Page 226
Yet the palace concubines on the left and the right waited and waited, drank pots and pots of tea, and had made several trips to the lavatory still without seeing anyone come.
At first there were some smiles on everyone’s faces, and they teasingly mocked the one from Canglan Court both openly and surreptitiously, but as they waited, the smiles gradually faded even from the Noble Consort’s face.
In the end, it came down to just waiting dry.
Having not prepared lunch for these people, the Noble Consort could only have more cakes brought up, suggesting in a euphemistic tone that perhaps the sisters should return first?
She certainly did not wish for everyone to leave, for this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not to be found even with a lantern in hand, but still, she had to keep up appearances.
Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads, saying they had recently put on weight and it was probably better to eat less to shed some pounds; they still wanted to wait, insisting on seeing Beauty Lian for peace of mind.
But the cakes provided by the Noble Consort were barely enough to fill the gaps between their teeth, and were quickly digested, leaving everyone’s stomachs empty, so they had to drink pots of tea to stave off hunger.
After waiting for so long, everyone was truly reluctant to give up, clenched their teeth, and decided to wait it out; they had heard, after all, that Beauty Lian seemed to be pregnant. On what grounds?
How did a lowly and obscure Little Daying, from a far-flung corner, manage to sneak her way into favor, rocketing up three ranks to become a Beauty, and even conceiving a child?
The unremarkable figure they had never paid any heed to, who seemed so meek and unnoticeable even when thrown into a pile, had turned out to be an absolute seductive vixen that His Majesty stayed with in Canglan Court night after night.
Previously, His Majesty treated the entire harem equally, without special favor—if one didn’t have anything, no one did; if there was something to be had, everyone got a little piece, preventing jealousy among them.
But suddenly, someone from Canglan Court rose to power, and since then, the whole harem became as dry as a bone, with not a drop of His Majesty’s favor!
This utterly destroyed the longstanding balance within the palace, how could they tolerate this!
It must be the doing of the woman from Canglan Court, preventing His Majesty from favoring anyone else, greedily monopolizing him even while with child—it was insufferable!
What a jealous woman, what a seductive vixen, so arrogant and domineering, bah!
Today they were resolved to see just what this fox of a woman was made of, and what means she had to bewitch His Majesty to the point of losing his wits!
Even if they had to wait until the seas ran dry and the rocks crumbled, until the end of time, they would wait!
When Lian Hua emerged from Huaying Hall, it was just the beginning of the Shen Hour.
She still felt like her visit had been too short, as Sister Zhaoyi was charismatic and interesting, and there were many amusing things in her hall; it truly made her loath to leave.
But she had stayed in Huaying Hall for too long and had to return, or else Nanny Qi would worry.
Besides, if she didn’t go back, it would soon be time for the evening meal, having stayed away for a full day, missing both lunch and dinner. She wasn’t as thick-skinned as His Majesty, and would feel embarrassed.
However, she had made plans with Sister Zhaoyi to meet again in the next few days.
Initially, she had been somewhat reserved in front of Sister Zhaoyi, unsure of how to behave around her, as she indeed valued Zhaoyi and worried about making a poor impression, which made her nervous.
Later, as Sister Zhaoyi’s warmth toward her grew, Lian Hua became more and more relaxed in her company.
She listened to Sister Zhaoyi’s stories, shared lunch with her, and saw her practice sword dance, which deepened her admiration for Sister Zhaoyi, who was so free-spirited and adept in martial arts, and could even ride a horse. She was like the heroines in the storybooks, truly admirable.
So when it was time to leave, it was already the afternoon, and time had passed so quickly.
Walking back, Lian Hua reminisced and chatted happily with Xiao Jizi and the others about the fun they had had in Huaqing Palace, her eyes curving with joy.
Xiao Jizi, Xiao Qing, and Xiao Linzi were chattering in response, reminiscing as well.
They walked while laughing and talking merrily.
Those like Cai Xia who were waiting on the path Lian Hua must take to return were not so pleased.
They had been squatting there from the morning until the afternoon, several shichen passed, yet they hadn’t seen anyone come out from Huaying Hall. The autumn wind had blown for so long that their bodies felt like dried meat.
In the midst of the disordered wind, some even doubted whether they had missed the moment Beauty Lian came out while they blinked.
Others suspected that the earlier information was mistaken, that the master who claimed to have seen someone had been wrong.
But that explanation didn’t make sense. One master might make a mistake, but surely not two.
Fortunately, Cai Xia remained clear-headed, rebuking such groundless speculation and resolutely waiting on.
She was also anxious and had doubts, but as the leader, she could not waver, for if the person had truly entered Huaying Hall, they would have to wait even until nightfall.
She also knew to send people back intermittently to report to Noble Consort, every report saying no one had come yet.
By the end, even the Noble Consort and everyone else grew impatient, telling her there was no need to repeat the same useless reports, and to just bring the person back when she appeared.
Cai Xia and the others could only wait with parched mouths. Apart from Cai Xia who still maintained her demeanor, the other young eunuchs had lost all semblance of proper stance, some outright squatting by the roadside.
They had long since lost patience, inwardly complaining about this unreliable task, but due to Cai Xia’s stern authority, they dared not show their discontent.
A young eunuch, with sharp eyes, casually glanced into the distance and spotted several figures appearing.
He rubbed his eyes for a clearer look, then excitedly stood up and pointed into the distance, "Aunt, Aunt Cai Xia, there, there’s someone!"
The young eunuch was so thrilled he was jumping up and down, they had finally awaited someone!
At this moment, Cai Xia was somewhat distracted; she was thinking about Cai Qin.
Cai Qin was increasingly relied upon by the Noble Consort and was in her heyday in Huaqing Palace. Anything important was entrusted to Cai Qin, and even tasks usually given to Nanny Chen were almost entirely handed over to Cai Qin, which made her feel a great sense of crisis.
The only thing that somewhat comforted her was overhearing Nanny Chen’s private complaints that Cai Qin was investigating the background of someone from Canglan Court, but hadn’t yet determined the facts, which gave her a little solace.
Hearing the clamor of the young eunuch, she frowned displeasedly and scolded, "Quiet down! What kind of behavior is this, flustering about? We cannot lose the prestige of Huaqing Palace this way."
"It’s not that, Aunt Cai Xia, look over there..." another young eunuch also saw and hurriedly pointed it out to Cai Xia.
Cai Xia followed their gaze, and well, was that not Beauty Lian from Canglan Court?!
She had made her wait long enough!
Cai Xia took a deep breath, intently watching the people approaching from afar, and whispered fiercely, "Listen up, bring Beauty Lian and all her people back. If you miss anyone, you’ll have yourselves to blame when it’s over!"
Every one of them felt a jolt at heart and responded in unison, "Yes."
Cai Xia was somewhat satisfied, patiently waiting for the group to come closer.
Before she left, the Noble Consort had given her a look.
She had served as the Senior Palace Maid in Huaqing Palace for many years, not without reason.
She knew all too well what that look meant: the Consort was telling her to intercept everyone and prevent anyone from returning to Canglan Court to send a message.
Nanny Qi was in Canglan Court. If she knew they were coming, things would become difficult to manage. What kind of game could they play then?
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