Lady Pan caught sight of Matriarch He first, walking with her two granddaughters-in-law behind her. She came over with a friendly smile and walked up to Matriarch He's side, bobbing in greeting. Matriarch He was about to return the greeting, but was held up by Lady Pan.
"Matriarch He, you're already at a grand age, please don't stand on ceremony with me. I don't see Countess Jing'an with you today; how is her health now?"
Matriarch He's expression didn't change, as if they hadn't panicked over losing their round cakes just moments earlier. With a calm expression, she amiably replied, "I thank you for your kind thoughts in place of my daughter-in-law, Lady Pan. Her body is still a little weak, so she sent a reply to the palace a few days ago, explaining that she couldn’t make it to the banquet."
Lady Pan's gaze casually passed over the two ladies standing behind Matriarch He before focusing on Chu Lian's young and tender face. Her smile grew even warmer. "This lady behind you must be your newest granddaughter-in-law?"
"She is. Sanlang's wife may be young, but she's very sensible."
Following Matriarch He's words, Chu Lian bobbed in greeting to Lady Pan.
The smile on Lady Pan's face hadn't budged an inch. "What great fortune you have, Matriarch He. Your granddaughter-in-law is a sensible one, and she's also a lady from House Ying. It won't be too long before you'll get to play with a great-grandson, then."
Lady Pan's sudden shift in topic caused the expressions of the three madams from House Jing’an to change.
Noting the fertility of the ladies of House Ying was a slight to Chu Lian. Mentioning a great-grandson was to provoke Madam Zou, who hadn't produced a heir for the family line yet. Saying that it wouldn't be too long now was slapping both Chu Lian and Matriarch He in the face.
In the entire capital, who didn't know of the news that House Jing'an's He Sanlang had entered the army just three days after his marriage? Without her husband at home, what did it mean if the wife was suddenly pregnant?
This Lady Pan, who seemingly hadn't done any wrong on the surface, was actually a master of provocation.
Matriarch He was more experienced on this end. After a spark of rage had passed through her eyes, she quickly regained her calm. "Lady Pan, you're usually closed up in your estate. You probably don't know that that unfilial grandson of mine has already left to join the army at the northern border."
Shock appeared on Lady Pan's face, and she quickly tried to apologise. "Matriarch He, it was my bad for that slip of the tongue. I hope you don't blame me. Who could have expected He Sanlang to be so resolute in leaving? Unless..." Her gaze shot towards Chu Lian, leaving the nonverbal accusation to hang in the air. It was clear by her actions that Lady Pan harboured some bad intentions towards them.
Since their parties had been conversing for quite awhile, some of the madams were starting to shoot casual glances in their direction. Although nothing showed on their faces, their ears were keenly tuned to the slightest inflection as they tried to catch every word of Matriarch He and Lady Pan's conversation. Their eyes shone like vultures', seeking to scavenge some gossip.
Lady Pan was trying to put the blame for He Changdi's leaving on this newlywed wife of his. Although she hadn't finished her sentence, anyone with a brain could tell what she was trying to get at.
Madam Zou lowered her head. Although Lady Pan was provoking House Jing'an right now, she didn't feel anger at all. Actually, it was the complete opposite- she felt delighted!
Lady Pan happened to cross gazes with Chu Lian and was abruptly stunned by what she saw. Chu Lian's wide, clear eyes were looking right back at her without any hint of anger, as if she wasn't the subject of her provocation at all. What Lady Pan had done was akin to tossing a bucket of icy water into a bamboo basket. The icy water didn’t affected the basket one bit, and had actually slipped through the seams like the basket was no more than a sieve, making Lady Pan feel like she had failed to do any damage at all.
The two-faced Lady Pan hadn't made Chu Lian angry, but had conversely suffered some frustration herself. She stared at Chu Lian as she continued to say, "Now that He Sanlang has joined the army at the northern border, if he doesn't accrue some sort of achievement, he'll only be able to return in five years. What a waste of Honoured Lady Jinyi's best years."
Chu Lian found all this rather funny. What was going on? Why was everyone targeting her? This was the first time she had ever met Lady Pan. The Pan Estate was also ranks above her, so she couldn't have possibly encountered them before marriage either. Why was Lady Pan suddenly at odds with her?
Could it be because of Chu Qizheng's visit to the Pan Estate?
When she thought of this, Chu Lian's expression turned dark.
She didn't ask for her father's love, but he shouldn't be dragging her down, either!
"Many thanks for Lady Pan's kind thoughts. My husband is extremely fortunate, so he'll surely have a lucky turn of events." Chu Lian threw her neutral reply back at Lady Pan. She was too lazy to beat around the bush with this Lady Pan and couldn't be bothered to form a more politically correct response. That Lady Pan was already trying to bully her, wasn't she allowed to throw something back?
Chu Lian wasn't someone who liked to hold grudges. She would rather give as good as she got on the spot.
Lady Pan choked on that response. That everlasting smile on her face also slowly disappeared. She tossed one last cold sentence at Chu Lian. "I didn't expect Honoured Lady Jinyi to be so open-minded!"
Chu Lian tilted her head to one side and gave a dazzlingly bright smile to Lady Pan.
Lady Pan's tempo had been completely messed up by Chu Lian's unexpected reply. She suddenly gave a furtive smile. "Matriarch He, I haven't seen your estate's round cakes. What's going on? Are you trying to deceive the Empress Dowager?"
Matriarch He sent a look at Chu Lian, who held up an exquisite container and showed it off to Lady Pan. "Thank you for reminding me of the round cakes, Lady Pan. I have to present them now, please excuse me."
After she said so, Chu Lian took the round cakes and her maidservants with her to greet the Empress Dowager.
This chapter has been stolen from volarenovels. Please read from the original source!
Lady Pan stared after Chu Lian's figure in disbelief. By the time she managed to regain her senses, Chu Lian had already disappeared into the crowd. Lady Pan’s good mood was completely destroyed by this one short conversation. In her frustration, she shot a look of contempt at Madam Zou before she left, not forgetting one last action to show her vexation.
When the madams around them saw that it wasn't House Jing'an's Eldest Young Madam who was to present the round cakes, there were a bunch of strange looks directed towards Madam Zou. Madam Zou immediately felt the urge to dig a hole and hide in it.
By the time Chu Lian had properly presented her round cakes and returned to Matriarch He's side, Royal Princess Duanjia had squeezed in beside her. She leaned close enough to whisper in Chu Lian's ear and asked if she needed any help.
Chu Lian smiled and shook her head, telling her that everything was fine.
Royal Princess Duanjia's expression relaxed and she gave her a nod before leaving.
The banquet was about to begin, and the judging of the round cakes would occur at the end. Royal Princess Duanjia was part of Prince Wei's estate, so she wasn't going to be seated with Chu Lian's group.
By the time all the female guests were seated, the banquet officially started.
Royal Princess Duanjia was sitting with Princess Wei, closer to the imperial family. At the top sat the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Imperial Concubine Wei was seated below the Empress, while a few old concubines of the previous Emperor were seated below the Empress Dowager.
Princess Wei was ranked below the various concubines, so she was seated with the wives of the other princes. Royal Princess Duanjia was at the table next to hers, where all the princesses were seated. Imperial Princess Leyao was placed diagonally across from Royal Princess Duanjia.
Chu Lian was sitting beside Matriarch He, with other noble madams of the same rank. There was one more seat reserved for House Ying's matriarch here, but House Ying's matriarch hadn't come, seemingly due to health issues.
Other than their matriarch, none of the madams of House Ying were qualified to enter the banquet. Thus, Chu Lian didn't see anyone from House Ying here in Ninghe Palace.
When Chu Lian turned to look at Empress Shen, who was giving a speech, she felt a gaze burning like coals on her. She followed the sensation, only to meet with Imperial Princess Leyao's eyes.
Imperial Princess Leyao was so angry that her little hands were curled into fists. She had never suffered a setback like that before!
With her high and mighty status, if she wanted to teach anyone a lesson, she would be able to do so without any restraint. Even if they died in the process, no one would be able to touch her. Now, all she had been trying to do was make trouble for Brother He's annoying wife. However, she kept failing to do so! She was able to accept it back at the Dingyuan Estate, as that hadn’t been in her territory, but here? In the palace? She should’ve been able to get Chu Lian in trouble by now, but all her schemes were still failing spectacularly! How could she not be angry?
If she could, Imperial Princess Leyao would kill Chu Lian on the spot to relieve this hatred within her.
Chu Lian's gaze swept over Imperial Princess Leyao once before she shifted her eyes elsewhere, as if she hadn't seen that burning hatred in the princess' eyes.
Chu Lian performed perfectly at the banquet, doing everything as customary. She didn't attract anyone's attention nor did she flout any rules of etiquette. She was just waiting for the banquet to end so she could go home to Songtao Court, have a nice hot bath, and then fall in bed for a good night's sleep.
In the later half of the banquet, it was finally time for the round cakes to be judged. Each estate’s round cakes were placed in similar silver trays. The top ten ranked noble madams and imperial family members would then taste each one before choosing a winner.
From her conversation with Royal Princess Duanjia earlier, Chu Lian knew that this competition wasn't as fair as most people would think. The 'round cakes' that she had submitted were also a little different from most, so she wasn't too worried about being chosen as the winner. She just sat calmly and ate while watching the show.
Although the food of this imperial banquet wasn't too tasty, the fruits offered after the main meal were delicious. They were serving dragonfruits and mangosteens that were part of the tributes from the western regions. They never had a chance to taste these in the Jing'an Estate. It was unexpected that the Empress Dowager would bring these rare fruits out for her guests at this banquet.
The round cake competition was at its peak when the eunuch guarding the entrance at Ninghe Palace suddenly announced, "The Emperor has arrived!"
Normally, the Emperor wouldn't come to Ninghe Palace. In previous years, it had always been either the Empress Dowager or the Empress hosting banquets like this. Their guests would also be the ladies of the noble houses. In the past two years, the Chengping Emperor had never come to grace the Mid-Autumn Banquet. However, since he was here now, the crowd was naturally happy to see him. They didn't have many chances to peek at the face of the almighty Emperor on normal days.
The Chengping Emperor had come over purely for a change of pace after a long stretch of boredom in his imperial study. He hadn't arranged this visit in advance.
He happened to chance upon the judging of the round cakes, so he joined the judges since he was in a good mood.
The banquet became even livelier after the arrival of the Emperor. In a short moment, the judging was over. The scroll with the results of the competition was passed to one of the court ladies who served in the Empress Dowager's palace.
The Chengping Emperor was seated next to the Empress Dowager as he chatted warmly with her, all the while listening to the court lady announce the winner of this year's round cake competition.
The announcer's voice was bright and clear, covering the entire hall in an instant.
The madams seated at the same table as Lady Pan were already smiling and congratulating her in low voices, without waiting for the announcer to finish speaking. Lady Pan was also full of pleasant smiles upon receiving their congratulations; a nice warmth settled in her heart.
The announcer's voice rang out in the hall, declaring, "After the judges' appraisal, the winner of this year's competition is House Jing'an..."