Chu Qingge had always been a cold, proud, and aloof woman. She usually looked at people with disdain, much less scorn. When she was scorning someone, her gaze turned even more disdainful.
Her scornful gaze and expression were an eyesore to Noble Consort Xue.
If the empress dowager hadn't told her to avoid direct conflict with Chu Qingge and use Han Yunxi to deal with her, she wouldn't have given Chu Qingge so much face today.
What does this stupid woman mean by looking at me with such disdain? Does she think she's noble just because the empress dowager flattered me? Does she really think the emperor will make me the head of the four consorts for sure?
What a fool!
Chu Qingge's behavior at the empress dowager's birthday banquet and Noble Consort Yun's poisoned status had already exposed her stupidity. If it wasn't for the Chu Clan's strong influence, no one in the imperial harem would take her seriously even if the emperor doted on her!
At first, they were just enemies, but Han Yunxi's instigation had planted the seed of hatred in Noble Consort Xue's heart.
Perhaps Chu Qingge didn't know, but Han Yunxi knew that the title "head of the four consorts" was Noble Consort Xue's taboo. It was her most fatal weakness!
Noble Consort Xiao used to be the head of the four consorts in the imperial harem, but no one took her seriously after she fell out of favor. Noble Consort Xiao was only a figurehead and refused to attend any events in the imperial harem, much less invite her.
After Noble Consort Xiao fell out of favor and Noble Consort Yun was poisoned to death, Noble Consort Xue gained favor. With the empress dowager as her backer, she was second only to one person in the imperial harem.
Noble Consort Xue didn't have the right to be made empress, but she could still be the head of the four consorts.
Since she had no hope of becoming empress, the head of the four consorts had always been Noble Consort Xue's dream.
Her dreams couldn't withstand mockery and disdain!
Antagonism and hatred were two different things.
If they were antagonists, Noble Consort Xue might only fight for favor with Chu Qingge. But if they were enemies, she'd be tempted to murder Chu Qingge again. Even if it wasn't for the sake of gaining favor, she'd still make Chu Qingge suffer!
Chu Qingge didn't think too much of it. She really did disdain Noble Consort Xue, so she simply stared at her for a while before heading to her seat behind Noble Consort Ning.
Mu Liuyue looked between Noble Consort Xue and Chu Qingge with a cold smile in her heart. She secretly rejoiced at the fact that she'd rejected Noble Consort Xue in the first place. Otherwise, she'd be scorned by Chu Qingge as well.
Since Chu Qingge had already sat down, Noble Consort Xue had no choice but to sit down as well.
After drinking a few cups of tea, the empress dowager had someone present Chu Qingge's reward. There weren't many things, nor were they rare or rare, but they were all exquisitely crafted.
Chu Qingge pretended to be happy as she accepted the gift and presented it to the empress dowager. It wasn't a rare treasure either, but it was still presentable.
According to the rules of the harem, the new concubine had to give the sisters a greeting gift, and the sisters had to return the greeting gift. To put it bluntly, they were exchanging greeting gifts.
After the empress dowager gave out her reward, Noble Consort Xue and the rest all took out their gifts. Chu Qingge returned each and every one of them. She'd even prepared Mu Liuyue's gift beforehand.
After a while, the exchange of gifts was finally over. Han Yunxi had watched from the sidelines for a long time. She was the only one who'd come empty-handed!
"Noble Consort Chu, what did you prepare for Imperial Qin Aunt? Hurry and take it out for everyone to see!" Mu Liuyue asked impatiently. She'd been looking for a long time and was certain that Chu Qingge hadn't prepared anything.
Chu Qingge liked Mu Liuyue more and more. She'd been waiting for those words.
"Aiya, I didn't think I'd be able to see esteemed wangfei in the palace, so I didn't prepare anything. Esteemed wangfei, you don't mind, do you?" Chu Qingge pretended to be apologetic.
In other words, Han Yunxi was a wangfei, not an imperial concubine. She didn't have the right to attend such events, much less exchange gifts with her.
Everyone present had received a gift except for Han Yunxi. She should feel ashamed of her own inferiority complex if she was ignored like this.
After half a year, Chu Qingge was getting more and more talkative.
Han Yunxi was calm and composed as she said loftily, "It doesn't matter. This wangfei wasn't planning to accept your gift in the first place. Forget it! "
Instantly, the crowd fell into silence again. Not a single sound could be heard!
Han Yunxi, ah, Han Yunxi. Can your mouth be any sharper?
Chu Qingge wanted to retort, but found herself powerless. Anger rose to her chest and nearly choked her to death!
Mu Liuyue felt even more gloomy. Every time she tried to find a chance for Chu Qingge, she'd never succeeded.
Empress Dowager Li couldn't bear to watch any longer. It'd be so much better if the empress was here. Whether it was Noble Consort Xue or Mu Liuyue, they were all idiots!
A cold smile flickered past her eyes before she said, "Judging from Qin Wangfei's tone … you're unhappy?"
"How could that be?" Han Yunxi smiled.
"She's just unhappy. Even I can see that!" Empress Dowager Li insisted. She didn't give Han Yunxi a chance to explain herself, but added, "This is all my fault. I invited Qin Wangfei over without telling Noble Consort Chu sooner. Meeting gifts are an old rule in the palace. We can't abandon them! Since Qin Wangfei's here, it's unavoidable to give her gifts! "
So speaking, she rose to her feet and pulled Han Yunxi and Chu Qingge aside. "I'll make the decision for you two. Since you didn't prepare anything, the two of you can take off your accessories as gifts and give them to each other to express your sincerity! "
In the end, the older the ginger, the spicier the spicier!
Everyone present could see that Han Yunxi was only wearing one accessory: the white jade hairpin that held her hair in place. The empress dowager wasn't as stupid as Mu Liuyue to use this to mock Han Yunxi's poverty. Her true goal was to make Han Yunxi remove that white jade hairpin!
She believed that Chu Qingge wouldn't be stupid enough to give Han Yunxi a hairpin. She also believed that under her control, Han Yunxi wouldn't be able to find anything in the harem that could hold her hair in place. Thus, Han Yunxi had no choice but to take off her hairpin in front of everyone.
Taking off one's hairpin was a huge matter for a woman. It was the same as taking off her clothes, something she couldn't do unless she was in the bedroom!
If news of this spread, she'd be the laughingstock of the world. Even His Highness Duke of Qin's reputation would be tarnished.
Han Yunxi's eyes flashed coldly, while the listless Chu Qingge was suddenly full of energy. She really had to thank this old empress dowager. What a brilliant move!
"Chenqie will abide by Empress Dowager's imperial edict!" Chu Qingge purposely made a deep bow, elevating the empress dowager's words to the level of an order.
Han Yunxi was very clear that no matter if it was a suggestion or an imperial edict, she couldn't go against the empress dowager's words as long as she had the chance.
Although the Duke of Qin's estate was strong enough to earn Emperor Tianhui's respect, the relationship between monarch and vassal was still there. That mask had yet to be broken, so they were still bound by imperial power.
But sometimes they could win in a battle of wits, while other times they couldn't hide.
Han Yunxi knew that it'd be hard to avoid today's calamity.
She never liked wearing too many accessories because she felt they were cumbersome. Besides the hairpin in her hair, the only other accessory she wore was the white jade crystal bracelet on her wrist.
That was the first gift Long Fei Ye had given her. Leaving aside its value, she'd never give it to another woman even if it was an ordinary item!
What to do?
She couldn't just tear off a piece of her dress to tie up her hair in a setting like this, could she? And she couldn't just borrow a hairpin from Su Xiaoyu, a servant girl, could she?
Although it didn't seem like much to her, the news would spread in front of the other women in the imperial harem.
By then, the world would know that Qin Wangfei and Noble Consort Chu had ended up in such a sorry state just to exchange jewelry. She'd lose all her face back in the modern era, wouldn't she? Long Fei Ye wouldn't know where she'd lose all her face.
By now, Chu Qingge had already taken off her bracelet and offered it up with both hands. "Qin Wangfei, this is a violet gold bracelet personally made by Jiangnan's famous craftsman Yan Ruyu. It's also my favorite bracelet, so I'll give it to you. I hope you'll disregard former enmity and give me more pointers. "
Chu Qingge was in a good mood, so her words were much more modest.
Han Yunxi looked at it but didn't take it. Currently, everyone's eyes were on the violet jade bracelet, waiting for Han Yunxi's reaction.
Very soon, Mu Liuyue said Coldly, "Imperial Qin Aunt, you're putting on airs in front of Imperial Grandmother. What, are you bullying Noble Consort Chu because she's new to the palace?"
That was where the dangers of fighting in the imperial harem lay. Han Yunxi had the upper hand just a moment ago, but now she was in a predicament.
There were only two paths in front of her: accept the gift and give it back, or bear the crime of humiliating Noble Consort Chu and accept the empress dowager's punishment.
Han Yunxi knew that the second path would be worse for her!
She simply accepted Chu Qingge's violet gold bracelet with a smile. "It's very beautiful. Many thanks to Noble Consort Chu."
By now, the entire hall had fallen into a frightening silence. The air seemed to have frozen, making it difficult to breathe. Now it was time for Han Yunxi to return the favor.
Everyone waited anxiously. Even Su Xiaoyu, who was standing behind Han Yunxi, couldn't help but feel anxious for her sake. After all, it was truly shameful for a dignified Qin Wangfei to be unable to take out a single piece of jewelry as a gift. She even had to take off her hair in public.
"Imperial Qin Aunt, what are you planning to give Noble Consort Chu? Hurry and take it out so we can all broaden our horizons! " Mu Liuyue smiled happily. This was probably the first time she'd ever called out the words "Imperial Qin Aunt."
"That's right, Qin Wangfei. Everyone's waiting! We all know you have something good, so don't keep us in suspense, "Noble Consort Xue grinned as well.
Chu Qingge was filled with anticipation as a rare smile graced her face. This was the first time she'd felt so happy in the past six months since she'd heard about the marriage alliance.
Han Yunxi, I, Chu Qingge, want you to have a taste of your wretched state today!
Han Yunxi's eyes grew dark. She truly regretted not wearing any jewelry to show off. She'd already passed through all sorts of storms, so why did she fall for her bad habit of not wearing jewelry?
Soon enough, some of the nosy imperial concubines began to urge her on as well. Han Yunxi was very clear that she had no way out, so she turned to look at Su Xiaoyu.
Although borrowing Su Xiaoyu's hairpin to tie up her hair in public was beneath her status as Qin Wangfei, she had no choice but to throw caution to the wind at a time like this.
Compared to tearing up her sleeves, borrowing Su Xiaoyu's hairpin was much less shameful, right?
Seeing Han Yunxi turn around, Empress Dowager Li, Noble Consort Xue, Chu Qingge, and Mu Liuyue all grew excited.
Finally, they could make Han Yunxi fall for it for once!
But before Han Yunxi and Su Xiaoyu could speak, an announcement came from outside. "His Highness Duke of Qin has arrived!"
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