Chapter 325: The Queen's Bargaining Chip

It was noon.

Outside the window, the cold wind was biting and frost had congealed; even the evergreen trees under the distant wall corner were drooping their heads from the freeze, looking like soldiers suffering in the cold.

Inside the room, however, there were plush rugs and a warm stove, creating a cozy atmosphere with a faint fragrance drifting about.

Jia Guifei had already risen and was sitting upright on the chair to the right, head bowed, not daring to look up or speak; on that dignified and beautiful face, two faint blushes still remained, as lovely as a flower.

Her two fair, slender, and delicate hands were unconsciously gripping the red skirt on her lap, looking quite nervous and uneasy.

After she had expressed her loyalty, the Queen was very satisfied and comforted her well, telling her to sit aside for now without telling her what she should do next.

But the conversation between the Queen and this Young Master Luo was clearly foreshadowing something.

"Luo Qing, do you think Noble Consort is beautiful? She is the eldest daughter of the Jia Mansion, and was chosen after a thousand selections, standing out from thousands of outstanding women to enter the palace."

The Queen asked without any avoidance.

If it were in the past, such a question would have been an offense to Luo Zijun, one punishable by death; he absolutely could not have answered it.

But now, the power to execute was in the hands of the person before him.

Therefore, he had no choice but to lower his head and answer: "Noble Consort is naturally extremely beautiful."

Jia Daxiaojie was of course beautiful; her appearance and temperament, speech and upbringing, would absolutely not lose to any young lady of the Four Great Families, otherwise she would not have successfully broken through from thousands of outstanding women to enter the palace and be promoted to Noble Consort.

One must know that Xue Baochai's appearance and temperament were known to all, yet she had failed when she originally entered the palace to compete for a minor position as a study attendant, which shows how strict the palace's selection system was.

That Jia Daxiaojie could reach this step was enough to prove her true ability.

Hearing his answer, Jia Guifei, who already had her head lowered, lowered it slightly more, her cheeks turning even redder.

The Queen had a half-smiling expression: "Compared to that Jia Er Xiaojie, Jia San Xiaojie, Jia Sixiaojie in your Daguanyuan, as well as that Shijia Qianjin, Xuejia Qianjin, and that Lin Meimei?"

Luo Zijun lowered his head and said: "Naturally, Noble Consort is more beautiful."

At this moment, Jia Guifei, with a blushing face, could not help but whisper: "Luo... Young Master Luo, I cannot compare to Daiyu..."

Luo Zijun looked at her and said: "Noble Consort and Lin Guniang are both extremely beautiful, but their temperaments and styles are different; one is the beauty of dignity and nobility, the other is the beauty of elegance and fragility."

Jia Guifei lowered her head and said no more.

The Queen suddenly asked with a smile: "Then, Luo Qing, how do you think I compare to those two?"

Jia Guifei hurriedly said: "I and Daiyu naturally cannot compare to you, Sister."

The Queen hummed: "I am asking him."

Jia Guifei did not dare to speak again.

Luo Zijun said respectfully: "Although Noble Consort and Lin Guniang are both very beautiful, they naturally cannot compare to the Queen. The Queen's beauty belongs to the beauty of a monarch who looks down upon the world, the one and only; in this world, no one can compare."

"Pfft..."

The Queen suddenly laughed, her bright eyes charming and bewitchingly beautiful, and said: "Although I know Luo Qing is flattering me, I like this flattery very much."

Luo Zijun lowered his head and said: "They are merely my heartfelt words, Minister."

The Queen wore a smile and stared at him for a while, the smile on her face gradually fading, and suddenly asked: "Can Luo Qing not go?"

Luo Zijun was silent for a moment and said: "I must go."

The room suddenly fell into silence.

Jia Guifei sat aside with her head lowered, her heart filled with doubt, shock, and unease.

It was the first time she had seen the Queen beg so softly, and also the first time she had seen someone dare to refuse the Queen directly to her face, so her speculation about the relationship between the two became even clearer.

"Luo Qing..."

The Queen did not seem angry, her tone still gentle: "Look, I have already brought Jia Guifei to you. In a few days, there will be Yangfei, Ningfei and the others; in a few more days, several Princesses will also come, and there are even several Consorts who are already wives of princes, as well as the female relatives of officials who were executed or exiled for crimes in Lenggong and Yeting... As long as it is what Luo Qing likes, I will never be stingy and will do my best to satisfy you..."

Jia Guifei's heart was full of shock.

Luo Zijun still lowered his head and said respectfully: "Thank you for your kindness, Queen, but I must go; you promised me..."

The Queen narrowed her eyes, her tone turning cold: "I did promise you, but I did not say which day."

Luo Zijun looked up and said: "You said last time that it was today."

The Queen asked: "Where did I say that?"

"In the bed..."

Luo Zijun said one word, stopped immediately, glanced at the Noble Consort beside him, and lowered his head: "Right here."

The Queen, however, sneered: "Luo Qing remembers wrong; I never said those words here."

Luo Zijun was silent for a moment, looked at her and said: "I have satisfied all your requirements, I hope you will keep your promise..."

"What requirement of mine did Luo Qing satisfy?"

The Queen suddenly asked.

Luo Zijun remained silent.

"Look, Luo Qing cannot even say it, right? That means you have not satisfied me."

The corners of the Queen's mouth curled up, and a trace of triumph appeared in her eyes.