“Why can’t you use it. You two are so much more lively than I am. I can’t wear clothes like these because they don’t complement my color. These clothes suit your complexions well.” Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. Her eyes were sincere. She moved over and picked up a dress to hold against He Yufen. The smile on her face was kind and gentle as she said, “Misses He, you are both beautiful and will look even more amazing if you wear these to the palace. Consort Zhao will definitely be pleased.”
When He Yufen heard Mo Xuetong mentioning Consort Zhao, the wariness in her eyes slowly faded. Instead, satisfaction replaced the wary look in her eyes as she gave Mo Xuetong the side-eye. She sniffed to herself coldly. She did not believe that Mo Xuetong did not want to please Consort Zhao. She had been so rude to the He family early only because Consort Zhao had not said anything about it.
Upon hearing that her sister could also enter the palace, He Yufen figured that it was because Consort Zhao had helped them out. Of course Mo Xuetong would try to butter up to Consort Zhao. No wonder Mo Xuetong looked as if she was trying to please the two He sisters today. She was full of smiles and even gifted them with clothes politely. It was because they had the support of Consort Zhao.
He Yuxiu had already spotted a dress that she liked. When she saw that He Yufen was not going to say anything else, she pointed at the dress and pretended to be shy. She said to Mo Xuetong sweetly, “Cousin-in-law, this dress is really pretty. The peonies on it are embroidered with gold thread. It is so beautiful. I have never seen a dress so beautiful before.”
“Second Miss, I will give it to you since you like it so. The dress complements your skin tone and makes your skin look even fairer.” Mo Xuetong waved her hand generously. “Come, Mo Lan, take Second Miss and help her dress up.”
“Yes, Second Miss, please come with me.” Mo Lan picked up the dress and smiled at He Yuxiu.
When He Yuxiu heard how Mo Xuetong complimented her and saw how generous she was, He Yuxiu immediately nodded happily. Even though she felt that this was Mo Xuetong’s way of buttering up to Consort Zhao, she did not forget to say politely, “Thank you, Cousin-in-law. You are the best.”
Then, she did not wait for He Yufen and went with Mo Lan to get changed. He Yufen was so mad she gritted her teeth secretly. She was just a tad slower and the most beautiful dress landed in He Yuxiu’s hands. She liked that dress as well and was about to take it using Consort Zhao’s name. She did not expect He Yuxiu to be a tad faster than her and she was furious about it.
He Yufen’s heart burned with hatred, yet she did not show it. Even though her smile was a little stiff, she did not act rashly.
“First Miss, what do you think of this set? You will stun the crowd if you wear this with a peacock skirt. First Miss is a gentle person and this set complements you well.” Mo Xuetong smiled and pointed at another set of clothes. She recommended it to He Yufen, saying, “Look, this sachet is nice as well. It looks like the one on Second Miss’s set of clothes. But it matches this set as well.
The pink sachet was indeed beautiful. It was the perfect finishing touch beside the peacock skirt. He Yufen liked it when she saw it. Fortunately, He Yuxiu did not see it earlier when she was picking out her clothes. That was great, and it was now He Yufen’s.
“This… I feel awful. How can I take your clothes!” He Yufen might seem polite but she could not hide the greed in her eyes. She did not even blink as she looked at the golden threads on the clothes. Mo Yu believed that if they were not around, First Miss He would have leaped at the clothes and gathered them in her arms.
She forced herself to restrain herself and pretended to be mature. However, she just looked like a joke.
“What’s there to feel bad about? First Miss He will look pretty in these clothes. Consort Zhao will feel proud of you when she sees you later.” Mo Xuetong smiled with warmth and familiarity.
It was Consort Zhao. Mo Xuetong was indeed afraid of Consort Zhao!
He Yufen did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so cowardly. She kept bringing up Consort Zhao. In the future, when He Yufen entered the King’s Manor, Mo Xuetong would be afraid of her as long as Consort Zhao supported He Yufen. He Yufen felt her mood improve immediately and despised Mo Xuetong. If this was so, there was no need to stand on ceremony. Mo Xuetong must be afraid that she would speak badly of Mo Xuetong in front of Consort Zhao, which was why she was trying to butter up to He Yufen now. Since this was so, she might as well take what Mo Xuetong was offering her. If she were any slower, the shameless He Yuxiu would come out. She might like the set that He Yufen was holding to right now. Then, it would be too late for her to cry even if she felt like it.
“Thank you so much, Cousin-in-law.” This time, He Yufen did not pretend to be reserved anymore. She waved her hands at Mo Xuetong with a pleased expression. She was very disrespectful in her actions.
Mo Yu brought He Yufen to get changed.
The two were changed after a while. He Yuxiu wore a pink satin shirt that glimmered with gold embroidered edges. The shirt was paired with a light pink skirt. She also wore a necklace of jade and pearls and her hair was in the palace style. She looked extremely charming with her make-up, making her look like a bride.
He Yufen, on the other hand, wore a light green peacock skirt with gold flower adornments and a shirt that was of the same color. A pearl and jade belt wrapped around her waist with a few jade pendants hanging from it. She also wore a pink color sachet. Together, these ornaments chimed pleasingly as she walked. One could smell a slight fragrance before she even arrived. It was a charming sight.
The two of them walking together was a beautiful sight. However, the jade pendants and sachet added on a different charm for He Yufen as she walked. She immediately overshadowed He Yuxiu.
“First Miss He is so pretty. If a nobleman falls for her like that, she would have a meteoric rise.” Mo Yu praised and clapped her hands.
He Yufen was pleased after being praised in front of so many people. However, she was also an unmarried young lady. She lowered her head shyly and missed seeing the vicious and cold look of jealousy in He Yuxiu’s eyes.
The Empress’ Cining Palace was very crowded today. Not only was the heavily pregnant Consort Yu present, Consort Zhao, who was the most doted on in the back of the palace, was present as well. Consort Chu, Ling Rui’er, Consort Yan, You Yue’e, Wife of Marquess Mingguo, Ling Mingyan, as well as some young ladies from noble families were all present as well. It could be said that it was a gathering of beautiful women. They laughed and chatted, and their tinkling laughter filled the air.
When Mo Xuetong arrived, the Empress Dowager invited her to the main hall. Mo Xuetong arrived at the main hall and saw the Empress Dowager sitting in the middle. She looked kind and benevolent and seemed healthy. She was not gravely ill unlike what was said in rumors.
Consort Yu sat to her left. She was visibly pregnant and wore a light yellow willow-style skirt. She was beautiful and gentle and spoke with the Empress Dowager with a smile. She would elicit peals of laughter from the Empress Dowager from time to time.
On the right of the Empress Dowager was Consort Zhao. She wore a light green dress, and compared to the filled figure of pregnant Consort Yu, Consort Zhao looked slender and petite. She was smiling and seemed very amicable. She was not arrogant at all even though she had been the focus of the Emperor’s affections for the past 10 years.
She chatted with the Empress Dowager and would interrupt from time to time and would get a hint of a smile from the Empress Dowager.
Consort Yu and Consort Zhao could be said to be the two most popular women in the palace other than the Empress and Consort Su.
Looking at all the madams and young ladies in the hall, one would found more than half of the noble families in court were all accounted for!
The usually mysterious Empress Dowager who hid behind the scenes had created this rather suspicious affair.
“Lead Consort Xuan to her seat.” The Empress Dowager ordered a servant to bring Mo Xuetong to her seat after she greeted the Empress Dowager. Mo Xuetong sat down by the side with a smile.
When almost everyone was present, the Empress Dowager told them why she had gathered them in the palace. She said she wanted to let the young people get together and also seek everyone’s opinions on how to celebrate the Emperor’s 60th birthday.
In the past, the Empress was the one who took charge of the Emperor’s birthday. However, she was in poor health now, so the Empress Dowager was taking charge of the matter. In the past, everyone from inside the palace and outside the palace would start preparing one month in advance for the event. The Imperial Household Department would wring their brains out thinking of how to please the Emperor. However, they could only come up with the same things every year, so the Emperor was not overly pleased either.
Since the Empress Dowager had taken over this year, she wanted to see if there was anything she could change about it. That was why she gathered the young madams and young ladies in her palace today in hopes of seeking the opinions of young people.
“All of you present here, madams, young ladies, and the three consorts have been called to help me come up with ideas. You are all young people and have good ideas. So help me think of some novel ideas for the Emperor to tinkle around with. Something that would make him happy.” The Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table with a slight smile. She swept her gaze at everyone present.
It was suspicious that the Empress Dowager would gather so many young madams and young ladies from noble families just to think of a few novel ideas for the Emperor’s birthday. Even though Mo Xuetong did not know what the Empress Dowager was planning, she smiled and acceded. Anyway, she was the youngest in the hall full of madams and young ladies.
She would just pretend not to do anything and silently watch the situation develop.
Mo Xuetong looked up at the madams and young ladies and found two familiar faces. The He sisters had, just as she expected, rushed to the palace after leaving King Xuan’s Manor. They had even reached before Mo Xuetong did.
When they heard the Empress Dowager asking them for ideas, the young madams and ladies started chattering, each presenting the Empress Dowager with their ideas.
The great hall grew noisy.
In the end, Ling Rui’er even wrote a list for the Empress Dowagers after everyone discussed the ideas. There were more than 45 ideas on the list. It was true that there was strength in numbers. Mo Xuetong sat at the side and pretended not to know anything. She just smiled.
However, some people just did not want to let her off. After a while, Ling Rui’er turned to her with a smile. She said, “Consort Xuan, you are smart and quick-witted. Why aren’t you coming up with ideas to help the Empress Dowager?”
She made it sound as if Mo Xuetong were intentionally disrespecting the Empress Dowager.
While the Empress Dowager, who was seated in front, was still stalking to Consort Yu with a slight smile on her face, she glanced at Mo Xuetong indifferently.
Mo Xuetong looked up, feeling the Empress Dowager’s gaze on her. She smiled at Ling Rui’er and then said somewhat ashamed, “Consort Chu, you must be kidding. I don’t know anything about this. This is my first time hearing about the Emperor’s birthday banquet. Back when I was in Cloud City, I only heard that His Majesty’s birthday banquet was beautiful and luxurious. I listened to everyone’s suggestions today and thought they were all amazing but can’t think of anything myself.”
An uneasy expression appeared on her slightly childish porcelain face. She looked as if she was embarrassed by Ling Rui’er’s questioning.
The Empress Dowager looked at Mo Xuetong closely. Her gaze was dark.
Mo Xuetong was from Cloud City and was not favored earlier on. She had only soared up the social ladder after returning to the Capital. First, she had found favor with Princess Royal and became Princess Anping. Then, she married into the King Xuan’s Manor to bring blessings to King Xuan. She had been extremely lucky because King Xuan, who was said to be on his deathbed, got better.
After that, the licentious and debaucherous King Xuan, Feng Yuran seemed to have turned over a new leaf. He had gathered the women in his back courtyard and even seemed to be only lavishing attention on Mo Xuetong. He was even taking part in the matters of the court now unlike before. He also started to manage matters for the Emperor.
He had changed so much. Was Mo Xuetong really just an ignorant and very lucky girl?
“Consort Xuan, you don’t have to stand on ceremony. We are a family. If you have any good ideas, do let us know. I have to know what good ideas Consort Xuan has. The ideas young people come up with are much interesting than what old people like me can think of.” The Empress Dowager looked at Mo Xuetong with a benevolent smile.
Ling Rui’er smiled and interrupted, saying, “How is the Empress Dowager old. You look like my sister. Father even said that you have not changed at all from when you visited the home before. You are not old at all.”
She was trying to flaunt the relationship between the Ding General Manor and the Empress Dowager. The young ladies and madam who were close to Ling Rui’er immediately chimed in agreement.
