The Contradict

Amidst the crowd, Handsome Fairness Chen trembled with anger. If it weren't for the thick layer of makeup on her face, her facial expressions would have been more visible as she turned red and then blue. However, in a place full of women with heavy makeup, it was not easy to see their true facial expressions.

"You..." she forcefully tossed the remaining flower on her hand to the ground and pointed at Xie Ning, shouting, "Have you forgotten the etiquette of entering the palace? Don't you understand the hierarchy?"

Xie Ning remained calm as always, looking at her quietly. Chen's words and actions made her look like a clown jumping around.

"My etiquette is taken care of by the Chief Palace Attendants, and there's no need for the Handsome Fiarness to worry," Xie Ning replied calmly.

She wasn't wrong. Chen had no authority to discipline her.

Qinghe looked at Chen, whose chest was violently heaving, with wide eyes, afraid that her eyeballs would pop out. She quietly moved forward, thinking that if Chen lost her temper and started a fight, she would need to protect her lady. Chen was still a Handsome Fairness, and if she hit her lady, it was inappropriate for her lady to fight back. If they were fighting, and the matter escalated, it would be disastrous since Handsome Fairness Chen's status was higher.

Just recently, she had received the emperor's favour, and she couldn't afford to lose his affection over such a trivial matter. Comparing the weight of the matter, Qinghe's heart was more with her lady. After all, what's the use of a palace maid who couldn't protect her lady?

Finally, Handsome Fairness Chen didn't take Qinghe's maid as her target. Instead, she threw the vase of the camellia, causing it to break into pieces. After the dust settled, Chen left confidently, as if each step she took was to revenge.

The remaining women were speechless and staggered without saying anything.

Lady Li of Bright Countenance spoke first, "It's getting late. I should go back now, and I'll come to see you all next time when I’m free."

Chen's outburst earlier wasn't directed towards her, but smashing things on her way out was undoubtedly a warning to everyone. Before Chen arrived, Lady Li still had a bit of her aloofness. But after Chen's outburst, Lady Li lost face in front of everyone.

Even more embarrassing was Beauty Liang. This was Cloud Viewing Pavilion, her place, and Handsome Fairness Chen had come uninvited, acted arrogantly, and didn't show any respect to Beauty Liang, the host.

Lady Li of Bright Countenance said she was leaving, and Liang forced a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries, and saw her off. Others followed suit and took their leave. Once outside of Cloud Viewing Pavilion, Qinghe quickly caught up with Xie Ning and couldn't help but shudder at the thought of what just happened.

"Lady, how could you stand up against Handsome Fairness Chen just now?"

"How did I stand up against her?" Xie Ning remained unperturbed. She didn't seek out trouble, but she wasn't afraid of it either.

Are you kidding? How was that not standing up to her? Haven't you seen how angry Chen was?

"Retreating depends on the situation. Sometimes it's necessary, but other times you can't retreat."

Just like today, could she retreat? What would happen if she did? Based on Chen's reaction, if she retreated, it would not lead to a calm situation. Instead, it's highly possible that they would be pressured even more. The people in the palace tend to bully the weak and fear the strong. If she retreated today, more people would step on her, and they might be even more ruthless than Handsome Fairness Chen.

She didn't want to bully others, and she couldn't sit back, and watch others trample on her.

When they returned to Haunting Fragrance Pavilion, Qingmei welcomed them and asked, “Lady, why are you back so soon? Was the flower viewing exciting today?"

Xie Ning simply smiled, but Qinghe was worried.

It was definitely “exciting” today! Could it not be exciting? It was only a matter of time before the news spreads like wildfire.

Qinghe was concerned. Handsome Fairness Chen would surely not swallow her anger. From now on, Xie Ning had to be cautious of any possible retaliation.

What if she decides to file a complaint? If she were to approach the chief eunuch or the head of the Chief Palace Attendant for help, Qinghe wouldn't be too worried. After all, Chen wasn't part of the Back Garden, and the only person who had any control over Xie Ning was Zhou Bingchen, the deputy manager of the Back Garden's eunuchs. Qinghe was confident that Zhou Bingchen would protect the interests of the Back Garden, or else he would lose face as a deputy chief eunuch.

But what if Chen brought her complaint to the emperor himself? If she claimed that the favoured attendant was disrespectful and insolent to her, would the emperor become angry with her lady and punish her, or even stop summoning her to his bedchamber?

That would be disastrous.

Xie Ning, however, was relaxed and asked Qingmei to tell the diet room to make a soup cake for lunch.

Qingmei hurriedly delivered the message to the diet room as it was almost noon.

The diet room readily agreed and soon brought them their lunch. Apart from the soup cake and the dish Xie Ning ordered, there were also several other dishes that the staffs had prepared with meticulous care—pan-fried tofu with mint, stir-fried eggs and tender mint, and a dish of goose slices.

Xie Ning ate heartily and didn't seem bothered by the events of the morning. Qinghe was both relieved and worried about that. She was happy that lady enjoyed her lunch and seemed to be in good spirits, but worried that she was paying no mind to the possible retaliation from Handsome Fairness Chen. If she had no defences up against the possible attack, how would she cope? The main character wasn't in a hurry, so as a servant, what could she do but wait?

Xie Ning dismissed them to eat, but Qinghe had no appetite as her mind was filled with worries. Qingmei was curious about what had happened on their outing, but she dared not ask. She knew to keep her mouth shut or risk being scolded by Qinghe for being too talkative.