Chapter 127 Brief Clash
No one knew this face better than her. Rou stared blankly at Zhen Huan. With such a face, there was no choice but to enter the palace. Such a face, seven-tenths similar to hers, yet younger and more beautiful, couldn't help but make her wary.
Could the character "莞" (Wan) be a sign of the Emperor's growing affection for her? He's already bestowed the same title upon her simply by seeing her face. If Zhen Huan were to serve the Emperor, would she replace her?
Rouze felt an overwhelming sense of panic. If she were only granted the rank of Noble Lady after entering the palace, she would only feel disappointed and could comfort herself by saying that she came from the same household as the Empress and therefore could not attain a higher position.
But upon seeing Zhen Huan, who bore a striking resemblance to her, she could no longer deceive herself. Her desire for favor and advancement grew exceptionally strong; she was determined to ascend to a high position and suppress Zhen Huan. Otherwise, the day Zhen Huan gained power would be the day she herself plummeted to the bottom.
Zhen Huan was also extremely shocked to see Consort Wan, who resembled her and shared the same title. Even though Rou Ze only showed surprise on her face, she still felt a sense of oppression.
Zhen Huan knew very well that she and Consort Wan could not coexist amicably.
Seeing that Rouze's surprise was only momentary and she quickly concealed her emotions, Nian Shilan curled her lips and added fuel to the fire: "Could it be that Consort Wan and Consort Wan are related? They look so similar, it will be difficult to tell them apart in the future."
“How can it be hard to tell? Consort Wan is clearly older than Consort Wan…” Li Jingyan blurted out, and even though she changed the word at the last minute, it didn’t make much difference.
Rou's face darkened instantly, while the others couldn't help but chuckle, except for Nian Shilan, who laughed without any attempt to hide her laughter.
"Haha, Consort Li is right." Li Jingyan's mouth is quite amusing when she's roasting others. That's why Nian Shilan is sometimes willing to forgive her foolishness.
"Alright, alright, it's just that people look alike." Yi Xiu seemed to have just realized what was going on and slowly smoothed things over. "Jian Qiu, introduce her to the other girls."
"Yes." Jianqiu bowed and introduced each of the newlyweds to their seats one by one. After a brief greeting, the greetings came to an end.
"Alright, today is just to introduce you sisters. You are all clever and quick-witted. In the future, when you are all in the palace, you must first serve the Emperor wholeheartedly and continue the royal family line; secondly, you must be of one mind and get along harmoniously, and not cause any jealousy or rivalry that would trouble the Emperor."
"yes."
"Jiang Fuhai, what did the Empress Dowager say?"
"The Empress Dowager said that the new concubine's entry into the palace is a joyous occasion, and everyone knows the sentiments of the concubines. The Empress Dowager wishes to focus on Buddhist practice, so she requests that Your Highness and the concubines not go to Shou Kang Palace to pay their respects."
After hearing Jiang Fuhai's report, everyone nodded, already knowing that the Empress Dowager wouldn't interfere. However, according to etiquette, Yixiu still had to ask her about it.
"Alright, that's enough for today. You're all tired, so you may leave now."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave."
After the greetings were over, Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang, and An Lingrong left together.
"Huan'er..."
"Sister Zhen..."
Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong couldn't help but look at Zhen Huan with worry. They had just seen Consort Wan in Jingren Palace, and it was hard for them not to be worried.
"It's alright." Zhen Huan forced a smile, unsure of what to do in such a situation.
"Wan Changzai." A gentle female voice sounded behind the three of them. They turned around and saw Rouze coming towards them. They couldn't help but feel a little nervous and bowed to Rouze in unison.
"I have met Consort Wan."
Rouze stopped in front of the three of them, and looking at Zhen Huan who bowed to her, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pleasure. "Get up."
Knowing that Consort Wan was definitely coming for her, Zhen Huan stepped forward, protecting Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong behind her, and asked, "What urgent matter does Consort Wan have to discuss?"
"I just came to see you. Looking closer, Consort Wan does indeed resemble me somewhat." Rouze said, suddenly reaching out to touch Zhen Huan's face.
"Consort Wan..." Shen Meizhuang was startled when she saw her actions and couldn't help but call out to stop her.
"What is Consort Shen afraid of? In public, would I possibly scratch her face?" Rouze slowly withdrew her finger, seemingly quite satisfied with Zhen Huan's timid reaction, and smiled faintly.
"That's not what I meant."
"Consort Shen is just confused because she is worried, and I hope Consort Wan will forgive her." An Lingrong was also very scared, but in today's situation, in the eyes of outsiders, she was already in cahoots with Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang. She had no choice but to stand up and speak for Shen Meizhuang in a low voice.
"You do have two good sisters." Seeing Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong's behavior, Rouze was even more displeased with Zhen Huan. After all, ever since she entered Yinzhen's harem, she hadn't had a single close female friend to associate with.
"It's all my good fortune." Zhen Huan calmed down, realizing that Consort Wan was just trying to scare her, and was still very moved by Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong's actions.
"It's your good fortune that this face resembles mine by a third; that's your blessing." Rouze glanced at her coldly, her words implying that Zhen Huan was a counterfeit of hers.
Zhen Huan, of course, refused to accept this, and softly retorted, "My appearance is a gift from my parents, so it is my good fortune."
"Hmph," Rou sneered, "This young mistress is favored not only because of her face, but also because of her similar appearance. You are fortunate enough to enter the palace with your looks and serve others with your beauty. I wonder if you will still be able to enjoy this blessing in the future?"
Rou kept belittling Zhen Huan in her words, trying to crush her spirit from the very beginning and make her afraid to compete with her.
Unfortunately, Zhen Huan was not a weak woman with an unstable mind; she was sharp and calm enough.
Hearing Rouze's insults, she was naturally flustered and embarrassed. But while worrying about her future, she also noticed Rouze's outward strength but inner weakness, and her lack of confidence.
If Rouze were truly so favored, they wouldn't have stopped her. Even if they had, they wouldn't have warned her so subtly. Therefore, Rouze's favor is questionable.
Having quickly grasped this point, Zhen Huan raised her eyes and met Rou Ze's gaze without flinching. "There's no need for Consort Wan to worry about that. I'm not someone who values appearance that much, and I wouldn't say it even if I'm not blessed with good fortune."
"You..." Unexpectedly, Zhen Huan dared to talk back to her like that. Her words implied that she was pretending to be favored. Rou Ze was about to teach her a lesson when she raised her hand but was stopped by Nian Shilan.
"What is Consort Wan trying to do?" Nian Shilan sat high in the sedan chair, propping her brow with one finger, looking at Rouze with a half-smile.
"Greetings, Consort Hua." Everyone was startled and quickly bowed.
Although Rouze disliked Nian Shilan, she was powerless to do so and could only helplessly explain, "It was just that Consort Wan spoke rudely, and I was momentarily enraged, that's why..."
"In a fit of anger... to lay a hand on a concubine in a fit of anger?" Nian Shilan didn't care what they were saying at all, she only wanted to cause trouble for Rouze. "She dares to lay a hand on someone in front of Jingren Palace. Noble Lady Wan doesn't respect the Empress. Well, Noble Lady Wan has always been proud of being the legitimate daughter of the Ulanara clan, so she probably always looks down on the Empress."
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong, Your Majesty, I was not wrong." Rouze slid to her knees faster than anyone else. Even if she was resentful, now that Yixiu was Empress, she wouldn't show it. If Nian Shilan were to pin this label on her, neither she nor the Ulanara clan behind her would fare well.
"Tsk," Nian Shilan thought, finding Rouze's appearance rather uninteresting. She still preferred Rouze's arrogant and ignorant manner when she was in the mansion.
"Then Consort Wan should go and apologize to Her Majesty the Empress. I'm sure the Empress knows about what happened at the entrance of Jingren Palace."
"Yes." Rouze's face was pale, and she could only agree. She turned around and went back into Jingren Palace to apologize to Yixiu.
"You three, go back too." After Rouze left, Nian Shilan looked at the trembling trio without much interest, waved her hand, and left.
"Thank you, Consort Hua." After everyone left, the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief, looked at each other and smiled, held each other's hands, and silently encouraged each other.
This incident brought the three of them even closer together.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
