Chapter 2730 Loss
Madam Guo"an"s lips curled into a smile as her gaze landed on the Crown Prince Consort. "Crown Prince Consort, pardon my embarra.s.sment. We have quite the gathering here."
Had it been anyone else, they might have felt their cheeks flush with shame. But to her surprise, the young crown prince consort regarded her with an impa.s.sive expression.
"There"s no need for embarra.s.sment. The fewer partic.i.p.ants, the larger the potential share for each," he commented calmly.
Collective exasperation seemed to ripple through the room.
/Crown Prince Consort, a bit of humility wouldn"t hurt!/
/You"re acting as if the wealth in this capital pool is solely yours!/
Amidst the jesting, the Kang Prince erupted into laughter. "Indeed, indeed."
Madam Guo"an, who had staked a substantial 90 million, maintained a composed smile, yet inwardly, she felt an urge to metaphorically crush the audacious young man before her.
/Wouldn"t it be a tragedy if she bit her own tongue due to the gust of wind from his audacity?/
"Well then, Crown Prince Consort, do take care," Madam Guo"an sneered playfully as she placed a small purple-gold cauldron on an adjacent table.
With a gentle wave of her hand, she fluttered the little cauldron before extracting a dainty jade box from her bosom. A flirtatious smile danced on her lips as she scooped a cream-like substance from her finger and deposited it into the miniature cauldron.
Afterward, she dipped her fingers into a water basin conveniently situated nearby, dampening them before unveiling two more jade boxes resembling cosmetic containers. From each, she extracted a dollop of ointment, carefully placing them in a clean, diminutive bowl.
With precision, she poured spring water from a vial, mixing it meticulously using her fingers until a h.o.m.ogeneous blend emerged.
Meanwhile, Qiao Mu observed the proceedings from her position, her expression one of detached indifference.
Impatiently, she finally voiced, "Just hurry up!"
Family Head Dou"s eyes twitched, and he struggled to stifle his laughter.
/Why did the crown prince consort"s young crown prince consort appear more comical the longer one looked at her…/
Mo Lian was visibly frustrated. He stepped forward to grasp the little fellow"s hand and persisted, "Qiaoqiao, this is the standard pace…"
/Please don"t use your supernaturally swift pill refining pace as a benchmark for everyone else!/
The little fellow blinked and closed her lips in silence.
However, the more she scrutinized him, the more leisurely he seemed to become. After a laborious half-hour, he was still grinding the partially extracted Viscount cream-like perfume in the diminutive bowl.
She procured a small porcelain jar and employed a tiny pestle to blend the enclosed powder.
Qiao Mu couldn"t help but roll her eyes.
Over an hour later, Qiao Mu was nearly drifting into slumber in her seat when, at long last, Madam Guo"an"s voice rang out, "Crown Prince Consort, you may step forward and take a whiff!"
It had certainly been an ordeal. Nearly two hours had elapsed, yet Madam Guo"an had just completed her spice processing.
The little fellow instantly perked up and positioned herself in front of the Crown Prince, Qi Xuanxuan, and the rest, forming a barrier. Swiftly, she approached Madam Guo"an, whose expression bore a slight peculiarity.
From the self-satisfied countenance Madam Guo"an displayed, it was evident she was convinced that Her Excellency Lady Qiaoqiao would be captivated by her concoction.
Qiao Mu maintained a steadfast countenance. She bent over the diminutive purple-gold cauldron and took a deep, a.s.sertive sniff.
/The overwhelming saccharine fragrance was far from pleasant!/
"Your creation is excessively sweet," the young crown prince consort criticized, "Were you aiming to make me nauseous?"
Madam Guo"an"s exquisite and enchanting visage twisted into a frown. She had no intention of engaging with this young woman who could expertly provoke others while evading responsibility.
Nonetheless, all they had to do was wait for the inevitable spectacle of her embarra.s.sment.
Yet, one minute stretched to two, then ten, and still, the young crown prince consort maintained an impa.s.sive demeanor.
"You! Approach and inhale deeply a couple more times!" Perhaps the fragrance was too faint.
Following instructions, the young crown prince consort took a few additional breaths, but even after several minutes, there was no discernible reaction.
Madam Guo"an grew anxious. Clutching the cauldron, she urged the Crown Prince Consort, "You, inhale more deeply!"
"Even if I were to ingest it, it wouldn"t make a difference. It"s simply ineffective for me!" Impatience tinged the young crown prince consort"s proclamation, "Alright, it"s your turn to experience its scent!"
Without any apparent effort in mixing spices, she merely flicked her dainty sleeve.
A delicate, smoky aroma wafted towards Madam Guo"an"s nostrils.