Chapter 47 Plum Blossom Makeup Meets the Emperor Before Lin Zhi could even marvel at Pei Lang's sudden appearance...
"Madam, are you going to distribute all these flower teas and embroidered handkerchiefs to the ladies and noblewomen of various families?"
"But you've met them before, surely you don't deserve such treatment?"
Lin Zhi buried herself in the cloak, her small face enveloped in white velvet: "That's true, but back then I relied on my aunt and the Pei family. At that time, the Pei family had my uncle and two cousins. No matter what, they wouldn't say anything to my face."
“But things are different now. I am Pei Lang’s concubine. Pei Lang is currently very powerful in the court, which makes him the target of envy and fear.”
"If I am again impolite and someone finds out I made a mistake, it will implicate him."
The thought of facing those hypocritical people alone made Lin Zhi sigh softly again. Pei Lang had originally said she didn't need to keep the appointment, but she couldn't just occupy the title of concubine and do nothing.
Pei Lang has already sacrificed enough for their marriage. If she continues to hide under his protection, she fears she will be turned into a useless person.
She couldn't do anything extra, so she could only focus on these small things.
Seeing Lin Zhi's worry, Chun Tao quickly comforted her, "Miss, there's no need to worry so much. You received so much praise at the poetry gathering before, so those noble ladies must have had a very good impression of you."
"Isn't it a huge waste to scare yourself like this?"
Lin Zhi looked at Chun Tao with some surprise: "I didn't expect that what you said actually makes some sense."
"That's fine, we can't scare ourselves away before anything has even happened."
The place where they gathered around the stove to brew tea was an elegant villa. It was said that the owner of this villa was the current emperor's aunt. Although she was a princess, she had a deep affection for her brother and sister with the late emperor, which was even greater than that of the former eldest princess.
Today, she had invited all the noble ladies and wives from the capital to come.
Lin Zhi pondered to herself that although she was a concubine, she was still among those invited. Presumably, this princess must be a sensible person and not the kind of person who would treat others differently based on their status.
She had just entered the warm, cozy room and taken off her cloak when she was surprised to find everyone's eyes fixed on her. Lin Zhi looked down uncomfortably at her clothes; there was nothing wrong with them.
But then someone exclaimed, seemingly casually, "Oh my, isn't this the snow satin that's so rare in the capital that it's worth a fortune? I heard that even the Princess could only buy some and made just one short shirt."
"I never expected that this little concubine would be wearing a whole set of snow-white satin. She really doesn't know her own worth."
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Lin Zhi to hear clearly.
She looked up and saw that the princess's expression remained unchanged and she was still smiling. She felt a little more at ease. However, she made sure to remember the face of the person who spoke and wondered in her heart if this family had any conflicts with Pei Lang.
Although the princess was over forty, she was still well-maintained, and even when she smiled, only the faint fine lines at the corners of her eyes revealed her age.
"The Plum Garden is specially open to everyone today. There will be a plum banquet when you return later."
"Although it is only a light snow today, the snow falling on the plum blossoms has a touch of elegance. It would be a shame for me to enjoy it all by myself. It would be more appropriate to invite you, who are as beautiful as flowers, to come here."
The women quickly rose to express their gratitude, but they all knew perfectly well that the princess had summoned them today for such a trivial matter.
But why has the princess remained single to this day, without any family or descendants?
Lin Zhi was about to leave with the others, but unexpectedly the princess called out to her: "Madam Pei, please wait."
Lin Zhi stopped in her tracks and waited until everyone had left before hesitatingly stepping forward: "Your Highness is too kind to me. I am merely a concubine of Chief Minister Pei and do not deserve to be called Madam Pei by Your Highness."
Seeing the slender and beautiful Lin Zhi so humble, Xiao Shuya smiled instead: "Madam Pei is indeed clever, intelligent and polite."
"On that day, the whole capital knew about this grand marriage, and Prime Minister Pei even gave you a grand welcome into his residence."
"So what if you're only a concubine in name? The respect he gives you is something even the principal wife might not get. If anyone wanted to be Prime Minister Pei's principal wife, they'd probably be ridiculed."
Lin Zhi's back stiffened slightly; she really couldn't tell whether the princess's words were praising or belittling her.
Seeing her unpleasant expression, the princess chuckled and said, "Alright, go and enjoy the snow and plum blossoms. I just felt an instant connection with Madam Pei, but I didn't mean to frighten you."
Not daring to linger any longer, Lin Zhi quickly bowed and left in haste.
Chun Tao, who was behind her, hurriedly draped the cloak carefully over Lin Zhi's shoulders and adjusted the fur collar: "It seems that the Princess admires Miss very much?"
Lin Zhi, however, had a serious expression. She didn't think that way. If she truly appreciated someone, she wouldn't allow others to belittle her first and then speak up to smooth things over.
Moreover, Lin Zhi was quite self-aware; what could the princess possibly want from her? She was probably after Pei Lang.
He sighed softly, inhaling the biting cold air: "In any case, it's best to be careful."
In order to avoid being left alone by the princess again, Lin Zhi hurried along, trying to stay close to the others, even if it was just to blend into a small circle.
For some reason, these people reacted as if they had seen a monstrous flood when they saw her. The person who was talking non-stop suddenly fell silent and hurriedly pulled the person next to them away.
Lin Zhi remained silent, her face full of confusion: "Are they avoiding me?"
Although Chun Tao didn't dare to nod, Lin Zhi could tell that those people were avoiding her. She just couldn't understand why she had incurred their wrath when she hadn't offended them at all, or even uttered a single word.
"Everyone who sees this will say that Miss Lin is very capable. She was originally childhood sweethearts with the second young master of the Pei family, but now she has married the eldest young master of the Pei family."
"Even as a concubine, she changed her own fate!"
He Luochen's voice came from the whispers. Lin Zhi watched as she talked badly about her to others, but she was puzzled.
She shouldn't have any blood feud with He Luochen, like killing her father or stealing her wife, right?
How can the young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion be so gossipy?
Before she could even retort, she frowned slightly, but then a crisp voice spoke up: "Miss He, your words are so harsh. If it weren't for the death of the second son of the Pei family on the battlefield, I'm afraid Miss Lin wouldn't have married someone else."
"Moreover, although the two of them grew up together, they have never been engaged. Why are you so certain and slandering their reputation!"
He Luochen frowned slightly as she looked over, only to see an unfamiliar face: "Which family's daughter are you from? I didn't know you were such a kind-hearted person."
"To be so protective of Lin Zhi, could he be her watchdog?"
Not content with just talking, He Luochen even pushed the young woman.
Winter is inherently icy and slippery. Although He Luochen didn't use much force, the woman still slipped and fell heavily to the ground!
Everyone gasped in surprise, and Lin Zhi quickly stepped forward to help the girl up. Her once exquisite makeup was now a mess, and even the corner of her eye was chipped.
Lin Zhi was furious. After helping the man to his feet, she turned to look at He Luochen with a cold gaze, which made He Luochen vaguely see a bit of Pei Lang's shadow.
"Miss He, have I offended you in any way?"
"You say such blatant lies without even blushing!"
Even after being caught red-handed, He Luochen didn't take Lin Zhi seriously: "You're just a concubine, and you used to be an orphan living in the Pei family. Who knows what kind of seductive tricks you used to climb up there..."
Seeing that Lin Zhi was wearing and possessed everything she wanted, and that she had even married the man she wanted first, He Luochen felt so angry she wanted to tear her heart apart, and began to speak recklessly.
"You!" Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Lin Zhi wanted to have a good talk with her, but the girl next to him hissed softly and covered her eyes with a pained expression.
Treating the wound was more important than retaliating, so Lin Zhi didn't care about anything else and hurriedly took the woman to an empty room in the other courtyard with Chun Tao to treat her wound.
"Thank you for speaking up for me, young lady. I'm still unsure how to address you."
Fortunately, after cleaning the blood off the girl's face, it was discovered that the wound was just a small opening and was not noticeable from a distance.
The young girl, whose face had been wiped clean, was not exactly a beauty that could topple kingdoms, but she was still quite pretty. She gave a bitter smile and said, "Madam Pei, you flatter me. I just can't stand those people who bully you because they have more people than you."
“My father used to be the steward of the Princess’s residence. Today, it is the Princess’s kindness that allowed me, a wild girl, to come in and enjoy the snow with you. Madam, you can just call me Lu’er, Qin Lu’er.”
"Miss Qin, thank you anyway. It's just a pity that you got hurt and your exquisite makeup was ruined."
It wasn't that Lin Zhi was flattering her; Qin Lu'er's skills were truly exceptional. Her makeup was delicate and the colors were harmonious, but the cut at the corner of her eye ruined some of her beauty.
Qin Lu'er sighed regretfully, "I originally thought I wouldn't be inferior to others, but I didn't expect this to happen. I'm afraid I won't have the face to see anyone anymore. I'll leave first."
Lin Zhi already felt guilty, and now seeing Qin Lu'er so regretful, she was even more at a loss for what to do. But when she hurriedly turned her head, she saw a dressing table in the room, with cosmetics for noble ladies to do their makeup on it.
Her eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled Qin Lu'er to sit down in front of the bronze mirror. She picked up some face powder and gently comforted her, "This wound can't be covered up in a short time, but I have another way. Would Miss Qin be willing to trust me this once?"
Qin Lu'er hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Although she couldn't see what Lin Zhi was doing on her face, she could feel the gentleness and delicacy of her fingers, which made her feel like a spring breeze even in the winter.
"Isn't it perfect that those two wild girls are gone? Who do we think we are? Do they even deserve to sit at the same table as us?"
He Luochen chuckled and spoke sarcastically, but then suddenly stopped, bowing shyly to the person in front of her: "This humble woman greets Your Majesty and Lord Pei."
Pei Lang had come with Xiao Ting to visit the Princess, but he never expected the villa to be so lively today.
He didn't give anyone else a second glance, but instead scanned the room to find his newlywed wife.
Xiao Ting was too lazy to argue, and clicked his tongue lightly, "How boring." He then tried to get up.
Lin Zhi and Qin Lu'er, who came out of the other room, bumped straight into the group. Before Lin Zhi could even be surprised at how Pei Lang could be here, Xiao Ting stopped and called out to her.
What is your name?
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Author's note: I haven't been feeling too well lately, and I had to revise it several times before I was satisfied. Please take a look, my dear friends.
I'll compensate you 6,000 once you've recovered. [heart emoji]
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