Taking the Lead

Lady Chu, with her red-red nails, gently picked up the teacup, brought it to her nose and sniffed it, her face calmed down.

The tea was good, but not enough to excite her.

In the northwest, this kind of thing is not as stimulating as the soul-hunting wine.

But the person sitting on the seat was the imperial concubine, and she, a new noblewoman in the palace, couldn't act out in front of her.

Her eyes moved, and she looked at the last seat opposite, and saw Lin Wanyi, and she was jealous all of a sudden.

She said in the direction of Lin Wanyi with sourness.

"It is said that His Majesty has just got a fairy-like lady, and I think it must be this sister Lin. She is really beautiful, and the sisters in the six palaces are not up to match against your rare beauty."

After saying that, she laughed, but her eyes were full of boundless indifference and hostility.

Here it comes!

As expected, this lady will become the target of public criticism.

Lin Wanyi's previous thoughts were to try not to stand out too much, and get away with it if she could, but she didn't expect that the other party would provoke her in less than a quarter of an hour after she sat down.

If she followed her past thoughts, she would naturally avoid it if she could.

But now she is in the palace, and it is her first time to meet the emperor. If she is stepped on, it will be difficult for her to turn over in the future.

Who can guarantee that not anyone will come to her to show off, if it is not then how can she live a peaceful life in the future? Thinking of this, she glanced at Concubine Lin on the seat.

She smiled as the corners of her mouth move upwards, as if she was watching cats and dogs playing, but the warning in her eyes was accurately conveyed to Lin Wanyi.

She represents the face of the Xiangfu and Concubine Lin. Even if it is just a fake promise, it is not a promise that can be abused by others.

With Concubine Lin as a backing, Lin Wanyi had less respect.

Therefore, she looked up at the Concubine Chu who was just sarcastic, and replied to her with a tone of three points of alienation and six points of generosity.

"Thank you for your praise, sister. But who in the six palaces doesn't know that the Imperial Concubine is stunningly beautiful? I, a humble maid, dare not compare to her."

In one sentence, she actually made herself clear.

On the one hand, she praised Imperial Concubine Lin, and on the other hand, she implicitly criticized Concubine Chu for being blind.

The meaning of her words was that everyone present was a shrewd person in the harem, and who didn't understand the truth?

Concubine Chu was so angry that she almost broke the teacup in her hand.

When she looked at Lin Wanyi again, her expression was no longer covered, and her disgust was on the surface.

"Sister Lin is really a clever talker. With just a few words, I offended the Imperial Concubine. Those who know naturally know that I was just praising my sister's beautiful face, and those who don't know would think that I was disrespectful to the Imperial Concubine. You are really good at sowing discord just after entering the palace!"

Concubine Chu has always been persistent.

In the northwest, her father was a powerful general, the most powerful general under the Marquis of the Northwest. Who would not look up to her? But after entering the palace, she was always inferior to the high ranking concubines. How could she bear this?

So if she didn't find someone to vent her anger and relieve her boredom, she might get sick.

The contempt in her eyes was obvious, and the other concubines either watched the fun or listened to the rumors.

Let this stupid Concubine Chu take the lead, so that they can see what the newcomer Lin Da Ying is like? Or what kind of backer is behind her?

It was a critical moment.

If Lin Wanyi was soft-hearted at this moment, she would be nailed to death by Concubine Chu's words. There is no room for cowards in the palace. After looking around at the concubines around, Lin Wanyi knew what they meant.

"Sister, you misunderstood. I have never had such thoughts. The imperial concubine's beauty is praised by His Majesty. When I was still at home, I often heard my grandmother and second aunt mention this matter, so I kept it in mind. As for what sister said, you and I have no grudges, and this is the first time we meet. I can't even get along with you, so how could I sow discord?"

The backers are getting bigger and bigger. In one sentence, the matter of praising the imperial concubine's appearance is pushed onto the emperor and Princess Rongkang.

They are people that Concubine Chu cannot afford to offend, so even if she grits her teeth, she can only swallow her anger.

She said to Lin Wanyi word by word.

"In that case, it's this sister who overthinks."

"Sister, I just spoke too quickly. it was unintentional. The Imperial Concubine is the kindest and will definitely not blame us. I am young and ignorant, and I made you angry. Please punish me."

After saying that, she knelt down and bowed to Imperial Concubine Lin. Her words were calm, but neither humble nor arrogant.

Seeing her so sincere and calm, if Concubine Chu didn't kneel down, she would be charged with contempt for the Imperial Concubine.

So she had to bow her head no matter how reluctant she was.

She turned around and knelt down to Concubine Lin who was sitting on the upper seat. Her tone was much milder than the previous step-by-step pressure.

"Please forgive me, Imperial Concubine, I made a mistake."

With just a few words, she turned the situation around. Not only did she clear herself, but she also forced Concubine Chu to bow her head and admit her mistake. It was really amazing!

Concubine Lin looked at the two people below who were confessing their crimes obediently, and she felt both happy and worried.

This noble lady Chu, relying on her prominent family background and her youth and beauty, has offended many people in the past month since she entered the palace.

She was defeated by Lin Wanyi's clever words, which was a relief.

But Lin Wanyi's subtle use of others' strengths had made Concubine Lin a little wary.

She is smart and beautiful. If she supports such a person to take the throne, she may make enemies in the future. But now that the concubines are all here, if she doesn't protect Lin Wanyi, people will speculate that the people in their prime minister's mansion are disunited, which will not only go against her original intention, but also add some trouble, so she has to continue.

So, she softened her tone and said.

"It's all a matter of words. The two sisters don't need to think too much. I am not a petty person. Stand up."

"Thank you, Imperial Concubine Lin."

"I thank Imperial Concubine Lin for her grace."

Concubine Lin is only one step away from becoming the Empress and the most noble woman in the harem and even the world, so she naturally has to pretend to be virtuous.

With a wave of her hand, she immediately asked Qin He to bring out some palace flowers, diverting the topic from the previous topic.

"It is a nice day in April now. The people from the Inner Court sent these palace flowers yesterday. I think they are suitable for the season. Sisters, please take a look and see if you like any of them."

After that, she asked the palace maids to bring plates to the concubines and let them choose.

The palace flowers are made of silk cloth. Not only are the flower shapes lifelike, but even the textures and stamens of the flowers are handled very vividly. From a distance, you might think they are real flowers.

The Wei Dynasty has the custom of wearing hairpins with flowers. In the early years, people wore freshly picked flowers in their hair to show their appearance.