As soon as Concubine Shu said this, the expressions of everyone present changed, and Concubine Xian looked at her with a smile.
They didn't dare to offend Concubine Shu, but a small Concubine Gu was still okay, so more than a dozen pairs of eyes looked at Gu Wanying, some with contempt and some with gloating, but most of them were just watching the show.
Yuetao and Feicui's faces changed drastically. Their queen had only entered the palace not long ago and had no foundation in the palace at all. She would definitely be bullied to death by these ladies!
Gu Wanying gave them a calm look and then smiled again.
"Your Highness, Shufei, are wrong. The peony is the national flower, just as the Empress shines brightly in the harem. The peony is known as the prime minister among flowers, just as the Empress and the Consort accompany the Empress. They complement each other." Gu Wanying smiled gently. "I am truly dull and not as thoughtful as Your Highness. Please forgive me for this cup of tea instead of wine."
After saying that, he drank the cup of tea without caring what Concubine Shu said.
She had seen through Gu Wanying's sharp tongue. If she got nothing good out of it, the Queen and Concubine Xian would not get any good either.
“It’s so lively today, it’s a waste for all the sisters to sit together. Why don’t you all write a poem? The one with the best poem will be rewarded with this red agate bracelet.” The Queen cut off the most beautiful and luxurious peony and placed it on a tray, waiting to be used as a hairpin.
The red agate bracelet is a precious item. Those below the Four Concubines are not worthy of owning such precious jewelry, so when they see the smooth, round and bright red agate bracelet, their eyes shine.
However, with such a good poem before it, no one else's poem could compare to it. After all the hard work, Gu Wanying still won the first place.
"Sister Gu is very talented and intelligent. She is also the destined person calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. It seems that she will have the emperor's favor in the future." The concubine's words sounded sour that Gu Wanying really wanted to hold her forehead and smile bitterly.
The Empress, Consort Shu and Consort Xian all looked rather grim.
"Sister, what you said is wrong. The emperor is the Son of Heaven. He cares about the country and the people. How can he be confined to the harem and indulge in flowers?" Gu Wanying pointed out the mistake in her words righteously.
"Yingying said it very well." A steady voice sounded, and everyone looked over and saw the emperor striding towards them.
The queen's face lit up with joy, and she got off the chair and was about to bow. The concubines also bowed in greeting.
In front of everyone, the emperor first helped the queen up, and before anyone could stand firmly, he helped Gu Wanying up.
Gu Wanying saw the queen's smile froze on her lips instantly.
"Your Majesty, you have come at a coincidence. My sisters and I have just finished writing a poem about peonies. Would Your Majesty like to listen to it?" The Queen smiled appropriately, her eyes never leaving the Emperor.
"Oh? What poem did Yingying write?" The emperor only looked at Gu Wanying and reached out to hold her hand.
Such a bold behavior shocked everyone. The emperor never showed his love for concubines in front of others. He was indifferent to everyone. Why was he so good to Gu Wanying?
Gu Wanying only felt that several gazes were piercing her, as if they wanted to pierce through her.
Gu Wanying could only recite the poem again, and at the end she added, "Actually, I really like the lotus. It rises from the mud without being stained, and washes in the clear water without being coquettish. It is noble and elegant. The lotus leaves and lotus roots are very useful. It is a treasure from head to toe!"
The emperor laughed heartily. Not only the common people but also the palace liked to use lotus leaves and lotus roots to prepare meals. To some extent, he was also sharing the joy with the people.
After hearing what Gu Wanying said, his eyes were full of love.
He really liked such a talented and insightful woman! The lotus pond in the Imperial Garden was not big, but the lotus pond in the Royal Courtyard was considered large. The pond alone covered an area of 50 acres. When all the lotus flowers bloomed in the summer, the scene was breathtaking.
"Sister Gu just said that lotus flowers are cold and emotionless and uninteresting, but she changed her words when the emperor came. Sister Gu is really fickle. It is I who am the dumbest and cannot say such hypocritical words." The concubine on the side came up and scolded her, looking at the emperor with a passionate and affectionate gaze.
She wanted to attract the emperor's attention, and the emperor did look at her.
But then, with a "slap", a crisp and loud slap came down.
The concubine was beaten and fell to the ground, her hair was disheveled and she looked in a miserable state.
"Your Majesty?" She looked at him in surprise, her face red and swollen.
"I don't allow you to gossip in public. If I hear you again, watch out for your head!" The emperor looked at her coldly and said.
After saying this, he ignored everyone's reaction, picked up Gu Wanying and strode away in front of everyone's surprised or envious gazes.
This sudden scene shocked everyone. The queen even forgot to speak, and the concubine sat down on the ground in despair.
Is this the boss’s favor?
This feels pretty good!
Gu Wanying admired the emperor's appearance from a close distance, and even the stubble on his chin seemed to exude a mature charm.
She could hear the strong heartbeat in his chest, which made her feel at ease.
After being hugged by the emperor, Gu Wanying became a celebrity in the palace, even surpassing the once favored Concubine Shu. There were many people in the world who watched the fun, and everyone laughed at Concubine Shu for falling out of favor.
Gu Wanying enjoyed another night of pleasure, but that night the maid from Concubine Shu's palace rushed to call the emperor over, saying that he had a sudden headache and only the emperor could get better.
Gu Wanying's mouth twitched. What era is it now? Why are they still playing this trick?
"If you have a headache, go find the imperial physician. I can't treat illnesses!" The emperor said angrily. The palace maid didn't dare to make a sound and crawled back to report.
The emperor fell asleep again while holding Gu Wanying in his arms.
While Gu Wanying is full of love, the Sun family is shrouded in dark clouds.
Sun Chongming got drunk after returning from the palace. He was in a very depressed mood because he felt that Gu Wanying's leaving him was like a delicate flower that withered in an instant, and she was devastated and looked like a broken person.
But the fact is, she is even more beautiful than when she was waiting to be married, like a flower blooming more brilliantly in the dew, and her figure, when you look closely, has a hint of woman's charm.
That day, she was wearing an elaborate palace dress and gorgeous makeup, like a fairy in the clouds. In contrast, he was just an ordinary boy from a noble family, and now he couldn't even reach the corner of her clothes.
But she was so different from what he had imagined her to be. How could he accept such a huge gap for a while?
Perhaps she was forcing a smile? After all, there were so many people in the Imperial Garden. If she didn't do this, she might displease the Emperor.
Sun Chongming finally convinced himself, but when he saw Qiao Niang, the strange feeling in his heart came out again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
