Such behavior is certainly not the style of a well-educated and virtuous lady.
Many girls frowned, looking at her with disgust and disdain.
Chang Lili disagreed. She could tolerate Lan Fei's previous gossip, but she really couldn't agree with her last statement.
Xiao Shu'er does indeed have a noble status, but what else does she have besides that? A vicious and ruthless heart? And the shallowness and shallowness that only a country bumpkin would have?
She didn't think that someone like Xiao Shuer was worthy of the noble and virtuous Meng Yuxiu.
Besides, how is she that bad?
She had saved Meng Yuxiu's life, so it would be only natural for Meng Yuxiu to repay her kindness by offering himself to her.
"Your Highness, you are mistaken. General Meng is indeed a man of noble birth, and so is the Princess. They are a perfect match, but so what? You seem to be ignorant of matters of the heart. You only know that a marriage can be arranged based on social status. Isn't that just arranging a marriage haphazardly? General Meng is a man of true feelings. He doesn't care about social status when it comes to marriage. What he cares about is love!"
Chang Lili spoke with such seriousness and fluency, and in one go, she couldn't help but want to applaud her own quick wit.
Silence fell over the palace once more, but this time, the smugness on Xiao Shu'er's face was gone, replaced by a hatred that made her want to kill Chang Lili as soon as possible.
"Love?" Consort Lan was also taken aback by Chang Lili's bold rebuttal and sharp tongue, leaving her momentarily speechless. Her face flushed slightly, a mixture of anger and resentment. "What love? You dare say General Meng has no love for our Princess? General Meng and the Princess are considered a perfect couple by everyone..."
Chang Lili laughed disdainfully, "Alright, Consort Lan, stop deceiving yourself. Your irresponsible remarks, which fail to see the facts clearly, will only cause the Princess to be heartbroken and suffer a broken heart."
Xiao Shuer suddenly stood up, and the wine cup that had just been filled by the palace maid in front of her overturned, filling the air with the aroma of wine.
"Chang Lili! You..."
“I’m just stating the facts. It’s better to end it quickly than to suffer for a long time. I’m being so frank because it’s for the princess’s own good,” Chang Lili said with a respectful smile. “General Meng will not marry you, Princess. I believe you know this better than I do. Besides, he told me this himself. Why won’t the princess accept reality?”
In an instant, the Hanyuan Hall, filled with female guests, erupted into chaos, with whispers filling the air.
Xiao Shu'er's face turned from red to white, then from white to green, and her whole body trembled slightly, as if she wanted to pounce on Chang Lili and strangle her on the spot at any moment.
Chang Lili looked at her calmly, with an expression that said, "What can you do about it?"
Amidst the noise, a loud laugh rang out, and the familiar voice instantly drew Chang Lili's attention.
She peeked out and looked towards the middle seat on the same side, where she saw Lu Ming, dressed in a peach-colored dress, laughing so hard she was bent over, completely oblivious to the danger.
Chang Lili found it both funny and infuriating, thinking to herself that Lu Ming was really clueless and didn't seem to care about bringing trouble upon himself.
The banquet hosted by the Empress was truly spectacular, and its fame spread far and wide, becoming a topic of conversation among the concubines and maids of the harem. Chang Lili also became a celebrity.
After the banquet ended, Chang Lili waited for Lu Ming at the entrance. The two were very happy to see each other and walked out of the palace arm in arm.
"I didn't expect to run into you here. I thought I was the only one being forced by my father to attend this banquet," Lu Ming said with puffed-out cheeks, her round little face flushed.
Chang Lili immediately covered her mouth and whispered, "Keep your voice down!"
Lu Ming realized she had spoken out of turn and panicked.
Only when they reached a secluded spot did they dare to speak freely.
"This is a banquet arranged by the Empress. Be careful that if the Empress's people find out about what you said, you'll definitely be in big trouble," Chang Lili said, tapping her head.
Lu Ming said unwillingly, "Then why are you criticizing me? You stole the show at the banquet, competing with Consort Lan and stealing the limelight. Why are you criticizing me?"
"What I did was not showing off, and how can it be the same? Didn't you see? Consort Lan bullied me. I'm not a fish to be slaughtered, how can I let others do as they please?" Chang Lili was still angry.
Lu Ming affectionately took Chang Lili's arm and said, "But you were really... really outstanding just now! Let me tell you, even though all the women at this banquet are rich and noble, I think they are not as capable as you, not even a tenth as capable as you."
As she spoke, she gave a thumbs-up, her clear eyes filled with admiration.
Lu Ming was straightforward and said what she meant. Chang Lili was very pleased with Lu Ming's blunt praise and felt lightheaded for a moment.
"Okay, okay, don't say things like that. Actually, I just acted impulsively and couldn't control myself," she said, shaking her head as if she regretted it a little.
Lu Ming obediently changed the subject: "The Empress held a banquet to welcome the Crown Prince, but none of the invited officials came in person. Only a group of female relatives attended, and the Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen. It's really strange!"
"That's not something you or I can worry about. The power struggles within the royal family are beyond our comprehension," Chang Lili cleared her throat, speaking with maturity.
Lu Ming nodded thoughtfully, then turned to look at Chang Lili. Her rosy face and smiling eyes said, "I heard long ago that General Meng, who is not fond of women, has become infatuated with a woman, and his personality has changed drastically because of her. At first, I didn't believe it, but now it seems," she looked at Chang Lili with a sly look, "that girl is not only far away, but also... right in front of me!"
She pointed a finger at Chang Lili, grinning from ear to ear.
In the past, if Chang Lili had heard others say that, she would have laughed until her stomach hurt, since it was a deliberate illusion she created to see Meng Yuxiu make a fool of himself.
But now her face flushed red. She had been so arrogant just now, but now she just wanted to crawl into a hole.
"It's all...it's all because of the circumstances. Let's not talk about that. I was just trying to deflate their arrogance."
Lu Ming laughed even harder. She was dressed in a peach-colored dress, her black hair was half-up, and her bright eyes were like two flawless obsidian stones on her fair face.
“Actually, I had some doubts before, but I could never be sure. It was only after the incident at the hunting grounds that I became certain that you and General Meng are not only as rumored, but even more advanced than rumored!” She frowned slightly and said solemnly.
Chang Lili couldn't help but push her, scolding, "How come I never realized you had so many tricks up your sleeve!"
Her face was flushed, her figure was graceful, and her beauty was boundless, with a touch of allure and charm.
"Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious to everyone, yet we can't even say it?" Lu Ming pouted, dissatisfied.
The two of them became a sight to behold, laughing and joking as they walked away.
A sinister gaze, like a nail, was fixed on Chang Lili. Xiao Shuer's face, shrouded in hatred, was slightly distorted, making her look somewhat terrifying.
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