Reborn as a Merchant Girl, the General's Beloved

She entered the palace exceptionally quickly today, but when she arrived at the East Palace, she was still a little late. Although the host had not arrived yet, most of the invited noble ladies in the capital had already arrived. They were all gathered together chatting and laughing. When they saw her walk in from outside, they all fell silent and looked at her intently.

There were many mixed looks, most of them unfriendly. Even Bai Shao behind her was a little nervous and moved closer to her.

Anan didn't recognize any of these people, so he pretended not to see them and just followed the female official's instructions to his seat.

I think there must be a party on the waterside pavilion opposite, as all the tables here are set up.

There were seven or eight long tables on the high platform. The main seat must be reserved for Concubine Jin. Now that the Queen had passed away, although she had not been crowned as the Queen, she was promoted to Imperial Concubine, which made her the first person in the entire harem. The rest should be reserved for the concubines of various palaces. There were two long tables slightly to the side at the back, one on the left and one on the right. I think they were where the Crown Princess and the concubine sat.

Anan's seat was at the far back on the left side, but it was also just right in a corner, away from the wind. She picked up the hot teacup on the table, took a sip of tea, and stared blankly at the patterns on the pillars.

The officials' wives were still gathered in groups of three or five, and no one was willing to come over and talk to her. Bai Shao frowned, knelt beside her, picked up the wine pot on the table, poured her a glass of wine, and whispered in her ear: "Madam, are you being excluded?"

Anan grinned and motioned her to go back and not talk, but his eyes fell on a girl who was sitting opposite him.

The girl's face could not be clearly seen through the entire waterside pavilion, but she was well-proportioned and graceful. The sky-blue dress she wore was very luxurious and her manners were elegant. Even the manner in which she took the teacup from the female official sitting beside her was the perfect angle and height as Li Niang had mentioned.

If she was sitting alone because she was new and couldn't fit into those small circles, then the girl's demeanor and manners didn't seem like she was a newcomer, and she was also sitting alone, which was quite interesting.

She raised the teacup, waved it towards her, and invited her to drink with her.

The other person was obviously also looking at her, so he also raised the cup and took a sip of hot tea.

Not long after, word came from outside that the ladies had arrived. The small groups of three or five immediately dispersed and everyone returned to their seats. For a moment, the courtyard became quiet and tidy.

A young eunuch had already led the way, with Concubine Jin at the head, and the ladies came in one after another. Following behind the ladies was the Crown Princess, supported by Helang, and last came Huaizhu, who had changed her white dress into a pink one, with a slightly bulging belly, supported by two female officials. Huan'er followed at the end with her hands folded and her back bowed.

After the ladies had taken their seats, the female members of the family stood up and knelt to greet them, and then they all took their seats.

The song sung today is the "Pipa Ji" section, which tells the story of the encounter between Wu Niang, a wife who has shared the hardships of life, and Miss Niu, who is engaged to the emperor. The two cherish each other and confess their true feelings to each other. The song is well sung, but I don't know whether Wu Niang and Miss Niu are the ones that the Crown Princess has deliberately chosen.

Anan took a piece of candied fruit, but found it too sweet and not as delicious as the one made by Jinxuan, so she secretly put it down. Sitting next to her was a plump white woman, about thirty years old, wearing a crimson purple long coat, which was made thicker because of the cold weather, making her look as wide as the entire table. She wore several exquisite gold hairpins inlaid with gems on her head. From time to time, she turned back to glance at the only bamboo jade hairpin in her hair with a look of contempt on her face.

After the opera was over, someone came to lead the way, saying that we were going to the garden to appreciate the plum blossoms. This imperial garden was meticulously carved and had lost its naturalness. In Anan's opinion, it was not as natural as the mountain garden.

Of course, such ignorant words should never be uttered.