novelhk Chapter 178 Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet
Chapter 178 Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet
In such situations, everyone is happy to say nice things.
Therefore, the two sons of the Hai family were also included in the praise, and the atmosphere was already lively before the emperor and empress arrived.
"Consort Liang has arrived, Consort Tong has arrived, Consort Yi has arrived, Consort Li has arrived, Consort Xu has arrived."
These are the only few of the late emperor's concubines who remain in the palace now, so when they appear, everyone at the palace banquet still has to stand up to greet them.
The most eye-catching of them all was, of course, the pregnant Consort Tong.
This is the late emperor's only posthumous child. If it is a prince, then he will be the third prince besides the emperor and the seventh prince Ping An. He will at least be a prince with a fiefdom in the future. Therefore, compared with the other concubines, she will naturally be regarded with more respect.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Consort Tong had dressed up carefully today.
She concealed her sallow and haggard face, and used a well-fitting palace dress to cover her thin and bony body. Her hair was not styled in a complicated way, but was simply secured with a few hairpins bestowed by the late emperor, which made her look elegant and graceful.
In addition, she deliberately maintained a smile, looking much calmer and more peaceful than her former status as a favored concubine. The person supporting her was actually a palace maid disguised as Prince Li. Her movements and actions were flawless, and for a moment no one noticed.
All the imperial concubines and consorts present regarded Consort Liang as their most respected concubine.
After all, she had once been in charge of the affairs of the inner palace, so she had to be more imposing. Therefore, she said to everyone, "No need for formalities."
Consort Tong watched from the side, her eyes revealing some discomfort.
She found Consort Liang's affected manner utterly disgusting. She didn't know why, but every time she saw her, she would easily get angry and upset. Today was no exception, even though she had just had her pulse checked and taken some medicine to prevent miscarriage before coming.
As a result, his breathing became much heavier. Seeing this, the palace maid next to him brought him a sip of warm water and pretended to be concerned.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Seeing this "palace maid" only made Consort Tong more agitated.
Another troublemaker. If her identity is exposed today, she probably won't survive. Just thinking about it makes her break out in a cold sweat. Even though she's carefully made up, she still doesn't look well.
When Consort Yi saw this, she frowned slightly.
Consort Tong's pregnancy was both timely and ill-timed. If it were her, she would never have come out to seek the limelight in such an occasion; taking care of her pregnancy would have been the most important thing. However, she was not Consort Tong, and sometimes saying too much could lead to mistakes, so she did not ask any further questions.
Consort Tong took the warm water and drank a couple of sips. Her anxiety gradually subsided, and then she spoke with a hint of feigned indifference.
"It doesn't matter."
"That's good."
Faced with Prince Li's gaze, what could Consort Tong say? She simply let it be. However, other voices soon came from outside.
"His Majesty has arrived, His Majesty the Empress has arrived, and Prince Li has arrived."
King Le?
Why would "he" appear in this situation?
Consort Tong and the palace maid exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat uncomfortable. However, since they weren't the focus of attention today, it didn't attract the attention of others.
The Emperor and Empress were both dressed in their finest attire today, adorned in dragon robes, exuding an aura of grandeur.
The two were so radiant that they made the King of Li behind them seem even less important! If someone hadn't just mentioned his name, the others probably wouldn't have even noticed his presence.
The palace maid nodded slightly, seemingly indifferent, but in reality, she kept an eye on the "Prince Li's" movements. The fake Prince Li also glanced at the people present, his face as calm as ever. However, when he saw the palace maid next to Consort Tong, he paused for a moment, but then returned to normal.
Haijin kept his eyes fixed on Li Wang, not missing a single glance from him.
So even a slight lapse in concentration was noticed by him. Following his gaze, they saw the location of those imperial concubines. Could it be that he was colluding with one of the imperial concubines?
Thinking of this, he looked away and silently pondered in his mind.
On the other hand, Haiyu and Qiao Er were already laughing heartily. Their presence provided cover, so the palace maid did not notice Haijin's silence.
They all have something on their minds, but on the surface, they all try to appear more glamorous and impressive than the last.
As the emperor and empress took their seats, the crowd shouted "Long live the emperor! May he live a long and peaceful life!"
The emperor raised his hand and calmly said, "All of you, rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty."
Looking at the dazzling He Lingyi sitting next to the emperor, Consort Tong felt a surge of jealousy. If only she had been able to get close to the new emperor back then.
Given his age, I can enjoy my glory for at least several decades. Even if I don't become empress, being a concubine would be good enough!
Unlike now, I'm carrying a "bastard child," surrounded by wolves, and my future is bleak...
Thinking of these things, his gaze gradually dimmed, and then he heard He Lingyi speak.
"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival Palace Banquet, and I have specially invited you all here. This is also the first palace banquet held by His Majesty since he assumed power. I hope you all enjoy yourselves to the fullest today!"
"I will receive the order."
Seeing everyone's submissive demeanor, Consort Liang felt a pang of envy.
She didn't care that the emperor and empress got along well. After all, what genuine feelings were there in the royal family? It was just a matter of the last few years. Wasn't the late emperor and Empress Wen the same?
However, the enjoyment brought by this supreme position was extraordinary. Therefore, seeing He Lingyi's radiant face, Consort Liang's eyes held a complex calculation.
However, he quickly looked away and instead looked at Consort Tong's belly, continuing his hypocritical words.
"My sister is due to give birth soon, so she needs to take good care of herself these days. I'm free tomorrow, so I'll come and talk to you."
Upon hearing this, Consort Tong showed an annoyed expression. "Forget it. I'd rather sleep a little longer than entertain you. Everyone knows what you're up to. What good intentions can a weasel have when it comes to offering New Year's greetings to a chicken?"
Upon hearing this, Consort Liang felt somewhat embarrassed.
After all, in the palace, while people might be sarcastic and sarcastic, it was rare to see someone so bluntly criticize others. Moreover, her voice wasn't quiet, so most of the people present heard some of it.
That's exactly the effect Ho Ling-yee wanted: dogs fighting, a mess of fur.
To achieve their goals while extricating themselves from the situation peacefully, they still had to maintain appearances, so they spoke in a gentle tone.
"Consort Tong is pregnant, so it's inevitable that she'll be a bit more irritable. Consort Liang, please don't take it to heart. You can visit Consort Yi or the other noble consorts more often. The princesses all like you very much."
These words, ostensibly meant to help her out of a difficult situation, actually exposed Consort Liang's true intentions. She gave a wry laugh and then offered a forced explanation.
“Princess, I like it very much too.”
You like it? But you don't watch it.
But she would approach those she didn't like in various ways.
What else could it be for? Isn't it just the child in Consort Tong's belly? Everyone understands their true intentions.