Since it was a tea party, tea and snacks were naturally indispensable. The maids set out a variety of tea snacks and dried fruits on each master's table, and other maids brewed new tea for the masters to enjoy.
The tea snacks were exquisitely made. Nan Yi took a piece of red date cake and tasted it. She almost choked on it. It was so sweet that she had to drink several sips of tea to get rid of the sweetness.
Noticing the slight frown between her brows, Nala asked with a smile, "Sister Tong, is it not to your liking?"
Nan nodded. "It's a bit too rich. My sister is used to eating light food."
Seeing this, Lady Nara was about to instruct the maid to fetch some less sweet pastries when Liu Gege chuckled, "Sister Tong must not have eaten anything sweet in a long time, right? Look, these pastries are very well made. The Forbidden Garden is a harsh place, and Sister Tong must have suffered a lot. But fortunately, you're out now, and good fortune is on your way."
"Fools." Li and Wen, who had been in the manor for a long time, couldn't help but curse in their hearts.
Judging from Tong's appearance, does she look like she's ever suffered? Judging from her appearance, her life probably isn't too bad.
Lady Tong had always been favored by the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine. Although the Emperor detained Lady Tong, he never made her suffer.
At most, she's not allowed to see anyone.
Furthermore, this pastry is indeed too rich.
Madam Li wiped her mouth and gave Liu Gege a cold look. "Sister Tong has always been blessed. Take these pastries for example. In the whole mansion, perhaps no one can make them as well as Granny Zhao in her small kitchen. Even the master has his eye on them. Some people will never be able to taste them in their entire lives."
Upon hearing this, Liu Gege blushed to the roots of her ears. She had originally intended to use the pastries to subtly mock Tong Shi, but she hadn't expected there to be such a hidden story. She was extremely embarrassed.
Li snorted lightly, then changed the subject, smiling at Nan Yidao, "Sister Tong, it's been many years since we last met. By the way, I'd like to ask what the Forbidden Garden is really like. The rumors outside are quite outrageous, but it seems to me that it's not quite the same as the rumors suggest."
Fearing that Nan might misunderstand, she added, "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just curious, don't overthink it."
Nan Yi didn't take it seriously. What was the big deal? Compared to Liu Gege, who openly mocked and ridiculed Liu Gege for being tactless, Li Shi, who spoke frankly, was more to her liking.
"Actually, it's not as terrible as the rumors say. The Forbidden Garden is just a bit deserted, and the houses are a bit dilapidated and small. After my sister went in, she had Yiren and Xiaoshunzi to keep her company. The two of them are skillful and capable. They repaired and patched things up, cultivated the land, and were self-sufficient. They lived a peaceful and leisurely life," Nan Yixiao said.
As if they had started chatting, Nan smiled gently. "You don't know, when my sister came back, the pumpkins in the yard had grown to cover the wall, about twenty pumpkins, which was really pleasing to the eye. There was also corn that had just been harvested in the fall, oh, and about ten chickens, which were prepared to be eaten for the New Year. I wonder who will benefit from all that now that my sister is gone."
"That sounds interesting, but can you farm in the Forbidden Garden?" Li asked in surprise.
Not to mention her, the others also looked on with curiosity.
Nan shook his head. "Originally, it was impossible. If we don't plant them, where will we get fresh vegetables to eat? Fortunately, Yiren and Xiaoshunzi were thoughtful and brought the seeds with them."
"Are there other people in the Forbidden Garden, or have any outsiders gone in?" Madam Wen asked.
"I don't know if there are other people in the Forbidden Garden, but every now and then, someone will pass by outside, and it's no problem to ask them to bring back some needles and thread."
The Forbidden Garden was also part of the Imperial Palace. Although it was in a remote location, it was patrolled and guarded by guards.
Li looked Tong up and down, clicked her tongue twice, her eyes filled with envy and disbelief. "The three of you are farming, Tong sister, how come you're not tanned? You're so beautiful and radiant. I'm so envious. I wonder how happy the master will be to see you like this."
The room fell silent immediately after he said that.
Even after throwing the bomb, Li was still smiling and talking to Nan Yi.
Lady Nian was furious, but there was nothing she could do. Not to mention Lady Nara, who was sitting in the main seat, her heart felt like it was being fried in hot oil.
Linglong placed the plate of pastries in front of Nara. Nara picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. The pastry was a bit dry, and she choked a little.
"Cough~ cough cough~"
Linglong hurriedly served her tea, saying, "Madam, please have some tea to cleanse your palate."
"Ahem~" Nala picked up the tea. Tong and Li were right, the pastries were indeed too sweet. Thinking of Zhao and Qiu, the nannies in Tong's courtyard, how could all the capable nannies be in her courtyard? The master is really biased.
Lady Nara didn't consider that Granny Qiu was invited by Lady Tong's family, and Granny Zhao was brought back from another courtyard by Nan Yi. They were not arranged by the Fourth Master, so how could she be accused of favoritism?
They chatted about various topics, including some sarcastic remarks, which Nan Yi completely ignored.
She was imprisoned for ten years, but her status remained unchanged. The emperor did not issue an edict to demote her, and she was still a concubine.
Seeing that Lady Nian was being fawned over while the other concubines remained indifferent, Nan Yi felt that the saying "fortune's wheel turns" was the most accurate description of them, and the one who laughs last is often the most low-key one.
“Sister Tong, from what you’ve said, it seems that the Forbidden Garden is quite comfortable,” Liu Gege suddenly said.
If that's the case, why bother coming out? You might as well just stay here for the rest of your life.
Nan Yi could easily imagine the two sentences she had kept hidden in her heart but dared not say aloud.
That Liu Gege is really awful; every word she says is barbed, as if she can't stand it unless she's pricked a few times.
This little princess, I don't know where she got her confidence from, others didn't dare to confront her directly, but she was all over the place.
How did such a fool end up being bestowed upon the Fourth Prince by Consort De?
Tsk tsk, Nan Yi put down his teacup and glanced at her indifferently, "Really ugly."
"Pfft~" Niu Gulu, who was eating pastries, was caught off guard by her words and her personal maid quickly handed her tea.
Not only her, but almost everyone present stared at Nan Yi with a look of astonishment.
Upon hearing this, Liu Gege's face turned red and then pale, filled with shame and indignation. "What did you say, Tong Shi? You've gone too far!"
Nan Yi remained expressionless and cold. "You are really ugly. It's one thing to be ugly, but your heart is also ugly. Your existence seriously lowers the average appearance and quality of all the sisters. Living in the same mansion as you is truly awful to me."
Liu Gege was so angry that she cried. She couldn't bear to stay any longer and ran away, rubbing her face.
Liu Gege was so angered by Consort Tong's few words that she ran away. She had completely lost face. Consort Tong had called her ugly to her face, and yet the other woman didn't dare to refute her. After all, she was so beautiful that she had the right to call others ugly.
Meanwhile, Consort Nian, who had always sided with Consort Liu, remained silent and showed no intention of speaking up for Consort Liu.
Those who initially dared to secretly ridicule Nan Yi, after seeing Nan Yi's straightforward and shameless way of confronting people, dared not be so presumptuous anymore.
They certainly didn't want to be scolded by Consort Tong for being ugly and tasteless.
To be honest, the Manchu noblewomen who were selected to enter the palace as imperial concubines were at least pretty young ladies with regular features; to say they were ugly was a bit of a stretch.
But she was merely pretty; compared to the likes of the Nian and Tong families, she was worlds apart.
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