Chapter 126 Triggering a Limited Time Mission

"Empress Dowager, that is the biological daughter that the Minister of Revenue just found."

The nanny beside her whispered in her ear.

"But she's Zhao Hu's daughter?" The Queen Mother frowned imperceptibly, her gaze falling on the person below, a flicker of disgust in her eyes. "Why does she look like this?"

"I heard that Minister Zhao's daughter was raised in the countryside since she was young. Her skin is as black as charcoal, she is very uncouth, and she has no knowledge of etiquette or rules."

The Queen Mother withdrew her gaze, as if looking at Su Cheng any longer would blind her. "Next time at the palace banquet, arrange for her to be far away. It's really disgusting."

"yes."

Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Queen Mother withdraw her gaze from the corner of his eye, and his eyes swept over the noble ladies one by one.

The hall was brightly lit with singing and dancing. The noble ladies from various families sat quietly behind their mothers, dignified and polite. However, they were young after all and could not suppress their thoughts. They frequently looked in the direction of Concubine Zhe.

But they didn't show any longing on their faces, instead they looked a little scared.

Su Cheng followed their gaze and his eyes fell on the woman. She was not beautiful, but her eyebrows and eyes were very attractive. She had a small head and a small face. She looked gentle and generous, and seemed very easy to get along with.

The imperial meal on Concubine Zhe's table remained motionless. She only smiled when the Empress Dowager raised her glass. Her eyes swept over everyone, and there was an incomprehensible emotion in them.

"I'm old and can't be as hardworking as you young people. After drinking this cup, I'll go back to the palace to rest. Concubine Zhe, please take good care of this place." The empress dowager glanced at her, staring at her with a smile, and her words were suggestive.

"I understand." Concubine Zhe agreed obediently and was very submissive.

After the empress dowager left tired, Concubine Zhe sat at the head of the table and spoke slowly, "The Third Prince has been away from the capital for many years and has just returned. I am grateful for the presence of all the officials and their families at the banquet today. I have prepared a small gift to express my gratitude."

"Thank you, Empress Zhefei."

Su Cheng followed others in paying respects in a confused manner, unable to grasp what Concubine Zhe was thinking.

The palace maids filed in, holding the gifts prepared by Concubine Zhe and gently placing them in front of everyone.

"Girls, take a look. Do you like it?"

Concubine Zhe spoke indifferently, her tone calm, and her smile not visible in her eyes.

Su Cheng opened the box and looked down. A flat red bracelet was lying quietly in the box.

"These bracelets, I specially invited Master Jitong from Fo'an Temple to consecrate and bless them, to protect your safety. The girls need to wear them year-round to see their benefits."

Su Cheng didn't know what Concubine Zhe was up to, but she keenly noticed that the girl at the table next to her put the bracelet under her nose, sniffed it gently, and then calmly put the thing back into the box and didn't touch it again.

Seeing this, Su Cheng's eyes showed confusion. He followed suit, put his nose close to the bracelet and smelled it, and was suddenly shocked.

"Musk..."

Although the dosage is small and the smell is minimal, which will not cause harm to the human body, it is hard to say if it is worn for a long time.

Su Cheng wanted to put the bracelet back into the box, but just as she raised her hand, she suddenly remembered something and put the bracelet on her wrist neatly. She pretended to be curious and looked at it carefully. "This bracelet is really beautiful. I have never seen such a rare thing!"

Hearing this, the noble ladies beside her cast disgusted glances at her and muttered coldly, "country bumpkin."

Almost all the noble ladies wore the bracelets given by Concubine Zhe, but a few of them showed no reaction and hid their hands under the table.

Concubine Zhe smiled as she looked around and said to the nanny serving beside her, "Please note those who are not wearing bracelets. They understand medical knowledge and can help Mu'er in the future."

"Yes, my lady."

Su Cheng had been paying attention to the people above him, and when he saw that the nanny next to Concubine Zhe didn't look at him, he felt relieved.

As expected, Concubine Zhe sent gifts to test the waters, most likely to find a princess who understands pharmacology for her son so that she could take care of the frail Third Prince.

The musk scent in this bracelet is not very obvious, but the person who can smell it must be extraordinary.

The young ladies attending the banquet today are all well-known ladies in the capital. Even if they cannot marry the third prince, they may become the consort of another prince in the future.

But if I wear this bracelet for too long, I'm afraid it will be difficult to get pregnant.

Concubine Zhe's plan killed two birds with one stone and took everyone into consideration.

Su Cheng lowered his eyes, his face expressionless, eating and drinking like a heartless child.

The hall was bustling for a while, and then Concubine Zhe found an excuse to leave. Once the main figures left, the officials' families also left one after another.

Su Cheng looked around and saw that everyone around her had left, but the imperial meal on the table had hardly been touched. She waved her hand hurriedly and called over the palace maid, "Little beauty, can you pack up these dishes for me to take away?"

The maid had obviously not expected the wealthy daughter to summon her for such a task. She had never heard such an impolite request before. She was stunned for a moment before whispering, "If the young lady needs it, it's not impossible...but I need to ask the higher-ups."

"Okay, then you go and ask them. If they agree, please help me put away the dishes on the left and right tables. I see that they haven't even started eating." Su Cheng forgot that she was now a black girl and showed a big smile to the palace maid. As the sky grew darker, her white teeth shone in the hall.

"……yes."

The palace maid hurried out of the hall and whispered a few words to the steward above her.

When the steward heard that the girl was a village girl picked up by the Minister of Revenue, he quickly waved his hands in disgust and told Su Cheng to do whatever she wanted without asking her superiors.

It's not worth it to anger the noble man for such a country bumpkin.

Seeing the palace maid go back to the palace, the steward curled his lips with a look of disgust, "After all, she came from a poor and remote village. She has probably never seen good food in her life. This is the first time I heard that she wants to take away the imperial meal. What a bumpkin!"

"Miss Zhao, the higher-ups have approved it." The maid brought two or three food boxes and said respectfully, "Miss, you only brought one maid with you, so it would be inconvenient to take too much. Why don't you pick a few dishes to take away?"

"Okay." Su Cheng ordered a few dishes and watched the palace maids busying themselves with a smile. It was not until Cai Lian reached out to take the food box that he walked out of the hall leisurely.

"Miss, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to do this?"

Cai Lian carried the food box and left the palace with a confused look on her face. "This is the imperial meal, how can we take it out? I'm afraid people will think that you are trying to figure out the royal family's thoughts."

"It's just a few dishes. Don't you want to taste what imperial cuisine is like?" Su Cheng winked at her and whispered, "Your young lady's poor character is right here, are you still afraid of others' wild thoughts?"

"But..." Cai Lian hesitated. She didn't know what the young lady meant by the word "personality". She was just worried about her master.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious." Su Cheng pursed his lips and smiled, comforting her softly.

Only when you are completely stupid enough will people lower their guard.

The next moment, the system's voice rang in my mind.

[Host, triggering a time-limited mission! Please rescue the tabby cat that fell into the water 500 meters away within 15 minutes.]