Chapter 245

"You talk to me about rules?" Qingfeng looked down on Xu Ji and said coldly, "I, Qing Ling, came here at the invitation of your country's ruler. I represent Haoyue's friendliness and submission to your country. As the saying goes: those who come are guests. A eunuch like you dares not call himself a servant in front of me. Who is the one without rules? Or are you Qiongyue people all treating guests with cold rice and salted vegetables? When I have a chance to see your Emperor, I must ask what your country's rules are?"

What an ignorant woman! This shout of "eunuch" made everyone break out in a cold sweat. Even the beauties and consorts would call him Eunuch Xu nicely when they saw him. This foreign woman was either arrogant and ignorant or tired of living.

She... she? As a gift sent by Haoyue to seek peace, she dared to call herself a guest invited here! Xu Ji was so angry that his hands trembled. Although he hated to tear her mouth apart in his heart, he also had an extra thought. She was disfigured, but the Emperor's attitude was not clear. Qing Ling was a woman personally named by the Emperor. She was disfigured and still dared to be so arrogant. Could it be that she had something to rely on? If the Emperor showed pity for her later? Better safe than sorry. When he found an opportunity, he would definitely make her life worse than death!

Xu Ji pretended to be suddenly enlightened, raised a fake smile, and replied, "So it's Lady Qing Ling from Haoyue. This old servant has poor eyesight and didn't recognize you. Your meal was actually cold rice and salted vegetables? It must be that the servants in the kitchen have blind dog eyes. This old servant will definitely punish them severely. What would you like to eat, Lady? Dinner will definitely be served well."

Qingfeng said "Oh," pretended to be enlightened, shook her head, and laughed, "So it's a bunch of things with blind dog eyes! Eunuch Xu must strictly discipline them in the future, otherwise, if others don't know, they will think you have blind dog eyes too. That would be too unjust."

Fuling secretly squeezed a cold sweat. This aunt's ability to scold people was not weak. In one sentence, she scolded everyone in the Imperial Kitchen, and Xu Ji couldn't refute it. For a time, everyone in the Imperial Kitchen changed their faces.

"Thank... you... for... your... teaching... Lady." Xu Ji still had a fake smile on his face, but his voice was word by word, clearly gritting his teeth.

Waving her hand, Qingfeng didn't take his anger into her eyes at all. After picking and choosing for a while at the large table full of ingredients, Qingfeng's brows furrowed slightly, and she said arrogantly, "The dishes I like to eat, you might not necessarily know how to make. Just make some Hydrangea Scallops, Flower Mushroom Duck Feet, Mountain Treasure Dragon Buds, and White Braised Fish Lips."

She really knew how to eat. The dishes she picked were not expensive, but they were very demanding on ingredients and extremely testing of culinary skills. The corners of his mouth curled up, and Xu Ji pretended to be respectful and replied in a low voice, "Yes, dinner will definitely be served to you, Lady." A few small dishes wanted to make things difficult for him? She underestimated him too much. The Imperial Kitchen gathered the world's famous chefs; he didn't take these small dishes into his eyes.

This time Qingfeng didn't say anything and turned away proudly.

Watching that arrogant and triumphant figure drift away, Xu Ji slowly stood up straight. In his narrow mouse eyes, there was only cold and gloomy color. Humph, I want to see how long you can be triumphant.

Fuling silently followed behind Qingfeng. Having been with her for three or four days, the lady was an aloof and cold woman who would never disdain to fight with others for three meals. Moreover, her arrogant and mean appearance today was really different from her usual self. She deliberately provoked trouble, and Fuling still couldn't guess what her intention was, but offending those monsters would definitely make her future days harder.

The two returned to the room. Fuling hesitated again and again, but still couldn't help but advise in a low voice, "Why does the lady have to do this? Today's actions will only make you suffer in the future."

A flash of disdain crossed her eyes, and Qingfeng said coldly, "You go out."

"Yes." Fuling sighed lightly, didn't speak again, turned around and left the small room, and slowly closed the door.

Slender fingers reached into the wide sleeves, and a carving knife more than an inch long, used by the chef to carve flowers, appeared in Qingfeng's hand. The cold light in those bright eyes was more chilling than the sharp blade. She didn't even want her life anymore; what was there to be afraid of? As long as she could achieve her goal, she could do whatever it took.

Yan Hongtian, I want you to be buried with my family! Even if I can't take your life, I must bleed you!

"Lady, time to eat."

Fuling looked at the exquisite four dishes and one soup on the table. She didn't know whether she should be happy or sad for this Lady Qing. Since the last time she went to make trouble, the Imperial Kitchen had sent exquisite dishes for two consecutive days. Eunuch Xu was by no means a good person. Being so easy to talk to, she didn't know what tricks he had done behind her back.

"I don't have much appetite; you eat." Qingfeng's cold voice came from the inner room. Fuling sighed lightly and scooped a small bowl of soup. Just as she was about to send it in, she saw Wu Zhiqiu from the Jingshi Hall walking into the courtyard with two small eunuchs.

Fuling's face changed slightly. She put down the soup bowl and hurriedly greeted them outside the courtyard, "Greetings, Eunuch Wu."

Seeing only Fuling coming out to greet them, Wu Zhiqiu was obviously a little unhappy and asked coldly, "Why is it only you? Where is that Qing Ling?"

"The lady is in the room; this servant will go and invite her out." Fuling bowed and turned to walk toward the inner room.

Wu Zhiqiu was even more unhappy in his heart. A foreign woman, she had quite an air, and she still needed someone to go in and invite her before she would come out.

Before long, a tall and thin woman walked out behind Fuling. Wu Zhiqiu snorted, "Are you Qing Ling?"

Fuling whispered in Qing Ling's ear, "This is Eunuch Wu from the Jingshi Hall." From the consorts in the harem to the beauties and ladies, the one they dared not offend most was the Jingshi Hall. She hoped the lady wouldn't play any tricks today and offend Eunuch Wu again. The Jingshi Hall was not like the Imperial Kitchen. As long as the Emperor didn't personally name a certain beauty to serve in bed, they had a way to make the Emperor never flip that person's tablet.

Qingfeng's cold eyes flashed slightly, and she rarely bowed obediently. Fuling secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that she was still sensible, Wu Zhiqiu's face finally eased a little, and his eyes habitually turned around on her. Slender limbs, elegant temperament, appearance? The half of the face that hadn't been ruined was still not bad. No wonder the Empress sent someone to remind him today that since the beauty the Emperor wanted had been sent, he shouldn't let the Emperor wait too long. Without a beautiful face, a beauty was no longer a beauty.

Waving his hand, Wu Zhiqiu said impatiently, "Prepare yourself. Tonight at the Hai hour, you will serve in the Zhengyang Palace. At the You hour, someone will come to take you to wash and dress up." After speaking, he didn't look at Qingfeng again and left in a hurry.

Qingfeng stood in the courtyard with a cold face. Fuling reminded in a low voice, "The lady should be happy."

Happy? Yes, she should be happy. She finally had a chance to get close to Yan Hongtian. It was worth all her preparations and offending so many people.

Raising a smile that couldn't be called a smile, Qingfeng said loudly, "Comb my hair for me later. I like a higher hairstyle; this can make my face look more beautiful."

Fuling was slightly stunned and smiled, "The palace maids in the Jingshi Hall have better skills than this servant."

"I prefer you to comb my hair, or... are you unwilling?" Meeting Qingfeng's slightly annoyed eyes, Fuling was helpless, "This servant dares not."

She was never good at combing hair. After finally combing a Liuyun bun, Fuling hesitated and asked, "Is this okay?"

Qingfeng nodded with satisfaction and smiled, "Yes, very good. Go and get my outer garment for me."

"Yes." Fuling turned to take the clothes from the cabinet behind. When Fuling wasn't paying attention, Qingfeng gently hid the small carving knife she had been hiding in her sleeves into her high hairstyle. Fuling took the clothes and saw Qingfeng smiling and tidying her hairstyle. Seeing that she was in a good mood, Fuling didn't notice that the smile on Qingfeng's mouth was not because of happiness.

They had just finished preparing when an old nanny and several young palace maids walked into the small courtyard. Fuling helped Qingfeng out to the courtyard and said, "Nanny Gui, the lady is ready."

That Nanny Gui didn't even look at Qingfeng, and said coldly, "Please."

Qingfeng walked out of the room and suddenly stopped. She said to Fuling, who was standing by the door to see them off, "Fuling, go back to where you were. After tonight, I will not return here again." If she succeeded in assassinating Yan Hongtian tonight, she would naturally commit suicide and reunite with her family. If she didn't succeed, she would also die under that tyrant's hands. No matter what, she would not return here again.

The small palace maids naturally didn't know Qingfeng's thoughts, only thinking that this woman didn't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth. With her ruined appearance, she still dreamed of turning from a chicken into a phoenix after one night of serving in bed? Everyone's eyes were either contemptuous or mocking, but Fuling's heart was up and down, always feeling that this aloof Lady Qing seemed to have words in her words. The excitement and fanaticism she couldn't suppress in her eyes made people feel even more uneasy.

What an arrogant tone. Gui Zhiyun raised her eyes slightly to look at the flamboyant woman. From the direction she was standing, Gui Zhiyun could only see half of her ruined face, covered with knife scars, yet she was still so confident, which was also rare. She had seen many beauties, and she was a little curious about this ruined woman.

"Let's go." Qingfeng ignored everyone's eyes and stepped out of the courtyard proudly.

Watching that cold back disappear at the end of the long palace road, Fuling slowly withdrew her gaze. Sighing lightly, she gently closed the courtyard door. Everyone in this palace had their own fate.

Shuqing Pool

Among the consorts, only the Empress, the Four Consorts, the Eight Concubines, and the Twelve Beauties had their own palaces. Other beauties and ladies lived in the Shuyi Hall. If they were lucky enough to get the opportunity to serve in bed, they could go to the Shuqing Pool to be washed and dressed by nannies and palace maids. The nannies in the Shuqing Pool were very skilled, and the consorts often summoned them to comb their hair and make clothes in their palaces.

Gui Zhiyun was an old nanny in the palace, and she was numb to seeing many beauties. But looking at the woman who walked out of the hot spring pool proudly, she couldn't help but be amazed. Her skin was like fine mutton-fat jade, her figure was well-proportioned and slender, and her ink-black long hair was draped behind her, which complemented her fair skin, having a unique charm. And the difference in her beauty was that she possessed a cold temperament while having a pair of eyes as scorching as flames. No wonder she dared to speak wildly that she wouldn't need to return to that small courtyard after tonight. With such a stunner, no man could resist her. It was just a real pity for that face, otherwise, she would definitely be stunning and favored in the harem.

A woman picked up a long velvet towel to wipe the water off Qingfeng's body, and the other two immediately put the dark red gauze dress on Qingfeng. The thin light gauze couldn't cover anything at all, and the looming appearance added a bit of charm. Qingfeng frowned. They wanted her to see Yan Hongtian like this? A feeling of disgust and anger rose in her heart, but Qingfeng didn't say anything and let them manipulate her. As long as she could take revenge, she could endure anything!

"This servant will comb the lady's hair." A small palace maid stepped forward with a comb. Qingfeng grabbed the comb from her hand, combed her wet hair ends, and said casually, "No need, I like this hairstyle. You just put on makeup for me."

The small palace maid looked at Nanny Gui behind her in embarrassment. That simple and high hairstyle was indeed suitable for her. Gui Zhiyun nodded secretly, and the small palace maid retreated silently.

Qingfeng stared at herself in the bronze mirror. Under their hands, she looked more and more like a gift for people to play with. The exquisite makeup and heavy greasepaint still couldn't cover the scars on her face. Her heart was bleeding, and at the same time, she was laughing wildly. Yan Hongtian wanted a stunning beauty? Dream on! Her hands hanging by her sides clenched tightly, letting her sharp nails poke into her palms. The more painful it was, the more enchanting the smile at the corners of her mouth became.

(End of chapter)