Chapter 232 - 104: Might Just Catch His Majesty’s Eye
Leaving aside the Imperial Kitchen steward’s torment, Song Yunzhao was in Wangyou Palace getting ready for the evening banquet. She had deliberately chosen a palace gown of concubine red, cinched with a kesi silk sash that perfectly accentuated her slender waist.
Song Yunzhao looked at herself in the mirror, musing. ’Consort Lu’s face when she sees my waist will be priceless.’
Golden hairpins and jade ornaments in her hair, she was a stunning beauty. With a touch of red on her lips, her allure was unmatched.
Satisfied, Song Yunzhao did not wait to go to Qinghua Hall with the Emperor this time. Instead, she left half an hour early.
Qinghua Hall was becoming familiar territory. Before Song Yunzhao even entered, she heard cheerful laughter from within. It sounded like the concubines were arranging flowers.
Following a palace attendant’s announcement, Song Yunzhao entered the hall, and the other concubines immediately stepped forward in unison to greet her.
Song Yunzhao noted that everyone was there except for the three consorts. ’How lively,’ she thought.
"There’s no need for such ceremony. Please, rise." Song Yunzhao said with a smile as she walked further into the hall. Paying no mind to the stares, she went straight to her seat and sat down.
Seeing her posture, the others had assumed Song Jieyu was coming to join in the fun. They never expected her to keep her distance.
Song Yunzhao’s move was so blatant that the smiles on the others’ faces began to look strained.
Song Yunzhao glanced at them and said in a slow, deliberate voice, "You all carry on. I’m clueless when it comes to flower arranging, so I’ll stay out of your way instead of making a mess of things."
The women looked at one another, their gazes finally settling on Qin Xiyue and Chen Guoji. After all, one had initiated the flower arranging while the other had been rallying everyone to join, so they were the natural leaders of the activity.
Chen Guoji glanced at Consort Qin, momentarily unsure of what to say. She was intimidated when facing Song Jieyu.
Qin Xiyue met Chen Guoji’s gaze and said with a smile, "Everyone, let’s listen to the Jieyu and continue with what we were doing. Since she has said so herself, she surely won’t blame us for any perceived rudeness."
Upon hearing this, the crowd scattered in twos and threes. An Fangyi returned to her seat with a blank expression, clearly having no further intention of arranging flowers with the others.
An Fangyi’s seat was directly opposite Song Yunzhao’s, separated by an aisle, and neither showed any intention of conversing.
Song Yunzhao still remembered how An Fangyi had made things difficult for Beauty Zhen when they first entered the palace. She had long suspected An Fangyi had some connection to Qin Xiyue. Although there was no proof, she wasn’t about to initiate a conversation with her. ’If it turns out to be a trap, and I’m the one who walked right into it, I’d die of frustration.’
Han Jinyi, sitting beside Song Yunzhao, whispered, "You’re finally here. Your arrival means I can finally escape. I told them I didn’t want to join in, but they insisted on dragging me into it."
Song Yunzhao knew that with a Noble Consort like Qin Xiyue present, Han Jinyi, being of lower rank, couldn’t directly refuse her. "If I’d known, I would have had you come with me."
"Tell me about it," Han Jinyi muttered. "Next time something like this happens, I’m steering clear. Look at how many flowers they’ve picked. I wonder if they’ve plucked the Imperial Garden bald."
Song Yunzhao almost laughed. "It wouldn’t matter if they did. The gardeners would just plant new ones."
Realizing this was true, Han Jinyi sighed. "I wonder how much silver that all costs."
Song Yunzhao nodded slightly. "Yes."
’It’s just like at my Wangyou Palace, where fresh flowers are picked for the vases every day. With so many concubines in the palace, the demand for flowers is huge. It’s impossible for the gardens to be picked bare and just left like that; they’re always being replanted.’
’The book would never mention such details, but living in this world, many of its rules became self-evident. No matter how extravagant and wasteful it was, Song Yunzhao had no place to comment. The Royal Family’s prestige was on display in every facet of life—from clothing and food to housing and transportation. This was just a tiny corner of it.’
They had only exchanged a few more words when they saw Lu Zhixue walking toward them. Han Jinyi stared at her in surprise.
Lu Zhixue pretended not to see Han Jinyi’s surprised look. She greeted Song Yunzhao, sat down nearby, and said, "I’ve come to seek refuge with you, Song Jieyu. Maybe now people will stop pestering me to go over there and join in. It’s incredibly annoying."
Song Yunzhao was speechless.
’Has my table become some kind of sanctuary?’
"Lu Pin, if you didn’t want to, you could have just refused them," Song Yunzhao said, looking at her. "With your temperament, is something like that really so hard for you to do?"
Lu Zhixue’s expression stiffened. "I did tell them! But some people just refuse to listen. What else was I supposed to do?"
’Ah, I get it,’ Song Yunzhao thought. ’She got stuck with a leech, and those are hard to shake off.’
The thought amused Song Yunzhao.
Lu Zhixue was speechless.
’What’s so funny?’
’Hmph. I knew it. Song Yunzhao just wanted to laugh at my expense.’
Lu Zhixue sat there with a stony expression, leaving Han Jinyi completely bewildered. ’If she’s not happy here, why is she still sitting with us?’
Song Yunzhao was also at a loss for words. ’Lu Zhixue can’t stand the sight of me, yet now she’s coming over to huddle with my group? What’s her angle?’
The atmosphere among the three of them was strange, a stark contrast to the lively, festive mood on the other side of the room. It was like two different worlds, one of ice and one of fire.
When Qin Xiyue saw Lu Zhixue sit down with Song Yunzhao from afar, she had to force herself to show no hint of displeasure. Inwardly, however, she was simmering with suppressed anger. ’That Lu Zhixue is utterly clueless.’
’I wonder what the Lu Family told her. Doesn’t she understand that suppressing Song Yunzhao is the most important task at hand?’
’And yet, here she is sitting with Song Yunzhao, making it look like they’re on good terms. Could this be the Lu Family’s doing? After all, Lu Zhixue used to despise Song Yunzhao.’
"Consort Qin, where should we put all these flower arrangements?" Chen Guoji asked cautiously.
Everyone had pitched in, and soon there were more than a dozen finished arrangements. Clearly, they couldn’t all just be piled up in one spot.
Hearing this, Qin Xiyue looked at Chen Guoji and said with a smile, "I don’t have any brilliant ideas off the top of my head. What does everyone else think?"
Standing at the back of the group, Beauty Zhen showed no intention of speaking. Beside her, Dong Guiren’s eyes darted about. She glanced at Beauty Zhen, looking as though she was about to say something, but then she held her tongue.
Then her eyes landed on Feng Xiaoyuan, and they lit up. "Feng Xiaoyuan has always been so clever," she said. "I’m sure she can come up with a good idea."
Feng Yunjin, feeling everyone’s gaze turn to her, replied in a calm and unhurried tone, "Dong Guiren, you jest. I don’t have any good ideas. I don’t even understand flower arranging, so I shouldn’t go spouting nonsense and risk having all the beautiful arrangements you worked so hard on be wasted. However, since you seem to enjoy it so much, Dong Guiren, I’m sure you must have some unique insights. Why don’t you share them for us to hear?"
Dong Guiren’s expression stiffened for a moment, but not wanting to let the opportunity slip, she composed herself and said, "I don’t have any brilliant ideas either. But it’s true there are too many arrangements to keep in one place. Why don’t we disperse them throughout the hall to add a bit of scenery for everyone?"
With so many concubines present, placing one vase on each of their dining tables would distribute the flowers. And if one’s arrangement happened to be chosen for the Emperor’s table, it might just be the thing to catch His Majesty’s eye.