"Xuan."
The young eunuch led Ye Qianning and Nan Xiang in.
Ye Qianning tucked her hands into her sleeves, her posture calm and steady, her face as graceful as a lotus emerging from the water, so elegant that she seemed not to be a woman from this world. She came in from outside the hall, with the light behind her, as if she was stained with a bright glow.
It makes people feel dazed for a moment.
Staring at the countless pairs of eyes outside the palace, their expressions ranged from curiosity to surprise and astonishment, to disbelief, obsession, jealousy, resentment, and hatred...
A mixture of gazes.
The Queen, a group of concubines, and princesses were all shocked. They had heard from others that Ye Qianning was so beautiful, and now when they saw her, they were shocked.
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen."
Nan Xiang saluted, but Ye Qianning stood and bowed.
Yingge stood in front of Ye Qianning and just stretched out her hand and made a gesture.
The queen suddenly came to her senses and frowned slightly when she saw that she did not kneel down.
"Miss Xiang, you must kneel and bow when you see the Queen."
Concubine Fang on the left couldn't help but speak.
Ye Qianning glanced at him coldly and sneered, but the sound was not loud enough to make the person who said it feel ashamed.
"Miss Xiang, how can you be so ignorant of etiquette?" Concubine Fang, who had just spoken, was displeased. She was in her twenties and was a concubine appointed by the emperor two years ago. She was quite favored.
Except for the queen, who lived like a fish in water in the harem, almost no one dared to disrespect her like this.
"Etiquette is for those who understand it." Ye Qianning said coldly.
"you……"
"Is this lady of higher rank than the Queen?" Ye Qianning asked with a raised eyebrow.
Concubine Fang's face darkened a little: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"The Queen hasn't even spoken yet, and as a concubine, you're the first to speak. Is this etiquette?" Ye Qianning scoffed, "How dare you, someone who doesn't even know the difference between high and low, talk to me about etiquette?"
When had Concubine Fang ever been mocked and slapped in the face like this? She immediately stood up and walked out, kneeling down and crying to the Queen: "Your Majesty, I have no intention of going beyond your authority. Please understand."
"Miss Xiang was still young when she left Beili. She has been away for many years and has developed a carefree personality. I understand." The Queen smiled kindly, "Miss Xiang, Xiang'er, please take a seat."
He mocked others while pretending to be magnanimous.
Ye Qianning pulled Nan Xiang, and the eunuch led the two to their seats.
"Fang Fei, you should also get up. After the flower viewing banquet, you will be punished by copying ten Buddhist scriptures."
"yes."
Concubine Fang stood up from the ground with a look of grievance on her face and returned to her seat.
"It's already noon, and it's scorching hot outside. I'll have someone prepare lunch, and then we can go enjoy the flowers in the afternoon. What do you think?"
"The Queen is in charge of everything."
"The Queen is the boss."
A series of sounds rang out.
The queen was satisfied and then looked at Ye Qianning: "What do you think, Miss Xiang?"
how?
What can I do?
Ye Qianning raised an eyebrow: "Will the Queen listen to me?"
The queen didn't expect her to ask back, and her smiling face became a little unhappy.
"How could the Queen listen to you?"
The old lady scolded immediately.
"Then why are you asking me?"
Everything has been decided, but you still have to ask, just to appear friendly.
“…”
The queen secretly glared at the nanny, who immediately took two steps back. With just a few words, the queen knew that Ye Qianning was not easy to deal with.
Some of the concubines had seen Ye Qianning and knew how arrogant she was when she was a child. She even dared to fight with the prince when the emperor and Concubine Yuan were around. She was very brave.
Ten years have passed, and he seems to be even more impatient than when he was a child.
Those who know what's good for them naturally don't want to talk too much and cause trouble. Some concubines who have only been in the palace for a few years are very dissatisfied with Ye Qianning.
The same goes for the young lady from the official family, but due to the rumors that have been circulating in the capital in recent days, everyone knows that Marquis Xiang Ming is bloodthirsty and is somewhat afraid of Ye Qianning.
When some of the young ladies from aristocratic families came here, their parents warned them not to cause trouble, otherwise their fate might be similar to that of the Earl's Mansion.
Of course, there were also those who were jealous and dissatisfied. Staring at that perfect face, their hatred deepened.
Especially Sang Zhen who was sitting at the table, staring at Ye Qianning with eyes that looked like they were about to burst into flames of jealousy.
Concubine Dong, who was sitting above, was terrified, fearing that Sang Zhen would foolishly bump into Ye Qianning.
Nan Xiang glanced at the temporarily quiet palace, and she could hardly suppress the smile on her face. She had never seen such an interesting scene before.
After a brief silence, the Queen returned to her usual smile: "Miss Xiang looks very much like she did when she was little, and her frank nature hasn't changed at all."
Ye Qianning: "Your Majesty the Queen, thank you for your praise."
“…”
"Come here, serve the food."
The Queen ordered.
Not long after the eunuch left, a group of palace maids came up with trays and placed them in front of each seat.
"Aren't you hungry? It just happened to be time for dinner." Ye Qianning turned his head and said to Nan Xiang.
'belch'
Nan Xiang burped in response.
“…”
"I can't eat anymore."
Somehow the smell of food reached her nose, but she had no appetite at all.
Ye Qianning didn't have much appetite. The four dishes and one soup in front of him, plus a plate of pastries, were quite sumptuous, but the aroma of the pastries seemed a bit too strong.
"Everyone, please have your meal."
The Queen picked up the chopsticks.
When the concubines, princesses and young ladies saw the queen picking up her chopsticks, they also picked up their chopsticks.
For those who entered the palace early in the morning, they were starving to death at this time.
Ye Qianning took everyone in the palace into her sight the moment she entered it. She remembered how many concubines there were and the princess's seat.
Four princesses attended the royal family: the fourth princess Sang Le, the fifth princess Sang Zhen, the eleventh princess Sang Ling, and the twelfth princess Sang Lanyu.
Then came the ladies from prominent families and daughters of officials.
Several young ladies who were at the jewelry store a few days ago were also there. Except for Guan Mengyan, the others didn't dare to raise their heads.
"Miss Xiang, the food is not to your liking." The queen asked with a smile.
"I had already eaten when I came."
The queen nodded slightly and said something.
Someone in the harem couldn't sit still anymore.
"No wonder Miss Xiang came so late. It turns out she had already had lunch." The speaker was a concubine sitting at the back.
Ye Qianning didn't even look at her.
The concubine didn't get a response. The quiet scene made her blush for a moment: "Miss Xiang, do you know that we missed the flower viewing time because of you?"
Ye Qianning raised his eyelids: "So?"
The concubines' faces twitched dramatically and they were unable to answer for a moment.
"Ye Qianning, you don't even have a nationality now, why are you so arrogant?" Sang Zhen finally couldn't sit still anymore.
Ye Qianning looked over when he heard the voice, then retracted his gaze: "Fifth Princess, please stop talking, or you'll lose the ranking you just got."
"Ye Qianning."
Sang Zhen stood up from her seat. What she hated most was people using the Fifth Princess's identity as an excuse.
"The black market odds have not been closed yet. After meeting the Fifth Princess today, I think I have to get back the money that I bet on the Fifth Princess's safety. After all, according to the Fifth Princess's personality, she won't be safe." Ye Qianning sneered.
Nan Xiang looked up and stared at him complainingly as if she had received a signal. She had said she would bet on the disaster.
"What's the odds, Ye Qianning..."
"Zhen'er." Concubine Dong couldn't sit still anymore.
Sang Zhen stamped her feet and looked at Concubine Dong, feeling aggrieved and angry: "Mother, Ye Qianning has gone too far."
"Today is the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Queen, so you must not be rude." Concubine Dong said nothing, but she was not stupid.
The Queen did not try to stop her, and the implication was obvious: Ye Qianning was not an ordinary young lady from an official family, and would do her no good at all.
Sang Zhen glared at him fiercely and had to sit down.
"Your Majesty, Zhen'er is ignorant and has disturbed your meal." Concubine Dong bowed.
"It's okay. It's normal for children to quarrel with each other. These princesses are usually spoiled. Only Miss Xiang has never been afraid since she was a child. I still remember that she not only fought with Zhen'er and Shu'er, but even the prince was not spared." The queen smiled kindly, without any blame.
"Haha, I remember that too."
Concubine Dong covered her mouth and smiled as she spoke.
"I didn't expect there was such fun in the palace before." The fourth princess Sang Le chuckled at the side.
The daughter of Queen Sangle is twenty-five years old this year and has already married. Today she brought her younger sister-in-law, who had just come of age, into the palace to see the world.
"Yes, Miss Xiang was also fearless when she was little. When she and Nan Xiang were together, the two of them were little bullies." The queen spoke helplessly with a joking smile.
"Aunt Huang, why are you bringing Xiang'er up again?"
The Queen and several others looked over and laughed at the same time.
Nan Xiang pouted and snorted twice.
Ye Qianning's expression was indifferent and there was not much change. Ever since she entered the palace, she always knew that a pair of eyes were staring at her. It was Sang Lanyu.
When she came in, she saw Concubine Zhan and the little man beside her at a glance, and nodded imperceptibly as a greeting.
Little Sang Lanyu was not as scheming as the adults. Her eyes were always fixed on Ye Qianning, full of surprise and joy.
"Her Majesty the Queen."
Guan Mengyan stood up from his seat.
The queen's smile persisted: "What is the matter, Miss Guan?
"Your Majesty, there was some misunderstanding between me and Miss Xiang in the jewelry store a few days ago. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Miss Xiang today. I beg for your permission, Your Majesty." Guan Mengyan knelt down and kowtowed.
"Okay." The queen had heard a little about what happened a few days ago.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Guan Mengyan stood up and returned to her seat. She took the cup and poured a cup of tea. She stood up and walked towards Ye Qianning.
Nan Xiang secretly pulled Ye Qianning's sleeve: "Guan Mengyan is notoriously petty. He doesn't have good intentions, so be careful."
"kindness."
Ye Qianning responded softly, his eyes sweeping through the crowd.
Everyone knew Miss Guan's personality, and many people had a look of pride and anticipation in their eyes.
Guan Mengyan walked to Ye Qianning and leaned towards her: "Miss Xiang, it was my fault a few days ago. Today, I will offer tea instead of wine to Miss Xiang. Please forgive me."
She said as she held out the cup in her hand to her.
"Miss Guan, it's a great honor to admit your mistakes and improve." Ye Qianning glanced at her, almost holding the teacup in front of her: "But I can't drink this tea."
Guan Mengyan's fingers holding the teacup moved: "Miss Xiang, if you don't drink it, do you mean you don't forgive me?"
"Miss Guan wanted to apologize, so Miss Xiang just took a sip as a token of her appreciation."
"Yeah, I've already apologized to the young lady. Do you really want to keep harping on her?"
"Miss Xiang..."
Guan Mengyan listened to the voice in her ear, and her chubby face showed great aggrievedness, as if she would cry in the next second if Ye Qianning didn't drink her.
Seeing this, the Queen smiled and said, "Miss Xiang, it is said that it is better to resolve a feud than to create one. Please forgive Miss Guan."
Everyone was talking at once, and if Ye Qianning didn't drink the tea, it would seem like he didn't know what was good for him.
"Will Guan Mengyan sincerely apologize? Stop joking. Everyone in the capital knows her bad character. Who knows what kind of bad things she might be up to." Nan Xiang rolled her eyes.
Guan Mengyan seemed to have been slammed in the heart, and felt even more aggrieved: "Princess, I was indeed not good in the past. I knelt in the ancestral hall for two days a few days ago and came to my senses. I sincerely want to apologize to Miss Xiang."
As she spoke, tears began to fall.
As soon as Guan Mengyan started crying, the people in the hall saw that something was wrong with Ye Qianning.
Nan Xiang's face was distorted with frowns.
"Are you really sorry?"
Amidst everyone's strange gazes, Ye Qianning asked softly.
Guan Mengyan was stunned for a moment, then nodded repeatedly after realizing what was happening: "Yes, please forgive me, Miss."
Ye Qianning stretched out his slender fingers to take the cup she had been holding for a long time and brought it to his mouth.
Guan Mengyan's eyes were fixed on the cup in her hand, the joy in her eyes could hardly be hidden, and she raised her sleeves to try to cover the corners of her mouth that could not help but smile.
As soon as she raised her wrist, the smile on her lips froze. She watched Ye Qianning's hand, which was close to her mouth, stop, and then the cup fell on the table.
"Miss Xiang, what does this mean?"
Ye Qianning put down the cup, raised his head and stared at her with his phoenix eyes: "I have always been a person who will never let go of any grudge."
"Miss Xiang, what do you mean by this?" Guan Mengyan remained calm.
The people watching the show in the hall were also stunned. Revenge for every slight?
Could it be that Ye Qianning had no intention of forgiving Guan Mengyan at all?
Just when everyone was confused, Ye Qianning stood up, shook his hands, grabbed Guan Mengyan's hair, pressed her head against the table.
"ah……"
Then a scream was extremely piercing in the quiet hall.
Nan Xiang was also shocked and stood up immediately.
"Ah...Miss Xiang, what are you doing?"
"Someone, someone, come here."
Everyone was shocked and stood up from their seats in panic. The queen was also shocked and had to be helped to stand up by the nanny.
Ye Qianning grabbed Guan Mengyan's hair and pulled it back, then hit her again.
"Ah... let me go, let me go... help..."
The screams mixed with the bloody scenes were extremely scary.
"Someone, come and save Miss Guan." The queen panicked.
The guard outside the door came in. Yingge stood in front of him and raised her hand to chop at the guard.
As a first-class guard, even if she didn't have a knife in her hand, she didn't take the group of people in front of her seriously.
No one expected that the people brought by Ye Qianning would actually fight with the palace guards. Some young ladies from official families were so scared that they hugged each other and trembled, fearing that they would be implicated.
"Someone come and capture Ye Qianning."
Sang Zhen was a little excited, and was just wondering what excuse to use to deal with Ye Qianning when she bumped into the door.
Yingge kicked several guards away and snatched the sword from one of them.
The screams and commotion in the hall alarmed the soldiers outside the courtyard, and they rushed towards Fengyi Palace in large numbers.
"stop."
Concubine Zhan shouted, took a few steps forward, and stood not far from Yingge.
When the guards saw Concubine Zhan coming forward, they didn't dare to move and just surrounded her.
Ye Qianning ignored the chaotic scene and held Guan Mengyan's head until she fainted.
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