20demayo Chapter 147
Chapter 147
jiang xinyue didn't care whether he was happy or not; after all, it was the new year, and she was quite pleased.
because this time, her adoptive father had brought lady ruan into the palace, not madam zhou.
her full-blood siblings had also come, and from across the crowd, they were waving to greet her from afar!
jiang xinyan had always been gentle, self-disciplined, and dignified, rarely showing such outward emotions. this was the first time jiang yunxia and jiang yuncai had entered the palace, and also the first time they had seen their cousin xinyue since she entered the palace.
in fact, before jiang xinyue entered the palace, they had only met her once, many years ago, when their fourth uncle had brought his whole family back to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors.
at that time, jiang xinyue was only about ten years old!
jiang yunxia was probably seven or eight.
her only impression of jiang xinyue was that she was beautiful, more beautiful than all the other girls in the jiang family combined.
when they were young, none of the girls in the clan could avoid being jealous of her, feeling that when she stood there, she was like a towering tree, overshadowing everyone else's light.
at that time, no one would play with her. the little girls were unwilling, while the little boys were shy, afraid to disturb this fairy-like sister or cousin.
after all these years, time had been particularly kind to her. that beautiful face, as it matured, revealed stunning beauty and radiance.
outside, those high-and-mighty young ladies from great families privately complained together, asking why jiang xinyue was so favored, wasn't she just a pretty face?
jiang yunxia shook her head, finding it amusing.
after seeing cousin xinyue's beauty today, could they still say such ignorant things?
a pretty face?
even if she was just a pretty face, her cousin xinyue was the most beautiful and exquisite of all, captivating anyone who laid eyes on her.
even as a woman, she couldn't help but be attracted, wanting to look a few more times. how much more so for the emperor, a virile young man?
"yes, yes... no need to thank us, it's what we should do..."
this lord jiang's tongue was too sharp!
repeatedly calling her "lady pei" was like rubbing salt in her wounds, wasn't it?
vicious woman, sharp-tongued, ill-mannered - every word was a stab to the heart!
and while retaliating, he also cleared lady ruan's name, stating that when she married lord jiang, she was a pure and innocent maiden, not the lowly person lady pei described.
most men value chastity highly, and since lord jiang said so, lady ruan must certainly be beyond reproach.
lady pei was so angry she wanted to explode, but this was a palace banquet, so she had to hold it in. however, the hideous expression on her face was far from presentable.
jiang xinyue hadn't heard the argument over there, but she saw her mother's pale face and frightened eyes, as well as her siblings' indignant heaving chests.
who was gossiping and stirring up trouble again?
she looked at the sweet crab meat already peeled on the table, then at lady pei sitting diagonally across from the jiang family. she raised her hand to summon xiao xuanzi and whispered a few words in his ear. xiao xuanzi quickly retreated from the great hall.
chief steward gao was busy preparing tonight's main course - hot pot.
he saw concubine zhen's personal eunuch, xiao xuanzi, approach and hurriedly wiped his hands: "eunuch, does the concubine have any instructions?"
xiao xuanzi glanced over the table: "the concubine asked me to fetch a few crabs."
chief steward gao immediately placed four plump crabs on a plate: "i'll have them prepared for the concubine right away."
after a moment's thought, he added, "eunuch xuan, crabs are very cooling. the concubine is with child, it's best not to eat too much."
xiao xuanzi smiled, appreciating his goodwill: "thank you for the reminder, chief steward gao, but these crabs are not for the concubine to eat. they're for punishing someone. please prepare these good-looking ones, and also give me a few with little meat, sharp pincers, and hard shells. i need to do this task well for the concubine."
hearing this, chief steward gao understood. in no time, he had selected a few crabs that were about to be discarded and gave them to him according to his requirements.