Chapter 94: The Dispute

Chapter 94: The Dispute

"Extra Chapter"

Su Jiaojiao quietly watched Concubine Yu, her face calm and composed, with a slight smile.

Concubine Yu, looking down at Lüwan, clenched her teeth and ordered a maid to accompany Lüwan back to the palace to tend to her face, then snorted coldly and prepared to leave.

Originally, who went first or last was of no consequence, and Su Jiaojiao had never cared about such superficial matters. However, if Concubine Yu took it for granted and Lüwan acted so arrogantly, she couldn't let herself be walked all over.

In the past, she had been gentle and humble because the palace was a ruthless place, and she aimed to protect herself, unwilling to be overly feared by others.

Now, with the Emperor's favor and her position as Noble Consort, Su Jiaojiao no longer had to hold back or tolerate everything.

Since entering the palace, the Emperor had always treated Concubine Yu well, but it was only in recent months that he had visited Tongxin Palace more frequently. Being the Emperor's cousin was one thing, but as long as she could keep the Emperor's heart with her, she need not fear whom the Emperor liked or favored.

After all, the Emperor was the Emperor. Expecting him to stay devoted to one person was the most ridiculous idea. In the past, Consort Mi had been a foolishly devoted woman, and now Concubine Yu was the same.

Love only led to losing reason and being swayed by emotions, especially the love of an emperor, which was even more fleeting.

Su Jiaojiao had never believed in it from the beginning and never would.

Concubine Yu would eventually pay for her naivety and foolishness.

Their entourages entered the imperial garden one after the other, with a line of palanquins parked outside the wall. Fish Ying helped Su Jiaojiao down, while Fish Ye hurried forward to hold an umbrella for her, and they proceeded into the Spring Banquet.

As they rounded a flower wall, faint laughter and chatter could be heard from within, and a dazzling array of beauties, each more enchanting than the last, came into view.

Su Jiaojiao suddenly recalled that when she attended the Spring Banquet last year, she was just a selected rank. It was only after "accidentally" encountering the Emperor in the pear grove with the help of Consort Mi's information that she was exceptionally brought to the Spring Banquet by the Emperor.

At that time, she was insignificant and powerless. To disrupt the Spring Banquet, she had deliberately urged Lady Ji to tell the Emperor about her poisoning, and then she lost the Emperor's favor because of her impropriety in front of him, which paved the way for her rise.

Now, just a year later, she had risen to the rank of Noble Consort, no longer the Su Jiaojiao, a selected rank, who was once bullied by others.

"Let's go."

The Empress was pretending to be ill and did not attend, while Noble Consort Wang was still caring for the Crown Prince and rarely went out. Currently, the ones sitting closest to the Emperor were Consort Mi and Su Jiaojiao.

Although the Empress was pretending to be ill, her seat needed to be reserved to signify her dignity.

Consort Mi sat in the first seat below, followed by Noble Consort Zhen and Concubine Yu. Su Jiaojiao gracefully moved to her seat, first paying her respects to Consort Mi before sitting down.

She glanced down and saw that most of the Imperial Consorts had already taken their seats, making the atmosphere lively.

At the entrance of the imperial garden, Noble Lady Xiang personally carried the Second Prince, Nan Xi, down from the palanquin specially granted by the Emperor, accompanied by Talent Lady Yu.

Fish Ye poured tea for Su Jiaojiao and naturally noticed this scene, murmuring with some dissatisfaction, "It seems Noble Lady Xiang and Talent Lady Yu are truly close. They were together yesterday and came together again today."

Su Jiaojiao calmly withdrew her gaze and said, "The Emperor dotes on the Second Prince and specially granted Noble Lady Xiang a palanquin for travel. A four-person palanquin moves quite fast, so how could Talent Lady Yu keep up? She must have calculated the time to wait at the entrance, deliberately pairing up with Noble Lady Xiang to show off to the other Imperial Consorts."

Fish Ye pouted, "I've never heard of Noble Lady Xiang and Talent Lady Yu being close before. Now Talent Lady Yu is clinging to Noble Lady Xiang so eagerly, I wonder if Noble Lady Xiang is willing. My lady, you helped Noble Lady Xiang so much, yet she hid Talent Lady Yu's affairs from you. It seems her loyalty is still questionable."

"No rush. Noble Lady Xiang is deep-minded and intelligent. I knew from the start she might not be completely loyal to me. Loyalty is secondary; what matters most is whether she can be useful. For now, there's no need to impose too many restrictions on her. There will be times when she has to make choices."

Su Jiaojiao blew on the fragrant tea in her cup, watching Talent Lady Yu's increasingly radiant beauty, and a hint of doubt arose in her heart.

Since their meeting at the New Year's banquet, she had noticed that Talent Lady Yu showed no signs of decline but instead grew more beautiful.

She had felt the same way yesterday at Nanxun Hall, and now, with Talent Lady Yu dressing up meticulously for the Spring Banquet, that feeling grew even stronger.

How strange it is. Like her and Noble Consort Mi, they use the finest cosmetics daily, yet their appearance doesn't improve as noticeably. How is it that Talent Lady Yu, a mere talent, seems to have undergone a complete transformation?

Su Jiaojiao pushed her thoughts aside for the moment and watched as Noble Lady Xiang, holding the second prince, stepped forward to pay respects to Noble Consort Mi and herself before taking her seat.

The Imperial Consorts who had arrived earlier gradually congratulated and greeted Noble Lady Xiang, presenting their gifts, creating an atmosphere of peace and harmony.

At this moment, a loud proclamation echoed from the archway, announcing the arrival of His Majesty. Su Jiaojiao and the others stood up together to pay their respects to His Majesty.

She glanced over and saw that His Majesty was accompanied by a shy-looking figure, none other than Beauty Xiao, whom she had not seen for a long time.

Su Jiaojiao arched her delicate eyebrows in mild surprise.

Beauty Xiao had not been seen much since she was caned by Noble Consort Mi and had not visited the Crimson Cloud Palace again. Her quiet demeanor was unusual, nearly making Su Jiaojiao forget that such a person existed in the harem.

The Xiao family was known for producing generals and ministers, and it was heard that they had recently achieved military merits in the court. Beauty Xiao, keen to win favor, naturally wouldn't pass up this chance to catch His Majesty's eye.

After the Imperial Consorts had risen, His Majesty spoke softly, "Shao Yi happened to meet me on the way, so I brought her along. Lan Xin, escort your mistress to her seat."

Beauty Xiao, hearing His Majesty call her name, smiled even more sweetly and said softly, "Your servant thanks Your Majesty."

She looked stunning today, the rouge-colored palace dress enhancing her heroic spirit. Noble Lady Xiang happened to be sitting to her right, and in comparison, Noble Lady Xiang's appearance seemed quite plain, and her attire was simple.

Talent Lady Yu, sitting opposite Beauty Xiao, smiled and said, "Sister Xiao looks so beautiful in the rouge color today, it enhances your beauty even more. No wonder His Majesty personally brought you here."

Today, Beauty Xiao basked in His Majesty's favor, naturally feeling proud. Although she looked down on Talent Lady Yu's recent favor, she still found the flattery pleasing.

She glanced sideways at Noble Lady Xiang beside her, brushing aside the stray hair by her temple, her words laced with hidden meaning, "What kind of person wears what kind of clothes. I must thank Talent Lady Yu for the compliment."

As expected, Noble Lady Xiang, cradling the second prince, forced a stiff smile, her eyes cold with concealed resentment.

Beauty Xiao had always looked down on Noble Lady Xiang. Even now, with Noble Lady Xiang having given birth to a prince and holding a higher rank, Beauty Xiao still looked down on her.

But Noble Lady Xiang was someone who placed great importance on her dignity. Her family held a low official position, and she was a concubine's daughter, sensitive and suspicious since childhood, she hated being looked down on and longed to climb higher.

Beauty Xiao had once publicly humiliated Noble Lady Xiang by forcing her to kneel, and now she subtly mocked her at the second prince's hundred-day celebration. How could Noble Lady Xiang swallow this insult?

She calmly glanced at Talent Lady Yu, not uttering a word.

The Spring Banquet began under the auspices of His Majesty and Noble Consort Mi, with lively and festive dances and laughter throughout the palace, creating a scene of joy.

During the banquet, Beauty Xiao drank a few more cups of wine and stood up to excuse herself. Talent Lady Yu also needed to leave, so the two went together.

Su Jiaojiao watched their figures disappear into the distance, then looked thoughtfully at Noble Lady Xiang in her seat.

"Yu Ying, quietly follow them and see."

Not long after, Talent Lady Yu's maid came back with a pale face, hurriedly kneeling before His Majesty, crying pitifully, "Your Majesty! My mistress and Beauty Xiao had a dispute when they went out. Beauty Xiao slapped my mistress and pushed her to the ground. Now my mistress is suffering from severe abdominal pain. Please, Your Majesty, seek justice for my mistress!"

Author's Note:

Talent Lady Yu is actually quite pitiful. She is the highest-ranking among this batch of good family daughters, but her fate is also very turbulent. In the harem, without status and position, it is difficult to be promoted. Talent Lady Yu is also ruthless to herself, willing to go to great lengths to finally achieve the position and title of Talent Lady.