The Red Bride - Chapter 38
A fresh breeze flew past the crowd of people, making dresses fly and petals scatter. A group of servants continuously flew in and out of the meadow while balancing trays of food, careful not to make a single mistake. Hidden in the trees, a large made shift pavilion housed whiteley dressed chefs. The impromptu kitchen housed multiple stoves and tables, each section having their own designated sous chef. Beautifully marbled beef was being carefully trimmed, sparkling fish was thinly sliced as thick as a petal, and vegetables practically flew in the air.
From the harding working kitchen to the servants, the plates soon reached the table of the lavishly dressed people. When the Empress Dowager reached her second dish, her frown deepened even more. As she bit into the dumpling, a woody and unpleasant taste covered her whole mouth. She didn’t eat the salad, and now she couldn’t even eat the dumpling. Flowery jade
ornaments swung lightly as she turned her head to glared at the simply dressed Mu Qing.
The young Empress carefully bit into her meat filled dumpling. Her white dress really could not afford a single stain. It was a white silk dress with subtle green image of bamboo branches, making Mu Qing have a refreshing look. It was not gaudy like the Empress Dowager’s bright red dress, not it was colorful like the dresses of the young misses. It was clean, simple, but elegant. After all, Mu Qing’s statement piece was the fresh colorful flowers that were delicately placed and weaved into her braided bun.
Sensing the hate, Mu Qing turned and said, “Imperial Mother, I hope everything is to your liking. I made sure that the chefs made your meal vegetarian after finding out that you have been praying constantly at the temple.”
The Empress Dowager’s words got stuck in her throat. For awhile, she did seek amnesty from a local temple on the grounds of praying for the Yan family to amend their sins. Lots of people had commended for her forgiving and warm nature, and she had rose up in the hearts of the citizens. However, the truth was that she was distancing herself from being dragged into the Yan’s family corruption and was actively hiding from Hu Feng. It was also the perfect of excuse of denying Mu Qing’s rights as the true owner of the Inner Palace. Like one say, hear no evil, know no evil. Yet, she should did spare some evil.
The Empress Dowager forced a smile on her face, “Qing’er is truly thoughtful! How-”
Before the old woman could say anything else, Mu Qing quickly replied, “This is nothing but a small matter compare to Imperial Mother’s virtuousness. Imperial Mother should eat quickly before the food gets cold, after even leaving a single grain is a sin.”
After hearing those words, the line on the Empress Dowager’s face became even more prominent. It was fine if the food was vegetarian, but that little devil had actually made it with all the ones that she dested. From the slimy seaweed to the nasty bamboo dumplings, there was nothing that she liked! Yet, she is now forced to eat it and with a smile no less!
Mu Qing laughed wildly on the inside as she saw the old hag’s face turned from red to white to green, all while eating the rest of the bamboo dumpling. After the whole atmosphere was settle and everyone has gotten a bite to eat, Mu Qing decided that it was time for the main purpose of this party.
Her voice made the chatter die down and excitement appeared on everyone’s face, “Eating while having entertainment is one of the best joys in life. How about having some talented people perform so the liven up the mood?”
A wave of claps started as Mu Qing sat back down to encourage a brave soul to go first. This was what everyone was eagerly looking forward to. The Flower Viewing Party was one of the only few rare occasions that the sexes can interact and show off. It was a chance to scope out the best spouses, and to earn notable bragging rights among the higher class if the performance was good. All in all, it was a chance that no one in the younger generation of high society should miss out. Except, of course, the infamous hidden Mu family. Mu Qing’s family never really liked these sorts of functions and thought that the time was better spent to hone oneself, so her highly popular brothers are back at home either training the troops or writing reports.
Having gathered enough courage, a lovely young girl of about sixteen stood up. Her bravery sparked interest in many of the males.
“Your Highness, I would like to perform.”