Chapter 71: Delivering Sleepwear

Chapter 71: Delivering Sleepwear

"What, does Consort Zhen not wish to see me?"

Su Jiaojiao sat on the palanquin, slightly lowering her gaze to look at Lady Yun, who was kneeling in a curtsy below, her expression gentle: "You've been ill and recuperating for many days; I haven't seen you in a while. Did you recently report back to the Empress?"

Su Jiaojiao, though not dressed extravagantly today, looked stunning on the palanquin, her attire perfectly complementing her beauty. With her cloud-like hair and delicate face, she was cold yet charming like a soul-stealing enchantress, so beautiful that it was hard to look away.

Among the dozens of beauties in the harem, Consort Zhen was one of the most outstanding.

Lady Yun, from a local background, had been praised as a beauty since childhood, the most beautiful among the good families of her state, but upon entering the palace, she realized there were people beyond people, skies beyond skies.

From the moment she first saw Consort Zhen, Lady Yun felt inadequate.

She had thought the palace would age her, but with her secret maintenance methods, she would surely outshine others. But now, after several months, she had become even more breathtakingly beautiful.

"It was about six or seven days ago that I reported back to the Empress. The New Year's Eve family banquet is a grand occasion. I haven't seen anyone in a while, and my health has fortunately improved greatly, and I also wanted to join in the festivities."

Su Jiaojiao smiled faintly: "Indeed, it is quite lively."

She withdrew her gaze, and Yu Ying on the side casually flicked her handkerchief. The palanquin moved on, continuing towards the Liangyi Hall.

After they had gone a short distance, Yu Ying whispered: "Mistress, I remember Lady Yun has been keeping to herself ever since she was beaten by Noble Consort Mi. I heard it was quite severe, and His Majesty never even visited her. If she were a discarded pawn, she probably wouldn't have survived."

"Now she looks lively and healthy; she must have recovered well. She used to rely on Noble Consort Wang; could it be that Noble Consort Wang called for the imperial physician, allowing her to recover this time?"

Su Jiaojiao looked ahead, speaking softly: "Even if Noble Consort Wang doesn't give up on her as a pawn, given her indifferent nature, she wouldn't take too much care of Lady Yun. But did you see Lady Yun's appearance just now? Her figure was delicate, her skin smooth and fair, especially her slender waist, even the winter clothes couldn't hide it, clearly she has been well taken care of. There must be someone behind her helping."

Yu Ying was somewhat puzzled: "Lady Yun is from a good family; she doesn't know any high officials or nobles. Besides, good families have no status or position, they are of no help in the harem, apart from climbing up by clinging to high branches, it's not easy to make a name for oneself in the palace on one's own, and she has never been heard to be close to anyone in the palace. Who could be secretly helping her behind the scenes?"

"Women in the palace are not simple; there are many things beyond our understanding." Su Jiaojiao smiled lightly, her expression somewhat playful. "But no matter who it is, they are looking for benefits. Lady Yun came prepared today, indicating that the time to repay favors is near. We will soon know who she has privately aligned with."

From the Kaize Gate, many concubines entered one after another, some walking, some sitting, creating a lively scene.

The styles and colors of the clothes each wore were all different. From a distance, under the twilight clouds, it was a beautiful sight of a group of beauties heading to the banquet.

The palanquin landed steadily. Su Jiaojiao was helped down by Yu Ying. After standing firm, her slender and beautiful neck slightly raised, looking towards the Liangyi Hall on the jade steps, already brightly lit and magnificently grand.

Where there are many women, there are many disputes. As soon as the evening banquet begins, there will be a good show to watch.

Su Jiaojiao was somewhat curious: what each concubine was best at, what His Majesty liked the most, and who the Empress intended to promote to gain favor. Was it Miaoyu, or Lady Ji who was harmonious on the surface but not in heart, or those newcomers in the Yeting who had never seen the Emperor? What would Concubine Lian do?

As the show began, she became more and more looking forward to tonight's banquet.

The seating in the Liangyi Hall was arranged from the outside in, with ranks increasing in order. Those of the selected rank who had not yet served the Emperor could not attend the palace banquet, so the outermost seats were for the Cai Nü and Yu Nü.

The palace servants at the door lifted the curtain for Su Jiaojiao. As soon as she entered, she heard a sharp voice from the front that was not very polite: "What does she think she is, to be compared with me!"

Su Jiaojiao lifted her eyes to look over. The one being scolded was Miaoyu sitting in the Yu Nü area, and the one reprimanding her was Talented Lady Xiao further ahead.

At the New Year's Eve family banquet, every word and action was under the eyes of everyone. Secretly mocking and causing trouble was one thing; everyone knew what was going on, but such open and blatant conflict in public was rare, too easy to leave a bad impression.

She slightly frowned. Even if Talented Lady Xiao was foolish, she wouldn't go this far.

When her gaze moved to the two of them, Su Jiaojiao finally understood why Talented Lady Xiao couldn't resist clashing with Miaoyu.

The dresses worn by Talented Lady Xiao and Miaoyu, though slightly different upon closer inspection, looked almost identical at first glance.

Both wore strikingly bright crimson palace dresses, embroidered with fine silver threads, cinched at the waist to highlight their slender figures, making them appear radiant and dazzling.

If only one person wore such a dress, it would be fine, but when two people wore similar outfits, it invited comparison and felt overdone.

Talented Lady Xiao, being the most arrogant, seeing Miaoyu, whom she considered an "inferior," wearing a similar dress, must have been so infuriated that she could hardly swallow her anger, wishing she could go back and change immediately.

Su Jiaojiao inadvertently glanced at Miaoyu and indeed saw her face full of resentment, biting her clenched lower lip with obvious dissatisfaction.

The maid beside her also looked uneasy, bowing her head as she poured tea, seemingly trying to soothe her.

Miaoyu said something, clutching her handkerchief tightly, likely feeling the sting of being publicly slighted.

Watching the drama unfold, Su Jiaojiao did not linger and walked straight to her designated seat among the consorts. Consort Shu, already seated, was leisurely sipping tea.

When Su Jiaojiao arrived, Consort Shu's indifferent expression finally shifted, and she leaned slightly forward to ask, 'You're here.'

Su Jiaojiao smiled faintly and whispered, 'It's been a while since we last met, dear sister, after the incident with the eldest prince.'

Mentioning the eldest prince, Consort Shu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and she sneered, 'Noble Consort Wang has committed many wicked acts, and she knew this day would come!'

With many eyes around, Su Jiaojiao discreetly pressed a finger to her lips, lowering her eyelids and saying, 'Sister, there are many people nearby, be careful.'

Knowing of Consort Shu's eagerness to learn about the recent incident involving the eldest prince, Su Jiaojiao subtly leaned closer and whispered the details of the poisoning and her own framing.

Consort Shu listened in alarm, her eyebrows furrowed, and whispered, 'Are you saying it was the Empress?'

Su Jiaojiao's red lips brushed against her ear, as if they were sharing a joke, smiling but with a tone devoid of warmth, 'Almost certainly.'

To outsiders, it seemed like Consort Shu and Consort Zhen were close friends.

Unnoticed, Su Jiaojiao straightened up, sipping her tea to hide her words as she murmured, 'The eldest prince's safety is in my hands, so she won't act against me yet. We'll see what the Empress does next.'

'She worked so hard to get rid of the eldest prince, how could she watch him recover? She will probably make another move soon.'

Consort Shu asked worriedly, 'Can you stop her?'

Su Jiaojiao smiled, then said, 'Probably not.'

'Then what are you smiling about?!'

She shook her head. 'We have a grudge against Noble Consort Wang—why would I help her? I asked Imperial Physician Liu to tend to the eldest prince, first to gain the Emperor's sympathy, and second to take control of the situation. If we can find leverage against the Empress, all the better. She's far more dangerous than Noble Consort Wang.'

Seeing that Su Jiaojiao had a plan, Consort Shu also relaxed, sneering, 'I only wish it was Noble Consort Wang who was poisoned, such a wicked woman, yet her child has to suffer for her, what a despicable mother!'

As soon as she finished speaking, a formal ceremonial announcement came from the entrance of the hall.

Everyone turned to see the Empress and Noble Consort Mi enter one after the other. By then, about seventy to eighty percent of the guests had already arrived.

The seats for Noble Consort Wang and Zhu Baolin were empty, as they had chosen not to attend. The other palace consorts clearly did not want to miss this family banquet.

The consorts stood up to greet the Empress and Noble Consort Mi. The Empress, dressed in a magnificent phoenix gown, raised her hand and smiled, saying, 'Today is New Year's Eve, the best day of the year. Sisters, there's no need for formalities, please sit.'

There was still some time before the banquet started. With the Empress and Noble Consort Mi now presiding, the hall was much quieter than before.

Yu He took a cup of tea from a maid and gently set it before the Empress. The Empress sipped it, her eyes discreetly sweeping the room.

Her gaze paused slightly when it reached Talented Lady Xiao and Miaoyu, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Yu He also noticed the displeased expressions on their faces and whispered, "How could Miaoyu be so careless as to wear the same outfit as Talented Lady Xiao?"

Miaoyu was one of the key figures arranged by the Empress to perform today. Though she was attractive, she paled in comparison to Talented Lady Xiao's beauty, especially since Talented Lady Xiao's features were more striking, making her more suited to the silver-threaded crimson dress.

The Empress set down her cup, her expression calm. "It's fine. Today, I intend to elevate more than just her."

A quarter of an hour later, a palace attendant's voice rang out from outside, "His Majesty has arrived—!"

Immediately, the doors swung open, and as the Emperor entered, a freezing blast of cold air rushed into the hall.

He had changed into casual attire today, his demeanor somewhat languid. His naturally cool and striking look now had a laid-back vibe, making him all the more captivating.

Su Jiaojiao rose with the others to greet the Emperor. Seeing his expression, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, her heart racing.

She had just sent him the embroidered nightgown she made this morning via Yu Ying, asking if the Emperor had said anything. But Yu Ying couldn't provide any clear answer.

She only said that the Emperor had stared at it for a long time, let out a single chuckle before sending her back, making it impossible to discern his true feelings.

Su Jiaojiao knew her embroidery was rough and not at all polished, and she had no idea how the Emperor would react...

Once the Emperor took his seat at the central throne, he spoke in a clear voice, "Today is a family banquet. There's no need for formality. Think of it as just a regular family get-together for the New Year."

With that, he glanced around the room, his gaze falling on Su Jiaojiao, who was quickly trying to lower her head.

Shen Huai, seeing her looking as guilty as a quail, couldn't help but laugh in exasperation, recalling the nightgown she had sent him that morning. He decided to tease her, "What's the matter, Consort Zhen? Why are you in such a hurry to lower your head? Don't you want to look at me?"