Chu Lian had been in the middle of leisurely drinking some nine-flower honey water that a palace servant had poured out for her. The moment she heard the announcement, she almost choked, and ended up having an intense coughing fit.
What? How could the winner of the competition be House Jing'an?!
Fortunately, they were seated far away from the main center of attention, so her lapse in elegance wasn’t noticed by many.
Xiyan quickly passed a handkerchief over to Chu Lian, worriedly whispering a question into her ear. "Third Young Madam, are you alright?"
Chu Lian waved her hand, indicating that she was fine.
By this time, most of the noble madams had turned to look in the direction of House Jing'an's party. After a moment's pause, some noble madams started giving their congratulations to Matriarch He.
Matriarch He had been stunned for a good couple seconds. However, she reacted just in time to lead her two granddaughters-in-law to graciously accept the congratulations headed their way.
Lady Pan was seated at a table right in front of them. Sharing her table was the wife of one of her husband's court colleagues: Lady Yang.
Lady Pan's table was currently frozen in the midst of an awkward atmosphere.
Just before the court lady had announced the winner, the madams at this table had already started congratulating Lady Pan. However, now that the winner wasn't the Pan Estate, their words had turned into slaps on Lady Pan's face.
Each of the madams who had spoken too hastily all had their heads lowered and their mouths tightly shut. They were trying their best to disappear into the ground.
Only Lady Yang remained calm with a smile on her face.
Lady Pan's warm, ever friendly face had lost its modest and amiable air; it was as black as the bottom of a pot.
She looked up at the main seats in disbelief. Everything had been arranged beforehand, so how come the results were so different? How could it be that House Jing'an had won?!
Unable to hold back her rage, Lady Pan stood up and took in a few deep breaths before she could manage to bring out a smile. She turned to the table that Matriarch He was seated at and said, "Matriarch He, that's quite the talent you've hidden away. I wonder if I might have the luck to taste the round cakes you've offered up today?"
Chu Lian's brows furrowed together. However, Matriarch He was the most senior member of the family present right now, so it wasn't her place to speak as a granddaughter-in-law.
Lady Yang also stood up. However, she didn't say a word and simply continued looking in the direction of House Jing'an with a smile in her eyes. When she looked at Chu Lian, her expression turned especially warm and kind.
Lady Pan refused to believe that House Jing'an's round cakes had managed to win the competition!
The others might still be in the dark, but she knew for a fact that House Jing'an's round cakes had been stolen away by someone right when they had entered Ninghe Palace!
If some random replacement cakes from who knows where could win the competition, it would be a slap in the face to all the noble participants here!
YOU ARE READING
Transmigrator meets Reincarnator
RomanceAll Chu Lian had done was to read a book where the female lead had cheated on her wonderful husband. While wondering why, before she knew it, she was waking up in the body of that very same female lead! Wait, did that mean the handsome husband fro...
