The young eunuch was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "That's right. When Auntie came, the small kitchen had just sent in freshly made golden thread sugar cakes. The Empress Dowager loves golden thread sugar cakes. Our Shouci Palace's golden thread sugar cakes are a specialty of the palace!"
The little eunuch proudly boasted to Zhuangyou.
However, Zhuangyou felt a headache coming on.
She couldn't help but ask another question, "How many plates of those golden thread sugar cakes were sent in?"
"Oh, what do you mean by several plates?" the little eunuch laughed. "These golden thread sugar cakes are difficult to make, so we can only make one plate at a time, and only send them to the Empress Dowager's table."
Today's flower banquet at Shouci Palace is actually a banquet for the selection of concubines for the eldest prince.
As the first prince to marry, the eldest prince held a grand banquet for selecting his consort. All the members of the royal family with some status and influence attended, and the main hall of Shouci Palace was filled with elegant and graceful noblewomen.
The Empress Dowager, who had just celebrated her fiftieth birthday, sat at the head of the table, her slender fingers covered with protective nails, slowly sipping her wine, exuding elegance and nobility.
Sitting next to the Empress Dowager was the eldest prince's birth mother, Consort Xue. She wore a long, flowing, pink dress with cloud-like sleeves, which swayed gracefully. Just like Consort Xue herself, she was bright and proud, with a smile as beautiful as a flower. With just a few words, she made the Empress Dowager laugh and scold her repeatedly.
However, the hall, which should have been filled with harmony, was now solemn.
"What did you say?" The Empress Dowager at the head of the table frowned deeply, her expression grave. "Child, say it again."
Inside the hall, An Miaolan, her outer robe gone and her hair disheveled, cried as she spoke, "Just now, on the road, I encountered Princess Changyin and that dog. She pounced on us and killed many people!"
When she got to the heartbreaking part, the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl was in tears and trembling. "My servant was bitten by that dog while protecting me. That's how I managed to escape... Waaah..."
In this bloody and oppressive atmosphere, everyone covered their mouths and hearts as they listened to An Miaolan's story. No one noticed that the Empress Dowager was holding two chubby, fair hands on the low table.
Immediately afterwards, half a fluffy little head popped out from behind the table, and then slowly revealed a pair of bright, watery black eyes. They rolled around and then became fixed on the plate of sugar cakes next to the Empress Dowager, unable to tear their eyes away.
The little dumpling, smelling the delicious aroma, swallowed hard and stared at the two sweet treats with a lecherous look, just like a little bully who had spotted a beautiful girl.
So, the "beauty" who was targeted by a certain little bully bun couldn't escape the bully's clutches after all. She was finally picked up and brought to the bully's mouth, where the little buny ate her up with a "whoosh" and she was deliciously swallowed.
The soft, rich, and sweet flavor instantly enveloped the little dumpling's pink tongue. The little dumpling puffed out her cheeks and happily kicked her little feet. If she had a little tail, she would definitely wag it happily.
Just as the little boy was enjoying his meal, the Empress Dowager's expression grew increasingly grave. "Were there any casualties? Tiger Cub would never leave Wenruo Pavilion so easily, why did he suddenly run out today?"
An Miaolan cried even more bitterly, "I'm afraid my servant... I'm also the one who implicated her. I should have run away immediately, but I saw a female official holding a three-year-old baby."
"When I saw that they didn't have time to run away, I went over there. When I came to my senses, I realized that I had overestimated myself. Not only did I fail to save the people, but I also implicated my own servants..." An Miaolan covered her face and wept bitterly, blaming herself.
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