Sneering

The Chrysanthemum Banquet was held at the Yanbei Hall, not far from the Prince Gong's Mansion. This hall was established by the founding emperor and empress of Mingqi. The place was originally a meticulously - built garden from the previous dynasty, covering thousands of acres. The architecture was as grand and delicate as a fairy - tale castle. If it weren't so far from the city center, the emperor and empress might have even turned it into a part of the palace.

This place was nestled by mountains and water, and although it was distant, it was a paradise for enjoying the scenery. Especially in October every year, all kinds of chrysanthemums bloomed in a riot of colors, like a magical carpet of flowers. Thanks to the dedicated gardeners who took care of the rare chrysanthemum seeds, when they bloomed, it was as if one had stepped into a wonderland. Holding a competition here was truly an elegant affair.

It took about an hour to reach the Yanbei Hall from the Ye Mansion by carriage, so snacks and food were prepared on the carriage in case anyone got hungry, like a mobile snack bar.

Guyu opened the basket given by Nanny Gui and asked Ye Lily, "Miss, why not have something to eat? It's a long journey, and you need your energy."

Ye Lily looked at the contents of the basket.

There were ice - sheep cheese, scallion rolls, and spicy - oil - coated ham legs... At first glance, they were so tempting that your mouth would start watering like a faucet. The colors were bright, and the smell was simply divine.

But these foods had strong flavors. Things like ice - cheese and spicy - oil - coated ham legs were likely to smear one's lipstick and, if not careful, dirty one's clothes. Nanny Gui really had "put a lot of thought" into preparing these, in a rather sneaky way.

The battles among the women in the inner courtyard were like small - scale skirmishes, with hidden traps and tricks. But Ye Lily had once been in the imperial harem of Mingqi, where the concubines fought for the emperor's favor with much more sophisticated methods. These little tricks were as insignificant as a gnat compared to what she had experienced. She shook her head and told Guyu to close the box. Then she turned to Jingzhe. "No need. Jingzhe has something."

Jingzhe carefully took out a small cloth bag from behind her. Inside were dainty little pastries. Ye Lily didn't trust the Ye Mansion's kitchen, so she had Jingzhe bribe the purchasing steward and asked her to bring some pastries from outside. The steward thought Jingzhe was just a gluttonous maid and didn't suspect anything, though she was a bit surprised that a maid like Jingzhe could afford to buy pastries from Guangfu Zhai.

Guangfu Zhai was one of the top pastry shops in Dingjing City. Even the concubines in the palace were crazy about their pastries, like kids with a new toy. In her previous life, Ye Lily wasn't particularly fond of Guangfu Zhai's pastries, but Wan Yu loved them to death. She couldn't go a day without them.

The pastries now were only as big as Ye Lily's fingertip, shaped like delicate flowers, so cute that you just wanted to pinch them. Ye Lily shared some with Guyu and Jingzhe. At first, the two maids were hesitant, but seeing Ye Lily's insistence, they couldn't refuse. After taking a bite, they exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, these pastries are delicious! It's like a little piece of heaven in our mouths."

Ye Lily smiled. In fact, how delicious could pastries really be? But they were so cute and dainty, and girls always had a soft spot for pretty things. When Wan Yu was sent to marry into the Huns, Ye Lily had even spent a fortune to hire a pastry chef from Guangfu Zhai, hoping that Wan Yu could still enjoy her favorite pastries in the harsh land of the Huns.

But who would have thought... who would have thought that Wan Yu would die on the way, and Ye Lily didn't even get to see her body.

Ye Lily closed her eyes, a wave of pain washing over her like a tsunami.

Wan Yu's marriage to the Huns was instigated by Lady Mei, colluded by Chen Ruoqiu's family, and ordered by Xu Hao. In this life, none of these people would escape. She would make them pay a thousand - fold, a ten - thousand - fold for what they did to Wan Yu.

Guyu was happily munching on the pastries when she looked up and saw Ye Lily's eyes turn cold and fierce, like a powerful empress on the throne, making decisive and ruthless decisions. For a moment, Guyu thought she saw a shadow of Ye Xin. Ye Xin was a man who had killed on the battlefield and seen blood. When he got angry, there was a fierce aura in his bones. Ye Lily's eyes at this moment were exactly the same as Ye Xin's.

Guyu almost choked on the pastry. She swallowed hard and asked nervously, "Miss, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Ye Lily said, lowering her eyes. "Just thinking about some things."

Today at the Chrysanthemum Banquet and the competition, Xu Hao would also be there. Not only Xu Hao, but also several of his brothers. Among the nine princes, each had their own unique qualities, and naturally, they formed different camps. Xu Hao seemed the most harmless, getting along well with the Crown Prince's faction.

But who would have thought that in the end, the Crown Prince would be deposed and Xu Hao would be made the crown prince? Ye Lily had no intention of helping the Crown Prince. The people in the Mingqi royal family were as cold - blooded as snakes. They saw these noble families that had helped their ancestors build the country as old, useless dogs. They were like hunters who, after the dogs had caught the rabbits, were now worried that the dogs would turn on them. So they squeezed every bit of use out of the dogs and then killed and cooked them.

The world was unkind, and the crown prince was unrighteous. Why should everyone be loyal to them?

Why not just watch them fight among themselves like a bunch of wild animals? Ye Lily's lips curled into a sly smile.

...

By now, many noble families had arrived at the Yanbei Hall.

Although today's competition was open to both men and women, the banquet hall still separated the guests into men's and women's seats. On the men's side, the young men and their fathers were busy getting to know each other, like bees buzzing around flowers, trying to build connections and support each other. After all, these young men would one day take over the family business, and making friends was an important part of that.

The women were not as active as the men. The ladies often chatted with each other on a regular basis, so the young ladies had their own circle of friends. Three or five of them, who were familiar with each other, would gather together to chat, feeling both nervous and excited about the Chrysanthemum Banquet. They would occasionally glance at the young men they had a crush on across the hall.

Yi Peilan was playing with the flowers on the small table. "Do you guys think you have a chance in today's competition?"

"I don't think so," the girl next to her said with a laugh. "There are so many people here. I'm just an ordinary person. I'm really scared. I just hope I don't get picked later, and no one asks me to go on stage. I don't want to stand out, just not to make a fool of myself."

Yi Peilan pouted. "You should at least give it a try. You know, Prince Ding will be here today, and isn't the young master of the Li family, whom you have a crush on, also here? The young master of the Li family is so good at literature. He's sure to go on stage. Don't you want to seize this opportunity to show off?"

The girl pushed Yi Peilan, her face turning as red as a tomato. "You're talking nonsense."

Jiang Xiaoxuan chimed in with a laugh. "That's right, Bai Wei. Don't be scared. If it comes to making a fool of oneself, there's always Ye Lily to take the bottom spot. You're definitely better than her, right?"

"Exactly," Yi Peilan laughed so hard that she was like a flower swaying in the wind. "Every year at the competition, doesn't Ye Lily always come to amuse us? It's amazing how she has the nerve to show up every year. I can't wait to see what kind of crazy outfit she'll wear this year. Maybe something as hideous as last year's bright red dress with purple - gold hairpins?"

The girls burst into giggles.

"Stop it, okay?" Feng Anning suddenly spoke up. "Is it really that funny?"

Yi Peilan was taken aback. Then she said, "Feng Anning, you've been acting really strange lately. What, did you become friends with that idiot?"

Feng Anning's face flushed with anger. Just as she was about to retort, someone else shouted, "Hey, the ladies of the Ye family are here."