When the Empress uttered "Stars are sparse," Xu Lejin frowned.
Consort Niohuru subtly shook her head at Xu Lejin, signaling her to calm down, while Consort Tongjia covered her mouth, revealing a cryptic smile.
A moment later, a pink-clad palace maid with delicate features and a resemblance to Xu Lejin, along with several green-clad palace maids, entered the hall carrying exquisite peach blossom pastries.
"My dear sisters, these peach blossom pastries are delicious, sweet and fragrant with the aroma of peach blossoms. Please try some!"
The Empress smiled and looked at everyone.
Consort Niohuru and Consort Tongjia hesitated as their gazes fell on the peach blossom pastry.
Consort Tongjia picked up a peach blossom pastry and said with a smile, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. This peach blossom pastry looks very beautiful. Although I am tempted, I cannot bear to eat it, fearing that my clumsy tongue will ruin such a beautiful and exquisite pastry."
"oops!"
The peach blossom pastry in Consort Tongjia's hand fell to the ground.
Setting down her jade chopsticks, Consort Tongjia feigned surprise and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I'm so clumsy, I've wasted your kind gesture. The peach blossom pastry has fallen to the ground..."
The empress gave an awkward smile.
"It's nothing, it's just a peach blossom pastry. If Sister Tongjia likes it, I'll have the Imperial Kitchen send her some more later."
Consort Tongjia took the handkerchief handed to her by the palace maid Caiyue, wiped her hands, and said with a slight parting of her lips, "Your Majesty, I thank you for not blaming me. Although the peach blossom pastry is fresh and exquisite, my Yikun Palace has plenty of pastries. It is no different from the peach blossom pastry in Your Majesty's palace. Your Majesty, please keep it and enjoy it slowly!"
The Empress's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
After a moment of surprise, the Empress gave a wink to Consort Hesheli below.
Consort Hesheli picked up a peach blossom pastry, took a small bite, and said, “The peach blossom pastries in Your Majesty’s palace are exceptionally delicious. I like them very much. When I crave them in the future, I would like Your Majesty to bestow some upon me.”
"As long as Consort Hesheli is happy."
The Empress smiled gently and looked at Consort Shangjia and Consort Fanjia. Consort Shangjia and Consort Fanjia took a small bite, and Consort Hesheli echoed her.
The Empress was extremely pleased!
Consort Tongjia was displeased and wanted to find one among the concubines to help her embarrass the Empress. However, after looking around, she found that none of the concubines were loyal to her.
Consort Nara is confined to Yanxi Palace. Consort Zhang has given birth to the fourth princess and is currently in her postpartum period.
At this moment, Consort Tongjia was all alone, fighting her battles alone.
With a grim expression, Consort Tongjia forced a smile, looked at Consort Hesheli, and said with a coquettish laugh, "I remember that Consort Hesheli dislikes sweets the most?"
"Did the peach blossom pastries in Her Majesty's palace taste different today? Were they not sweet?"
Consort Hesheli's expression faltered for a moment, then she quickly pondered before smiling and saying, "Your Highness, I do not like sweets, but the peach blossom pastries in Her Majesty the Empress's palace today were quite delicious. I..."
"I was so attracted by the deliciousness of the peach blossom pastry that I changed my taste."
After speaking, Consort Hesheli lowered her head and remained silent.
Consort Tongjia glanced disdainfully at Consort Hesheli, a half-smile playing on her lips.
The atmosphere in Kunning Palace was somewhat awkward.
The Empress glared at Consort Hesheli, Consort Shangjia, and Consort Fanjia, cursing them inwardly as utterly useless. They not only failed to help her in the slightest but also made her even more embarrassed.
The Empress coughed lightly twice and looked at Xu Lejin.
"Consort Xu is currently pregnant with the Emperor's child, and her health is of utmost importance. Although the peach blossom pastry is delicious, it is a bit too sweet. Xingxi, serve Consort Xu a cup of the Lu'an Melon Seed tea that the Emperor recently bestowed upon her."
The Empress spoke with a smile.
Xu Lejin's expression darkened slightly as she looked at the palace maid known as 'Xingxi'.
Xu Xingxi, her half-sister, is the daughter of her father's concubine, Aunt Tao.
The Empress paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I forgot, Xingxi is Consort Xu's younger sister. Nongyu in my palace did something wrong, and I punished her by making her a third-class palace maid. Xingxi is clever and quick-witted, just like Consort Xu back then. I like her very much, so I specially ordered the Imperial Household Department to send Xingxi to serve me."
"Consort Xu, I suppose you wouldn't mind if your younger sister served in my palace?"
After speaking, the Empress glanced meaningfully at Xu Lejin.
Xu Lejin smiled faintly, looked up at the Empress, and spoke gently. "Your Majesty is too kind. It is a blessing for me, my twelfth sister Xingxi, and my Xu family, that my twelfth sister Xingxi can catch Your Majesty's eye and serve in Your Majesty's Kunning Palace."
"My twelfth sister is born to a concubine. If she has any manners or has not served Her Majesty the Empress properly, I beg Your Majesty to be magnanimous and forgive her."
Born to a concubine?
The Empress smiled gently, but inside she was burning with rage.
The Empress was also a concubine's daughter from the Hesheli family. Although she was registered under the name of the principal wife and became the legitimate daughter when Kangxi chose an Empress, ...
Being born a concubine's daughter was the Empress's greatest pain in her life.
Back then, among the direct descendants of the Hesheli family, there was only one woman of marriageable age, the Empress, which is why the Empress was able to become Empress.
The empress's greatest taboo in life was children born to concubines or illegitimate children.
Consort Niohuru lowered her head slightly, looking down at her nose and inwardly contemplating her thoughts, while Consort Tongjia covered her mouth and giggled without any restraint, looking at the Empress with a playful gaze.
Consort Ma Jia, Consort Li, and others lowered their heads, desperately trying to suppress their laughter.
After a long while, the Empress said in a deep voice, "Consort Xu, rest assured, your younger sister is intelligent and has the same demeanor as you did back then. I like her very much and plan to let her gain some experience before promoting her to head maid and serving her closely."
Xu Lejin smiled gently.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. On behalf of my twelfth sister, my father, and the Xu family, I thank Your Majesty."
A moment later, Xu Xingxi returned to the hall with a cup of tea in her hands.
Respectfully half-kneeling before Xu Lejin, Xu Xingxi suppressed her resentment and jealousy, and said humbly and obediently, "Please have some tea, Consort Xu!"
Xu Lejin nodded gently.
"Welcoming Spring?"
Yingchun immediately stepped forward, took the tea from Xu Xingxi's hand, and placed it on the small tea table next to her.
With a gentle smile, Xu Lejin looked at the Empress and said, "The Lu'an Melon Seed tea in Your Majesty's palace is indeed excellent. In the entire palace, only Your Majesty's palace has received the Lu'an Melon Seed tea bestowed by the Emperor."
"The aroma of Lu'an Melon Seed Tea is so enticing that even I, your humble servant, cannot help but feel intoxicated by it."
The Empress nodded with a smile.
"If Consort Xu is pleased, that's good."
After a pause, the Empress continued, "I remember that Consort Xu had only one head maid and two maids serving her? Consort Xu's head maid was named Yingchun, and the two maids..."
"Your Majesty, my two maids are named Zhishu and Ruhua."
Xu Lejin paused for a moment, then spoke, seemingly confused.
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