Unlike Zhou Yuexue, who struggled to show off, Lin Wanrong tried hard to hide herself, controlling her trembling body, not wanting to attract anyone's attention.
When she came out of the queen's place, Lin Wanrong let out a long breath, and the handkerchief she held tightly in her hand was wet with tension.
Because Lin Jinyan had just received great praise inside and won the queen's favor, all the ladies knew the meaning of today's flower party, and they couldn't help but feel jealous of Lin Jinyan. After leaving the hall, they gathered together to talk, tacitly ignoring Lin Jinyan and others.
Lin Jinyan could see it clearly, but didn't care at all.
Princess Yanling took a few people to find a place to sit. They sat around and talked and laughed, without any sense of being excluded.
The Crown Princess finished her business in the front hall and was on her way back to the Empress when the third Princess came towards her with a sad look on her face.
"Royal Sister-in-law."
Although the two of them are in opposing positions, they are still very friendly on the surface, and there is no discord between them.
The crown princess helped the third prince's concubine to salute, and smiled kindly: "Get up quickly, there are no outsiders, why are you so polite?"
The third prince's concubine stood up obediently, took the crown prince's hand and said:
"Thank you, Madam-in-law."
Seeing the frown on the third prince's face, the princess said in a caring tone:
"Why is your face so sad? But you are feeling unwell?"
When the third prince heard this, he looked at the prince with admiration:
"The emperor's sister-in-law is really a model of a true wife, and I feel ashamed to be inferior to her. Ever since I learned that my royal highness was also selected as the concubine today, I have been feeling depressed. Although women are not allowed to be jealous, it is not easy to do so."
The Crown Princess smiled and said: "The third brother already has a virtuous wife like you. He came here today just to take a look. Don't think too much about it."
The Third Prince: "Of course I am not choosing the main concubine, but the side concubine. Your Highness the Crown Prince is also going to choose today. Why doesn't the Queen's Wife know?"
When the Crown Princess heard this, her smile froze for a moment, and then she said in an angry tone:
"Where did you get the news from?"
The third prince's concubine: "Of course it was my mother who informed me. Your Highness and I have been married for many years, but we only have one child, Yu'er, and there are no concubines in the house. So my mother took advantage of this flower party to find a concubine for His Highness to have children." . The mother-in-law doesn’t usually like to be lively. If she hadn’t chosen a concubine for His Highness, she wouldn’t have come to the palace with her mother today. Didn’t the mother tell the emperor’s sister-in-law? I just saw that the mother-in-law likes the Taifu’s little granddaughter, and I learned that she is also the emperor’s sister-in-law. The post was sent personally, and I thought everyone had already decided on the candidate.”
The Crown Princess's smile froze again. After sending away the three princes and concubines, she quickly walked to a deserted place. Her smile could no longer be maintained:
"Go and see where His Highness is. I want to see His Highness. Go now, go quickly!"
Seeing the servant walking away quickly, the Crown Princess was in a state of confusion:
If His Highness chooses a concubine today, and hides it from her, asking her to act like a fool and send a message to Lin Jinyan... Do you want to accept it when the preparation is done? What does the Queen Mother and His Highness take her for when they act like this?
Chu Chengyao talked with the Minister of Household Affairs in the pavilion. When he saw that everyone had gone to the main hall, he went to the main hall one after another.
The courtyard of the main hall is wide, and even though there are several long rows of tables and chairs, it still doesn't look crowded at all. Behind the tables and chairs on both sides, pruned pines and cypresses are scattered in an orderly manner.
At the top of the corridor, there is a row of large carved red sandalwood chairs. In the middle, a phoenix chair carved with green gold and auspicious animals is particularly eye-catching.
On the table, there are celadon bowls with lotus petals carved with patterns of flowers, birds, animals, and flowers, and white agate plates wrapped with silk, all of which are exquisite, and filled with various pastries and fruits.
