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"Fine then, this truly is the Little Concubine’s style; romantic imagery is of no concern to her, only food and drink truly matter, which is genuinely endearing."

Thinking this, the Emperor’s gaze softened a bit, and the corners of his mouth gently lifted.

Seeing that His Majesty had finished his tea and his expression had softened, showing a slight smile – a rare occurrence indeed – the Noble Consort’s heart warmed. To her, His Majesty seldom smiled, maintaining a serious and upright demeanor in the Harem, always distant, even towards her.

Now seeing him smile, she thought it was because he was pleased with the chrysanthemum tea, and joy bubbled up within her. It seemed that he was satisfied with her arrangements and indeed did not mind her late arrival, putting her heart completely at ease, making her gestures even more gentle.

Sitting at the very last seat, Lian Hua could hardly wait to start eating as soon as the Noble Consort announced the banquet.

"Hmm, this Golden Silk Ruyi Cake is delicious, I’ll secretly pack some for Xiao Qing and Xiao Jizi to try."

"Hmm, this Rose Flavored Cake is also good, the rose flavor is strong, it must be made with rose juice kneaded into the dough, it’s a pity there’s too little to take back."

Upon hearing what the Noble Consort said to His Majesty, she too took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea and realized after drinking that the Consort had omitted a detail: not only was the tea sweet-tasting, but it was also great with cakes, helping cut through the richness, she’d have to remember this and try making some at home to drink.

As the banquet unfolded, the atmosphere grew livelier under the Noble Consort’s prompting, with increasing laughter among the concubines, and the Emperor occasionally responding, creating a harmonious scene.

After eating till she was half full, Lian Hua finally diverted some attention to her surroundings, listening to the others and looking around, she noticed that the sisters of the concubines and concubines were all looking towards His Majesty, as if she was the only one indulging in eating and drinking.

His Majesty was like the moon surrounded by stars, everyone revolving around him, and every topic discussed by the concubines seemed more or less aimed at catching his attention and earning a response from him.

For some reason, Lian Hua couldn’t eat anymore and stopped.

She suddenly realized that His Majesty indeed had many imperial concubines, including herself, and she was the one furthest from him.

Just like the seating arrangement, he sat at the highest position, while she sat at the far end, like two worlds apart, one busting with activity and her secluded in a corner, delighting herself alone.

Was the distance really this far? In such a situation, it seemed she didn’t even have the right to speak to him. Reflecting on this, Lian Hua felt somewhat downcast, slightly bitter, and stifled inside.

It should be this way, she didn’t know why she was being so sentimental, she lightly mocked herself with a smile, feeling she might be thinking too much, and that she needed to correct her mindset quickly.

So, she no longer looked at the others, but turned her head to silently admire the flowers, yet the pastries no longer tasted the same.

Someone suggested, "With such a scene, why not have the sisters compose poems?"

Another person immediately agreed, "Brilliant idea, sister is right, why not take ’Autumn Days’ as the theme and each sister compose a poem?"

The two who spoke were Talented Lady Sun and Changzai Zhou, both of whom were versed in poetry and song.

Although Changzai Zhou’s family was in commerce, she had been raised from childhood like a daughter of an official’s family, thus her talent was fairly remarkable.

The Noble Consort watched these two concubines with a smile, they really knew how to handle things. Seeing that His Majesty seemed indifferent to the banquet, they proposed composing poems, which was a good move.

Thus, with a postscript she said, "Excellent! I shall add some flair; I request His Majesty to judge the poems produced by the sisters and whoever claims the first place shall receive the flair as well. It’s a way to add some interest for the sisters, I wonder what His Majesty thinks about this idea? "

Having spoken, her eyes filled with anticipation, like a pool of autumn water, she looked earnestly towards the Emperor.

The Emperor, seated at the banquet, was already somewhat impatient. He always found the flower viewing banquet dull. He had come at the invitation of the Noble Consort and also wanted to see how the Little Concubine performed during the banquet.

As he arrived at the banquet, he could hardly take a second glance at the Little Concubine, surrounded and bombarded by the incessant chatter of a flock of court ladies.

Their conversations were either about Beaded Hairpins and ornaments or about the flowers and plants at the banquet or trivial matters surrounding their daily lives— all mere nonsensical blather to him.

He thought it would have been better to spend this time reviewing memorials, which really displeased him greatly.

At this moment, when he heard their suggestion, the Emperor raised an eyebrow. His first thought was of Lian Hua. Given the level of her writing skills, composing poetry would not be easy for her. He subconsciously glanced in her direction.

He saw her staring with her round almond eyes towards the principal seat, a look of shock on her face, resembling a student with poor grades meeting a stern teacher, her face twisted into a bitter grimace.

The Emperor quickly averted his gaze, chuckling internally. Seeing her like this, he knew his guess was right. He actually wanted to tease her a bit and see what kind of poem she could produce.

He turned to the Noble Consort and nodded earnestly, saying, "Yes. The Noble Consort and I will judge together."

He remembered that the Noble Consort was also quite talented.

When the Noble Consort saw His Majesty glance away, she wanted to follow his gaze, but before she could look, she received His Majesty’s response. Moreover, His Majesty invited her to judge alongside him, which delighted her immensely and filled her with great satisfaction.

Unable to conceal her joy, her face radiant, she said enthusiastically, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for holding your concubine in such high esteem. Then, your humble concubine will join you in judging our sisters’ verses."

Then, addressing the other ladies below, she said, "All our sisters must put forth their best effort, so that His Majesty can see our true skills. If we are fortunate enough to receive guidance from His Majesty, it will truly benefit us greatly, more than a decade of study could."

Having finished, she began to add the prize, the Noble Consort took down a Gold Threaded Eight Treasures Hairpin from her head, and His Majesty took off a Lantian Jade Safety Buckle from his waist and set it down.

This piece of jade was of average quality, not particularly valuable, but it was left to him by his Imperial Consort Mother and meant a lot to him, so he always wore it.

Seeing the Emperor remove the safety buckle he always wore, all the concubines stared in awe. The significance of that item to His Majesty was self-evident, and everyone wanted it.

This was an item His Majesty had always worn close to him; having it would feel like receiving enormous favor and honor, as if His Majesty was always by one’s side.

The mere thought of this made the concubines’ eyes sparkle and their hearts burn with fervor; each one clenched their fists, preparing to give their all to obtain it.

Lian Hua frowned and scowled, feeling that today was not her lucky day, as if dark clouds loomed overhead, her mood gloomy. Her calligraphy had only just reached a level barely pleasing to the eye; composing poetry? That was utterly out of the question!

This flower viewing banquet was only the second she had attended; she thought it would be like the last — simply eating, drinking, and chatting, and then it would be over. However, she had not expected that they would have to compose poetry at the banquet as well.

She knew that the sisters in the harem sometimes held small gatherings where they might compose poetry, but at such a grand banquet as this? That was too sudden, and she couldn’t keep up with the learning curve!

Once again, she cursed herself for having been too playful in her youth, essentially feeding to the dogs what her teacher had taught her, and now it was too late for regrets.