"Your Majesty! Are you just going to let her insult you and your concubine like this?"
Consort Hui was so angry she was practically fuming. She was the emperor's concubine, and her family was also present. How could she allow a woman from the countryside to humiliate her like this?
Consort Hui's brother also stepped forward to speak, but before he could utter a word, the old emperor said impatiently, "Enough! Haven't you embarrassed yourselves enough? I've already said that Doctor He's medical skills are superb, but you wouldn't believe me. Now that you've made your bet, apologize! Besides, you two have already caused trouble since the palace banquet just began tonight, deliberately trying to make things difficult for me. Effective immediately, Consort Hui is demoted to Consort Hui, and Qingyu is stripped of her princess title. The two of them are confined to their quarters for a month and are not allowed to leave the house without my permission!"
It would be disastrous if the grand palace banquet were ruined by the mother and daughter arguing.
Consort Hui, oh no, she's now Consort Hui.
Consort Hui stared in disbelief at the middle-aged man above the main hall.
He Jiuniang's words were so outrageous, and not only did he not pursue the matter, he even vented all his anger on the mother and daughter.
Heaven knows how much effort she put into getting to the rank of concubine, enduring humiliation and hardship for many years before finally achieving her goal, only to be demoted after just a few years of peace.
"Your Majesty..."
She wanted to cause a scene, but the old emperor said again, "Enough nonsense, apologize now, or I'll demote you to a lowly concubine!"
Everyone gasped; this price reduction was far too drastic!
Consort Hui felt a mouthful of blood stuck in her throat, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.
She was unwilling to accept this, but if she dared to speak up again now, she might very well become a talented woman. If she was demoted to a talented woman now, how many years would it take for her to rise again?
Moreover, she has offended the old emperor today, and her family may not be able to support her indefinitely.
Without the protection of her maternal family, wouldn't she be devoured alive in this deep palace?
Thinking about the consequences, she became somewhat frightened and finally realized that making a scene at the banquet tonight was a mistake.
Upon seeing this, Consort Hui's brother hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. My sister was confused. Please give my sister and the Fifth Princess another chance. Doctor He saved the Fifth Princess and is our benefactor. We should come to apologize. However, my sister was too worried about the Fifth Princess, which is why she said the wrong thing."
After saying this, before the old emperor could speak, he hurriedly apologized to He Jiu Niang, saying, "The Fifth Princess is the apple of my little sister's eye, which is why she offended someone like this. I beg Doctor He to be magnanimous and not hold it against her. I apologize to Doctor He on behalf of my little sister and the Fifth Princess."
As he spoke, he bowed to He Jiuniang with his hands clasped in a respectful gesture, making it seem as if he truly knew he had done wrong.
Since they were good at putting on a show, He Jiuniang couldn't say much and waved her hand, saying, "Let's leave it at that for now."
He Jiuniang didn't even look at Consort Hui's brother. She reached out her hand for Lu Baichuan to lead her, and then planned to go back to her seat.
Consort Hui's brother's face turned as black as charcoal. As a Grand Secretary, this was the first time anyone had dared to look him in the eye!
However, since the other party is He Jiuniang, who can even argue with the old emperor, all of this seems to make sense.
"Haha, this Doctor He is indeed no ordinary person."
The Empress Dowager held the Princess Consort's hand, smiling broadly. This little temper of hers was just right for her.
Princess Consort Chen smiled and said to her, "Jiu Niang is a wonderful person. In the future, when your granddaughter-in-law takes her to the palace to greet the Empress Dowager, she can also bring some delicious food with her."
"Excellent, excellent, just what I wanted!"
While the two were whispering amongst themselves, the old emperor also wanted to take this opportunity to show off Lu Baichuan and his wife, so that no foolish person would provoke them in the future and bring trouble upon himself.
He cleared his throat and said, “Minister Lu and his wife, one has made great contributions to the state of Beiyan, and the other has saved my life. Although they come from peasant families, they are upright and honest. Their official positions and achievements are all earned through their own abilities. From now on, when you see them, you are not allowed to be so rude, otherwise you will be going against me!”
No one dared to utter a sound. He Jiu Niang was somewhat surprised, not expecting the old emperor to be willing to publicly support her. It seemed that the old man wasn't entirely without merit.
"Are they all deaf?"
The old emperor looked down at the large crowd below with a stern face. His sharp gaze swept over them, and the crowd hurriedly knelt down, respectfully saying, "Your subjects obey!"
He Jiuniang curled the corners of her lips. It should have been done a long time ago.
Consort Hui and the other two have been taken away, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will not be seen again for some time.
The banquet finally began officially. He Jiuniang ate while enjoying the singing and dancing, her expression one of pure bliss.
It's the dead of winter, and the food on the table has long since gone cold, losing all its original flavor. It would have been perfect to have hot pot instead. I can suggest that to the old emperor next time.
However, several pairs of eyes in the crowd were fixed on the couple. Some were filled with resentment, some with admiration, some with a desire to curry favor, and some... with a hint of malice, wanting to tear her to pieces.
He Jiuniang took a look and found that quite a few of them were carrying knives.
She looked at each of them one by one. There was Consort Hui, who had just apologized to her so earnestly; then there was Prince Lin, who had been quiet and hadn't caused any trouble all evening; and then there was another dish—
He Jiuniang narrowed her eyes. The other person quickly looked away, but He Jiuniang still saw it.
She appeared to be a dignified and elegant noblewoman, but that was only on the surface. After all, the hatred and sharp tongue on her face indicated that she was no good person.
The other person's status must be quite high, as they were sitting quite close to the front, with a middle-aged man next to them who didn't seem particularly special and was currently chatting and drinking with the person next to them.
It seems that the only one who harbors hatred towards her is that woman.
He Jiuniang remembered that she did not know that person and had no grudge against him. Why did the other person hate her so much?
Could it be that he's simply jealous of her good looks?
She curled her lip in a slightly narcissistic way. What was there to be jealous of? Natural beauty isn't something you can acquire just by being jealous...
However, He Jiuniang did not hold a grudge for long; her attention was soon drawn to a girl behind the woman.
The girl looked about half like the woman, and they looked like mother and daughter. However, unlike the woman, the girl's eyes were fixed on Lu Baichuan, and her gaze was almost obsessive.
Good heavens, her man has only just made his debut in the capital, and he's already attracting attention?
He Jiuniang tugged at Lu Baichuan's sleeve and asked, "Who are those people at that table?"
Lu Baichuan followed her gaze and said, "If I'm not mistaken, it's Duke Mu and his wife and daughter. I was just wondering, we have no connection with the Duke Mu's mansion, so why is the Duchess of Mu keeping such a close eye on you?"
He has decided to send someone tomorrow to investigate the situation at the Duke of Mu's mansion, to find out why they dare to glare at his wife like that.
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