Chapter 293 - 122: Consort Lu’s Hidden Attribute
Upon hearing this, Consort Zhuang’s eyes shifted to Nanny Wen.
Nanny Wen stepped forward and curtsied. "This servant greets Your Highness, Consort Zhuang."
Consort Zhuang watched Nanny Wen play dumb, not mentioning the tea at all. It only confirmed her suspicions. ’"Tea," my foot. Something’s definitely up.’
Recalling the letter from her family, Consort Zhuang smiled at Nanny Wen. "Is that so? To have a cup of hot tea on such a cold day sounds like a fine idea. I happen to be free, so I’ll join Song Jieyu for the fun. What do you say, Song Jieyu?"
’You want to crash Consort Lu’s party, but you’re asking me, a guest, for permission?’ Song Yunzhao thought. ’Isn’t that a blatant slap in Consort Lu’s face? Consort Zhuang really does seize every opportunity to create conflict.’
Song Yunzhao didn’t want to fight with them, but she wasn’t a pushover either. "Your Highness," she said immediately, "I am merely a guest. I wouldn’t dare to make decisions on behalf of Cuiwei Palace. Wouldn’t that be insubordination?" She then turned to Nanny Wen. "What do you think, Nanny Wen?"
Of course, Nanny Wen was unwilling, but with Consort Lu absent, a mere servant like her could not be insubordinate. She could only smile and say, "If Your Highness, Consort Zhuang, wishes to join the fun, our master would naturally be delighted."
’Join the fun...’
Nanny Wen certainly had a way with words. Song Yunzhao glanced at Consort Zhuang, whose expression remained completely unchanged. ’This woman truly has remarkable composure.’
Since Consort Zhuang was accompanying them, Song Yunzhao could no longer ride in her sedan chair alone. She had no choice but to walk alongside the consort. By the time they entered Cuiwei Palace, her feet were ice-cold. She strongly suspected Consort Zhuang had deliberately walked just to make her suffer a little.
However, seeing that Consort Zhuang’s complexion wasn’t much better, Song Yunzhao felt it wasn’t a complete loss.
Consort Lu had already received a report from a little palace maid. Hearing the commotion, she emerged from her hall. She completely ignored Song Yunzhao and addressed Consort Zhuang directly, "Consort Zhuang, what a rare guest. It’s not often you grace us with your presence."
Consort Zhuang let out a soft laugh. "What a coincidence. I happened upon Song Jieyu on the road and learned you were hosting a tea gathering. I decided to come uninvited. I do hope you won’t blame me for being so forward, Consort Lu."
’Consort Lu’s temperament was much more restrained now. If she still held her previous title, she would have shot back, "If you knew it was forward, then you shouldn’t have come."’
But now, with the ever-shifting situation at court and her own unfavorable position in the harem, she could no longer act so willfully.
"Well, since you’re here, you might as well come in for a drink," Consort Lu said, feigning indifference. Only then did she look at Song Yunzhao. "Look at your pale little face. In my opinion, you should walk more to build up your strength."
Song Yunzhao was speechless.
With Consort Zhuang standing right there, she decided to play along with Consort Lu’s act. "I’ve never been one for much activity, Your Highness. I’m afraid your kind intentions would be wasted on me."
Consort Lu flicked her sleeve and swept into the hall. The other two followed. Inside, a warm breeze from the underfloor heating washed over them, providing instant relief.
She took off her heavy cloak and handed it to Shizhu to put away. Beside her, Consort Zhuang’s cloak was taken by Rouge. The three women took their seats, host and guests assuming their proper places.
Consort Lu ordered tea to be served. The setup was quite similar to the stove-side tea Yun Zhao had prepared the other day, only the utensils were far more exquisite, and the refreshments were incredibly delicate. It was obvious she had prepared for this meticulously.
Song Yunzhao mused to herself, ’It seems Consort Lu really did have a motive for inviting me for tea. It’s a good thing Consort Zhuang came to stir things up.’
"This tea looks like Silver Needle. If I recall, the palace didn’t receive much of it this year," Consort Zhuang said with a smile. "Consort Lu must truly be valued by the Emperor to have been given such fine tea."
Song Yunzhao heard the sting in Consort Zhuang’s words. ’Everyone knows I’m the one who currently holds the Emperor’s exclusive favor. Since he started favoring me, he hasn’t stayed the night in any other palace. To say something like this in front of me... her skill at sowing discord is truly masterful.’
Consort Lu glanced at Consort Zhuang, feigning ignorance of the comment’s deeper meaning. "You’re rather forgetful," she said casually. "When was this a gift from the Emperor? My family sent it in. My maternal grandmother’s family owns a tea plantation, and they grow this tea for our own family’s consumption. There isn’t much in total, so it wouldn’t do to share it with you."
"I truly did forget. It slipped my mind for a moment that you’re a person with a tea plantation. You’ll never want for tea." Consort Zhuang was all smiles. "Speaking of which, a few years ago, someone proposed starting a tea plantation near the Capital City to produce tribute tea, but nothing ever came of it."
Consort Lu scoffed. "What a bold suggestion. Can you plant tea trees just anywhere?"
"That’s a fair point, which is why the matter was dropped. Speaking of which, Song Jieyu, you grew up in Nanyu. You must know quite a bit about tea trees, don’t you?" Consort Zhuang turned to Song Yunzhao with a smile.