Ever since the unpleasant meeting at Jiaotang Garden, Ning Chen had been staying at Jingqian Palace without going out.
During this half month, only Fang Xiuyuan, Yi Xiuyuan, Lady Xia, and Cui Baolin had seen the emperor.
Ye Jun, who had won the first place earlier, seemed to have fallen out of favor overnight.
But this time, Ye Jun would not bow her head no matter what, and she had to ask the emperor to take the initiative to coax her.
Having made up his mind, Ye Jun was not at all panicked. He spent his days walking the dog and reading books, feeling very comfortable.
That night, the sunset clouds outside were particularly beautiful, connecting them together in one piece, making it impossible to take your eyes off them.
Ye Jun sat in the room, looking out through the window, and suddenly wanted to go out for a walk.
"Huiyue, let's go take a walk by the lotus pond."
"Okay, Jieyu has been out for a walk and is back. It's time for dinner. I heard from Baizhu that some of the lotus pods in the lotus pond are ready to eat. The young lotus pods are the sweetest." Huiyue said with a smile.
Since the master doesn't go out, the servants can't go out freely. They have been bored for half a month.
Ye Jun smiled and stood up. "Since you guys are thinking about it, ask Bai Zhu to find a few people to pick some for me later. But first, change me into some light clothes. I won't meet anyone right now, so just something simple and comfortable will do."
"Well, why not just wear the one in Tianshuibi, it's elegant and simple."
Huiyue responded and went in to get her clothes. Nanzhi then helped Ye Jun comb her hair into a simple bun.
The scorching heat in July is not just talk. Ye Jun felt too hot, so she had all her hair tied up high in a bun, and only wore two velvet flowers and a jade hairpin.
After packing up, the master and servants went to the lotus pond.
It is said that the lakeside is cool, and the breeze from the water is refreshing.
“Look, Concubine, those lotus pods are quite big and can be picked now.” Nan Zhi pointed to a place and said.
It's not far from the shore and you can pick it up with just a hook.
When Ye Jun saw this, he became interested and asked Baizhu to pick them.
The group had originally said they wanted to pick lotus pods, so they naturally brought tools with them, which was a small curved knife tied to a long bamboo pole with a net supported by wire underneath. As long as they hooked off the lotus stem, it would fall into the net and be retrieved.
However, although I have the tools, I am not proficient in using them.
Huiyue and Nanzhi were anxiously giving instructions from the side. Luzhi was lively and wanted to grab the fruits and pick them herself. Nian Gao also joined in the fun, circling around Baizhu's legs while shouting.
Bai Zhu was surrounded in the middle, his hat was tilted because of the pulling, and he shouted in a helpless manner.
"Oh, ladies, please let me go, I'm almost dizzy!"
This made Ye Jun laugh in a good mood. For a moment, the master and servant were in a mess and were extremely happy.
Fortunately, hard work pays off, and I finally got Baizhu to hook one up.
The lotus pods were not big, but they were big enough to share, so I asked a few maids to break them apart and give each person a little.
Ye Jun also peeled one and ate it. It was sweet, juicy and very refreshing.
The master and servants were playing here and didn't notice that a group of people not far away had been watching them for a while and were now approaching.
"I pay my respects to Concubine Ming."
A gentle female voice caught Ye Jun's attention.
Looking up, I saw a woman in a Xiangfei-colored skirt, holding a crabapple round fan and bowing.
"Forget it, why is Cui Baolin here?" Ye Jun's smile faded a little.
Cui stood up and smiled shyly, "I was ordered by the emperor to go to Jingqian Palace to serve him. I passed by the lotus pond and heard the noise here. I thought it was some ignorant maid or eunuch making noise here, so I came to take a look. I never thought it was Ming Jieyi."
"I didn't expect Cui Baolin to be so young but his hearing is not very good. If he goes to serve the emperor like this, he must not misunderstand the emperor's words and do the wrong thing."
There are people who provoke others right away every year.
Ye Jun originally thought that this person who was humiliated by Concubine Wende for no reason was quite pitiful, but now it seems that there must be something hateful about pitiful people.
Even after being retorted, Cui was not in a hurry. She still smiled, glanced at Ye Jun, and said.
"Is your hearing good? At least I can see the emperor. Unlike the concubine, she has not been favored by the emperor for a few days, but she is dressed so plainly. Don't let people think that the concubine has been out of favor for a long time."
"Cui Baolin is a concubine's son, right?" Nan Zhi suddenly said.
When asked this question, Cui's face darkened. She snorted coldly, "So what? I'm talking to Concubine Min, you have no right to interrupt me."
"I shouldn't have interrupted you, but if I don't say anything, I'll make Baolin laugh. No wonder Baolin didn't recognize Yue Guangjin. She was born out of wedlock, and it seems like she has never seen anything good in her life."
As Nan Zhi spoke, she covered her mouth and sneered.
Bai Shu responded cleverly, "Sister Nanzhi also said that this Moonlight Brocade is worth a fortune. It is not something that just anyone can afford to see or use. Our Concubine's clothes are worth dozens of times more than some people's clothes put together!"
Cui Baolin's face turned red with anger at the two men. It was really embarrassing to be exposed for not knowing the value of something.
Seeing that she was almost angry enough, Ye Jun curled his lips into a smile and glanced at her indifferently.
"Isn't Cui Baolin going to sleep with the emperor? Don't keep the emperor waiting for too long. The emperor doesn't like people with limited knowledge. Baolin has nothing to do, so he should broaden his horizons and not lose face in public."
Cui's face turned purple. Knowing she was embarrassed, she bowed hastily and left like a flash.
"What a shallow-minded person! So disgusting!" Luzhi spat at the back.
Ye Jun smiled indifferently, "There are always more fools. With this kind of personality, I'm afraid she won't live long. Forget it, let's not talk about her. Let's walk around a little more and pick a few more lotus pods to take back."
A few maids responded and put the matter behind them.
But on the other side, the wronged Cui knelt in Jingqian Palace with tears in her eyes.
"What's going on?" Ning Chen asked when he saw this.
Cui cried even more sadly and spoke with sobs.
"When I came here, I passed by the lotus pond and met Concubine Ming. Seeing that she was dressed simply, I showed concern for her. Unexpectedly, Concubine Ming mocked me for being a concubine and having never seen good things. Even her servants humiliated me. I am really wronged. Please, Your Majesty, make a decision!"
"Why did you provoke her for no reason? She just got that temper." Ning Chen frowned slightly.
This sentence was obviously not what Cui expected, and she was stunned for a moment.
Tears hung on her face and her eyes were full of surprise.
But she was still unwilling to accept it, and said in a tearful voice, "Although I am of humble origin, I am also a concubine of the Emperor like her. Ming Jieyi humiliated me like this today, and I don't know who she will humiliate tomorrow."
"Alright, I asked you to come to bed, why are you crying so much? If you want to cry, go back and cry enough before coming back."
Ning Chen was completely impatient this time, and he shouted at her, scaring Cui so much that she quickly wiped away her tears.
He didn't like Cui in the first place, and he only summoned her a few times for the sake of her father's face. He didn't have the patience to coax her.
Moreover, Ning Chen himself did not realize that he was not willing to listen to others saying bad things about Ye Jun.