort my mother put in to procure them, they cost at least a thousand taels!"
Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.
A thousand taels! That wasn't a small sum, even to a madam living in a noble estate.
For a declining house like House Ying, the maximum amount of dowry a legitimate daughter would get was a thousand taels. Someone like Chu Lian, who was neither loved by her father nor favoured by her stepmother, couldn't even dream of getting that much!
The corner of Chu Lian's eye twitched. Wasn't House Dingyuan way too greedy? Or perhaps it was that Imperial Princess Leyao?
They wanted her to fork out a thousand taels for that lousy plate of buns! It was practically daylight robbery!
Chu Lian inwardly pouted. Her entire dowry wasn't even worth a thousand taels.
Since these people were trying to push her into this trap, wouldn't it be silly if she didn't at least try to fight back?
That's right, she had to get them back!
Chu Lian put on a shocked expression and looked at the longevity peach buns scattered all over the ground. She then said, "These longevity peach buns are worth a thousand taels? Fifth Miss, surely you're joking?"
Zou Yuanqin had been expecting Chu Lian to start worrying about how to repay the thousand taels; she hadn't thought that Chu Lian would actually start suspecting the value of the longevity peach buns instead. Her face immediately flushed red from her anger.
Zou Yuanqin was just a twelve-year-old girl after all. She was also a favoured legitimate daughter in her house, and Imperial Princess Leyao's companion. She was usually pampered by everyone, and the one thing she hated the most was when anyone challenged her authority. Chu Lian's comment had sparked the fuse on her firecracker temper.
"Chu Lian! How dare you doubt my words! Don't think that you can accuse us like this just because you're too poor to pay us back! Let me tell you now, I don't care about the thousand taels!" Zou Yuanqin's face was completely red by now.
Madam Huang hadn't expected her daughter to lose her calm after a single sentence from Chu Lian. She frowned and shot a look at Zou Yuanqin. Unfortunately, Zou Yuanqin was currently blinded by her rage and didn't notice the look from her mother.
Madam Huang suddenly regretted agreeing to her daughter's request about using that plate of longevity peach buns to make things difficult for Chu Lian. However, now that her daughter had spoken, it wasn't appropriate for her to step in. If she stepped in now, it would seem as if she was bullying a junior. Chu Lian was still a young lady who had just come of age, after all.
In Zou Yuanqin's rage, she had actually called out Chu Lian's full name. In a public event like this, calling out someones full name, especially a married womans, was extremely rude.
Zou Yuanqin's sudden flare of temper caused the spectating noble madams to frown. She was already twelve this year. In another two years, it would be time for her to be engaged. By being this unruly in such a public place with so many noble madams watching, she was actually spoiling her own chances of finding a good husband.
Chu Lian smiled inwardly; it was a hundred years too early for this little brat to think of trapping her.
"Fifth Miss Zou, a thousand taels isn't a small sum for me. Of course I'll have to ask a few questions to understand what's going on. Please excuse me."
Chu Lian had generously admitted to her own shortcomings. Yes, she was poor. Although her maiden family had a noble title, they were already on the decline. This was common knowledge, and there wasn't any need to hide it. At this point in time, if she tried to pretend to be rich and flaunt her wealth, that would simply draw their ire.
She already knew that these stupid buns had definitely cost a thousand taels. If they were trying to humiliate her, Madam Huang definitely wasn't going to lie! However, she had purposely brought up this line of talk in order to make Zou Yuanqin get angry.
By freely admitting her financial situation, Chu Lian actually garnered the admiration and respect of quite a few spectators. Not everyone had the courage to admit their shortcomings in front of a crowd, since most people were conceited creatures.
Compared to Chu Lian, Zou Yuanqin seemed even more willful and arrogant, like a bully on a power trip.
The slender finger that she was pointing at Chu Lian began to shake out of rage. However, Chu Lian appeared unperturbed. She stood her ground and serenely gazed forward, like Zou Yuanqin was the one at fault and was making a fuss out of nothing.
Imperial Princess Leyao glared unhappily at Zou Yuanqin.
When Zou Yuanqin saw Imperial Princess Leyao's glare, her heart clenched. Even if she didn't want to continue this farce, she had to.
Zou Yuanqin hardened her stance and said, "Chu Lian! No matter what, you have to account for this to my mother! There's only an hour left until we have to serve the longevity peach buns at the outer court. If we miss the lucky hour, my grandfather's feast will be ruined! I'll make you go to the banquet hall and ask for forgiveness from my grandfather right then and there!"
Upon hearing Zou Yuanqin's ultimatum, Imperial Princess Leyao finally let the dissatisfied expression on her face disappear. She watched the cornered Chu Lian with renewed interest.
Let's see if she can get out of this now!
Chu Lian, meanwhile, was listening to the discussions of the spectating noble madams.
"It must be House Jingan's Third Young Madam's unlucky day today. Those longevity peach buns weren't made by just anyone; they were made by Dean Restaurants Mr. Wang! That chef has a really strange temperament. He only makes them once per person! By now, the people in the banquet hall must have heard that Mr. Wang's longevity peach buns are being served today. It'll be tough for House Jingan's Third Young Madam to settle this incident."
Chu Lian's mind blanked out a little, and she felt the urge to laugh. If she had the chance to, she would like to meet this Mr. Wang someday! Although he didn't make very good-looking longevity peach buns, he had plenty of rules to go around!
However, the more rare something was, the more valuable it became. By setting such a rule, this Mr. Wang had guaranteed that there would be people coming after his peach buns based on its rarity alone. They would be more willing to fork over as much as they could afford to.
Chu Lian recalled that there was an engagement ring company who only allowed men to buy a single ring from them in their lifetime. This Mr. Wang had done something similar and his business was booming; could he possibly be a transmigrator, too?
Chu Lian tilted her head to the side. Her eyes were as clear as glass, and a pretty colour to boot. Her honest expression generated plenty of goodwill for her amongst the crowd. If this continued, there wouldn't be a single person who would believe that she had knocked over that plate of buns on purpose.
Chu Lian's brows knit together. She sincerely said, "Fifth Miss Zou, I don't have a thousand taels of silver."
She really didn't have a thousand taels, or anything close to it. Even if she included the ruby ornament she was wearing right now, she wouldn't even have half of that amount.
Hearing her reply, Zou Yuanqin cast a contemptuous look at her. She smirked. "Then go to the banquet hall and plead for forgiveness from my grandfather!"
The crowd sucked in their breaths. If the Third Young Madam from House Jingan really went to the banquet hall and asked for forgiveness from Old Marquis Dingyuan in front of all the distinguished male guests, House Jingan would never be able to hold their heads high in the capital again.
Without waiting for the crowd to pity her, Chu Lian said with a clear voice, "However, I'm willing to compensate Madam Huang with more longevity peach buns."
Chu Lian's sparkling eyes, straight back, and complete lack of any cowardice drew everyones gazes.
"Oh? How are you going to make up for them? These longevity peach buns were made by Dean Restaurants Mr. Wang. Can you make the exact same ones?" The one speaking was Feudal Princess Anmin. She raised her chin slightly, showing off her clear disdain for a lowly person like Chu Lian.
Chu Lian smiled; coming from someone already pretty and innocent — and on her way to becoming a great beauty — her smile was like a refreshing spring breeze.
"I don't dare to claim that I can make the exact same ones, but I can definitely make something even better."
"Nonsense! Dean Restaurants Mr. Wang makes the best longevity peach buns in the entire capital. How could you possibly make something better?!" Zou Yuanqin hadn't expected Chu Lian to say something like that. She refuted her on the spot.
"Fifth Miss Zou, how could you know that without seeing it for yourself? I'm in the wrong for knocking over Madam Huang's longevity peach buns today, but since Madam Huang is a magnanimous person, please grant me a chance to make up for it." Chu Lian's first sentence was meant for Zou Yuanqin, but her next sentence was aimed towards Madam Huang.
Chu Lian had already gotten some goodwill from the crowd thanks to her performance. Now that she was making such a sincere request to Madam Huang, it showed that she knew when to push and when to retreat. This action earned even more positive assessments from the crowd. Anyway, everything had happened so quickly; who knew if it was even Chu Lian who bumped into that maidservant just now?
At this point, many of the madams were leaning towards Chu Lian's side.
Zou Yuanqin's neck was starting to turn red from all her anger. She refused to let Chu Lian off and said, "So what if you can make longevity peach buns? Don't tell me that they'll be able to match up to Mr. Wangs? Mr. Wang only makes one order of longevity peach buns per person!"
Chu Lian's expression turned solemn. "Fifth Miss Zou. If we're talking about food, we should judge by sincerity and taste. As long as the longevity peach buns I make are more delicious than Mr. Wangs, don't you think that's better than any of those false tricks?"
That's right, that was just a silly trick!
Suddenly, the crowd was awakened by Chu Lian's words.
No matter how expensive they were, it was just a plate of longevity peach buns and Dean Restaurant was out to make money. If the Emperor wanted to eat two plates of longevity peach buns, that Mr. Wang couldn't possibly defy an imperial edict for the sake of this principle.
Furthermore, how could a noble young madam from House Jingan be compared to a lowly cook from Dean Restaurant?
Chu Lian's words were like a slap to the face.
Fifth Miss Zou was so angry that her face and neck were flushed red, but she couldn't say a word in retort.
Madam Huang glared at her daughter. With the situation as it was now, she could only agree to Chu Lian's request.
If she didn't give her this chance, then it would be Madam Huang and her daughter who were the discourteous ones.
"Alright, House Jingan's Third Young Madam. I'll give you this chance today. However, if you don't manage to make longevity peach buns that taste better than Mr. Wangs, even if Matriarch He is here, I won't show you any mercy."
Madam Huang was the madam in charge of the Dingyuan estate now, and she was used to dealing with the high echelons of society. Thus, she had a powerful aura about her. Any normal young lady would probably be shocked stiff by her threatening words.
However, Chu Lian was the one facing her!
The business dealings in the modern world were much more sly and craftier than this, and she had met all sorts of bosses before. How could she be afraid of someone like Madam Huang?
"Of course, Madam." Chu Lian respectfully bobbed towards Madam Huang.
Her actions were completely in line with etiquette, and there was nothing to pick on.
Although Madam Huang was inwardly raging, on the outside, she maintained her elegant demeanour.
Her sharp eyes watched Chu Lian as she secretly harrumphed.
Inside the privacy of her mind, she thought, don't think longevity peach buns are that easy to make! There must be something behind Mr. Wang's peach buns since his business has been doing so well! At least, up until now, all the nobles who ate Mr. Wang's longevity peach buns have had nothing but praise for them.
"Child, be careful. It won't be easy to clean up your mess if you've boasted beyond your abilities! "
"You might think it's easy just by watching others, but when you're really put on the spot, you'll find that it isn't as easy as you thought!"
House Jingan had managed to become popular amongst the nobles in the capital just by having a pastry chef who could make tasty snacks. That was how valuable secret recipes were. If House Ying had some secret recipe for longevity peach buns that was better than Mr. Wangs, they would have used it to gain popularity a lot earlier!
After thinking it through, Madam Huang was even more certain that Chu Lian was being too overconfident. She didn't believe that Chu Lian could make anything close to Mr. Wang's longevity peach buns, never mind something better than them.
When Madam Rong, who was still standing in the crowd, heard that Chu Lian was going to suddenly make longevity peach buns of her own, she almost fainted out of shock. She had eaten Mr. Wang's longevity peach buns only once before. They were much tastier than House Jingan's pastries. Then there was Chu Lian, who hadn't even entered the Ying Estates kitchen before her marriage. How could she possibly know how to make longevity peach buns?!