Consort Hu Qianyu entered gracefully, lifting the hem of her skirt with a gentle smile on her lips.
Lan Shanyang was looking down at the painting, but in a fleeting glance, he saw Hu Qianyu's skirt.
Hu Qianyu wore a purple floor-length fairy dress today, looking truly dignified and elegant. Although she is not young anymore, her well-maintained appearance, paired with this dress, still made her look stunningly beautiful.
Moreover, Hu Qianyu specially wore this dress today to show Lan Shanyang, because she knew very well that the Emperor had a fondness for purple.
However, Lan Shanyang only glanced at it before his brows furrowed slightly.
Why is she wearing a purple dress too?
Why wear any other color? Why insist on wearing Mei'er's favorite color? Is she deliberately trying to make things difficult for him?
Besides, does everyone look good in purple? When Mei'er wears purple, she looks like a celestial being descended to earth; even if Qin Kou'er isn't quite as stunning as Mei'er, she's still a breathtakingly beautiful sight. Look at her, her arms are almost as thick as her legs, and she's wearing purple! It's just a poor imitation, terribly ugly!
In short, Lan Shanyang now finds nothing about Hu Qianyu satisfactory, and something seems off.
Therefore, his face was very ugly, extremely ugly.
He had a few more things to say to her, but because she was wearing a dress that offended him, he completely stopped talking.
"What brings you here so late?"
Lan Shanyang looked down at the painting, carefully controlling even the corner of his eye this time, so as not to see anything that might make him angry.
Hu Qianyu never expected that Lan Shanyang would actually be able to see her today.
She had been sent away nine times out of ten when she came here, but she never expected that Lan Shanyang would let her in this time. After thinking about it, she could only be because Lan Xiuyuan had made something of himself this time that he had received this honor.
The thought that Lan Shanyang might treat Lan Xiuyuan differently made Hu Qianyu even more excited.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" Hu Qianyu bowed to Lan Shanyang according to custom, and then stood up and said with a smile, "I know that Your Majesty conferred a title on Yuan'er in court today, so I specially made white fungus and lotus seed soup to express my gratitude."
As she spoke, Hu Qianyu nodded to the maid behind her, who quickly smiled and brought the food over to Jing Quan.
The panoramic view was taken, but then set aside.
Hu Qianyu has always liked Lan Shanyang!
Or perhaps it was a deep and unwavering love. From the moment she first met him at the age of fourteen, she was captivated by his unparalleled beauty and the wild aura he exuded.
For twenty years, she never stopped being infatuated with him. In fact, as she grew older and Lan Shanyang's temperament became more refined, she became even more obsessed with him.
However, as the years went by, Lan Shanyang became increasingly indifferent to her. For example, even though Lan Shanyang always made his rejection so obvious, her heart was still deeply hurt by his rejection.
However, Hu Qianyu was no longer the spoiled little girl who entered the palace years ago. Over the long years, she had learned how to hide her thoughts.
Hu Qianyu glanced indifferently at the lotus seed soup placed to the side, her smile as gentle as ever, as if she hadn't seen it at all.
Hearing her words, Lan Shanyang raised his head and glanced at her indifferently. "Xiuyuan did a good job, of course I will reward him. In the future, when your son becomes a prince, you must be even more respectful, and don't let people say that you are relying on your son for your status!"
"Yes! Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered!"
Speaking of this, Hu Qianyu was still overjoyed. No matter what, Lan Shanyang had treated her well after all, making her son a prince, which was better than that virtuous concubine! Why didn't her third son get a prince title?
Hu Qianyu was so happy today that she forgot about Lan Shanyang's rules.
Standing up, she saw Lan Shanyang looking at a portrait and couldn't help but walk over to look at it with her. "What is Your Majesty looking at?"
Lan Shanyang suddenly looked up coldly.
The chilling gaze startled Hu Qianyu, who involuntarily took a step back.
Seeing Lan Shanyang's murderous look, the Emperor gently walked over and said with a smile, "Your Highness, the Emperor is looking at the portraits of this year's imperial concubines!"
A single sentence, like an icicle, shattered Hu Qianyu's heart, sending her straight to the depths of hell.
The Emperor has started looking at the young ladies-in-waiting. Doesn't that mean the palace, which has been quiet for many years, is about to welcome new women? Could it be that the Emperor has fallen in love again?
Looking at those beautiful pictures of youthful beauty, Hu Qianyu felt her heart turn to ice.
Even with the best disguise, her face couldn't help but betray a hint of embarrassment and sorrow.
After looking down for a long time, Lan Shanyang didn't find any of them appealing, not even half as good as Qin Kou'er.
Lan Shanyang was in a bad mood. She reached out and took the silk handkerchief from Quan Jing's hand, wiping her hands while looking up.
Seeing that Hu Qianyu was still staring blankly at the picture in front of her, Lan Shanyang glanced at her in the direction of her gaze, and then looked at the hidden resentment in Hu Qianyu's eyes, and couldn't help but grin cruelly.
"Xiuyuan isn't young anymore, is he? It's time for him to get married!"
After saying this casually, Lan Shanyang turned around and sat down on the chair next to her.
"Is His Majesty choosing a princess for Xiu Yuan?"
Hu Qianyu was so surprised by her own delight, but she was truly overjoyed! The Emperor not only didn't choose a concubine, but he was going to personally select a princess for Xiuyuan. This was truly an act of great favor and grace, just a hair's breadth away.
Lan Shanyang looked up at Hu Qianyu with a deliberately strange expression: "Otherwise, what do you think I'm doing?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com