Empress Xie

Empress Xie•3

Jun Qi Ming glanced at Su Sha but didn't comment. "It is gossip so one cannot be sure what is true or not. One has heard second lady Xie is uncultured and rude, but the young do tend to exaggerate."

The Empress Dowager hummed thoughtfully and took in Xie Lien. Her face wasn't too visible from such a height, she only saw it when everyone stood from their bow and went to seat, but even now she could make out a straight back and gentle movements as the girl ate her meal. "Aijia hopes they're rumors. Such a lovely lady should not have a bad personality."

Su Sha gripped the arms of her throne and locked her now cold eyes on Xie Lien. Beautiful women brought calamity in her opinion. Everything in the world fell into the palm of their hands simply because they wet their eyes and batted their lashes, while women like her had to claw and battle for all they wanted.

She glanced at the Consorts seating to her right. There were three of them, Consort Rong is Jun Qi Dishi's mother, and has the looks and air of a temptress.

Consort Mo birthed Jun Qi Fai and is very unfavored for her greedy and pompous personality. Many even say did not love Jun Qi Fai because the Emperor did not favor him. But consort Mo is still incredibly beautiful. Everything about her is slim and fair like the snow and wind. From her nearly translucent skin to her pouty pink lips, she had the looks of a delicate glass statue.

Imperial Noble Consort Ting is Jun Qi Kang's mother and has a calm but venomous personality. Her looks were that of a mature beauty, her upturned brows were regal but made her look terrifying when she frowned. Her narrow eyes were framed in dark lashes, making her sparkly irises even prettier. With her slightly high nose bridge, she often came off as arrogant, but it still complimented her red lips.

Su Sha hated each of these women. Consort Rong and Consort Mo are older than her, but even in her youth she couldn't hold a candle to them, so one could only imagine the hate she harbored towards Xie Lien, one even more lovely than the Consorts.

~~*~~

Xie Lien

The performers were done, and the most interesting part of the banquet began. The young masters and misses who did not send in presents like; paintings, jewelry, poetry, and the like, would give a performance for the Empress Dowager.

In every novel I read, moments like these were the most interesting. At the female lead's turn, she would come out and play a song or dance in a way so heavenly her free spirit would become evident, successfully attracting the attention of the male lead and many others.

I, a devoted otaku and hater of unnecessary work, sent the Empress Dowager a painting so I could effectively avoid the stage. Xie Long, who is trying to keep out of the limelight, sent the Empress Dowager a stained glass cat eye hairpin.

The Eunuch called for a pretty miss in a ice blue hanfu and I had very high hopes for her when I noticed her GuQin and confident but not arrogant footsteps.

She sat, her posture perfect and elegant, and began playing. It was a lively song, the movements of her fingers graceful and dainty, but there was nothing...enchanting about her.

In the books read and dramas the female lead is supposed to either play so beautifully every heart is enraptured, or make a bold show of confidence that stuns the viewers and grabs the royal family's attention, effectively kicking off the story's plot.

I shook my head in disappointment and comforted myself with a honeyed date. My poor female lead why won't you make an appearance?

I looked up at the platform and found father looking a bit tired, the princes idly discussed amongst themselves, and the Emperor and Empress looked over the other presents with the Empress Dowager.