Chapter 169 She hates spoiled brats the most!
Even Yuan Chiyu himself was stunned when he said those words.
He clearly only wanted to annoy her older sister, who always acted like she was telling him to "stay away from my sister," so why did she suddenly say such crazy things?
Shui Xiu on the steps was also stunned, blinking her big eyes and looking at him with a strange look as if he were an idiot.
Her bright, watery eyes seemed to say: "Are you perhaps suffering from some serious illness? Are we that close?"
Seeing this, Shui Xian became even more convinced that Marquis Yixin was frivolous and unreliable.
Narcissus thought to herself that she might as well be more explicit and completely put an end to his idea, so as to avoid trouble for her sister in the future.
"You flatter me, Lord Marquis. The Marquis of Yixin's family is of noble birth, and Lord Yuan is a young talent with a promising future."
"But you may not know, my lord, that our family situation is special. My mother only has two daughters, my sister Shuixiu and I. My younger sister Shuixiu will be marrying into the family to inherit the family business and take care of our parents."
Shui Xian refused outright, but subtly mentioned the noble family's social standing to avoid offending the纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled, dissolute young man) and causing trouble for her sister.
"How could a noble family like ours allow its sons to marry into our family? This is absolutely impossible. Your Excellency, please don't make such a joke."
Her original intention was to completely sever ties, but she didn't expect Yuan Chiyu to be provoked by her resolute attitude.
Furthermore, the embarrassment from his thoughtless remark earlier stirred up an inexplicable impulse within him, and without thinking, he blurted out a rebuttal:
"How do you know that I won't marry into the family?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entrance to Liusu Courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
Narcissus was stunned.
Shui Xiu's eyes widened as well.
Even Yuan Chiyu himself froze on the spot, wishing he could swallow back what he had just said!
What...what did he just say? Marry into the family?!
Shui Xian and Shui Xiu exchanged a glance, both seeing great confusion in each other's eyes.
Is this Marquis Yixin really out of his mind?
Fortunately, Yuan Chiyu, this notorious playboy, wasn't just a brat for nothing; his skin was thicker than a city wall.
Even now, in the midst of extreme embarrassment, he can still meet the sisters' questions with an arrogant gaze that says, "I'm not wrong, and if you think it's strange, then you're wrong."
Yuan Chiyu acted as if nothing had happened, only saying that his aunt still needed to see him, then tossed aside his moon-white brocade robe and left with his back straight.
but......
Shui Xiu curiously moved closer to her sister, "This young marquis... did he walk with his arms and legs moving at the same time?"
Yes, when Yuan Chiyu left, he walked with his arms and legs moving in unison.
Shui Xian didn't take him seriously, regarding him as just another ordinary spoiled young master from the capital.
What she was worried about was her younger sister, Shui Xiu, who was almost seventeen years old. Her beauty was like a lotus emerging from clear water. Shui Xian knew men's nature well and knew that Shui Xiu, as the younger sister of the Imperial Concubine, was now an excellent candidate for a concubine in the eyes of many men.
Narcissus was well aware of the troubles of the power struggles in the imperial harem. She respected her sister's choice, but she still did not want her to become a concubine.
Shui Xiu stepped forward to support her pregnant sister, and as the two sisters walked inside together, Shui Xian asked in a low voice, "How did you meet that Marquis Yixin?"
Shui Xiu didn't hide anything from her sister; she told Shui Xian in a very straightforward manner how she and Yuan Chiyu had met by chance outside the palace.
When Shuixian heard that Shuixiu was still upset about Yuan Chiyu making the coachman drive the carriage and splashing mud all over her new clothes, she realized that her younger sister was still quite young and didn't have any romantic feelings for him, so she was relieved.
"If you see him in the future, stay away from him."
Shui Xiu nodded repeatedly. She was amazed by Yuan Chiyu when she first met him, but she also found him increasingly annoying afterward.
She hates spoiled brats the most!
As the two sisters were talking, the eunuch outside announced that Consort Yun had arrived.
Upon hearing the name Consort Yun, Shui Xiu gave Shui Xian a look. The two sisters didn't say a word, but their years of good tacit understanding were not for nothing.
Consort Yun was welcomed in by the palace servants. Upon seeing that Narcissus was also in the Liusu Courtyard, she quickly stepped forward to pay her respects.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! I never expected to find you here. What a coincidence!"
"I thought that Madam Jiang and Miss Shuixiu were new to the palace and might not be used to the food, so I specially stewed some fine bird's nest and sent it over to them to soothe their throats."
She gestured to the palace maid behind her to present the food box.
Shui Xian's gaze swept lightly over the food box, her face expressionless, only nodding slightly: "Consort Yun is very thoughtful."
She showed no suspicion, which made Consort Yun, who was originally a little nervous, breathe a sigh of relief imperceptibly.
Fortunately, Consort Jin did not seem to notice anything amiss.
Shui Xiu immediately stepped forward, obediently accepting the food box, her face still showing that innocent and grateful look: "Thank you, Consort Yun!"
“You’re so kind! My mother just said she was a little tired and is taking a nap in the inner room. I’ll take this bird’s nest to the small kitchen to keep it warm so she can drink it when she wakes up and warm herself up.”
Seeing Shui Xiu's innocent and guileless demeanor, Consort Yun's doubts about Shui Xian's presence completely dissipated.
Although it had only been two or three days, she had already concluded that Shui Xiu was an easily manipulated, foolish girl who would be eager to enjoy such a top-quality bird's nest and would not waste it.
So she smiled and nodded: "Miss Shuixiu is so filial, of course she should prioritize the lady's rest."
Shui Xiu carried the food box and turned to go into the inner room.
Consort Yun's attention returned to Narcissus, and she tried to find topics to talk about. Narcissus's tone was indifferent, which made Consort Yun try even harder to find topics.
A moment later, Shuixiu came out again carrying a white porcelain plate with several pink pastries on it. The pastries were not particularly regular in shape and looked like they were handmade.
"Your Highness Consort Yun, would you like to try this?"
Shui Xiu placed the plate on the table and said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is a peach blossom cake that I tried to make myself. It's not as exquisite as the pastries in the palace, but it's made with fresh flower petals, and the taste is acceptable."
Consort Yun looked down and saw that the peach blossom cakes were indeed not as exquisite as the palace pastries. Some of them even had rough edges, and some of them seemed to have a heavy sheen of oil.
A sense of disgust immediately arose in her heart. How dare they serve such crude things to guests?
However, she saw that Consort Jin had already naturally picked up a piece, tasted it in small bites, and even nodded slightly to Shui Xiu in approval.
Consort Yun swallowed back the words of refusal that were on the tip of her tongue. If she were to show her dislike at this moment, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to Consort Jin?
She still wanted to maintain the illusion of surrendering.
So, Consort Yun forced a smile, reached out and picked out a peach blossom cake from the plate that was closest to her and looked the best, and ate it symbolically.
She didn't notice that while she was choosing snacks, Shui Xiu and Shui Xian exchanged a quick glance.
This is exactly the pattern the two sisters observed when they were slaves in their early years.
The masters select desserts, though they never actually choose, they always pick the most perfect piece from the plate.
Shui Xiu deliberately made the peach blossom cakes with added ingredients look exceptionally tempting, while making the unadded desserts slightly flawed.
Consort Yun thought she had picked the best piece, but little did she know that it was the very piece that Shui Xiu had carefully prepared for her.
Shuixiu filtered out the impurities from the bird's nests that she had been sending over the past few days, boiled them into a thick paste, and kneaded it into the flour of the pastry without missing a single grain.
Shui Xiu chuckled to herself.
Whatever you added to it, it's all back to you now!
——
Before they knew it, it was time for the birthday banquet at Cining Palace.
The Cining Palace was decorated in a magnificent manner, with fine red silk wrapped around the pillars, creating a festive and peaceful atmosphere.
Jiang and Shuixiu sat at the back of the table, where the women were seated, and dined discreetly, speaking and acting cautiously.
Shuixiu kept her sister's instructions firmly in mind, and did not touch anything except the dishes and drinks specially sent by Lihe Palace.
Consort Wan sat not far from the Empress Dowager, frequently glancing in the direction of Jiang and her daughter, waiting for the expected scene of them making a fool of themselves as the drug took effect.
However, even though the banquet was halfway over, the two people remained seated quietly, behaving politely and showing no signs of anything amiss.
The Empress Dowager's face gradually darkened. The show she had arranged had not yet taken place, which made her both puzzled and somewhat displeased.
Just as the gift-giving ceremony was about to begin, an unexpected incident occurred!
Consort Yun, who was sitting in the middle or back row, suddenly swayed without warning, and the wine glass in her hand fell to the ground and shattered.
Her eyes became unfocused and her cheeks flushed an unnatural red as she stared intently at a white jade ruyi, a symbol of good fortune, placed beside the Empress Dowager's throne.
"That's...that's mine!"
Consort Yun suddenly stood up, pointed at the jade ruyi and shouted, "I've done so much for Consort Wan! Empress Dowager, you promised me! If it succeeds, you'll promote me to the rank of concubine! This ruyi should be mine!"
She seemed drunk, and her words were incoherent, but you could still hear her if you were close enough.
Consort Wan's face turned pale instantly, and she stared at Consort Yun in disbelief.
Has she gone mad?! How could she suddenly say such insane things!
Consort Yun, seemingly oblivious to the sharp gaze directed at Consort Wan, stumbled towards the Empress Dowager's throne, reaching out to snatch the jade ruyi...
"Stop her!" The Empress Dowager shouted sternly, both shocked and furious.
The palace maids and eunuchs rushed forward to stop her, but Consort Yun tripped over something and lost her balance, crashing straight into the Empress Dowager's phoenix chair.
The Empress Dowager hurriedly stepped aside, her hair becoming disheveled and her composure completely ruined.
Consort Yun not only knocked the phoenix chair askew, but also knocked the precious "Long Live the Empress Dowager" porcelain vase behind the Empress Dowager to the ground, shattering it into pieces!
"presumptuous!"
The Empress Dowager was so angry that she trembled all over. Ignoring her disheveled hair and auspicious robes, she pointed with a trembling finger at Consort Yun, who was lying on the ground, still talking nonsense.
"Guards! Drag this insane, vile woman away from me!"
Consort Yun suddenly found strength and broke free from the guards who came to stop her. She was about to lunge towards the narcissus on the side.
Emperor Zhaoheng was not too far from where Shuixian was sitting. Almost instinctively, he got up and strode over to Shuixian's side, completely protecting her behind him.
This protective gesture was clearly observed by the Empress, who was standing not far away. She was startled at first, then covered her lips with a handkerchief and began to cough violently...
......
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