Chapter 167 Return to the Court Banquet (5)
Today's banquet was no mere celebration. It was bound to be a dangerous affair, a battle of strength, each seeking to checkmate the other. The game was laid, the pieces planted, waiting for the moment the opponent fell into the trap.
Of course, what is more important to her is... the place where she was imprisoned for her entire life in her previous life, where her children and relatives were buried, and where she was full of enemies and killings, the Nine-Layered Palace, she is finally going to return again.
Emperor Wenhui, the Fu family, and those old friends in the palace met again. It was still unknown who would win. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and in the depths of her clear eyes, a dark light swirled like a vortex, gradually stirring up a black storm.
…
The nine-tiered palaces are majestic and grand, with glazed tiles and carved red lacquer, golden dragons entwined and colorful phoenixes dancing. They are glittering and bright, yet also desolate and sad.
Brightness is always superficial, just like the fertile soil beneath the blossoming flowers. Deep within this palace lies the remains of countless bones and beauties, yet in the end, they are nothing more than withered bones. As beautiful as this palace appears, so sinister lies within.
In the garden, a palace maid and a eunuch were watering the flowers. These dull and tedious tasks were assigned to the newly arrived eunuchs and palace maids. They looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, and were still very young.
The young palace maid said, "Today, many people came to the front hall. If I hadn't made a mistake and been demoted this time, I would have been able to serve those nobles in the front hall. You know, the silver from the rewards at the annual return banquet alone can last a whole year."
"Returning to the Imperial Court Banquet..." The young eunuch showed a longing expression: "There are so many rewards, isn't it impressive?"
"Look at you, you're so ignorant." The maid curled her lips. "You're so ignorant. The Returning Court Banquet was a special evening banquet held by His Majesty to reward the great general for his merits. The attendees were all high-ranking officials and their wives, so naturally they were generous. If you wait a few more years, with luck, you might be able to see it once. Then you'll know that the silver rewards given by those nobles are given one ingot at a time."
"A silver ingot?" the young eunuch exclaimed, then said enviously, "That mighty general is so proud that His Majesty even held a special evening banquet in his honor. He must be in the limelight."
"What's the point of being in the limelight?" the maid said with disdain. "Having a daughter like that is just a fool, it's enough to not lose face. Why bother showing off?"
"A straw bag's daughter?" the young eunuch asked. "The daughter of a mighty general?"
"You don't know this, do you?" the maid said mysteriously. "General Shen is wise and brave, Madam Shen is a heroine, and Lieutenant General Shen is also brave and skilled in battle, but the daughter of the mighty general is a complete fool. Not only is she completely clueless about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but she also likes to wear gold and silver jewelry, which is very tacky. Every time General Shen brings her to the Return to Court Banquet, she makes a fool of herself. I served at the Return to Court Banquet last year, and you wouldn't know it, she didn't even know the basic etiquette, and she even missed a step and tumbled down the stairs because of her skirt. Those ladies love to laugh at her the most. Even with the protection of the Shen family, everyone looks down on that young lady of the Shen family."
"It's really like this..." The young eunuch sighed when he heard this: "It's really a waste of the Shen family's reputation."
"That's right," the maid continued, "She's the downfall of the Shen family. Her two cousins are both more outstanding than her, and she's completely disgraced General Shen. Furthermore, this young lady of the Shen family was previously infatuated with His Royal Highness Prince Ding, and it caused quite a stir, known to the entire court."
"What a vulgar woman." The young eunuch also showed disgust in his eyes.
The palace maid stayed in the palace every day, unlike the wives and daughters of officials who could leave the palace, and everything she knew only happened in the palace. Therefore, she was completely unaware of the fact that Shen Miao had been trying to get rid of her reputation for being rude.
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