Chapter 365 Flower Appreciation Party
Liang Lan nodded in agreement: "Honey is right, I don't want to please them."
Su Yindi didn't quite agree with what Liang Lan and Jiang Mi said, but she didn't say anything. In her opinion, Jiang Mi and Liang Lan were always stuck in Hongyang Village. They were different now and their thinking should change.
"Isn't this Jiang Mi? Miss Jiang is here too." Zhao Zhilan looked at Jiang Mi with eyes full of jealousy, but this time she also revealed a hint of schadenfreude.
"Yes, it's not surprising to see you here. After all, you're the one who wags the most tail among Liu Zijun's lapdogs. If you weren't here one day, I'd wonder if you'd offended your master."
Zhao Zhilan bit her lip. She was usually quite eloquent, but she became much clumsy after meeting Jiang Mi. Moreover, Jiang Mi sometimes spoke too rudely. As a daughter of a prestigious family, she naturally did not want to really argue with Jiang Mi.
"Don't talk nonsense. I also come from a prestigious family. Liu Zijun is not my master. We are equals; she was just born into a better family than me."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Liu Zijun arrived with several young ladies from prominent families. Upon hearing this, she was extremely displeased with Zhao Zhilan: "What are you saying? Are you implying that you and I are equal? How are we equal?"
In front of Liu Zijun, she naturally dared not say anything and could only lower her head and smile awkwardly. In front of so many people, Liu Zijun did not give her any face at all, which was a waste of her time following Liu Zijun's side.
"So you're turning on your own people like this? Miss Liu, Miss Zhao has always been by your side helping you. How can you talk about her like that? It's really disheartening!" Jiang Mi was happy to watch the show, and her sarcastic words made the two of them even angrier.
Liu Zijun retorted angrily, "It's none of your business. What do you mean by helping me? Isn't it just sucking up to me? People need to know their place. Jiang Mi, you are like that, and so is Zhao Zhilan."
Just then, the girl next to her said, "Miss Liu, it seems like the auspicious time is almost here; it's time to admire the flowers."
Liu Zijun reluctantly left, still harboring resentment towards the two people: Jiang Mi, whom she was extremely jealous of, and Zhao Zhilan, whom she looked down upon. Sooner or later, she would make them all bow down to her.
Jiang Mi watched Liu Zijun's retreating figure and said sarcastically, "See? You're so nice to her all the time, but she's not even as good as a dog. I don't know why you're so obsessed with her. Is it because she can find you a good husband, or can she bring you some other benefits?"
Zhao Zhilan looked at the leaves on the ground with disdain: "I have my reasons for following her. She looks down on my status, and I look down on her stupidity. Jiang Mi, you and I are actually similar, no, your status is even lower than mine. Since she is unfaithful to me, don't blame me for betraying her. A big shot is coming today, from the palace. That's all I can say. You'd better watch yourself."
"From the palace? Who could that be?" Su Yindi asked curiously, watching Zhao Zhilan's retreating figure. "Could it be one of the eunuchs?"
Liang Lan shook her head: "Why would Liu Zijun invite a eunuch to admire the flowers? Perhaps it's a noble person from the palace? Given Liu Zijun's status, she shouldn't be able to invite the Empress Dowager. It's probably a concubine from the harem."
Jiang Mi said knowingly, "Then it can only be Consort Jing. Consort Jing is Liu Zijun's aunt, so she should be able to give her this face. Many people say that Consort Jing is incredibly beautiful, and today we will finally be able to see her beauty."
Su Yindi's eyes lit up immediately: "Really? I've never seen a noble person in the palace before. I'm so curious. I wonder what the difference is between noble people in the palace and us. I can brag about it when I get back."
She doesn't even know when she'll be able to go back to Shushan County yet, but Su Yindi is thinking quite far ahead. She can't wait to go back so she can brag to the villagers.
Jiang Mi and the other two also went to the banquet. Everyone gathered in the garden. Although Liu Zijun's arrangement was not very beautiful, the precious flowers were so beautiful that even just placing them there made them look unique.
"Miss Liu, you are truly capable. You actually managed to invite Consort Jing here. Someone like Consort Jing would probably only give you this much face."
"Yes, yes, we are all fortunate to have the opportunity to see Your Majesty's beauty thanks to you. It is truly our honor."
Liu Zijun was very pleased with their praise. She enjoyed being flattered the most. Then she looked at Jiang Mi with disdain.
"My aunt is a stunning beauty, not some random wild girl. Don't be intimidated by her aura later."
Everyone was very nervous and looking forward to Consort Jing's arrival. At this moment, Liu Zijun suddenly stood up. She saw that Huo Ran had also arrived. Several young masters from the capital had also been invited. In fact, the one she wanted to see the most was Huo Ran.
Unfortunately, Huo Ran refused several invitations she sent. Finally, having no other choice, she brought up Consort Jing, and Huo Ran reluctantly agreed. In any case, she managed to get Huo Ran to come.
"Brother Huo Ran, what do you think of these flowers I've grown?"
Huo Ran was too lazy to expose her. What did she mean by "she raised them"? The people who raise flowers are specially hired. Liu Zijun probably hadn't even seen them once. She was just enjoying the feeling of being fawned over.
"Really? Since Miss Liu personally nurtured it, may I ask when this flower bloomed?"
Liu Zijun's smile froze instantly. How could she know when it was opened? How could Huo Ran ask such a difficult question to embarrass her?
“This…this one bloomed last night, no, it’s been blooming for two or three days. This is the flower I’ve taken the best care of. If you like it, Brother Huo Ran, why don’t you take it with you and put it in your inner room? It’ll be like I’m keeping you company.”
Huo Ran sneered: "Is that so? Although I don't know much about these flowers and plants, I do know that this flower has a very short blooming period. For it to have bloomed this long, it probably only opened this morning, right?"
Someone nearby who knew about flowers whispered, "Young Master Huo has a good eye. I didn't expect you to know so much. This flower does seem to be true. Its blooming period is only one day. It's already so big, so it must have bloomed this morning."
Liu Zijun's face turned bright red. She was embarrassed to have lost face in front of the person she liked. She said awkwardly, "It seems so. I have so many flowers, I really can't remember them all. But that's not important. Please take a seat, brother."
Huo Ran originally wanted to turn around and leave, but he saw Jiang Mi in the crowd. Even among so many beautiful women standing together, he could still spot Jiang Mi at a glance.
"Alright, then I'll wait to see Miss Liu's other flowers."
Liu Zijun breathed a sigh of relief. She organized this flower viewing party just to see Huo Ran. If Huo Ran only showed up once and then left, what would be the point of her organizing this party?
"It's really lively here."
A sharp voice suddenly came from outside. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and before they could see anyone, Liu Zijun greeted them with a face full of surprise.
"Auntie, you've finally arrived! Ziju has been waiting for you for so long."
Jiang Mi looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman in palace attire being surrounded by a group of maids and servants as she walked over. She was indeed very beautiful, but there were still some signs of aging. However, for a woman of her age to maintain herself so well was already quite remarkable. It seemed that this Consort Jing liked to put effort into her appearance.
"Really? I arrived quite early, yet you've invited so many people?"
Liu Zijun walked beside Consort Jing, her head held high, her expression full of pride: "Yes, everyone here has a good relationship with our Liu family. Anyway, our courtyard is big enough, so we just invited them all. Besides, they know that you are coming today, Aunt, and they are all waiting to see you."
"To see me?" Consort Jing smiled, not looking at anyone. There was no one here who could catch her eye, except for Huo Ran.
"Young Master Huo is here too. It's been a while since I've seen you."
He suddenly stood up, bowed again, and said, "Greetings, Consort Jing."
Consort Jing nodded, her eyes full of admiration as she looked at Huo Ran. She couldn't help but feel a little regretful. It would have been nice if Liu Zijun could have married him, but unfortunately, Liu Zijun was really disappointing. It was also sad that Huo Ran didn't think much of her.
Consort Jing sat in the highest position and looked down at everyone. She immediately saw Jiang Mi and her heart skipped a beat. This woman was indeed more beautiful than she was when she was young. No wonder so many people praised her in front of her. Even Liu Zijun said that she was beautiful. It was true.
She already had a premonition, but she didn't expect it to be even more beautiful than she thought.
If the emperor saw her, wouldn't he feel that he was no longer attractive, that he was inferior to her even in his youth, let alone now that he was old and faded?
"Let's begin." Consort Jing's smile faded slightly. She felt somewhat uncomfortable, stemming from envy and jealousy towards other women.
Liu Zijun nodded and said to everyone, "Please try the flower tea I personally prepared. What do you think of the taste?"
A cup of tea with a few flower petals was placed in front of Jiang Mi. It smelled quite fragrant, but it was far inferior to her peach blossom wine.
Su Yindi whispered, "These young ladies really know how to enjoy life. They even use flowers to make tea, but it doesn't taste that great."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
