The situation was awkward. Mei Zhaoxue busied herself greeting others, seemingly oblivious to Taohua’s presence. The rest acted as if they didn’t see her, chatting amongst themselves. Gu Huairou noticed something was amiss, but with someone already seated beside her, she was unsure what to do.
Taohua pursed her lips. Although she had chosen to be a concubine, clinging to Shen Zaiye, she still represented Zhao. Sitting at the very back would disgrace Zhao, implying a Zhao princess ranked lower than even the illegitimate daughter of the lowest-ranking minister. She’d be cursed by her countrymen for such shame.
After some thought, Taohua calmly stood in the center of the courtyard, waiting for Imperial Consort Lan to appear.
Mei Zhaoxue had been watching her out of the corner of her eye, curious about her reaction. Seeing Taohua standing still made her uncomfortable. As a member of the Prime Minister’s household, this behavior was embarrassing. She lightly chided, “Lady Jiang, go find a seat.”
“There’s no place for me,” Taohua smiled, curtsying at Mei Zhaoxue. “I must not have officially paid respects to the Imperial Consort yet, so she forgot my seat. I’ll wait here to greet her.”
Qin Jieyu frowned, pointing to a spot below. “Isn’t there one there?”
Taohua smiled. “That’s not where I should sit.”
“What? You may be willful in the household, but do you think the palace will accommodate you?” Qin Jieyu’s face darkened with displeasure. “Your lack of manners might offend the Imperial Consort. Don’t implicate our household.”
“How can it not implicate us? She’s still part of our household,” Mei Zhaoxue sighed. “At most, the Imperial Consort will blame me for poor discipline, not Lady Jiang. So her recklessness is to be expected.”
With these words, the other ladies present looked at Taohua with unfriendly gazes. Such a spoiled woman might please men but would find no favor among women.
Taohua ignored them. Women excelled at verbal sparring. When in the right, it was best to wait for someone with authority to speak, avoiding arguments that might tarnish one’s image.
Fortunately, Imperial Consort Lan appeared quickly.
“What’s going on?” She noticed Taohua standing below. “Why isn’t Lady Jiang seated?”
Mei Zhaoxue rose and bowed. “It’s my fault. I usually sit to your left, and I forgot to consider Lady Jiang’s status this year.”
Glancing at her, Imperial Consort Lan said coolly, “You’re the eldest daughter of the head of the Nine Ministers. Of course, you should sit on the left. There’s no issue.”
Mei Zhaoxue smiled and curtsied. Everyone looked at Jiang Taohua, eager for drama.
Taohua calmly stepped forward to bow. “This concubine greets the Imperial Consort.”
Scanning her briefly, Imperial Consort Lan sat down with a palace maid’s assistance. Without asking Taohua to rise, she asked, “Why aren’t you seated? Do you find my Zhilan Palace too small?”
“The Imperial Consort jests. Zhilan Palace is second only to the main palace. How could it be small?” Taohua smiled, lowering her gaze. “This concubine fears damaging the Imperial Consort’s reputation in the harem, so I dare not take a seat.”
“Oh?” Imperial Consort Lan smiled, staring at her. “How does your seating affect me?”
“It certainly does,” Taohua gestured to the leftmost seat. “I arrived late, and only that seat remains. If I sit there, people might say your palace doesn’t distinguish rank, unlike the strict main palace. Ill-intentioned individuals might exaggerate, claiming they lack etiquette yet often accompany the Emperor, potentially leading to lax laws in Great Wei. If ministers petition and the Empress reprimands you, wouldn’t that be unjust?”
She paused, then continued before Imperial Consort Lan could anger, “When we met at the horse grounds, this concubine found you graceful, dignified, and well-mannered, deserving of the Emperor’s favor. Today’s seating, though trivial, represents Zhilan Palace’s attitude. This concubine couldn’t bear to shame you over a small matter, so I hesitated to sit. Please forgive me!”
This was true silver-tongued eloquence! Gu Huairou listened in amazement, watching Imperial Consort Lan’s expression change from gloomy to stunned, and finally thoughtful. She nodded, “You make a good point.”
Mei Zhaoxue was shocked and quickly stood. “In that case, my offense is great. I’ll move down, and Lady Jiang can take this seat.”
“The primary wife shouldn’t give her seat to a concubine,” Taohua smiled sweetly. “The Imperial Consort is wise and surely has her arrangement. Why rush to decide for her?”
Mei Zhaoxue paused, turning to give Taohua a long look. Taohua met her gaze unflinchingly, her smile not reaching her eyes.
Imperial Consort Lan pursed her lips, waving for palace maids to move the last low table and cushion to her right. “Lady Jiang has a special status. Today, we won’t distinguish between a primary wife and a concubine. A Zhao princess visiting Great Wei should be treated as an honored guest. Sit here.”
Everyone was startled, watching Jiang Taohua walk forward, their minds filled with various thoughts.
“How impressive,” Gu Shyi next to Gu Huairou whispered admiringly. “Such poise befits a Zhao princess.”
Others would have either caused a scene, offending the Imperial Consort, or been frightened into silence by her expression and meekly taken a seat. No one expected Lady Jiang to speak so much, and so reasonably.
Mei Zhaoxue and Duan Yunxin’s faces were expressionless, but Madam Qin was furious. Watching Jiang Taohua’s smiling face, she nearly crumpled her handkerchief, muttering, “I can’t stand her smug, coquettish air!”
Before Taohua entered the household, the lord had favored her charm and coquetry the most. Who knew that after Taohua’s arrival, no one called her charming anymore, only haughty?
It’s fine to walk one’s path, but not when it crowds out others. Such a person deserves to die.
As soon as Taohua sat down, she felt as if something was pricking her face. Looking up, she met Qin Jieyu’s gaze, feeling puzzled. Why was this mistress displeased with her again?
Qin Jieyu looked away, starting to arrange her food box. Seeing this, Taohua thought no more of it and waited for the tea tasting to begin.
“This year’s tea tasting will be the same as usual,” Imperial Consort Lan scanned the gathering, smiling. “We’ll taste the snacks first, then drink fine tea. I assume all the ladies have brought handmade snacks and tea. I’ll be presumptuous and taste them all to rank them.”
Everyone agreed, and Taohua lowered her head with them. But she couldn’t help wondering, doesn’t the Imperial Consort have better things to do? Why organize such a gathering?
But soon she understood. This gathering, ostensibly for tea tasting, was really about assessing people. Not only were there married women, but also unmarried daughters. Like green leaves setting off red flowers, these young ladies with their unmarried hairstyles and colorful long dresses stood out vividly among the married women.
Earlier, Gu Huairou had mentioned that Duan Yunxin married into the Prime Minister’s household after winning this tea tasting. No wonder these young ladies were so enthusiastic. But why did the household members seem equally eager?
“I’ve made jade cakes, with mung bean paste wrapped in red bean paste. They’re quite appetizing,” Mei Zhaoxue opened her food box, and others followed suit, bringing out plates of snacks.
Madam Qin had made fried pastries, Madam Duan had made a standard eight-treasure steamed egg, and so on, each with its own merits.
Imperial Consort Lan nodded with satisfaction, glancing at Taohua. “What kind of pastry is this?”
“Peach blossom pastry,” Taohua smiled. “But it’s filled with rose petals that are in full bloom now, fragrant and crispy.”
“Then why not call it rose pastry?” Imperial Consort Lan pouted, muttering before rising to taste one.
It tasted good, but wasn’t made by someone who cooked desserts often; the technique was quite amateur. Imperial Consort Lan said nothing and moved on to the next.
Palace maids came over, guiding the ladies to a nearby platform to brew tea. Taohua finally relaxed a bit, finding Gu Huairou to accompany her.
“Be careful,” Gu frowned. “The Madam seems to be against you.”
“Just noticed?” Taohua tilted her head, smiling coyly. “The Madam has been against me for a while.”
It was just more obvious today, probably because Shen Zaiye wasn’t present and couldn’t know the details.
Gu Huairou shook her head, leading Taohua to a distant spot to fetch hot water for tea, muttering constantly, “You’re now surrounded by enemies. You must be wary of everyone.”
“Including you?” Taohua teased.
Startled, Gu’s eyes widened. “Why be wary of me? I won’t harm you!”
Lady Jiang was so formidable. Even setting aside the debt of gratitude for saving her, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to oppose her again.
Chuckling softly, Taohua picked up her brewed tea and headed back. “I’m just teasing. Let’s go.”
Tea brewing times varied, and when they returned, many seats were still empty. Imperial Consort Lan had already finished tasting snacks from the three ministers’ wives and daughters on her right and was eating Qin Jieyu’s fried pastries.
“You’re back early,” she frowned, swallowing a few fried pastries and murmuring, “These taste good, but they’re too oily. Perfect for washing down with tea. Lady Jiang, if your tea is ready, bring it over.”
“Yes,” Taohua nodded, respectfully offering her honey flower tea.
Imperial Consort Lan, possibly choking, took a while to taste the flavor. She frowned, “Why is it sweet?”
“Your Highness, this is a new tea just available in the capital, called honey flower tea,” Gu Huairou quickly explained. “It has beauty and health benefits.”
(End of Chapter)