Page 35

Without Little Concubine’s presence, the Emperor felt an emptiness; he could no longer concentrate on reading, and everything he did seemed so lonely. He always wondered if she had arrived yet, and what she might be doing once there.

After sitting like this for a quarter of an hour, unable to stay put any longer, the Emperor simply called in Zhang Qing for a change of clothes, readying himself for the flower-viewing banquet.

Meanwhile, Lian Hua had arrived early at Jinwu Garden, the chosen location for this flower-viewing banquet.

Surrounding the perimeter of the garden were tall paulownia trees, forming a circle, with an exceptionally large paulownia at the center, its branches lush and leaves beginning to turn a shade of golden yellow—quite a magnificent sight.

According to legend, this paulownia tree had been there since the time of the former court when an Emperor had taken the idea of "phoenix perching on the paulownia tree" to heart, planting other paulownia trees around the central one.

After the garden was established, it was bestowed upon the Empress as a place especially reserved for her banquets.

Centuries passed, and though there had been turmoil, these trees had survived. At the beginning of the current dynasty, the trees were restored and the garden reopened for use, but no longer solely for the Empress.

The banquet seats for the flower-viewing had been arranged in a fan shape with the central paulownia tree at its heart, adorned with various kinds of fully-bloomed autumn chrysanthemums creating a pleasant mishmash of vivid colors.

Sitting among them, overwhelmed by the fragrance of flowers and intoxicating scenery, one had to admit the Noble Consort had chosen the location well.

As Lian Hua had arrived quite early, there were hardly any others there, just Palace Maids and eunuchs busily making final preparations.

Seizing the opportunity before more people arrived, Lian Hua, accompanied by Xiao Qing, began to stroll around the garden.

The scenery before her eyes was beautiful, putting Lian Hua in a surprisingly pleasant mood.

She had wandered through most of the Imperial Garden before; how had she overlooked this particular section?

Feeling that she had been too negligent in the past, she regretted not discovering it sooner. Now resolved to take more initiative in exploring the other gardens, she vowed not to rest until she had roamed through every part of the Imperial Garden.

Lian Hua shared her thoughts aloud.

Xiao Qing replied, "But Young Master, there’s nothing to eat in this garden. What we used to dread the most was stumbling upon places like this."

Indeed, back then, all they thought about was finding food; no scenery could compare to a good meal in their eyes. Xiao Qing had hit the nail on the head. With this perspective in mind, Lian Hua easily let go of her previous concerns without further complication.

Just then, a few Concubines arrived together. Lian Hua, accompanied by Xiao Qing, approached them with soft-spoken greetings, her demeanor demure and obedient.

These three Concubines scarcely acknowledged her after she had risen from her greeting, busily engaging in their own conversation.

Lian Hua didn’t dare wander the garden anymore but instead found an inconspicuous corner to stand in, utterly bored.

Unable to take a seat until the higher-ranking Concubines who had newly arrived were seated and with no food or drink yet served, Lian Hua was left with nothing to do.

Moreover, with so many eyes watching, she dared not aimlessly wander; she could only stand there meekly and listen to the recently arrived Concubines’ chat.

Among the three was the highest-ranking Beauty Zhao, followed by Talented Lady Sun and Attendant Changzai Zhou.

Sun, with her petite and dainty figure and small, melon-seed-shaped face, complemented by her particularly pleasant Jiangnan accent, said to Beauty Zhao, "Sister, your beaded hairpin is truly beautiful. Look how gorgeous those pearls are on top."

Changzai Zhou joined in the flattery, "Those are Southern Pearls from the South Sea, very rare and valuable. Only a few are produced a year, and even fewer are as large as those. For Sister to wear such an exquisite beaded hairpin so casually, it really makes me quite envious."

Changzai Zhou, coming from a family that engaged in commerce, had a certain knack for recognizing fine wares.

Beauty Zhao, using her fan to partially conceal her face, replied in a muted giggle, "It’s not as extraordinary as you two sisters describe. They are just ordinary trinkets, really. But take a look at the white jade hairpin adorning Little Sister Zhou’s hair—that’s the truly rare piece."

Upon hearing this, Changzai Zhou hastily responded, "If Sister likes it, I might as well offer it as a gift to Sister. It would perfectly complement your white jade bracelet. Besides, I’m not skilled in pairing accessories; wearing it any which way would just be a waste.

It’d be better off with Sister, anyway."

"This, how could this be good..."

Listening to these three people flattering one another, for the most part, it was Talented Lady Sun and Attendant Changzai currying favor with Beauty Zhao, which made Lian Hua even more bored.

She reminisced about the times she had tried to cozy up to the older sisters above her. Each attempt ended in failure as His Majesty cut her ambitions short. Lian Hua sighed inwardly; it seemed she was not destined to flatter others successfully.

As Lian Hua listened, she couldn’t help but feel drowsy. She had woken up too early with His Majesty and hadn’t had enough sleep. Pinching herself quickly, she forced herself to stay alert, lest she truly fall asleep, which would be a grave disrespect.

After a while, several concubines arrived one after another, among them Beauty Li, who had punished Lian Hua by making her kneel.

But this time, Beauty Li seemed much thinner, with a haggard look on her face she could not quite conceal.

She merely glanced indifferently at Lian Hua and snorted coldly before moving away, not seeking to trouble Lian Hua.

This came as a surprise to Lian Hua, yet it also eased her worry; she did not want to be punished by kneeling again, for her knees ached terribly after a long time.

At that moment, the calling eunuch declared loudly, "His Majesty arrives~"

Everyone was startled, then filled with delight, they quickly tidied their hair and straightened their clothes. They tiptoed in their lotus steps toward the direction from which His Majesty was coming, greeting him with the most graceful postures, "We greet Your Majesty."

Each one of them was more charming than the flowers.

Lian Hua also followed the crowd to greet His Majesty. Hearing his arrival, she got a shock; she hadn’t heard the night before or that morning that he would be coming, so why the sudden arrival?

Pouting, she thought to herself that surely he had intentionally not told her, humph!

Then the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but turn up slightly. His presence made her happy; with him there, she felt less lonely.

The Emperor walked into the garden with a straightforward gaze, only glancing at Lian Hua from the corner of his eye. With her head down, her facial expression was not visible to him.

He stopped in front of everyone and said, "Rise, all of you. Relax today, do not be constrained because of my presence."

Everyone said yes, rose together, each with a shy and timid look, their eyes filled with joy, nervousness, and anticipation, and even their voices became artificially affected.

Everyone wanted to catch His Majesty’s attention and make a good impression in front of him.

Of course, this did not include Lian Hua; she kept her head down and followed the crowd to give their greetings and rise together.

The Emperor took his seat of honor and told the following crowd they need not remain standing, and could take their seats.

After speaking, he pretended to casually glance at Lian Hua and saw that this little ingrate was delighted to be told she could sit down.

Her eyes curved into a smile, and she immediately turned with her maid to walk to her seat, without even pausing to look at him, unlike the other concubines who hesitated to leave, wishing to exchange a few words with him.

Complete disregard! The Emperor felt irked, thinking he would have to thoroughly spank her bottom that evening, but outwardly he kept a solemn demeanor, entertaining the group of women in front of him, telling them to take their seats first.

Lian Hua happily sat down, thinking to herself how good it was that His Majesty had arrived. She would have had to stand until the Noble Consort arrived. Now that His Majesty was here, she could sit down earlier, which was wonderful. Most importantly, she could stealthily eat a few snacks.

A quarter of an hour ago, the palace attendants had already served tea and pastries. Among them was a pastry she had been eyeing for a long time, curious about its flavor and finding it very tempting.

She cast covert glances and saw that everyone’s attention was on His Majesty, and no one was paying her any mind.