The atmosphere in the hall was as tense as drawn swords and bows at ready, and the other concubines who were not involved dared not even take a deep breath. They all kept their heads down, staring at the food in front of them, too afraid to make a sound. They all knew the Noble Consort and Consort De were at odds with each other, but to see such an exchange of public sarcasms and veiled insults during such a grand banquet was indeed unprecedented.
The only one unaffected was Lian Hua, who was still enjoying her food. She was currently stuffing a piece of abalone into her mouth, savoring the delicious taste.
The Noble Consort glared at Consort De with her phoenix eyes, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught soone still eating. A surge of anger rushed to her chest as she shifted her attack, "Very well, I was unaware that Consort De could be so eloquent. But why, I wonder, does a re little beauty dare to show such disdain to all the sisters in the Harem, causing everyone to wait for her alone while she continues to dine, blissfully ignorant? Truly she must feel she is above us all. Could it be that she is spoiled by favoritism?"
Huh, is she talking about ? Lian Hua looked around and realized that indeed, she was the only one eating, while others seed to be counting the grains of rice, heads lowered.
Consort De, burning with fury, was about to speak when Lian Hua tugged at her sleeve. Consort De looked over to see Lian Hua with her mouth still full, seemingly wanting to say sothing, so she restrained herself.
Lian Hua, with a smile, nodded slightly to the Noble Consort and gestured to her own mouth with her finger, indicating she would speak after finishing her bite.
The sight of this smiling face angered the Noble Consort even further. She guzzled the fruit wine in her cup and "slamd" it down onto the table, "Pour more." Her Palace Maid trembled by her side, nervously pouring the wine, fearing to provoke her further.
Everyone turned their attention to Lian Hua, waiting for her to speak, and the scene suddenly grew cold.
Lian Hua was in no hurry, chewing slowly and deliberately. The longer she ate, the longer everyone watched. Just as the Noble Consort was growing impatient, Lian Hua finally swallowed all the food in her mouth and smilingly said, "Noble Consort, please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I intended to eat for so long, but Nanny Qi told to chew my food well, and His Majesty agrees with this. I dare not disobey. Do not be angry, Noble Consort. Getting angry can make one age faster, as the Imperial Physician says. Right now, you seem... Oh?"
As she spoke, it looked like she’d noticed sothing and began inspecting the Noble Consort more closely; on her luxurious robe, that was...
The others also followed her gaze.
The Noble Consort felt a blaze of fury. She felt those glances were extrely offensive. She was naturally competitive and never showed weakness before others. To cover up the dark circles under her eyes and fatigue on her face, she had carefully applied her makeup before leaving and touched it up again afterward, fearing that soone might notice.
Her phoenix eyes swept downward in dignity, and nearly everyone lowered their heads, except for Lian Hua and Consort De, whom she chose to ignore automatically.
Seeing her authority still respected brought the Noble Consort a montary sense of satisfaction.
After realizing what it was, Lian Hua thought it over and, out of kindness, attempted to give a hint, "Consort, that..."
The Noble Consort’s expression turned very unpleasant. She picked up the wine cup and set it down on the table with force, ungraciously commanding, "Enough of your deflections, if you have finished your al, then let’s begin."
Even that ti outside Huaying Hall when fighting over control of the Harem with Consort De, the Noble Consort handled it with aplomb, almost gaining the upper hand. Had Nanny Qi not arrived, she might not have lost, and those convicted on the spot might have been released. However, every ti she encountered Lian Hua, who didn’t play by the rules, the Noble Consort always felt like she was punching cotton, unable to exert her full strength, feeling led around by the nose, which made her temper flare uncontrollably.
Knowing this very well now, she decided not to let Lian Hua elaborate, fearing she would bring up so indiscreet topic, especially regarding her haggard appearance. It’s one thing to be disgusted to death by such embarrassnt, quite another to let the enemy go scot-free.
"Oh..." Lian Hua felt a profound regret. Her eyes were quite sharp, not only did she notice the Noble Consort’s haggard appearance, but she also spotted an inconspicuous insect that had landed on the Noble Consort’s garnt. The robe was too dazzling, and the bug too unremarkable to make out clearly. It wriggled about, crawling, pausing, and then crawling again...
She wanted to ntion it to the Noble Consort, but since her assistance was declined, she let the matter drop.
Her expression turned sowhat lancholic as she stopped Consort De, who wanted to speak up for her, and rose lightly to curtsy, "Very well, I will heed the Noble Consort’s command."
As she sat down again, she noticed that Consort De’s expression had grown very cold, seemingly upset by the Noble Consort’s recent behavior of putting her in her place and summoning her at will. She quickly reached out to soothe Consort De, tugging at her sleeve and whispering a few words in her ear.
Consort De imdiately looked in the direction Lian Hua indicated with a mixture of shock and disbelief. Once she had a clear view, her eyes widened and her mouth fell open, and then she couldn’t help but turn her face away to stifle a laugh that grew louder and louder, drawing the attention of everyone present.
She recognized it; it was a maggot, the larva of a fly, that overwintered to turn into a fly for the cleanliness of the spring days to co. Every winter, the Bureau of Palace Attendants would exterminate these larvae, which is why it must have erged.
However, it was a mystery how the maggot ended up on the Noble Consort. Especially today, with her wearing a brightly colored peony brocade satin, the insect, when still, blended in with the peony pattern and was practically invisible.
Consort De held her stomach, trying to suppress her laughter, which was no easy task. But every ti she thought of the Noble Consort’s haughty deanor just monts ago and how she would freak out if she discovered the insect on her, Consort De couldn’t contain her mirth.
In the palace, almost all the concubines were delicate flowers, who were extrely afraid of snakes, insects, rats, and ants, often screaming at the re sight of them. If they found an insect crawling on them, who knows how horrified they might be. The Noble Consort was no exception, and perhaps her reaction would be even more extre.
Lian Hua looked around and saw that everyone’s gaze was filled with bewildernt and peculiarity towards them. The Noble Consort’s killing gaze grew more intense, and Lian Hua quickly whispered, "Sister, stop laughing..." It was just a bug after all, and she didn’t understand why her sister was having such a strong reaction. She had even eaten fried insects before, which were quite delicious.
Finally, the Noble Consort could no longer restrain herself, and she demanded fiercely, "Consort Xu De, do you find sothing about amusing?" Their disregard towards her, their whispering during every banquet, those looks they cast her way, made her extrely uncomfortable. Enough was enough!
Consort De, tears streaming down from laughter, clutched her stomach and waved her hand, "No, Consort, please continue. Wasn’t Beauty Lian about to share sothing amusing? Just continue, don’t mind ."
Let her tell her story. Her sister wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, she thought. As for the Noble Consort, even if she were told, she wouldn’t be grateful. To preserve the Noble Consort’s dignity, perhaps it’s better to remain silent.
As expected, after she said this, the Noble Consort’s attention imdiately shifted to Lian Hua. The Noble Consort didn’t know what Lian Hua had said to Consort De to cause such a reaction, and she instinctively felt sothing was wrong.
Thinking of sothing, she asked in a low voice, "How do I look?"
The palace maid next to her quickly glanced at the Noble Consort’s face before looking down at the floor, "Exquisite."
Still not reassured, she asked another palace maid, "Is there anything amiss?"
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