Forced Into the Palace: Becoming the Emperor's Favorite
Chapter 24: Hosting a Banquet

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Hosting a Banquet

"It seems that Sister Princess Consort Ying doesn’t plan to show me any face."

Kneeling, Princess Consort Ying couldn’t help but swallow. Facing the imposing air of the Imperial Consort, she felt a bit fearful.

But no matter how afraid she was, she had to refuse. So, clutching the handkerchief tightly, she continued to speak with determination.

"Your Ladyship misunderstands me. How could I dare not to respect you? It’s really because my abilities are lacking, and I’m afraid of botching the task and affecting Your Ladyship’s reputation, which would be my fault."

Incompetent?

How bold of her to use this as an excuse.

Her father was the Assistant Minister of Rites, surely well-acquainted with formalities from a young age. How could she claim to shirk responsibilities for hosting a banquet?

There must be some reason behind it.

Thinking of this, Lin Guifei changed her aggressive attitude into a gentler tone, like a gentle breeze and a soft rain, and continued.

"I was joking with you, sister. Since the banquet can’t be hosted by Sister Princess Consort Ying, then..."

Her gaze swept over the other concubines below, some eager to try, others deliberately avoiding, and some just curious.

"Then let Consort Ye and Du Changzai handle it. You two have served His Majesty for many years and are familiar with many formalities. Especially you, Consort Ye. I remember before you served His Majesty, you were originally a member of the Inner Court Department, so you’ve hosted many banquets and must ensure it’s done with decorum and thoroughness. Understand?"

This tone was not one of discussion but direct command.

Du Changzai was naturally overjoyed, thinking that choosing to align with Lin Guifei was indeed the right decision back then.

If through this matter she could again catch the Emperor’s notice, her days in the harem would be more comfortable.

Thus, she rose and sincerely bowed to Lin Guifei in gratitude.

"Rest assured, Your Ladyship, I will be meticulous and won’t let you lose face."

Upon her words, Consort Ye had no way to refuse and could only kneel and express gratitude as well.

Because of the earlier matter, Lin Wanyi glanced at her more and noticed that though her acceptance was swift, her face didn’t show Du Changzai’s excitement.

She seemed to be someone who could hide her thoughts well.

It’s unclear why she would speak out to help earlier.

As Lin Wanyi was pondering this, Mu Daying looked her way, discreetly giving a thumbs-up, making Lin Wanyi realize she had misunderstood.

Mu Lanchun thought it was Lin Guifei deliberately giving her face.

After all, Lady Chu, who had offended her earlier with insolent words, was already covertly grounded, and Consort Ye, who helped her, was now in charge of hosting the banquet, which was both laborious and pleasing.

This kind of display was meant to let everyone know that Lin Wanyi was not someone to be easily offended.

Lin Wanyi was very worried about this.

Even Mu Lanchun could understand this, so naturally, the others would too.

For her, it reduced many threats, but in the face of such "favor," Lin Guifei must want something from her.

First using her elder brother’s future as bait, and then boosting her prestige.

No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like a trap.

Though she could see through it, she couldn’t refuse.

She could only quietly wait for Lin Guifei to reveal her trump card. Whether she could handle it would depend on Lin Wanyi’s skills.

Regarding the Dragon Boat Festival, Lin Guifei gave a few more instructions.

Under the pretense of reading a family letter, Lin Wanyi was left behind.

Before Mu Daying left, she whispered a few words to her.

"Sister, take your time. I’ll go check on Chunqi making green plum cake."

She was indeed in a leisurely mood. Looking at herself, the future seemed uncertain.

With utmost vigilance, she prepared to face Lin Guifei.

After everyone left, Qin He instructed all the Palace Attendants to serve outside, leaving only Lin Guifei and Lin Wanyi inside the hall.

Lin Wanyi felt that this matter was certainly extraordinary.

Sure enough, Lin Guifei spoke up and left Lin Wanyi shocked.

"Princess Consort Ying is four months pregnant, but not a single person in the harem knows."

A concubine being pregnant and not reporting it, why is that?

Seeing Lin Wanyi’s confusion, Lin Guifei explained.

"She only got pregnant after being in the palace for so long, so naturally, she’s cautious. Presumably, her fetus is stable now, just waiting for the right moment to announce it."

"Then, Your Ladyship means..."

"There are suddenly two pregnant concubines in the palace, both with fairly high statuses. If they smoothly give birth to sons, I’m afraid their ranks will need to be elevated another level."

Elevated another level!

Princess Consort Ying becoming a concubine would be alright, but if Princess Consort Lan is elevated another step, would this palace have two Imperial Concubines?

Such a thing is unprecedented in history.

No wonder Lin Guifei reacted this way.

"At this point, I won’t beat around the bush with you. When I gave birth to Ming Ruo back then, I hurt my body, so even after all these years of recuperation, I’ve shown no sign of pregnancy again. So, the reason you entered the palace, you must have guessed seven or eight parts of it."

Lin Guifei was straightforward, leaving no room for ambiguity.

"Before a fruit is ripe, one cannot say whether a child can be kept. Even if they’re born, raising them in the Imperial Palace is another matter entirely. The Eldest Prince and the Second Prince are prime examples."

Suddenly mentioning the two princes, Lin Wanyi’s heart was increasingly alarmed.

"The Eldest Prince, born to Empress Xu, was the Emperor’s cherished eldest legitimate son, but unfortunately, he died of illness at around six, causing the Empress to fall into a depression, passing away a year later."

"The Second Prince was born to Su Pin, who died after a three-day difficult labor, leaving the child weak. He became Princess Consort Lan’s adoptive son."

As Lin Guifei spoke, she looked at Lin Wanyi’s face.

Sure enough, she was somewhat pale.

A sneer subtly curled on the corners of her lips; after all, she was new to the palace, unable to withstand such matters.

But the words from her mouth didn’t stop.

"But the Third Prince, born to Princess Consort Yi, not only is robust and healthy but also exceptionally gifted. Among all seen in the palace, he is the most promising."

Upon mentioning "most promising," Lin Wanyi clearly felt Lin Guifei’s words through gritted teeth.

It seemed the Third Prince was already a thorn in her side.

If it weren’t for the watchful eyes of Princess Consort Yi, many in the harem would have likely targeted this healthy Third Prince.

"Now, with two more pregnant, if both are princes, then we’ll have a Fourth Prince and a Fifth Prince; the palace would be much more lively."

While speaking, her gaze seemed distant as if reminiscing about something.

Lin Wanyi quietly listened, for such matters were not ones an attendant could casually comment on, especially when Lin Guifei hadn’t clearly indicated her intentions. It was best not to speculate wildly.

Concealing ineptitude allowed for greater comfort.

After a moment, Lin Guifei recovered from her thoughts and looked at Lin Wanyi with more scrutiny.

"Although you entered the palace later, I see that your momentum is good, but occurrences like yesterday, where you accompanied but were not summoned to bed, should happen as little as possible."

Being directly pointed out, Lin Wanyi pressed her lips tightly, filled with embarrassment.