Jiang Huan was jolted for a moment, thinking the Emperor had finally come to his senses and intended to favor Ye Ronghua. But when she turned her head, Jiang Huan noticed Huo Lin staring intently at the plate of crabs before him.
The sovereign of a nation, Huo Lin’s gaze at the crabs was as aggressive as if he were coveting the territory of a neighboring country.
【It’s been so long since I’ve had crab. Can’t Wang Degui show some initiative and peel a crab for me?】
Wang Degui was the chief eunuch who had served Huo Lin for several years, overseeing his daily routines and meals. Watching Huo Lin’s resentful glare, Jiang Huan could only sigh inwardly, feeling sorry for the Emperor.
Being the Emperor meant being constantly watched. In such a public setting, he couldn’t even crack open a crab himself. This imperial life was truly uncomfortable.
“Sister Ye’s dance is amusing, no doubt, but her attire is too revealing and utterly inappropriate for such an occasion.”
After the dance concluded, Imperial Concubine Jia was the first to criticize Ye Ronghua’s performance. At this point, all the imperial concubines were vying to be the first to serve the Emperor in his bedchamber. No matter how much they pretended to be affectionate sisters in ordinary times, when it came to this, they would fight tooth and nail.
Imperial Concubine Jia clung to Huo Lin’s arm, refusing to let his gaze linger on Ye Ronghua for even a moment.
“Your Majesty hasn’t eaten much tonight. This ong choy is quite delicious. Please try some.”
As she spoke, Imperial Concubine Jia placed a few stalks of vegetables onto Huo Lin’s plate. Meals in the palace were always light, especially for the Emperor. To avoid clouding his judgment, greasy and heavy dishes were strictly forbidden.
【I don’t want to eat vegetables! Just looking at anything green gives me a headache. As the sovereign of the nation, do I not even have the right to eat meat?】
【Are these crabs served for the Mid-Autumn Festival just for display?】
【Where is my crab?】
Huo Lin glanced over and noticed several crabs were missing from the plate. The next moment, a pale, slender hand reached out.
Snow-white crab meat and bright orange crab roe had been meticulously peeled and arranged together in a crab shell. The steaming crab meat was incredibly fragrant. Jiang Huan had put in considerable effort, using the crab eating tools to extract the meat neatly.
If it were her? She’d just bite into it directly!
“Your Majesty, please enjoy.”
Jiang Huan respectfully presented the crab shell, her expression deferential without a hint of flattery.
She didn’t share the others’ ambitions to compete for favor or curry favor. She simply felt a pang of sympathy for Huo Lin after hearing his inner thoughts.
Besides, she was hoping that if the Emperor was in a better mood, he might transfer her away from Jin Hua Palace so she wouldn’t have to endure Consort Yu’s temper any longer.
【Wang Degui, after all these years by my side, you’re less perceptive than a mere selected attendant!】
【Hurry up and peel a few more! How could one crab possibly be enough for me?】
Jiang Huan heard his inner voice clearly, but when Huo Lin took the crab shell, his face remained impassive. His sharply defined features showed no emotion as he elegantly and slowly picked at the crab meat, betraying none of the delight from his thoughts.
“Calculating and seductive, utterly improper!”
Imperial Concubine Jia, seeing the ong choy she had served being ignored, gritted her teeth in fury. Normally, the Emperor always enjoyed vegetarian dishes. She had no idea what kind of sorcery Jiang Huan had used to bewitch him!
Jiang Huan remained silent and began peeling the remaining crabs for Huo Lin.
Given her low rank, such delicacies would never reach her mouth. After the palace banquet, even sucking on her fingers would be better than just watching.
Huo Lin ate slowly.
In the time it took him to finish one crab, Jiang Huan had already peeled three more.
Who could tell he loved crab when he ate this slowly? No wonder Chief Eunuch Wang never peeled any for him!
Just as Huo Lin was about to take a second crab, Wang Degui finally seemed to come alive and hurried forward to dissuade him.
"Your Majesty, crabs are cold in nature and should not be eaten in excess!"
With just that one sentence, Huo Lin withdrew his hand and didn't cast another glance at the crabs. Jiang Huan lowered her head, rubbing her already red and swollen fingers, her mind exploding with thoughts.
[Sooner or later I'll have Wang Degui executed! An emperor cannot let others guess his preferences, but that doesn't mean I should go hungry!]
[Consort Jiang has already shelled three crabs, who knows whose stomach they'll end up in later.]
Alas, all her hard work shelling crabs for so long had been wasted because of Wang Degui's single remark.
Was there still hope for her palace relocation then?
The Palace Banquet was nearing its end, and the hour was approaching Hai Shi (9-11 PM). Jiang Huan was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, clutching her sleeve tightly. Earlier, when no one was looking, she had stuffed all three crabs into her sleeve.
After three months in this transmigrated world, she could finally eat something good back in her palace tonight!
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has instructed that you must flip the plaques tonight."
A eunuch from the Imperial Household Department stepped forward with a wooden tray bearing over a dozen green head plaques. Having been on the throne for three years, Huo Lin's harem was quite substantial, consisting of relatives recommended by important ministers from the previous reign and selections from one imperial consort selection.
Yet Huo Lin, using the excuse of his newly established position being unstable, had been staying overnight in the imperial study every day. Not a single imperial concubine had ever seen what his bedchamber robes looked like.
Though the Empress Dowager wasn't Huo Lin's birth mother, she was concerned about continuing the imperial lineage for the stability of the nation. Tonight, she had explicitly brought up the matter of flipping the plaques.
"We'll discuss this later. Return to the palace!"
Huo Lin wore an expression of impatience as he stood up and left with a wave of his sleeve. The imperial concubines who had been eagerly hoping to have their plaques flipped instantly turned cold-faced, full of disappointment.
They had all been selected to enter the palace in the prime of their youth. While they enjoyed wealth and luxury, how could they endure living like widows?
"Xiao Zhao, quickly massage my waist for me. I'm exhausted!"
The moment Jiang Huan returned to her western side hall, she noisily called for her dowry maid to attend to her. Xiao Zhao was the maid the original host had brought from her home in Jiangnan—not particularly clever, but loyal nonetheless.
"Coming! How did you get so tired, Mistress?"
Jiang Huan held a low rank, almost the lowest among the imperial concubines. Tonight, she didn't even qualify to bring a maid to the Palace Banquet, so Xiao Zhao naturally didn't know that she had been sitting beside the Emperor for an hour without daring to move.
But before Xiao Zhao's hands could reach Jiang Huan, the hall door was kicked open.
"Consort Jiang, Consort Yu requests your presence!"
The person who arrived was Consort Yu's chief maid, Cui Ying, who looked down arrogantly at Jiang Huan as if she were the mistress herself.
Xiao Zhao stomped her feet in anger. "How dare you barge into the mistress's bedchamber like that?"
Jiang Huan pursed her lips and pulled Xiao Zhao behind her. Having watched many palace intrigue dramas, she knew well that an unpopular, low-ranking consort wasn't considered a real mistress in the eyes of servants.
She could also guess that Consort Yu's summons couldn't mean anything good—it was surely because she had been seated beside Huo Lin at tonight's Palace Banquet.
A quarter of an hour later, Jiang Huan was kneeling on the carpet in the main hall of Jin Hua Palace. Fortunately, the carpet provided some cushion, so her knees didn't hurt too much.
"Consort Jiang, do you know what you did wrong today?"
Consort Yu sat in the main seat, looking down condescendingly at Jiang Huan, whose simple appearance couldn't hide her captivating beauty. Even though she had cut Jiang Huan's allowance by more than half, leaving her with plain hairpins and clothing, how had she still caught the Emperor's eye and been placed by his side?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became!
"This humble consort does not know. Please enlighten me, Consort Yu."
Consort Yu sneered coldly, "Your mistake lies in shamelessly currying favor and seducing His Majesty without restraint!"
Jiang Huan adopted the humble deference expected of a low-ranking palace attendant, "Your reprimand is justified, Consort Yu."
Yet inwardly she felt wronged—how could serving a bowl of tangyuan or shelling a crab be considered seduction? Were these women blind? Couldn't they see the Emperor was hungry? Did her simple act of delivering food offend their delicate sensibilities?
"Since you admit your fault, kneel outside the hall all night to reflect on your behavior!"
All night?!
Jiang Huan complied reluctantly with a sullen expression, but resolved she must seize the first opportunity to move out of Jin Hua Palace!
Before she could rise to go outside for her punishment, however, a eunuch from the Imperial Household Department rushed in breathlessly.
"Why is Mistress Jiang not in her own quarters but here with Consort Yu? This servant has been searching everywhere for you! Congratulations, Mistress—His Majesty has summoned you to attend him tonight!"