Shen Qingyao wasn’t alone with Lu Zhao for long when Shen Qingli returned because the palace banquet was about to begin.
Lu Zhao didn’t say much and went to his own seat. Shen Qingli led Shen Qingyao back to their mother’s side. When Shen Qingyao raised her head, she found Lu Zhao sitting directly across from her. The two of them looked at each other from a distance, separated by a large hall.
Although it was just a simple glance, Shen Qingyao inexplicably skipped a beat in her heart. She thought it must be because of the lighting, otherwise, why did she feel that looking at White Moonlight from such a distance made him even more handsome?
Shen Qingyao pretended to be calm and shifted her gaze away, meeting the eyes of Princess Duanhua beside Lu Zhao.
… Why are there so many familiar faces?
Now, Shen Qingyao dared not casually look away.
She nodded at Princess Duanhua with a meek smile, and the latter responded with an affectionate smile.
Shen Qingyao breathed a sigh of relief, finally relaxing to look at the food in front of her.
Then the system spoke, [Host, why do I feel like White Moonlight’s mother likes you quite a bit?]
Shen Qingyao’s hand holding the snack paused, and then she asked somewhat nervously, “What? Is it bad that she likes me?”
[It’s not that it’s bad. Don’t you find it strange, though? According to your persona, which mother-in-law would be willing to let her son marry you?] The system spoke straightforwardly, making Shen Qingyao clench her fist.
But in reality, she found it strange too.
Lu Zhao’s willingness to get engaged to her was understandable, as she assumed it was to provoke the female lead.
But what about Princess Duanhua? It was widely known that she had a limited time left to live, so why would she agree? Shen Qingyao had expectedthere might be a plot where an evil mother-in-law would throw money at her to leave Lu Zhao.
However, she still said, “What’s wrong with marrying me? Huh? Explain it clearly! You’re the one who told me to pursue Lu Zhao! Shouldn’t you be happy that there’s less hindrance?”
It was strange; did the system want her to pursue White Moonlight or not?
[…You’re right. I’m sorry, I’ll mute myself.] The system apologized.
Shen Qingyao snorted and ignored it, then turned her attention to the other people in the hall.
The Emperor and Empress had not arrived yet, but the ministers were all sitting properly in their seats. The big bosses should be arriving soon.
Shen Qingyao quickly scanned the crowd and saw Tang Shirou, who had a friction with her earlier. At this moment, Tang Shirou was staring at her with resentment, sending a chill down her spine.
Fortunately, the two big bosses, the Emperor and Empress arrived shortly after. Shen Qingyao knelt down with the crowd, seeing only the bright yellow hem of their robes. After they passed by, she dared to lift her head for a quick glance.
The Emperor was a handsome middle-aged man with a natural aura of authority. This was within Shen Qingyao’s expectations; after all, if he could have such a handsome son like Xiao Mu, the Emperor himself wouldn’t be any worse. However, it was hard to imagine that the emperor, who was still vigorous and extraordinary, would quickly fall into decadence and incompetence within just three years, almost causing the downfall of the Liang Empire.
Shen Qingyao sighed in her heart and looked at the Empress.
In the original plot, the Empress inherited the excellent traditions of the Lu family. Although she was dignified and virtuous, she was aloof and cold, even more so than Lu Zhao. In Shen Qingyao’s words, the current Empress was simply a gender-swapped upgraded version of Lu Zhao, and was exceptionally difficult to approach.
In the original plot, because of Lu Zhao, Shen Qingli encountered difficulties with the Empress after marrying Xiao Mu. Though the Empress only had a few scenes, she was a tough character.
Shen Qingyao thought that the rumors were not false. Although the Empress was already at the age of being Lu Zhao’s aunt, she maintained herself well, with a complexion like ice and snow, as beautiful as a fairy1.
As Shen Qingyao sighed for the beauty of the Empress, she saw the cold and proud Empress turn her head, smile kindly at Shen Qingyao, and then casually sat back as if nothing had happened.
“…Why do I feel that the queen is not as difficult to approach as rumored? Isn’t she quite approachable?” Shen Qingyao tilted her head, feeling puzzled by the Empress’s unexpected kindness. The Empress, like Princess Duanhua, treated her much better than expected.
Tang Shirou, sitting below, silently observed their interaction, clenching her fists in frustration. She lowered her head and whispered to a maid beside her, “Go and send a message to Princess Yonghe… Just say…….”
The maid nodded and quickly ran out.
After the initial feeling of novelty, the palace banquet became boring. Shen Qingyao chatted with the system absentmindedly, and suddenly, a eunuch hurriedly entered, whispered something to Lu Zhao, and Shen QIngyao saw Lu Zhao’s expression change. Then, he quietly left.
“What happened?” Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but ask the system, but since it wasn’t related to the main leads, the system was equally clueless and couldn’t provide her with answers.
With a belly full of questions, Shen Qingyao deflated and lowered her body. Now even the handsome man had left, making the palace banquet even more boring.
Perhaps Shen Qingyao’s boredom was too obvious, so the Empress, sitting at a distance, seemed to notice. The Empress revealed a faint smile on her elegant face, spoke softly to the Emperor beside her, and soon the Emperor gave an order allowing everyone to go outside the hall to enjoy the lanterns.
The older courtiers dared not move, still accompanying the Emperor on the side. However, the younger ones, without any hesitation, left their seats one after another. The lanterns in the palace were exceptionally exquisite, and with the night falling, it was the perfect time to appreciate them. They couldn’t resist the excitement any longer.
Shen Qingyao was naturally among them. She bundled herself up tightly, took Shen Qingli with her, and happily walked outside.
“Wow! It didn’t look so beautiful during the day. Is this courtyard always this pretty?” Shen Qingyao pulled Shen Qingli and looked like someone who had never seen the world. It wasn’t entirely her fault; the exquisite craftsmanship of these palace lanterns was something she had never witnessed even in modern times, making her marvel at the endless wisdom of the ancestors.
Seeing her so happy, Shen Qingli’s face also carried a faint smile. She reached out to steady the young girl beside her and adjusted the slightly disheveled collar for Shen Qingyao. Softly, she said, “See if there’s anything you like. Maybe I can ask Fifth Prince to get it for you and take it home?”
Shen Qingyao was momentarily stunned, and after realizing, she shook her head, smiling, “No need. The lanterns look best when many of them are grouped together. Taking one alone, no matter how beautiful, won’t compare to the display here.”
Shen Qingli didn’t expect this response and was somewhat surprised. The young girl, at the age when vanity and showing off were most prominent, unexpectedly showed a clear understanding of the situation. She nodded and didn’t say anything more.
After walking a few more steps, Shen Qingyao hadn’t let go of her doubts. Unable to contain herself, she tugged at her elder sister’s sleeve and cautiously asked, “Elder sister, I saw Lu Zhao and Fifth Prince leave just now. What happened to them?”
Shen Qingyao mentioned Xiao Mu in passing, mainly pretending to care about the male lead and not have much interest in Lu Zhao.
Shen Qingli paused her steps, turned to look, and was about to say something when a palace maid suddenly rushed out and whispered something to Shen Qingli. They murmured back and forth, leaving Shen Qingyao somewhat irritated.
—Why do people in the palace always like to talk in secret!
Shen Qingyao was a bit speechless. Mainly because the maid’s voice was too low. She was right next to them, but couldn’t hear anything, making her somewhat impatient.
Shen Qingli’s expression changed after listening to what the maid said. She raised her head, looked at Shen Qingyao with a complicated expression, indicating that something significant had happened.
Shen Qingyao turned her eyes, recalling that in the original plot, the palace banquet was indeed not peaceful. Extras with a lack of insight were everywhere, trying to frame the male and female leads. Perhaps the male lead had encountered some trouble? Thinking this way, Shen Qingyao brightened up.
—I can’t help the female lead, but at least I shouldn’t cause trouble for her!
So when Shen Qingli mentioned that she wanted to leave for a moment, Shen Qingyao nodded obediently, promising to wait in place for her Elder Sister to return without wandering around.
Shen Qingli was slightly relieved, then after a few more instructions, she left in haste.
Shen Qingyao’s heart suddenly thumped, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.
In the original plot, someone used this palace banquet to frame the male lead for defiling the Emperor’s concubine, using quite unscrupulous methods. Naturally, these were thwarted by the cooperation of the male and female leads.
Shen Qingyao suppressed her worries, thinking that she was unnecessarily concerned. The two leads had powerful plot armor; there was nothing they couldn’t handle, especially with the assistance of the talented Lu Zhao.
So, without dwelling on it for too long, she happily took Cui Qiao to see the lanterns. Since it wasn’t too far away, waiting like this would be boring.
However, Shen Qingli did not return for a long time. After counting all 301 palace lanterns, Shen Qingyao still didn’t see her Elder Sister’s figure. On the way back, she was stopped by another person.
“Are you Shen Qingyao?” The person blocking her way was a young girl in a light yellow palace attire, with an arrogance on her face surpassing that of Tang Shirou.
Shen Qingyao was taken aback and nodded, “Yes, it’s me. May I ask who you are?”
Before the girl could answer, her maid suddenly shouted, “How daring! The Princess Yonghe is questioning you, yet you dare to be so disrespectful!”
—I’m not being disrespectful. I didn’t know her; don’t make things up.
Shen Qingyao widened her eyes, feeling that her previous words not only answered the girl’s question, used polite language, but also proactively asked for the girl’s name. Perhaps it was a bit perfunctory, but was she really being disrespectful? Moreover, how would she know that the girl was the Princess when it was their first meeting?
Shen Qingyao adjusted her breath slowly, forced a smile, and said, “Greetings to the Princess. Princess, may I ask if there’s anything I can help you with?”
Wasn’t this polite and respectful enough?
The Princess Yonghe, seeing Shen Qingyao’s insincere smile, snorted, “Hmph, flattery.”
“…What does she want?”
Shen Qingyao didn’t want to play along. These cannon fodder female characters were all troublesome; if they had the ability, they should go find her Elder Sister. Why bother her? Why make things difficult for fellow cannon fodders?
The system was enjoying the show and completely ignored Shen Qingyao’s question, waving its fists and shouting, [Fight! Host! Tear it up!]
“…I’ll tear you up.”
- this refers to the fairy (or immortal) from Chinese’s cultivation world, not the tiny winged cuties or kind of like elves ↩︎