CHAPTER 735: CHAPTER 735: ELOQUENCE LIKE A SPRING

"The gentleman is peerless in elegance, and I have an extra veiled hat here you can take, to relieve you of your predicament," said the lady wearing the veiled hat, her voice as melodious as the chime of gold and jade, pleasing to the ear yet laced with a teasing tone.

Before the lady had finished speaking, her maid took off the veiled hat on her head, a playful smile on her face, and walked towards them. Wu Sheng, who had not yet turned to leave, was suddenly enveloped by a fragrant breeze. The maid was remarkably pretty, which made him stare in dazed admiration for a moment.

Lian Musu turned back and slightly bowed his head in a curtsey, his demeanor polite as he firmly declined, "Thank you for your kind offer, miss, but I need not trouble you."

Ignoring the lady’s reaction, he swiftly pulled the enraptured Wu Sheng out of the alley, disappearing into the distance.

The maid pouted and said, "What an unromantic man, to reject the lady’s kindness even though he knew it was well-intentioned. But indeed, he is a true gentleman, for he did not even glance at this servant."

The lady in the veiled hat walked gracefully forward, a delicate smile appearing on her exquisite face beneath the veil, muttering to herself, "Is this the Lian Mu my father speaks so highly of? Father’s praise is endless, yet not even a first meeting can compare..."

It was unclear whether her "first meeting" impression of him was a good one or bad.

The maid looked towards the entrance of the alleyway, her tone filled with regret, "What a shame he’s somewhat lame."

Remembering something, she stamped her foot, "What shichen is it already? Why hasn’t Old Cui and the others come over with the palanquin to pick up the miss? Ah, it’s driving this servant to desperation."

Before she had finished speaking, a refined palanquin appeared at the end of the alley, marked with the emblem of the Lv Residence. The young lady was none other than the daughter of the Minister of Punishment, Lv Xingzhi.

Back when the re-examination took place at Shanxue Square, the Minister of Punishment had accompanied the Minister of Personnel there. Knowing that Minister Fan was present and that he could not compete for the disciple, he entertained some other thoughts.

Since then, he would often bring up Lian Musu unintentionally at home, using him as a comparison when instructing his son, mentioning him while teaching his daughters, or discussing him during casual talks with his wife. From time to time he would speak of him, and once even let slip the thought, "Whoever is fortunate enough to have such a son-in-law would indeed be lucky," which caught the careful attention of Lv’s eldest daughter.

The stern and impartial Minister of Punishment at court, once home, found himself at a loss with his own daughter. He knew her well; even talks of marriage, matchmaker’s words, or parents’ orders wouldn’t suffice unless she consented, and he couldn’t bring himself to be that harsh, which led to her remaining unmarried at nineteen.

At this moment, Miss Lv took the maid’s hand and settled into the palanquin. Her veiled face was hazy, making it hard to discern her expression.

Four bearers lifted the palanquin and proceeded slowly towards the Lv Residence.

Within the Harem.

Lian Hua felt that the Noble Consort seemed different. Previously, she would call her Sister Lian upon seeing her, but now she simply referred to her as Beauty Lian; where before she used to be all warm and affectionate, now she was quite cold and not even hiding the contempt in her eyes.

This change, well, others might find it terrifying, but she actually found it rather pleasant. She had little patience for those who hid daggers behind their smiles.

She touched her little chin and scrutinized the person back and forth, invariably catching the gaze of Noble Consort Xue, sharp like the edge of a blade, shooting towards her. In response, she immediately flashed eight neat rows of pearly white teeth, smiling brightly at the person.

Noble Consort Xue felt a surge of anger and blood rising in her chest. She diverted her gaze, coldly skimming over Lian Hua’s belly before finally withdrawing her eyes.

She had never come across such a shameless person, loathing her to the core!

Before receiving the news, the Noble Consort had never imagined that the person would be in good health. After all, a miscarriage leads to serious injuries, and it would normally take several months to recover. That’s how it had been for her.

After hearing the news, so shocked was the Noble Consort that she knocked over her teacup. Clutching fragments of broken porcelain, she cut her finger without even feeling the pain, only a face of shock and disbelief present. Hastily bandaging the minor wound, she directly boarded her palanquin and rushed over to see for herself.

From afar, she saw Lian Hua with rosy lips and bright teeth, in high spirits, looking radiant. In comparison, she felt a knot of depression in her heart that refused to unwind, her looks haggard. If she did not apply makeup carefully, one could see she appeared tired, her complexion wan, having aged several years. Subsequently, her nails dug deeply into her flesh, creating a red mark.

Upon seeing the faintly visible roundness of Lian Hua’s belly, she clenched her teeth until they nearly cracked, her eyes reddened with malicious bitterness in her chest that she couldn’t vent, wishing she could cast the person into the Eighteen Levels of Hell. If not for Cui Laner’s crying that snapped her back to her senses, she would have almost lost her composure.

Such a lowly Beauty had proven to be as tough as a copper pea, unsoftened by steaming, unstewed by boiling, resistant to being flattened by pounding. Her father’s intervention had also failed to rid them of the person, along with the fetus in her womb, especially the Imperial Heir within.

At that moment, the Noble Consort sat aloft upon her palanquin, looking down on everyone with a cold and lofty air, her face devoid of any of the friendly smiles from the past.

Nobody dared to breathe too loudly, with Beauty Zhao and Attendant Zhou silently bowing their heads. Daying Jia huddled up, full of personal distress; Kong Yinyin trembled her lips, feeling very uneasy; all not daring to look up directly at her majesty, except for Lian Hua and Cui Laner, who seemed to have grabbed a lifesaving straw.

Lian Hua was not in the least afraid of the Noble Consort, feeling that something was very amiss with her. In the past, she would at least disguise her disgust for Lian Hua, but now she was utterly sullen, exuding a chill throughout her being. Hence, unable to fathom the reason, she would occasionally look up and steal glances, aggravating the Noble Consort’s loathing even more.

What she did not know was the immense heartache and torment Noble Consort Xue had suffered during these days.

Since the day of Consort Liu’s critical illness, the Noble Consort had finally come to an awakening, realizing that the Emperor’s heart would not be hers, no matter what. Decades of dreams in the boudoir had turned out to be just a dream upon waking; everytime she recalled this, it felt as though her insides were being gouged out, causing unbearable heartache that made her restless at night. She detested Lian Hua, who had stripped her of everything, with unparalleled hatred, yet she still had a shred of reason left to prevent herself from descending into madness.

The room was deathly silent, with only Cui Laner continuing her fragmented crying, "... I merely shared a few jests with Sister Kong, as we often teased each other in the past, not expecting Beauty Lian to directly accuse me of being vile... Afterwards, Beauty Lian seemed very unhappy and immediately let Sister Kong insult me, even egging her on to take her anger out on me... That’s how things happened. I know my fault, and I will never dare to joke around with my sisters in the future. I implore Noble Consort to be merciful."

After finishing, she knocked her head on the ground several times with "bangs," her shoulders quivering as if she were extremely frightened.

Well done, Cui, with her skillful tongue and knack for bypassing the essence to speak with eloquence. Xiao Jizi inwardly applauded; no wonder Cui Laner, despite having no favor or grace, had managed to get by until now, able to be Noble Consort’s evil hound. She truly understood the rationale of the wrongdoer accusing first.

His lips curled into a mocking arc. No matter how she twisted the facts, his master was no longer the insignificant Little Daying who used to be at everyone’s mercy. He couldn’t guarantee much, but he only needed to say a word to the Punishment Bureau on his master’s behalf, which was even more effective than an order from the Noble Consort. Who would dare to lay a finger on his master?

Moreover, they were on the side of justice now, with His Majesty and Consort De’s support. Cui Laner’s hope for the Noble Consort to turn the tables and counterattack was just a pipe dream. The more she jumped about now, the worse her fall would be later.