Plans

Before long, the young eunuch Cui Zhao'an had sent out returned.

When the young eunuch nodded at her, Cui Zhao'an rose.

"I shall go and change. Please continue enjoying the performance."

No one objected to Cui Zhao'an's departure or said anything more about it.

Jiang Yourning was watching the acrobatic performance before her with rapt attention.

As the daughters, she and Jiang Wanrong were seated behind Lin Xiangyin.

With so many people seated in the hall anyway, Jiang Yourning grabbed a large handful of caramel-flavored sunflower seeds and secretly passed them to her sister and mother.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. These acrobatics are really good.

But I remember this girl accidentally falling into some sucker's arms when she performed for the male guests. Who was it again?

One little twirl, her hair tumbling loose, a beauty landing in his arms-she bewitched him so thoroughly that she scammed him out of even his underpants.

Say, how about I introduce you to that damned lunatic? With you two scheming against each other, life in his inner household should be wonderfully colorful.

Jiang Yourning's gaze remained fixed on the plate-tossing girl disguised as a man, plans springing up one after another in her mind.

Hearing her sister's words, Jiang Wanrong also turned her gaze toward the young woman.

She could not help frowning.

But her sister's wish to drop this girl into the seventh prince's arms probably would not work out.

This was the Imperial Palace, after all. Bribing someone to act would not be easy.

A little while later.

Cui Zhao'an returned.

She still smiled with graceful composure as she sat in the seat of honor, but the hands hidden inside her sleeves were trembling.

Never before had she felt so utterly as though she had plunged into an ice cavern.

She had asked Fu Shou to discreetly summon Doctor Zhou, the ill-tempered physician who was usually the least welcome person in the Imperial Medical Academy.

Doctor Zhou had taken her pulse for a routine examination and told her plainly that she had been poisoned for quite some time. The poison normally concealed itself without a trace and would not erupt until it attacked the meridians around her heart.

On top of that, years of taking too many medicines with cooling properties had severely depleted her health. Becoming pregnant in the future would likely be extremely difficult.

Everything she ate and wore, her living arrangements, and her travel had all been personally handled by Nanny Mei.

Whether that voice belonged to friend or foe, her Perching Phoenix Palace could not possibly be clean.

Until everything had been investigated, she could not beat the grass and startle the snake. All she could do was continue pretending to be deaf and mute.

A long while passed.

Only when the sunflower seed shells on Jiang Yourning's table had piled into a little mountain did the empress speak again.

"Court has now adjourned. Please accompany me to the rear garden."

Here we go, here we go! The scenes in the Imperial Garden are the exciting ones: a spoiled princess and county lady tearing at each other's hair, the unlucky crown prince offering women to the emperor, some sucker getting a little white flower throwing herself into his arms...

Oh, I almost forgot there's apparently a scene where someone gets caught in an affair, too. I just forgot which unlucky bastard gets caught.

Walking at the very front, Cui Zhao'an felt her vision darken and her legs suddenly weaken. Had the palace maid following close beside her not caught her in time, she would probably have fallen straight to the ground.

Was her birthday today really going to be this thrilling?

But aside from a crowd of palace maids and eunuchs, quite a few consorts were also following the empress.

As a result, Jiang Yourning never noticed that the empress had nearly fallen.

She looked all around, taking in the Imperial Garden with great interest.

Say what you will, the scenery in the Imperial Garden is pretty nice. There are just too many artificial hills and rocks. Hanging a plaque over them saying "Best Place for Secret Affairs This Year" might make them look even better.

Cui Zhao'an: ...

Once she had steadied herself, Cui Zhao'an took two deep breaths, then looked at Fu Shou beside her again.

"Fu Shou, pass down my orders. Once today's banquet is over, remove most of the hills and rocks in the Imperial Garden. Leaving one or two will suffice."

"Your servant obeys."

Fu Shou nodded dutifully.

Among the palace maids behind Cui Zhao'an, one girl's face suddenly turned deathly pale.

A consort in the crowd also bit her lip, her hands clenching tightly inside her sleeves in fright.

Soon.

The female guests arrived at the Imperial Garden and took their seats on the platform erected to the right.

Because of Jiang Yourning's words, Cui Zhao'an sent a palace maid to summon her daughter once again, along with Nanny Mei, who had not been seen since leaving the Perching Phoenix Palace.

The normally kindly Cui Zhao'an issued an outright ultimatum, forcing her spoiled daughter to come.

"Your daughter pays her respects, Mother. Please forgive me for arriving late."

Princess Yongning, Chu Lange, suppressed the impatience in her eyes and obediently offered her greetings.

Beside her, Nanny Mei also bowed.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. This old servant suddenly felt unwell while going to invite the princess over. Her Highness was worried about me, which delayed us somewhat."

In the past, hearing this would certainly have prompted Cui Zhao'an to inquire after Nanny Mei's health.

But looking at her now, nothing about her seemed right-not her nose, not her eyes.

She could not dwell on it any longer, however, because the emperor arrived with a grand procession of male guests.

Cui Zhao'an rose to greet him.

All the women present knelt once more.

"We pay our respects to Your Majesty."

"Prepare to begin the banquet."

Chu Wenzong waved a hand.

Hooray! I get to taste the Imperial Palace's food.

Life isn't easy. Ningning has to do herself proud!

Huh? Was he hearing things?

Chu Wenzong paused, but did not think much more of it.

Cui Zhao'an, however, could not help sinking into thought.

Ningning?

A little later, Qing Qianxue arrived belatedly. He still wore his mask, and his voice was cool and clear.

"Your subject, Qian Xue, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Unlike the others, who had to perform a full ceremonial bow upon seeing Chu Wenzong, he merely lowered his head and bowed with clasped hands.

"Qian Xue, you're here."

Chu Wenzong's gaze instantly softened.

Oh! This is the man who cried harder at that damned block of ice's funeral than if his own mother had died, after all. That damned block of ice really does hold an extraordinarily high place in Chu Wenzong's heart.

*Though, come to think of it, Chu Wenzong is strikingly handsome, and that damned block of ice's face is also breathtakingly ethereal.

If that damned block of ice were a woman, the current empress probably wouldn't have had a chance at her position, would she?*

Within the dense crowd.

Everyone's thoughts took a strange turn.

Just how high was Qing Qianxue's standing?

The emperor drew him to his side, seating Qing Qianxue on his left and the empress on his right. That was no ordinary place of honor.

At that moment, the empress's heart could not help churning with towering waves.

His Majesty...

Could he actually have that sort of preference?

Qing Qianxue's peripheral gaze happened to fall on Jiang Yourning.

This little girl really was...

Next.

The banquet began, and so did the performances arranged by the imperial household.

A graceful woman in blue-green robes stepped onto the stage, accompanied by a group of dancers in plain-colored dance costumes.

Jiang Yourning's gaze settled on the woman leading them.

Oh! Are we starting off this thrilling already? The courtesan queen the crown prince paid a fortune to hire wants to become a favored consort and has come to offer a dance. Giving his godfather a woman at his own godmother's birthday banquet-seriously?