PNB Chapter 213 Pearls and Fish Eyes
Chapter 213 Pearls and Fish Eyes
Seeing that Qiao Qingling was well-behaved and polite, the head nanny sighed and made the arrangements for her.
"Sister Lu, this is some dry food and medicine that I specially bought. You are weak and your family temple is in a remote rural area. When the emperor is far away, there may not be any doctors available. These medicines may come in handy at a critical moment."
Inside the carriage, Lu Mingzhu turned her head away, unwilling to meet his gaze.
Qiao Qingling stuffed everything into her hands, her eyes filled with a hint of schadenfreude. "I only ask that Sister Lu pray for me before the Buddha, so that I may be favored by the Emperor and have a chance to rise in the world."
"I bother!"
Lu Mingzhu glared at the person in front of her, "You shameless slut! You deliberately provoked me that day just to bring me to this end. I curse you, may you never have a good life!"
Qiao Qingling's lips curled up slightly, her smugness almost overflowing.
She leaned down and gently patted Lu Mingzhu's face, her voice full of sarcasm: "Sister, you're really joking. It was clearly you who lost your temper, how can you blame it on me?"
As she spoke, she shook her head with feigned regret, "But don't worry, sister, I will definitely enjoy the Emperor's grace in this deep palace, unlike you, sister, who can only go to that cold and desolate temple and spend the rest of your life with the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp."
Lu Mingzhu's eyes reddened, her hands clenched into fists, her nails almost digging into her palms, she wished she could rush up and tear Qiao Qingling's smug face apart.
But the shackles on her body restricted her movements, leaving her trapped in place, filled with anger and resentment.
"Qiao Qingling, don't be too smug!"
She gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "Good and evil will eventually be rewarded. You will get your comeuppance for the bad things you've done sooner or later!"
Qiao Qingling merely scoffed, turned around without a care, and instructed the maid behind her, "Pack all these things for Sister Lu. Don't forget anything. She'll be relying on these things while she's at the family temple."
Then, she turned to look at Lu Mingzhu, "As for your curse, I'll just treat it as a joke. You should take good care of yourself, sister. Maybe one day when I'm in a better mood, I can visit you at the family temple."
After saying that, she led her maids away, leaving Lu Mingzhu behind.
Watching her departing figure, Lu Mingzhu could no longer hold back her tears and they streamed down her face.
You slut, that slut!
The carriage slowly started moving. Looking through the window at the familiar yet unfamiliar palace, Lu Mingzhu felt a mix of emotions.
Unexpectedly, His Majesty actually disregarded Lu's reputation and sent her out of the palace. Even more unexpectedly, Lu Zhiheng actually didn't care about her!
These bastards!
If she ever gets her revenge, she will make them all pay!
***
Feixue Palace.
"Your Majesty, Consort Lu has already been sent out of the palace."
Xianglan served by her side, peeling freshly picked loquats for Chu Qingyin.
Chu Qingyin leaned lazily against the chaise lounge and waved her hand gently. "I know. It's much quieter in the palace without her."
After saying that, she took the peeled loquat from Xianglan, put it in her mouth, and savored it carefully.
Since entering the palace, Lu Mingzhu has been a restless person, causing countless troubles.
Is it really acceptable for Your Majesty to disregard the Lu family's reputation like this?
Or is it that Lu Mingzhu has already been abandoned by the Lu family, and even Lu Zhiheng no longer wants to care about her?
"Your Highness, the Second Miss has now been promoted to Consort Qiao and is living a very glamorous life. I heard that she even went to the palace gate today to see that person off, but I don't know what she said."
Xianglan told her all the news she had gathered that day, her heart filled with worry.
"I never expected that His Majesty would promote her rank even though he knew you and Her Majesty were at odds. She clearly took advantage of your quarrel with His Majesty to get ahead of you."
The thought of her young mistress being murdered by Qiao Qingling and her daughter, while Qiao Qingling was now riding high, made Xianglan even angrier.
"Alright, it's nothing, not worth getting upset about."
Chu Qingyin didn't care about this; it was Pei Yuanling's business who he wanted to favor.
But with her brother still in prison, it's not a good idea for her to keep holding a grudge against him.
If we truly offend his wrath, it will be a loss for us. It would be better to rescue my brother as soon as possible and then run away together.
While I was pondering, a maid's voice came from outside Feixue Palace, announcing that Consort Qiao had arrived.
It's true what they say, Cao Cao arrived just like that.
Before Chu Qingyin could give any instructions, the other person had already walked in on their own.
Today, Qiao Qingling wore a light purple fairy dress with delicate hydrangea patterns embroidered on the hem. Her steps were light and graceful, yet carried a hint of deliberate flamboyance.
She wore a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. As soon as she entered Feixue Palace, she pretended to be affectionate and said, "Sister, it's been so long. I've missed you so much."
Chu Qingyin raised her eyes, a hint of annoyance flashing in them, but she still put on a gentle smile and replied softly, "Consort Qiao is very thoughtful. Xianglan, bring the tea."
Qiao Qingling sat down casually, looked around the hall, and clicked her tongue, saying, "Sister's Feixue Hall is as elegant as ever, unlike my place. Although I've been promoted, it still lacks some nice things."
His words were full of boasting and comparison.
Chu Qingyin's lips curled up, a half-smile playing on her lips: "Consort Qiao is currently enjoying the Emperor's favor. Whatever she desires, His Majesty will naturally grant it to her. Why would she need to envy me?"
"Sister, you're wrong. I was just lucky."
Qiao Qingling covered her mouth and chuckled, but a cold glint flashed in her eyes. "As for you, sister, I heard you've been arguing with His Majesty lately. That's not good. His Majesty is busy with affairs of state; he doesn't have the time to coax women."
His words were full of veiled sarcasm towards Chu Qingyin.
Chu Qingyin raised an eyebrow at her, "Sister, are you here to teach me how to serve His Majesty?"
Qiao Qingling's face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly regained her smile. "Sister, you've misunderstood. I was just concerned about you."
As she spoke, she had Ya'er behind her bring out several exquisite brocade boxes. "These are gifts that your younger sister specially prepared for you, older sister. You must accept them."
Chu Qingyin glanced at it indifferently and gestured for the brocade box to be opened.
Inside, there was a pair of pearl earrings.
"Judging from the color of this pearl, it shouldn't be a pearl from the East China Sea, right?"
Chu Qingyin glanced at it once and then looked away, chuckling softly, "Pearls from the East Sea are the most lustrous, and the pearl earrings made from them are the most beautiful, being both large and round."
"Compared to this, how are other pearls any different from fish eyes?"
Chu Qingyin narrowed her eyes and pushed the brocade box back, saying, "Such a fine thing, Consort Qiao should keep it for herself."