Praises like "a beauty that could topple cities," "talented and beautiful," and "beautiful inside and out" were constantly heard, leaving Lili speechless and deeply experiencing what it meant to be a follower of sycophancy.
She feigned shyness and said, "Your Majesty flatters me."
"Miss Chang is too modest," the Emperor said with a smile.
The conversation between the two made everyone laugh. Although there were many people, and everyone had different official ranks and positions, the atmosphere was relaxed.
Meng Yuxiu said without batting an eye, "Your Majesty, I also prepared a congratulatory gift, but when I saw the gift prepared by Master Chang, I immediately felt that my gift was too vulgar, so I did not bring it."
Everyone laughed again.
Chang Lili glanced at Meng Yuxiu suspiciously, feeling that he was speaking like an old fox with ulterior motives. She thought to herself that Meng Yuxiu hadn't prepared a gift at all, and that he was really shameless.
The others, however, were secretly alarmed by Meng Yuxiu's undisguised intimacy with Chang Lili. His words were essentially saying that they only needed to bring one gift each, and there was no distinction between "yours" and "mine."
At this moment, a person outside the crowd, with a deep-seated malice in his eyes, looked at Meng Yuxiu and Chang Lili, who were holding hands.
Yesterday, she lost face and was heartbroken at Keyinglou Restaurant.
When had she, the esteemed eldest princess of the Yun Kingdom, ever suffered such humiliation?
She knew that Meng Yuxiu treated her this way because of Chang Lili. One day, she would get rid of Chang Lili and make Meng Yuxiu, the man who had betrayed her, taste the pain of heartbreak.
Standing in the bustling palace, watching everyone chatting and laughing, Xiao Shu'er felt increasingly choked up.
Watching Consort Lan hold that golden longevity lock in her hand and pretend to play with it, she found it extremely irritating.
After some maneuvering, Chang Lili finally followed Meng Yuxiu and took her seat at the Emperor's command.
Seeing that everyone had taken their seats and were whispering amongst themselves, Chang Lili finally breathed a sigh of relief, freeing herself from the shackles of everyone's gaze.
Meng Yuxiu smiled and poured her a full glass of wine: "What? I thought you were fearless, but you're scared now?"
Chang Lili glanced at him sideways: "I'm not scared at all. I just find dealing with these kinds of situations really exhausting."
She took a small sip of wine and coughed. The wine she had drunk in the Queen's palace before only had the fragrance and sweetness of fruit. This wine, though clear, was somewhat pungent.
Meng Yuxiu laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? I'm here."
Chang Lili blushed and said, "This wine is strong."
The Emperor first raised his cup to toast everyone present. Consort Lan, sitting beside the Emperor with a smile on her lips, also rose to toast the officials, acting like the lady of the house.
After sitting down, she frequently whispered sweet nothings in the Emperor's ear. Chang Lili felt it was somewhat inappropriate, but she remained calm, and the Emperor indulged her.
Consort Lan's behavior is so lacking in manners and shows no respect for the Empress, yet the Emperor tolerates it. Chang Lili truly feels sorry for the Empress.
What exactly did Xiao Lingshou and her son do to be so disliked?
Chang Lili sighed inwardly for a while, then began to eat the pastries and delicacies at the banquet. Beautiful dancers danced gracefully before her eyes, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled her ears. The intoxicating flavors slowly melted in her mouth, and Chang Lili couldn't help but be intoxicated, feeling as if she were in a fairyland.
Sitting to her right, Meng Yuxiu smiled as he watched her eat with relish, and then brought some pastries from his own table to her as well.
Xiao Shuer sat in the opposite seat, looking at them with a cold gaze. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her sharp nails dug into her palms. She hated them so much!
The two people were completely unaware of what was happening. Amidst the singing and dancing, Chang Lili suddenly felt that this trip had been worthwhile.
But she was not intoxicated for long when she heard a woman's painful moans and the emperor's panicked voice coming from the high throne.
"My beloved concubine! My beloved concubine, what's wrong?" The Emperor embraced Consort Lan.
Consort Lan clutched her stomach, her face contorted with pain and terror: "Your Majesty... the child... my stomach hurts so much..."
"Someone come here! Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!" the emperor shouted urgently.
After such an unexpected turn of events, the dancers dared not continue dancing, and the musicians naturally dared not continue playing their instruments either, and all wisely withdrew.
The Taiji Palace, which was bustling and lively just a moment ago, suddenly turned into chaos and noise.
People were filled with anxiety, and everyone looked worriedly toward the emperor.
Upon seeing this, the eunuch hurriedly ran out of Taiji Palace to fetch the imperial physician.
Consort Lan was still clutching her stomach, her beautiful, rosy face turning pale, and she began to sob in pain, her sobs broken and fragmented.
"Quickly, take Consort Lan back to her palace, quick!" The Emperor said, disregarding everything else, and immediately picked me up in his arms and carried me down the steps.
"Your Majesty, please slow down!" Eunuch Guangde said anxiously, frowning as he followed beside him.
Everyone stood up. When they saw Meng Yuxiu also stand up, Chang Lili also put down the pastries in her hand and stood up.
She was a little confused about the situation, but it seemed that Consort Lan's pregnancy was unstable.
She wondered if something bad would happen. Then she sighed, realizing how treacherous and unpredictable the palace was, and that something might really happen to Consort Lan.
She had considered the worst possible outcome for Consort Lan's appearance, but she never expected that this sudden turn of events would also involve her.
Seeing the emperor in such a panic, the officials all rushed over, offering comfort and assistance as needed.
Meng Yuxiu watched without expression as the Emperor carried Consort Lan out, then sat down and downed the wine in his cup in one gulp.
"Aren't you the Emperor's right-hand man? Everyone else is helping, why aren't you going?" Chang Lili asked, puzzled and a little anxious.
Meng Yuxiu said calmly, "You've seen it yourself, everyone's already pushing their way through. Why should we go and cause trouble?"
However, the Emperor took Consort Lan back to her palace, so the officials naturally couldn't follow. As a result, they all returned to Taiji Palace soon after, their faces full of worry.
Xiao Shu'er followed and left the Palace of Bliss, never to return.
Chang Lili felt that the air was much fresher now that Xiao Shu'er's Paradise Palace was gone.
It wasn't that she didn't see Xiao Shu'er, but rather that she didn't want to see her.
Moreover, although he pretended not to see her, he saw the resentment, unwillingness, and gritted teeth on her face.
Chang Lili took Meng Yuxiu's kindness for granted, and Xiao Shuer's expression was truly fascinating.
In the chaos, no one noticed that the spot where Consort Lan had just sat was now covered in shocking red stains.
In the Huilan Palace, Consort Lan was placed on the bed. The heavy headdress on her head had been removed. Her face was pale, her body was curled up, and her pain was still evident.
"My beloved concubine, what do you think?" the Emperor asked softly.
Lan Fei's forehead was covered in sweat, and she squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth: "It hurts..."
The emperor was furious and roared, "Why hasn't the imperial physician arrived yet?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a royal physician rushed into the hall and knelt down to pay his respects.
The Emperor immediately ordered the imperial physician to examine Consort Lan, but Xiao Shu'er, who was waiting in the hall, stopped the physician when she saw Consort Lan's complexion.
"Shu'er, what are you doing? Get out of the way!" The Emperor, who rarely got angry with Xiao Shu'er, became anxious.
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