The report ca from Steward Qian.
ng Qianqian was quite puzzled and asked who had summoned her and Lin Wan’er, but Steward Qian did not know either.
However, the ssenger was dressed in an Imperial Palace eunuch’s attire, resembling those who delivered allowances and seasonal tributes to the Old Madam before. It appeared authentic and unlikely to be fake.
ng Qianqian did not focus too much on the ssenger’s origins but could not figure out their identity or purpose.
She hailed from the ng Family of You State and had no connection with nobles in the palace. The fact that the summons included both her and Lin Wan’er likely had sothing to do with Lu Lingxiao.
"Miss, should we inform the Old Madam?"
Nanny Li suggested.
The Old Madam was the highest-ranking elder of the Lu Family and was the only one ever summoned by the Supre Emperor.
During the years of upheaval in the Imperial Family, the throne was nearly usurped by external relatives. It was the Old Master who assisted the Supre Emperor in reclaiming the empire. After the Old Master’s passing, the Supre Emperor personally paid his respects at the Lu Family’s residence, even bowing as a junior to the Old Madam.
ng Qianqian shook her head: "If it’s destiny, it won’t be avoided; if it’s calamity, it won’t be escaped."
She could not keep dragging her great-grandmother into everything; this was the Imperial Palace, not the Lu Family.
Nanny Li sighed deeply: "This old servant is just worried about you, Miss. If only you were summoned, it would be fine, but with that one from Feng Courtyard involved..."
Ban Xia muttered indignantly: "Exactly! She’s nothing but a vixen—how does she deserve to enter the palace?"
Ban Xia’s thoughts were straightforward. Her Miss’s husband had perford ritoriously at the border, and it was reasonable for her Miss, as his wife, to be summoned to the palace to receive recognition. But that vixen who seduced soone else’s husband had no business being rewarded!
ng Qianqian said, "Pack up, Ban Xia; you will accompany to the palace."
When the two arrived at the gate, Lin Wan’er and Lu Luo had also co.
This ti, Lin Wan’er had shed her usual simple attire. She wore a cream-colored waist-cinched butterfly-sleeve gown, layered with a blue satin cloak, her hair styled high with a blue hair ribbon in place of ornantal hairpins, exuding the heroic spirit of a general’s lineage.
ng Qianqian was dressed in a luxurious coat with a crimson base and white edges, hinting at a peach-pink short jacket underneath and a pristine, snow-white flowing long gown. Nanny Li had deftly arranged her hair into a graceful hanging bun adorned with jade and pearl flowers alongside a delicate peach blossom gold pin, understated yet elegant.
Her deanor was asured and poised, walking neither hurriedly nor sluggishly, like morning sunlight shining upon morning dew.
Lin Wan’er’s heroic air seed instantly subdued when juxtaposed against ng Qianqian’s radiant charm.
The servants dared not speak but their gazes betrayed everything.
Lu Luo secretly rolled her eyes.
Ban Xia whispered, "If only Tan’er were here; she would have poked out her eyes!"
A eunuch holding a horsetail whisk scanned ng Qianqian but addressed Lin Wan’er: "Madam Lu, please board the carriage."
The servants were stunned and awkwardly turned toward ng Qianqian.
Steward Qian hastily pointed toward ng Qianqian and said, sowhat sheepishly, "This is the true Eldest Young Madam of our residence."
The eunuch’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. Smiling, he turned to ng Qianqian and said, "Pardon this humble one’s poor eyesight for making a mistake. I beg Madam Lu’s forgiveness."
The servants exchanged uneasy glances.
The Eldest Young Madam was dignified and proper, dressed in grandeur, and every movent displayed the bearing of a noble lady. Even her maid, Ban Xia, looked far more composed compared to Lu Luo.
How could anyone mistake such distinctions?
ng Qianqian grasped the situation clearly. What was ant to co had indeed co.
To outsiders, this might have seed like an honest oversight, but soone who had navigated palace intrigues would never make errors of such nature.
This was the first taste of humiliation prepared for her today.
ng Qianqian replied calmly, without arrogance or servility: "It’s of no concern. May I ask, Eunuch, which noble has summoned us?"
Lu Luo whispered to Lin Wan’er, "Miss, it’s not the sa eunuch we encountered last ti near His Majesty."
Lin Wan’er gestured for her to remain silent.
The eunuch glanced at Lin Wan’er and smiled as he said, "It is Noble Consort Li who has summoned you."
Six years ago, Chu Grand Marshal perished in battle, and Emperor Chong’an fell gravely ill, leaving him unable to govern. The nation cannot go even a day without a ruler, so Emperor Chong’an abdicated in favor of the Crown Prince.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince died suddenly, and the princes fought bitterly for the throne, leading to fraternal strife. Yet no one anticipated that the final victor ascending the throne would be the nine-year-old Ninth Prince.
His mother was none other than Consort Li, heralded as the Great Zhou’s foremost beauty.
The Supre Emperor elevated Consort Li to Noble Consort Li and delegated to her the managent of the six palaces.
Now, Noble Consort Li held the Phoenix Seal in hand. Though lacking the title of Empress, her authority equated to that of an Empress.
Rumors had circulated that Noble Consort Li was romantically involved with Lu Yuan, the Grand Commander. It was said this relationship compelled Lu Yuan’s loyalty to support the young Emperor. So speculated that even the Crown Prince’s death was orchestrated by Lu Yuan to clear the path for the young Emperor.
Yet the young Emperor harbored deep resentnt against Lu Yuan. The sole reason Lu Yuan had not been removed from his position was due to Noble Consort Li’s intercession.
As long as Noble Consort Li remained, the relationship between the young Emperor and Lu Yuan would remain unshakable.
The eunuch said, smiling, "Madam Lu, Miss Lin, please proceed."
The four boarded the Imperial Palace carriage.
Perhaps to accommodate Lin Wan’er’s physical condition, the carriage traveled extrely slowly, taking nearly an hour to arrive at the Imperial Palace.
Two sedan chairs were already waiting.
The eunuch, kindly and warmly, remarked, "Miss Lin is expecting, so the Noble Consort has prepared a sedan chair."
Ban Xia felt indignant on behalf of her own mistress. What kind of nonsense was this eunuch spouting? It sounded as if her mistress was sohow benefiting from that vixen’s favor!
While she fud internally, she showed no trace of dissatisfaction outwardly.
Lin Wan’er inclined her body slightly toward the direction of the Rear Palace.
Lu Luo quickly followed suit, saying, "My Miss thanks the Noble Consort!"
The palace attendants kept their expressions neutral, their bearing serene and silent.
From the mont they entered the palace gates, everyone could sense a palpable pressure that seed almost tangible.
Ban Xia took slow, deep breaths, careful not to make mistakes that would reflect poorly on her mistress.
ng Qianqian and Lin Wan’er stepped into their respective sedan chairs.
Lu Luo noted the eunuch’s noticeably warr attitude toward her own mistress and seized the opportunity to chat jovially with him, as though trying to demonstrate her favored status.
The eunuch responded patiently to her words, one by one.
The accompanying palace attendants, however, felt a subtle disdain for her deanor.
Accepting the favor was one thing, but it’s unbecoming to exploit it for show.
The other maid seed far more dutiful and composed, staying quiet and disciplined.
When it ca ti to disembark, the contrast was even starker.
Even though ng Qianqian, as the mistress, had not yet stepped off the sedan chair, Lu Luo opened Lin Wan’er’s chair curtain first. The curtain swung high, nearly hitting one of the palace attendants in the face.
"Miss! We’ve arrived!"
Lu Luo said with a playful smile.
Lin Wan’er stepped down with Lu Luo’s assistance.
ng Qianqian remained seated in her sedan chair without moving, and Ban Xia stood patiently by her side.
A palace attendant stepped forward gently and lifted the curtain slightly: "Madam Lu, please disembark."
Only then did Ban Xia step forward to support her mistress.
ng Qianqian raised her elegant wrist, slender as alabaster, and descended gracefully. The gold tassels on her headdress shimred brightly, barely swaying as she moved.
The palace attendants nodded in quiet approval.
This was the true bearing of a noble, a lady of a prominent family.
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