CHAPTER 742: CHAPTER 742 CONSORT, PLEASE WAIT

Cui Laner’s mind buzzed, and she felt it supremely absurd. How had not being beautiful become a fault? No, no, no, how had she become not beautiful?

Upon serious consideration, Cui Laner did not have a bad appearance. How could a palace concubine selected by the Former Empress Dowager be ugly? However, she was extremely unfortunate to have features that were exactly what Lian Hua most detested aesthetically. Innocent of any wrongdoing, she had been turned into a scapegoat by Lian Hua.

All her thoughts were captivated by that phrase "not good-looking," and she began to doubt herself, even forgetting to argue—though arguing would have been futile anyway.

Consort Xu De reacted quickly, immediately understanding what Lian Hua meant by the "eight great faults." She almost sprayed out her sip of tea, managing to swallow it down only with great effort, her face registering utter astonishment. Matters of appearance... can that really be counted as a fault?...

Setting down her teacup, Consort Xu De saw Lian Hua gazing at her with eager eyes that were exceedingly endearing. Her heart softened, thinking no wonder the Emperor became tender-hearted upon seeing her sister; even she herself couldn’t bear to reject her.

In a real dilemma, she didn’t have the Emperor’s hypocritical eloquence to spout grand rhetoric and lecture on principles—what was to be done now? Her sister was waiting for her to make a statement.

This female general’s heart filled with worry for a moment. Dealing with a tangled mess had never been so troublesome.

She cleared her throat, pondered for a moment, and began to painstakingly nitpick her words: "As the sayings go, ’Speak cautiously and act prudently, exercise patience, and sustain a steady course for the long journey.’ Lady Cui may have an average appearance, but she has lacked personal virtue, repulsing others and acting unruly and indulgent, committing the fault of knowingly doing wrong, along with the other six faults..."

She paused, looking towards Cui Laner with a smile that did not reach her eyes, "Take her away, escort her to the Punishment Bureau. She should be punished as deemed appropriate, and let’s not wrong her."

Consort Xu De’s words were too cultured, and Lian Hua listened with dizziness, but she understood the phrase "average appearance." That meant being not good-looking. She squinted her eyes with a smile and respectfully sat back to pour tea for Consort De, "Sister, are you still thirsty? Let me pour some tea for you."

Consort De was inwardly pleased; her sister was really considerate—such effort spent in drafting those elaborate sentences was not in vain.

As for everyone else, their reactions varied.

Xiao Jizi was amused, thinking to himself that Consort De was truly clever. With phrases like "exercise patience" and "sustain a steady course," despite giving a semblance of righteousness, when strung together, wasn’t she just tacitly agreeing with her master’s words? Outright saying Cui Laner looked average but repulsed people and lacked personal virtues, then nobly accusing her of the fault of knowing yet still offending—how ingenious.

For Consort De, Ming Jing knew her all too well and could hardly bear to watch. She turned her face away—Master Lian causing a stir was tolerable, but her own consort joining in the farce was too much.

However, fortunately, after managing the palace, her consort knew her limits and did not blatantly say it out loud this time. It was progress, and she felt somewhat comforted; if it had been before, without thinking, she would have known her consort would say something like, "Ugly people always cause trouble; drag her away, she’s an eyesore," or similar words.

These convoluted sentences, at first listen, were quite hard to understand. Most people felt somewhat confused, sensing something was amiss, but the last sentence about being taken to the Punishment Bureau was clear enough. The two from Huaying Hall at the front who had dragged Cui Laner away stepped forward promptly and quickly surrounded her.

As for Cui Laner herself, just when her mind was full of doubts about her looks, another bolt from the blue struck. Consort Xu De also said her appearance was average—could it be that she was truly...

Before she had time to ponder further, an even bigger shock lay in wait—the Consort was sending her to the Punishment Bureau!

What kind of place was the Punishment Bureau? Even the innocent could be found guilty of something there, and given her own feelings of guilt, if she were taken inside, she dared not think what would happen to her.

As she came to her senses, her calves went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing and trying to crawl away to beg for mercy. But this time, no one was listening to her anymore. The swift and deft attendants of Huaying Hall immediately gagged her and dragged her away.

Just then, a voice exclaimed, "Consort, wait a moment!" and broke into everyone’s ears.

The crowd turned to look and saw a stout, short-legged eunuch with a round face, holding a horsetail whisk, followed by two young eunuchs, hurrying over, one of whom looked at Lian Hua with grateful and excited eyes.

Consort De’s gaze sharpened, her countenance grew cold, and a murderous aura surged around her.

"Oh..." Lian Hua recognized him, "Isn’t that Eunuch Liu who ate two roasted chickens and Little Doggie? Shouldn’t the Bureau of Palace Attendants be very busy today? What are they doing here?"

Indeed, it was Deputy Steward Liu Dayou of the Bureau of Palace Attendants and Chen Weiwu, who used to be called Little Doggie before Lian Hua bestowed him a name, alongside another unfamiliar young eunuch.

This call of "Consort, wait a moment" was undoubtedly a godsend to Cui Laner. On seeing Liu Dayou’s arrival, she saw a glimmer of hope, began struggling fiercely, and tried to mumble through her gag to catch attention. Sadly, the grip on her shoulders was as firm as a vice, and she couldn’t break free.

Before they even reached her, the flushed Liu Dayou bowed deeply with his entourage and called out loudly, "Greetings to all the consorts."

One couldn’t deny that Liu Dayou was very slick -- seeing Consort De and Lian Hua, he also noticed Beauty Zhao and Changzai Zhou not far off, and others who weren’t very close, he politely bowed from a distance, covering them all in one gesture so as not to seem disrespectful.

As they got closer, Liu Dayou’s forehead was streaming with sweat, and with a sycophantic smile plastered on his face, he bowed once again, "This servant greets Consort De, Master Lian, and Changzai Kong. May the consorts be blessed with peace and prosperity." His tea wasn’t even cold yet before he left the palace, still addressing Kong Yinyin by her consort status.

Consort Xu De snorted coldly, "Have you come here to lecture me?"

Liu Dayou’s legs went weak, and he exclaimed, "Please don’t be harsh on this servant, Consort. Who dares to instruct you? Ah, you misunderstand -- His Majesty has other plans for Lady Cui, and so this servant had no choice but to stop the consorts. If I have offended you, please forgive this servant."

Consort Xu De’s expression softened a bit, guessing that this was probably in support of Lian Hua. The Emperor was sharp and perceptive, and Lady Cui’s disrespect toward Lian Hua must have reached his ears by now. Just wait and see -- if the Emperor was to intervene, he wouldn’t let Cui Laner off easily.

Cui Laner stopped struggling, filled with joy. Could it be a decree to keep her in the palace at this time? She couldn’t help but gaze at Liu Dayou without blinking.

Lian Hua immediately straightened up, saying excitedly, "Ah, it’s His Majesty?"

Liu Dayou stole a glance at Consort De, relaxed, wiped the sweat from his brow, and nodded with a smile, "Indeed, it was His Majesty who sent this servant."

Seeing Master Lian’s happy face made him feel especially close to her.

He said with emotion, "It’s been a long while, Master Lian. Are you well? This servant offers his greetings, wishing Master Lian all the best in luck, safety, happiness, and that everything goes your way." His voice choked with tears, resembling the joy of a reunion after a long separation.

Chen Weiwu, very astute, immediately knelt down with excitement and performed a grand kowtow, "This servant, Chen Weiwu, greets Master Lian. May your journey be smooth sailing, your happiness doubled, prosperity triple, safety all seasons, fortune at your doorstep, great prosperity, brilliant fortune, wealth from all directions, hearts united, perfect in every way."