"Concubine Li is just joking with you, don't be afraid."
In the past, those words "don't be afraid" would have soothed all the pain in Concubine Li's heart, but today, the Emperor had said them to another woman instead.
She felt a twinge of pain in her heart, but her smile became even more sincere: "Your humble servant was indeed joking, but I didn't know Consort Zhen was so timid. Back when Concubine Chu pretended to be a ghost to scare you, you were so bold! I thought you were fearless!"
She deliberately brought that up to let Vice Minister Jiang and Lady Zhou hear it, trying to instigate trouble since her provocation had failed.
The Emperor took a deep breath and sighed heavily through his nose. He stopped holding Jiang Xinyue's hand, a sign of his impatience.
There were tears flickering in Jiang Xinyue's eyes, but due to the solemn occasion with countless eyes watching her, she forced the tears back and smiled charmingly: "It turns out Her Ladyship Concubine Li cares so much about your humble servant, I'm truly terrified. But you're wrong, Your Ladyship! I'm not afraid, it's just that with His Majesty here, what ghost or demon could get close to him?"
Empress Zhu had ordered the incident at Xihuo Palace, where there was rumored to be a ghost, to be covered up. From Concubine Li's words, it seemed she knew every detail of Jiang Xinyue's reaction.
Concubine Li was so provoked by the Emperor's favoritism towards Jiang Xinyue that she let something slip without realizing it. The Emperor pondered whether Concubine Li had planted spies around Consort Zhen so early on.
The once charming, bold, and radiant woman had been dyed too long in the palace's vat, becoming almost unrecognizable to him.
Concubine Li wanted to say more, but Xia He, who was by her side, suddenly exclaimed and spilled wine on her dress.
She quickly knelt down: "Please forgive me, Your Ladyship. Your servant was distracted by the music in the hall. It was unintentional."
It wouldn't do any good to get angry since Xia He was one of her own people.
Ever since Layue, Xia He had successfully become the head palace maid of Xinyuan Palace, now acting as Concubine Li's new right-hand woman.
She wasn't normally so careless and reckless.
"Your Majesty, your humble servant's dress is wet. Please allow me to go change."
The Xuanwu Emperor nodded and frowned at Xia He: "This palace maid of yours has repeatedly shown a lack of discipline, not even as good as the previous one."
Xia He's face instantly turned pale!
What did the Emperor mean by that?
Was he angry because Concubine Li had just tried to embarrass Consort Zhen, and was venting his anger on Concubine Li's palace maid? Or was he simply displeased that the maid had spilled wine on Concubine Li's dress?
His words had a double meaning, allowing different people to interpret them differently based on their own understanding.
Only Jiang Xinyue knew that the Xuanwu Emperor was not dissatisfied with Concubine Li, but simply disliked Xia He.
Because the last time Concubine Li was injured and unconscious, Xia He had said in front of all the consorts and concubines that the Emperor treated Jiang Xinyue as Concubine Li's replacement.
The looks the other consorts and concubines gave her now had an added hint of fear and apprehension.
That wasn't a bad thing. They knew to be afraid, so next time they tried to harm her, they would hesitate and consider whether they could bear the consequences if their plot was exposed.
"Your Majesty, Jiang Yulin, daughter of Vice Minister Jiang; Wang Ruolan, daughter of the Minister of Rites; and Meng Wanru, daughter of the Academician of the Imperial Academy, will perform for Your Majesty."
Originally, it was Jiang Xinyue's whim to select members from the Office of Music and Dance to form the Great Yan Women's Twelve Music Troupe based on a girl band she loved in her previous modern life. But now, three of the performers had been replaced by the daughters of high officials.
One of them was even her half-sister from her father's side.
What was going on?
Were they trying to imitate Consort Rong and Noble Consort Rong by having sisters serve the same husband?
How twisted!
To be honest, although the three daughters of officials were the most attractive among the musicians, their musical skills were not as good as the original three female musicians from the Office of Music and Dance.
The Xuanwu Emperor's sharp eyes revealed a fierce displeasure, his thick eyebrows looking like they were painted with ink, exuding a great sense of intimidation.
He was unhappy that his arrangements had been suddenly disrupted.
Those further away couldn't see his expression clearly, but Jiang Xinyue, being close to him, could see it plainly.
She tugged at the Emperor's sleeve and said softly: "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and all officials, civil and military, must follow your commands. For these few daughters of officials to perform and entertain Your Majesty, even a reward of gold, silver, or a simple silk flower would be a great honor."
Regardless of whether Consort Rong and Noble Consort Rong found the idea of two sisters serving one man disgusting or not, Jiang Xinyue certainly did.
Even if she wasn't the real Jiang Xinyue, even if this body wasn't really hers, the education she had received never taught her to accept such a violation of moral values.
Since the Emperor didn't like them either, she might as well go along with his wishes and block their path into the palace.
Seriously, with all the beauties in the palace that she hadn't dealt with, she couldn't handle having a few more romantic rivals brought in. That would be too much work for her.
The music ended, and thunderous applause erupted in the hall.
After all, the three ladies came from prestigious families, and their skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were exceptional. This performance, though not perfect, was the most brilliant one the officials and concubines had seen in recent years.
The annual palace banquets were usually organized by Empress Zhu herself, except for the New Year's banquet, which involved the Ministry of Rites due to the presence of foreign envoys.
Some people praised the Ministry of Rites for doing a good job this year, but more praised Empress Zhu's elegant taste for arranging such a wonderful program.
The cuisine was also different from the usual Manchu-Han grand banquet, very innovative and delicious.
Most importantly, it was unique - they had never tasted anything like it elsewhere.
Consort De glanced at Consort Zhen sitting beside the Emperor and saw that she didn't seem upset about Empress Zhu taking credit for her ideas. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The fried chicken with wine, roasted meat with hot pot, and the palace women's Twelve Music Troupe that everyone was praising as novel - all of these were Consort Zhen's ideas.
She didn't ask the Emperor to acknowledge her contribution at such a time, but instead gave all the credit to the Empress, showing great tact.
Many of the consorts and concubines in the palace couldn't even compare to her in this regard.
Fortunately, Concubine Li's dress had been soiled, otherwise she would have come out to expose the truth and undermine the Empress's standing, which she had never wanted to be stable, considering her own noble status and desire to be the mistress of the palace's three thousand beauties.
"Hahaha..."
The Xuanwu Emperor was greatly delighted by the flattery, feeling that his quoting of Consort Zhen's method had received unanimous praise, proving that he still had an eye for talent.
"Rewards, rewards for all," he declared with a sweeping gesture. "The Office of Music and Dance shall be rewarded with one thousand taels of silver, and as for the daughters of the three beloved ministers... material gifts would be demeaning to your status..."
His hesitation sent the hearts of the three racing wildly.
"I shall reward each of you with a silk flower from the brocade weaving villages of Jiangnan!"
Ah? That would have been better than material gifts!
