Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 286 Staying Overnight at Funing Palace

As Rong Meiren stepped into the side hall with a heavy heart, Min Rong and Aunt Mei saw this and quickly led Lv Liu and others to stand on both sides to pay their respects. More than a dozen dancers were already dressed and waiting on the side.

Yinqiao, the maidservant beside Consort Rong, stepped forward with a smile, bowed, and took the clothes from Green Willow's hands for a careful inspection. Aunt Minrong had already noticed that everything in the side hall had been changed, and secretly sighed at Consort Chun's true prudence and thoroughness.

At this moment, Consort Wu also led her entourage into the hall. Consort Rong looked puzzled and asked Aunt Mei with a slightly questioning gaze.

Aunt Mei was unaware of the situation beforehand; it was Aunt Min Rong who offered an explanation.

Rong Meiren rolled her eyes and sneered, "Could it be that the instructor taught us wrong before? When did the rules of the First Celebration Banquet change?"

Wu Yunu's actions were already against the rules, and when faced with Rong Meiren's veiled insult, her face flushed red, and a strong sense of humiliation welled up in her heart.

"Your Majesty the Empress has ordered me to accompany Consort Xie's music and dance. I wonder if Consort Rong has any objections?"

Wu Yunu forced herself to finish saying those words, curtsied, and walked straight to the right front.

Rong Meiren was proud and arrogant, and was about to make a sarcastic remark when Yin Qiao, having finished checking her clothes, stopped her and said, "Your Majesty, it's getting late, you should change your clothes as soon as possible."

Wu Yunu knew in her heart that she had offended Rong Meiren today, but she had no time to care about anything else, as she had been preparing for this moment for a long time.

Aunt Mei gently shook her head. After all, Consort Wu was a palace maid, and her knowledge was truly limited. After delivering the zither, Ruizhu returned to the side hall and urged Consort Wu to enter the main hall quickly.

Green Willow finally noticed something amiss; it seemed that Aunt Min Rong had known beforehand that Lady Wu would be dancing today.

Inside the Linde Hall.

Faced with the sudden turn of events involving Consort Wu, Consort Xie suppressed her dissatisfaction, composed herself, rose from her seat, and gracefully walked towards the center of the hall.

"Your humble servant, Lady Xie, presents the 'Lotus Picking Song'."

After the Emperor nodded in response, Consort Xie sat down in front of the zither. The Jiao Wei Qin in front of her was of extraordinary origin; it was a coming-of-age gift that her father had personally found in Luoyang.

Xie Jieyu had not only met the Emperor, but had also long harbored feelings for him. Her father had initially been unwilling to let her participate in the imperial concubine selection, but she had insisted on choosing the path to the palace. Today, she was full of hope, and even though the Empress had arranged for Wu Yunu to dance with her, she firmly believed that her musical skills would surely win the Emperor's favor.

"Consort Xie's zither has an extraordinary origin, and I look forward to hearing your beautiful music even more." The Empress smiled slightly and pointed to the Jiao Wei Qin on the zither table.

Consort Mei chimed in, "Your Majesty is mistaken. I vaguely heard that Consort Chun received an ancient zither called 'Nine Heavens Jade Pendant' on her birthday. According to the zither collection record, it was made by the Lei family during the Kaiyuan era and can be considered the foremost of the famous zithers passed down through generations."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jieyu was visibly taken aback, her expression stiffening slightly. "...Nine Heavens Jade Pendant."

She had searched for it for many years, only to find it had fallen into the hands of Consort Chun. Had she known this earlier, she would have preferred to play the pipa. (Consort Xie was originally most skilled at the pipa, but chose to play the qin (a seven-stringed zither) to avoid Consort Mei.)

"I've heard that Consort Chun studied the zither under Master Lin since childhood, so her music must be extraordinary. Why don't we have Consort Xie's Jiao Wei Qin (Burnt Tail Zither) played together with the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant..."

"Consort Mei."

A majestic voice suddenly rang out, and the Emperor's expression was cold and his gaze sharp as he swept directly at Consort Mei.

Consort Mei felt a chill run down her spine, momentarily wondering what she had done to offend the Emperor, since he had just granted permission for Consort Wu to dance with him.

Hua Yan also noticed the Emperor's expression and couldn't help but feel strange—Consort Mei used the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant as an excuse to sow discord between Consort Chun and the newly promoted concubines. Although her methods were not very clever, they were also hard to fault. (Even if Hua Yan was very intelligent, she would never have imagined that the birthday gift the Emperor originally planned to give to Consort Chun was a zither... (Chapter 232)

Consort Chun felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing the Emperor's words and smiled lightly, "If Consort Mei wishes to see the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant, she can go to Huining Palace another day to take a look. Today, at the First Light Banquet, it would be best not to disturb Consort Miaoyin."

Xie Jieyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, her palms already slightly sweaty.

Consort Mei fell silent, glancing at the Empress out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. How could she not know that she had fallen into the Empress's trap? But after racking her brains for a long time, she still couldn't figure out what taboo she had just committed.

Consort Song and the other concubines noticed the heavy atmosphere in the hall and quickly focused their attention on the table in front of them, pretending to be attentively enjoying their meal.

The two concubines, Yun and Qu, exchanged glances, then obediently lowered their heads and looked away. Yang Huixin had just taken advantage of everyone's inattention to put a crystal shrimp into her mouth when she suddenly heard the Emperor's voice, and she almost spat out the shrimp she had just eaten...

When Consort Wu re-entered the palace, her new attire caught the Empress's eye.

"I saw Consort Wu dancing in the Renming Palace before. She was graceful and slender, like a startled swan. That's why I specially allowed her to dance with Consort Xie," the Empress said softly as she placed a cup of Mengding tea on the Emperor's table.

Xie Jieyu placed her delicate hands on the Jiao Wei Qin (a type of zither), her jade fingers lightly plucking the strings, and melodious music immediately flowed out. At first, the music was like a babbling brook, clear and pleasant to the ear; then the rhythm gradually quickened, like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate.

As expected of a dancer, Wu Yunu moved with the music, her movements as graceful as falling petals in the wind, elusive yet precise, each step perfectly in time with the rhythm of the music.

Hua Yan knew nothing about music. After the piece was played, she only felt that the sound of the zither was better than that of the pipa.

The Emperor's gaze was indeed initially drawn to Consort Wu's dance, but once Consort Rong entered the hall, Hua Yan realized that Consort Wu's efforts had been in vain...

Unlike Wu Yunu's gentle charm, Rong Meiren, dressed in a colorful mulberry branch dance costume, appeared to the rousing drumbeats, just like the flowing clouds in the sky. The moment she appeared, she captivated everyone's heart.

"Your concubine, Lady Li, presents the 'Zhezhi Rapid Whirl Dance'."

With a flick of her wide sleeves, Rong Meiren's multicolored, gold-embroidered gauze skirt swept across the golden bricks before the emperor, her bare feet appearing and disappearing intermittently. Twelve green-waisted singing girls emerged from behind the screen, their silver bells jingling like shattered jade.

Every turn, every swing of the arm, was perfectly timed. Rong Meiren showcased the unrestrained yet graceful nature of the Zhezhi dance to the fullest, captivating everyone's attention.

After Consort Rong finished her dance, everyone present was amazed. The Emperor picked up his wine cup and said, "Today's dance and music were absolutely wonderful, making me feel refreshed and happy. I will reward Consort Rong with a blood-jade dragon-patterned pendant, Consort Xie with a mother-of-pearl inlaid sandalwood pipa, and Consort Wu with two bolts of cloud brocade."

The three of them thanked the Empress in unison. Wu Yunu felt a chill run down her spine from the Empress's unfriendly gaze and almost fainted.

As the drumbeats sounded, the candlelight dimmed. Consort Chun, along with the other concubines, rose to respectfully see off the Emperor and Empress. The nine newly appointed concubines all looked on with anticipation. On the night of the first banquet, as was customary, the Emperor would choose one of the new concubines to serve him in bed.

However, the Emperor only glanced away from Consort Rong and Consort Mei, and, citing Consort Chun's hard work in organizing the banquet, allowed her to rest at the nearby Funing Palace...