Only this green, not disappointing the spring

Before the palace maids entered the house with plates of pastries, Bing Ling's heart began to ring with alarm bells. There was definitely something wrong with the smell!

At this moment, she was like an ant on a hot pot, not knowing how to solve the dilemma. If she really couldn't think of a solution, she could only try her best to stop the lady and not let her in no matter what!

Shangguan Qingyue could sense Bing Ling's nervousness without turning around. It was because the coldness around her was almost becoming real. She quietly reached behind her, gently tugged at the corner of her clothes, and then waved her hand, signaling her to stay calm.

The palace maids who filed in one after another placed the snacks on the table in front of each person. Three pieces of peach blossom cakes were placed on the exquisite gold-painted porcelain plate. The color was bright and tender, and even the stamens in the middle were lifelike, which made people salivate at the sight.

Several little girls exclaimed in surprise and admired it in low voices.

Imperial Concubine Jing was in a good mood after hearing this, and her tone was full of pride and arrogance:

"Everything is gray in this winter, which makes people feel depressed. So I thought that giving everyone some peach blossom-related snacks would surely dispel the gloom in their hearts."

Nan Rongshu was very confused about her sister's behavior today. She didn't understand why she was so eager to invite the daughters of various families to chat. It couldn't be to choose a concubine for the third prince, right?

She immediately looked at her daughter beside her worriedly, and was very angry when she saw that she didn't care at all.

She suppressed her complicated thoughts and asked with a smile:

"From what you said, sister, could it be that there will be a lot of peach blossom-related snacks later? Then I will have a feast today."

Imperial Concubine Jing smiled charmingly, "Sister, just wait a little longer."

Sure enough, a few moments later another group of palace maids arrived, entered in an orderly and light-footed manner, placed the snacks on the tray one by one, and then quietly left.

This time, the dessert was peach blossom tea yogurt, which had a rich milky aroma mixed with a light tea aroma. The most surprising thing was that there were a few fresh peach blossoms scattered next to the dessert, as if they were just picked from the tree.

Where did they get the peach blossoms on this cold winter day? Shangguan Qingyue held her chin with both hands, staring at the peach blossoms and lost in thought.

Imperial Concubine Jing saw this and sneered inaudibly. Although the sound was small, Nan Rongshu, who was paying full attention to her, heard it clearly. She couldn't help but look at Shangguan Qingyue, with even more doubt in her eyes.

Since my sister doesn't like this girl from the country, why does she have to call her over to be an eyesore?

After three or four more plates of dim sum were served, the meal ended with a small bowl of peach blossom soup. The milky white peach blossom soup was served in a watery and translucent jade bowl, and paired with pink petals, the color, aroma and taste were just right.

Shangguan Qingyue couldn't help but admire in her heart that the cook mentioned by Concubine Jing was unparalleled in both cooking skills and aesthetics!

If Imperial Concubine Jing, who was sitting in the first seat and feeling complacent, had heard Shangguan Qingyue's inner voice, she would probably have been so angry that she would have vomited three liters of blood.

"Everyone, don't wait any longer. Try each one. If it gets cold, it will lose its original flavor. Especially Miss Shangguan. I'm waiting to hear your comments later."

Her intention was clearly to let Shangguan Qingyue savor every dish carefully.

Bing Ling, who was standing behind him, was even more anxious. She could smell clearly that there was nothing wrong with the snacks on the tables of the ladies next to her, but two of the snacks on her own girl's table had a strange smell.

Although it doesn't look like a deadly poison, it is definitely not a good thing, and she has no idea what harm it will do to the body.

This Imperial Concubine Jing is clearly preparing a Hongmen Feast today! What on earth does she want to do? ! !

Seeing that Shangguan Qingyue had already picked up a plate of peach blossom pastry and was about to put it into her mouth, she could no longer stay there and raised her foot to walk over and knock the food out of her hand.

If Imperial Concubine Jing blamed her, she would just go crazy and smash all the plates on the table. Even if it meant losing her life here today, she would not hesitate!

Just when she was about to take action, she suddenly discovered that the young lady... she actually used a trick to replace the original with a speed that was imperceptible to others!

She quickly scooped off a small piece of cake with a spoon and threw it into her sleeve. Then, using her wide sleeves to cover her mouth, she stuffed a small piece of preserved fruit into her mouth.

The set of movements was performed smoothly and fluidly. If she hadn't had excellent eyesight and hadn't focused all her attention on her, it would have been almost impossible to notice anything unusual.

In order to make her performance more realistic, she even put some snack crumbs on the corners of her mouth and ate them with relish as if she was not noticing.

A girl sitting next to Shangguan Qingyue looked at her eating in such an unsightly manner with a hint of contempt in her eyes. She moved aside with some disgust, fearing that she would be implicated by her and looked down upon by others.

Yu Jiaojiao happened to be sitting opposite her and saw it all. She had met Shangguan Qingyue once in Shuiyunjian and had the impression that she was a lively and cheerful girl, and she had a good impression of her.

So, after catching Shangguan Qingyue's gaze, he immediately pointed to the corner of his mouth and then to the snacks on the plate, and then quickly withdrew his hand for fear of being discovered.

Shangguan Qingyue found it interesting and gave her a bright smile in return.

"Second Miss Shangguan seems to be in a good mood, but do you think the snacks taste good?"

Concubine Jing looked at the table full of food and hardly touched a single bite.

Nowadays, it is difficult for her to find any food delicious. Besides, her slender waist was not natural. She has never had a full meal since she came of age.

Shangguan Qingyue stood up again and answered respectfully:

"My Lady, these snacks are indeed mouth-watering, but I only know how to eat them and am not good at making them, so I don't know how to evaluate them. I can only say 'delicious'.

Please don't blame me, Madam."

"Heh... you are quite honest. If that's the case, I won't make it difficult for you. If you think it tastes good, then eat more."

After that, she immediately ordered:

"Come here, give Miss Shangguan another portion of dessert. This child is so pleasing to the eye when she eats. I love watching her."

Bing Ling sneered in her heart. The Imperial Concubine was so cruel. She was afraid that the young lady didn't eat enough! Besides, did she want the young lady to be known as greedy and had an amazing appetite? She was really worthy of death!

After the palace maid placed all the snacks on Shangguan Qingyue's table, Bingling sniffed them attentively, and was surprised to find that there was nothing wrong with the newly served food.

That’s really thoughtful!

Sitting in the corner, Yang Xiuyun wanted to stare a hole in the table. She had tried almost all the clothes and jewelry she brought with her in order to leave a good impression in front of the imperial concubine.

She even took a quick shower, not wanting to have the slightest flaw. But because her father was only a fourth-rank official, she could only sit in the most inconspicuous place.

As a result, more than an hour had passed and the imperial concubine still hadn't noticed her!

That would be fine, but who is Shangguan Qingyue? Why does she have the right to be questioned by the Empress all the time and even have double the amount of snacks served to her?

Humph, I’m not afraid of dying!

She angrily used a fork to pick up the largest piece of peach cake, stuffed it directly into her mouth, and chewed it with gnashing teeth. As a result, because the cake was too dry, she choked and rolled her eyes.

Qingluo, who was standing behind her, was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat. She hurriedly poured a cup of tea for her young lady and asked her to drink it.

In the quiet living room, only the sound of cups clinking could be heard. Suddenly, someone burped loudly, causing everyone to look in the direction of the sound. They saw Yang Xiuyun, who looked like a cooked shrimp, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Shangguan Qingyue took this opportunity to throw several cakes into her sleeve pocket at lightning speed. Only the bowl of peach blossom soup was difficult to handle, so she had to pretend to accidentally touch it and spilled half of it on the table.

Impatience and annoyance welled up in Concubine Jing's eyes. She put her hand on her forehead and frowned as she said:

"I suddenly feel a little unwell, so I'll stop here today. Madam Rong, please see the guests off for me."

Upon hearing this, the ladies immediately put down their things, stood up gracefully, bowed, and quietly left. Shangguan Qingyue walked in the middle of the crowd, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she left the house and returned to her own courtyard.

Oh, it’s so tiring!

After this incident, she was even more determined not to attend any banquets. This was clearly a way to suffer, and she had no tendency to self-abuse!

The Shangguan Song brothers had been lingering near the door, not even noticing that their shoes had been soaked by the snow. When they saw Shangguan Qingyue from afar, they immediately went to meet her.

However, no one said anything until they entered the hall and finally couldn't help asking:

"Little sister, are you okay? Did the imperial concubine give you any trouble?"

Shangguan Qingyue did not rush to answer, but walked quickly to the table and took out a handful of snacks from her sleeve pocket. She looked at Zhou Xiaonan and asked:

"Sister, can you figure out what's mixed in this?"