Since Ye Yun had spent the night with the emperor, only Wang Jieyu and Xia Cairen had seen the emperor after the fifteenth day of the New Year.
On the Lantern Festival, the banquet was held in Fengxi Palace.
Having not seen the emperor for a while, everyone put a lot of effort into their appearances.
Yao Xiang, who usually didn't pay much attention to her attire, had also put thought into her outfit.
Some of the more well-off women had new clothes and jewelry for the New Year, while those who were less favored and had no one to look after them wore outfits that had been used several times already, so they were no longer fresh.
Today, Zhang Baolin had changed her outfit, wearing a lake-blue palace dress with her hair styled in a cloud knot, adorned with a white jade hairpin and a few simple silver hairpins. She looked elegant and pleasing.
This suited her usual style of being a delicate beauty.
"Oh, Zhang Baolin, finally willing to change your clothes? I thought you'd wear that wisteria purple dress a few more times," Zhao Jieyu said maliciously.
Though she herself wasn't wealthy, she was close to the Empress and had saved up over the years. She could afford to avoid repeating clothes during the New Year.
Even Yang Baolin, with the Empress's arrangement, had new clothes every day.
Zhang Baolin's face turned slightly red, and she bowed. "Jieyu is joking. I thought that after the Lantern Festival, the New Year would be over, so it's appropriate to wear something fresh."
"It was my fault that I was so careless that I forgot to give you more fabrics to make new clothes during the New Year," the Empress said at the right moment.
This was merely for show. Even if additional fabric was given, it would only be a few pieces, not enough for the entire month of New Year.
Yan Xiuyi raised her brows slightly, smiling as she spoke, "There's no need for the Empress to worry. I noticed that Zhang Baolin often visits Shu Fei. I'm sure Shu Fei must have given her some things. Perhaps Zhang Baolin cherishes them and hasn't used them yet."
"Indeed, since I am closer to Xiuyi, I've been well taken care of. I'm sure Shu Fei didn't stint on this," Li Wanrong quickly added.
Unfortunately, they had guessed correctly. Shu Fei had indeed not thought of this and had given nothing.
Her servants hadn't thought of this either, so they hadn't reminded her.
Now, with Yan Xiuyi and Li Wanrong making such remarks in concert, it inevitably caused some awkwardness.
Zhang Baolin, being cautious and fearing offending her only current supporter, quickly defended Shu Fei.
"I get along well with Shu Fei and often accompany her, so she naturally gave me clothes and jewelry. However, I've never been fond of dressing up, so I didn't use them."
Yan Xiuyi and Li Wanrong wanted to continue, but the Empress stopped them.
"Seeing you all so harmonious puts my mind at ease. Please, sit down. The Emperor is coming soon."
The Empress wasn't really trying to smooth things over between Zhang Baolin and Shu Fei; she just didn't want the Emperor to arrive and see them bickering.
Everyone prefers a harmonious inner palace, especially during a rare family banquet. If there were arguments and noise, it would make her seem incapable of managing the household.
When the Emperor was mentioned, everyone took care to straighten their clothes and sat down.
Ye Yun breathed a sigh of relief, worried that she might become a target today. Not everyone was in the mood for arguments every day.
YOU ARE READING
The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 1)
Historical FictionNote: This is a translated novel by me. Title: 贵妃她千娇百媚 Ye Yun was supposed to be the prince's concubine, but due to the sudden death of the late emperor, her entry into the palace was delayed for over a year. She entered the palace with the new bat...
