Chapter 63 Palace Banquet
As winter approached, the palace staff was largely replaced, and the once powerful bondservant families within the Imperial Household Department collapsed one after another. It was said that it was the newly returned Prince Xun who led the raids, and the gold and silver treasures confiscated could fill the national treasury.
That period was filled with unease and fear. But once everything settled down, the palace servants and lower-ranking concubines suddenly found that their allowances had returned to normal, and their food and daily necessities had improved significantly. They were immediately relieved, feeling that the Emperor was wise and that it was right to expose these corrupt officials.
Perhaps to ease the tense atmosphere in the palace, a small banquet was held under the guise of plum blossom appreciation, and the women of Prince Bao's residence were all invited to attend.
Although it was called a small banquet, Emperor Yongzheng invited several princes from the imperial clan to attend. However, it was not held together with the banquet for the women.
Hongli entered the palace first, while Fucha Langhua sat alone in the carriage, thinking about the three concubines who had been specially allowed to enter the palace. She couldn't help but worry whether the palace was still blaming her, and that was why they were deliberately promoting the three of them.
Feeling uneasy, Fucha Langhua became even more cautious. After getting off the carriage, she led Qingying and the other two to the banquet and bowed respectfully to greet them.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager."
"The Fourth Prince's wife has arrived. Please take a seat." Yixiu, who was entertaining the princess consorts, called out softly, her attitude neither warm nor cold. But she did not reprimand her, and Fucha Langhua breathed a sigh of relief.
"yes."
Guided by a palace maid, Fucha Langhua led the three to their seats. The seats were not far back; Fucha Langhua sat next to Consort Jing, while Qingying, Tongjia Zhilan, and Gao Xiyue sat behind her.
Judging from her position, it's clear that they still value her as the primary consort.
Such a subordinate seat was clearly unacceptable to Qingying. As the Empress's niece, she had never sat in the second row before.
He gripped A'Ruo's hand slightly tighter, and A'Ruo called out worriedly, "Consort..."
Qingying ultimately said nothing and chose to sit down. Tong Jiazhilan, who was next to her, glanced at her disdainfully, and then was once again disgusted by her outfit. She quickly turned her head to look at Gao Xiyue next to her to cleanse her eyes.
Gao Xiyue noticed Tong Jiazhilan's gaze and asked curiously, "What's wrong, Sister Lan?"
Tong Jia Zhilan smiled slightly, "It's nothing, look how beautiful Sister Yue looks today."
"Sister Lan is beautiful too."
There were only four people in Prince Bao's harem. Qingying was always acting strangely and had an "old grudge" with Gao Xiyue. She didn't like her and naturally wouldn't associate with her. The Fujin seemed gentle, but she had done such a thing before, which made Gao Xiyue feel uncomfortable, so she naturally wouldn't get close to her.
Only Tong Jia Zhilan was left to chat with. Although they called each other "sister" and "brother," their relationship wasn't that close. Gao Xiyue couldn't contain her joy at being praised and returned the compliment, but then she caught a glimpse of Qingying and her face instantly fell.
"Couldn't she dress more normally? It's so embarrassing..."
Gao Xiyue couldn't help but recall that morning when they dressed up and came to the main courtyard, waiting to enter the palace together. Of course, none of them noticed that Qingying's attire was inappropriate.
It was only when the prince pointed it out that she realized Qingying was dressed like the Dowager Consort.
Gao Xiyue dared not recall it, yet she couldn't help but remember the look in the prince's eyes when he looked at the four of them before he left. Waaah, she felt like she had completely lost her sense of aesthetics in the prince's eyes. It was all Qingying's fault—her appearance!
Tong Jia Zhilan also agreed. She already knew that Qingying was strange, but she didn't expect her to be this strange. She didn't need to dress so old in order to appear mature.
Thinking that she hadn't even noticed it if the Prince hadn't pointed it out, Tong Jia Zhilan now deeply felt that this Qing Consort was a bit strange. If it weren't for the palace banquet, she would have liked to stay as far away from Qingying as possible.
"Consort Jing has arrived! Consort Hua has arrived!"
As the eunuch announced this, everyone at the banquet, except for Yixiu, stood up to greet him.
Nian Shilan subconsciously glanced at Fucha Langhua's position, and then noticed the woman behind her who was wearing a dull gray-blue cheongsam and bowing her head.
"Which imperial concubine is that? Why is she sitting in the seats reserved for Hongli's family members?"
Upon hearing Nian Shilan's words, Feng Ruozhao subconsciously looked over. Amidst the vibrant colors of pale peach and hibiscus purple, the grayish-blue figure was indeed particularly jarring, and she couldn't help but frown.
Logically speaking, the Dowager Consort shouldn't be sitting there. Did the Empress make a mistake in the arrangement?
When everyone called out and saw that familiar yet aged face, Feng Ruozhao froze. Was that Qingying? She hadn't dressed like this before. How did she become like this after getting married?
Suddenly, I felt even more sorry for Hongli. The Emperor was really making a mess of things, bestowing all sorts of people upon him as his concubines.
Nian Shilan also saw it and couldn't help but sneer. She walked to sit down below Yixiu and glanced at Yixiu with a smile, "Empress, you really are your good niece."
Yixiu was confused and turned around. She couldn't even keep up her smile.
No, how come she didn't notice? Why is Qingying dressed like this? She's only 17, not 71! What was she thinking?
Yixiu gave Jianqiu a look, and hearing Nian Shilan's mocking words, she couldn't help but turn her face dark. This was definitely not her niece, but Rouze's niece, Rouze's!
Jianqiu cautiously approached Qingying and said tactfully, "Consort, Her Majesty the Empress has prepared a set of clothes for you. Why don't you change?"
Qingying was somewhat pleased with herself, but still declined softly: "Please thank my aunt for her kindness, but I am perfectly fine as I am now, mature and composed."
Jianqiu froze, realizing there was no need for her to be so mature. But after offering a few words of advice, seeing that she still refused to change, and fearing it would attract attention and embarrass the Empress, Jianqiu had no choice but to leave.
Feng Ruozhao, sitting in the front, naturally heard Jianqiu and Qingying's conversation. Her expression stiffened, and she couldn't help but turn to Fucha Langhua, who was sitting below her, and give her a few more words of advice: "Langhua, you are the primary consort, so you should also take care of the women's clothing and appearance in the inner courtyard, lest you embarrass Hongli."
"Yes, daughter-in-law understands."
Fucha Langhua awkwardly agreed. She didn't want to either, but in the morning she was completely blind, not noticing anything amiss. If the prince hadn't reminded her, she would have thought Qingying was dressed quite well.
But by then it was time to depart, and there wasn't enough time for Qingying to go back and change. Looking back now, was the prince perhaps afraid of losing face by leaving first?
Seeing that even Jianqiu's intervention hadn't swayed Qingying's resolve, Nian Shilan laughed even more heartily, "Your Majesty, your niece is indeed quite prudent—"
Yi Xiu closed her eyes. She was now wondering if Qing Ying's aesthetic sense had been cultivated from spending these past few years with the Empress Dowager. She'd already said she was Rou Ze's niece, the Empress Dowager's grandniece! She had nothing to do with her; she shouldn't be associated with her!
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