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After Xiao Yao finished speaking, Consort Chen raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked Xiao Yao up and down for a while.
Xiao Yao lowered her head and allowed Consort Chen to scrutinize her. She believed she had said what needed to be said, so she remained silent.
Originally, Consort Chen thought this girl was merely a canary protected by He Yu in the manor, but today’s words from Xiao Yao made her see her in a new light. After a while, Consort Chen smiled and said, "It seems I was wrong."
"Your Highness cares for the Prince, and it is also my fault for not mentioning these matters, causing you worry," Xiao Yao replied with a smile.
Consort Chen then realized that this girl seemed to be more articulate than she had imagined. After all, she came from a merchant family, and business dealings would naturally expose her to various experiences. She was not a girl from the mountains; she had at least seen some of the world.
Thinking this way eased Consort Chen's heart a little, so she decided not to bring up the matter again and shifted to other topics.
After chatting for a short while, a maid approached and said, "Your Highness, it's almost time."
"Alright, let's go. We should leave early to avoid being late," Consort Chen said as she stood up.
"Yes," Xiao Yao followed suit and stood half a step behind Consort Chen as they exited.
Since she had occasionally accompanied Consort Chen in the palace before, Xiao Yao already had a preliminary impression of it. In fact, she probably had an impression of this palace from her previous life; it was essentially a replica of the Forbidden City.
At this moment, they were headed to the Hall of Preserving Harmony, which was used by the Emperor for banquets.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The banquet had not yet started, so Consort Chen first took Xiao Yao to the women's side hall. By this time, some noble ladies and lower-ranking concubines had already arrived and were chatting playfully. Upon seeing Consort Chen enter, they all stood up to pay their respects. Now that the Emperor had passed away, besides Ning Consort, the mother of the Fourth Prince, only Consort Chen and Consort Duan, the mother of the Eldest Prince, remained.
Although there were usually one Imperial Noble Consort, two Noble Consorts, and four Concubines in the harem hierarchy, it seemed that after all these years, the current Sovereign had no intention of raising any other concubines' ranks. Whenever the Internal Affairs Office brought it up, the Emperor always found various reasons to dismiss it. Looking back now, it truly seemed that it was because the Emperor felt he was no longer capable due to his age.
When Xiao Yao heard about He Yu's previous arrangements for her in the palace, she genuinely harbored doubts about this. Of course, such thoughts could never be voiced; uttering such rebellious words would be akin to seeking death.
Consort Chen sat down in a position at the lower end of the main seat. Xiao Yao obediently stood behind her. Consort Chen glanced around and chuckled lightly, "It seems Ning Consort has not arrived yet."
Naturally, none of the women present dared to respond to this remark. In this vast palace, only Consort Chen could dare to speak back to Ning Consort. Although Consort Chen had no offspring and her rank was lower than Ning Consort's, she still had Xuanping Wang supporting her behind her. After all, he was The First Non-Surname King of the Capital and enjoyed unconditional favor from the Emperor daily; he was used to being domineering in the capital. Who would truly dare to offend Consort Chen?
Ning Consort Although her maternal family is not as prominent as Consort Chen, Ning Consort is quite capable, and her rank speaks for itself. Moreover, Fourth Prince is also favored by the Emperor, so she is naturally someone who cannot be offended. As for Consort Duan, being the biological mother of Eldest Prince, she usually keeps a low profile, neither showing off nor drawing attention to herself. However, to reach that position, she must be an extraordinary person.
Just then, Consort Chen heard someone outside announce that Ning Consort had arrived. The women who had just sat down stood up again to pay their respects to Ning Consort. Ning Consort was not modest at all and directly took her seat at the main position. Xiao Yao noticed Consort Chen subtly curl her lip in disdain, her eyes revealing a hint of contempt. It seemed she was really about to witness a live palace drama.
Sure enough, after Ning Consort sat down in the main position and saw that the seat opposite Consort Chen was empty, her eyebrows immediately arched. "Is Consort Duan not attending the Mid-Autumn Night Banquet?"
Consort Chen chuckled lightly and said, "Sister, you know that Consort Duan has not been well. The Emperor has granted her special permission to skip these banquets. Are you dissatisfied with His Majesty?"
Upon hearing the words "His Majesty," Ning Consort's expression changed slightly, but she did not show any anger. Instead, when she saw Xiao Yao standing behind Consort Chen, a smile immediately appeared on her lips. Xiao Yao's heart raced; this woman wouldn't be...
Sure enough, Ning Consort slightly parted her red lips and said, "I haven't seen this maidservant before. Is she newly assigned by the Internal Affairs Office to serve you? It seems you really like this girl."
"Oh no," Consort Chen smiled upon hearing this and pulled Xiao Yao closer to her side. "This is my nephew's new Daughter-in-law! My nephew was worried that this child might be frightened by such a scene when she first arrived, so he asked me to look after her to prevent anyone from bullying her."
"I see," Ning Consort replied with a smirk. "The fabric of her clothes is certainly not from an ordinary family." She clicked her tongue twice and continued, "Looking at this cloud-patterned gauze outer garment, I can only make a skirt out of it in my palace this year, but this girl can wear it as an outer garment. She must be favored by the prince."
With these words, all the women present turned their attention to Xiao Yao. She felt a wave of discomfort wash over her, almost making her break into a sweat. However, at this moment, she couldn't really refute Ning Consort, after all, she was a noble consort. If she disregarded everything and argued back, it would likely cost her not just her own standing but also that of the entire Xuanping Prince's Mansion.
For this reason, she had to endure it.
As a result of Ning Consort's remarks, Consort Chen's expression also darkened momentarily. However, this expression only lasted for an instant before she smiled and said, "Indeed! This shows that my nephew has also won the Emperor's favor; otherwise, he wouldn't have received such limited fabric—my nephew actually got two bolts! Just a few days ago, he even sent one bolt to my palace; clearly, winning His Majesty's favor is paramount!"
This statement was indeed true; just a few days ago, He Yu had sent several bolts of fine fabric to Consort Chen, which was brought in by Xiao Yao.
However, with this remark came an implication that Fourth Prince, son of Ning Consort, was less favored by the Emperor than He Yu. Naturally, this made Ning Consort's face darken further and she fell silent. When those in higher positions do not speak, those below naturally become mute; no one dared to say anything.
In the entire west wing of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, aside from Consort Chen, no one felt at ease anymore. Everyone began to fidget restlessly, wishing for the banquet to start sooner; sitting here truly felt like sitting on pins and needles.
The oppressive atmosphere persisted until the banquet began. At the moment when they were called into the main hall by eunuchs and maidservants, everyone almost simultaneously let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly walked out.
On the other side, He Yu had already been wandering around in the main hall for some time. He clapped his hand on He Yu's shoulder and laughed, "You should show your princess off today; keeping her hidden in your room makes us brothers wonder if you're hiding a beauty in your golden house!"
"How could that be!" He Yu forced a bitter smile and shook his head. "It's just that during these days when I've gone out, I haven't run into my elder brother. The Crown Prince and Fourth Prince have both met her; I certainly haven't deliberately kept anyone hidden!"
He Yu was the most unique one among this group of people, as they all grew up together in the palace. To show their closeness, they called him Elder Brother, and the Emperor allowed it; no one thought there was anything wrong with it. When the Eldest Prince heard this, he immediately sought confirmation from the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince smiled and nodded, "What Hong Ming said is true; I had already met her before my marriage. If there's anyone to blame, it can only be my elder brother for always arriving at the wrong time."
The Fourth Prince also laughed and said, "That's right. However, at that time, I only caught a glimpse and didn't see her clearly. Today, I must take a good look. What a beautiful fairy that Hong Ming has asked our father to arrange a marriage for!"
The brothers laughed heartily. He Yu felt quite uncomfortable with Yang Yunzhe's words but had to force a smile. Sigh, I probably made her suffer again. After chatting for a while, everyone returned to their seats. To signify He Yu's status, his position was right behind the princes. When Xiao Yao entered the Hall of Preserving Harmony, she saw He Yu waving at her, and her heart immediately settled.
However, someone couldn't help but criticize. Ning Consort remarked sarcastically, "This Xuanping Wang really dotes on his princess; he’s afraid she can't find her seat and is waving at Jiang Hai! This is the royal palace; doesn't he understand the rules?"
Coincidentally, He Yu heard this remark as he rushed over to bring Xiao Yao with him. He held Xiao Yao's hand and said with a half-smile, "Does it comply with the palace rules? That is up to the Emperor to decide. The Consort hasn't even become Queen yet and is already impatiently exercising Queen's authority? It seems she truly can't wait."
His blunt words were more direct and merciless than what Consort Chen had just said. Consort Chen found herself in an awkward position at that moment, and the Fourth Prince stepped in to support He Yu, saying, "Hong Ming, what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing much," He Yu raised an eyebrow. "I just can't stand seeing someone bully my princess without me being allowed to retort? If you don't want things to be like this in the future, it's best for everyone to give each other some face; after all, tearing apart would be unpleasant."
With that said, he ignored the pale-faced mother and son duo and took Xiao Yao back to his seat.
Seeing this, Consort Chen covered her mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled lightly as she returned to her own seat.
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