Page 40

"To be of no use to you, to indulge daily in pointless elegance, and now even dare to disdain the simple grains and livestock, could it be that all beloved concubines were raised by sipping the wind and drinking the dew?" the Emperor shouted in anger, his gaze sharply piercing them.

Noble Consort had never seen His Majesty exhibit such rage in the Harem, her heart nearly leapt from her chest.

This flower viewing banquet was organized by her, the guests were invited by her, and agreeing to the poetry contest was also her decision, she couldn’t dissociate herself from it in any way!

It was all that fool, Beauty Li’s fault, good for nothing and always botching things, Noble Consort noted bitterly in her heart.

Regaining her senses, Noble Consort hurriedly stepped down from her seat, approached His Majesty and knelt down to perform a grand kowtow, starting to bow repeatedly, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger, it’s all this consort’s failed teaching, I haven’t properly instructed my younger sisters, please punish me, Your Majesty. "

The others quickly caught on and also stepped out of their seats to kneel down; some so frightened their legs went weak and they stumbled out of their places, kneeling on the ground.

All the concubines bowed their heads in unison, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger, Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

The Emperor took a deep breath to compose himself, walked to kneeling Lian Hua, and looked down at her with concern, unable to see her face, he was very worried.

Bending down to help her up, he solemnly said, "In my view, Daying Lian’s poetry can perceive the sentiments of the people, empathize with their hearts, understand their minds, her poetry truly speaks for the common folk, she should be designated as the top performer."

Everyone’s feelings were extremely conflicrate, shocked, and fearful, they knelt on the ground and dared not raise their heads, echoing in agreement, "Your Majesty is wise."

The Emperor wanted to help Lian Hua up, but no matter how she kept her head bowed and would not rise, he had to exert strength to lift her, reaching out to grasp her chin and raise it to see her expression.

Her eyes, red-rimmed like those of a rabbit, brimming with tears, when she saw him looking at her, her eyes filled with panic and helplessness, wanting to turn her head away to prevent him from clearly seeing her face.

Seeing her so distressed tore at the Emperor’s heart.

This was the second time he had seen Little Concubine cry, his heart painfully twisted, his anger flared up again, and he was about to react.

Lian Hua quickly tugged at his sleeve, silently shook her head at him, her eyes full of pleading.

She didn’t want His Majesty to see her crying, it looked terrible and was a mess, it was just a little scheming, nothing serious, she wasn’t afraid of being schemed against.

But she didn’t know why, seeing him and Noble Consort sitting so high up, so far from her, while she was ridiculed by other sisters in the middle of the arena, she felt utterly alone and couldn’t help feeling miserable.

She knew she wasn’t good at anything, not talented like her sisters, nothing but a speck of dust in the palace, she really was nothing; she and he were people from two different worlds, it was very hard to get close to him.

It’s nothing, just a flower viewing banquet, what of it? Even harder days have been faced, now just this little bit of turbulence, why make a misery without sickness?

She had been trying to calm her emotions, to settle herself, but the more she thought, the sadder she became, and now being seen by His Majesty, the surging tears seemed unstoppable.

Lian Hua forcefully controlled herself, wiped her tears with her sleeves, bowed her head, stepped back a few steps, and knelt down again.

The other sisters were still kneeling, she couldn’t stand out by acting differently.

Seeing her so wronged, the Emperor felt a surge of anger to severely punish those who ridiculed her; suddenly, he understood his father’s capriciousness at that moment.

Yet, ironically, he most despised people like his father, and furthermore, punishing someone for their words wasn’t his style, he could only endure.

Seeing Lian Hua step back to kneel again, the Emperor pursed his lips and did not stop her, feeling only a deep ache in his heart.

The Harem never lacked strife, and emperors through the ages believed that showing too much favor to one person was considered a fault, making them a target in the Harem, exposed to collective animosity. He did not wish for Lian Hua to fall into such a plight.

The Emperor turned his head, his gaze icy as he looked at the other kneeling concubines. With a flick of his sleeve, he walked out of the banquet and looked back at everyone, "Rise, all of you, let today’s events serve as a warning. Noble Consort, manage the Harem well!"

"Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace, your servant obeys the decree!" The crowd bowed again in response, all breathing a sigh of relief as they stood up.

Especially Beauty Li, who breathed a deep sigh of relief. Although His Majesty seldom became angry with the Harem, his temper was never considered good, and he had never shown favoritism. If he were angered, the punishment would be more than she could bear.

Among those relieved, the Noble Consort was an exception, her anxiety heightened. Since being appointed Noble Consort and given charge over the Harem, when had His Majesty ever admonished her so publicly, undermining her dignity in front of the other concubines?

Her failure to manage the concubines was her fault, and the sentence His Majesty had spoken afterwards was also a warning to her.

Her greatest fear was losing His Majesty’s trust and her status in his heart plummeting.

The Emperor cast one last glance at Lian Hua amidst the crowd, then turned to leave.

"Your Majesty!" Seeing His Majesty turn to go, the Noble Consort, with anxiety in her eyes, hastily called out.

If she let him leave like this, how could she hold her ground in the Harem in the future? She must try to retain His Majesty’s trust and regain it.

The Emperor stopped and gave her a cold look.

The Noble Consort, masking her inner turmoil, hurried to the Emperor, humbly saying, "It’s time for the midday meal, your servant has instructed to stew lotus seed and deer antler soup this morning.

It has the effect of nourishing and clearing dryness, most suitable for consumption in autumn. I boldly invite Your Majesty to dine."

Her voice tender and subdued, she bowed deeply and continued, "Your servant acknowledges her poor management of the Harem and inability to share Your Majesty’s concerns, for which I am truly remorseful.

In the future, I will surely ensure that my sisters are cautious and empathetic, and understand the hardships of the people.

Today, please allow your servant to make amends where possible. "

The Emperor looked at her profoundly and said, "Then let’s go, this flower-viewing banquet is hereby concluded."

With a wave of his hand, he turned and departed.

The Noble Consort was overjoyed, seeing that her gamble had paid off. She had bet that His Majesty would not publicly shame her, and indeed, he did not.

Hurriedly, she followed His Majesty’s departing footsteps, and before leaving, she cast a cryptic glance at Little Daying, concealing any expression before swiftly leaving with her entourage.

After the Emperor and the Noble Consort had left, the animated start of this flower-viewing banquet ended abruptly.

Everyone murmured, internally blaming the troublemaker, Beauty Li. If not for her, why would His Majesty have become so incensed? Some things are better left unsaid; why did she have to speak them aloud?

Almost everyone glanced at Lian Hua before leaving, never imagining that the poetry at the banquet, which was seemingly uninspired, would end up winning first place from Little Daying!

Though the crowd was discontented, they dared not say anything, with the memory of His Majesty’s reproach vivid in their minds. They weren’t foolish enough to argue further and simply left.

Lian Hua kept her head down, looking at the ground while maintaining the posture of seeing off the other concubines.

As the noise gradually subsided, a pair of blue-ground Suzhou-patterned satin shoes appeared before Lian Hua’s eyes, adorned with merely two pearls, simple yet elegant.

Who is it? Is Beauty Li looking for trouble again?