How could he possibly respond to that?
Feng Han was completely rendered speechless. He could only mutter dryly, "I disdain such tactics."
Only then did he realize that this extremely beautiful woman in front of him wasn't as cold and aloof as she appeared. A simple sentence from her could be so infuriating.
Lan Miao knew she had already enraged the other party.
She stopped speaking.
After they arrived at the rooms for their respective competitions, just before entering, Lan Miao said with a charming smile in a soft voice, "Master, good luck to you."
Good luck?
Who became a jade carver by luck?
Lan Miao's words were like a stab in Feng Han's heart.
Before Feng Han could react, Lan Miao stepped into the room first, leaving Feng Han fuming at the door.
An He smiled cheerfully. After making all the arrangements properly, he went to report to Emperor Jingxiang and told him everything about the conversation between Lady Lan and Feng Han.
Emperor Jingxiang's eyes were brimming with joy.
Sure enough, she was his woman.
She never backed down in any situation.
Princess Kaiyun watched Emperor Jingxiang smiling inexplicably and didn't know what had happened. She knew her elder brother's unwavering personality. Moreover, she had another purpose for coming this time, so she didn't dare to ask more.
She chatted more about daily life with the Empress Dowager.
During the conversation, Lan Miao was mentioned.
The Empress Dowager just smiled but said nothing, giving Princess Kaiyun no clues.
The music and dancing on the stage were so enchanting.
After three rounds of drinks, the banquet was in full swing.
Yu Jia brought some palace maids to Xue'er's side below the stage. Her expression was a bit subdued. "Xue'er, I've already told the imperial grandmother that Feng Ling is here. If you don't want to see her, you don't have to."
"It's okay. I also want to get some fresh air."
Hearing Xue'er say this, Yu Jia's expression relaxed. It was she who introduced Feng Ling to Xue'er before. Although Feng Ling had been driven out of the palace after what happened last time, she still felt guilty because it had caused harm to Xue'er after all.
The two of them, along with Yu Jia's other two reading companions, Li Weixi and Chen Moning, went together to find Princess Feng Ling. Yu Jia thought that if they brought more people this time, if Feng Ling dared to play any tricks, they wouldn't be afraid of her with so many people.
And Princess Feng Ling was waiting for them at the same place where she met Xue'er last time.
As soon as she saw Xue'er and the others coming, her eyes lit up with joy, but she also looked a bit embarrassed.
"Greetings to Princess Feng Ling."
"Greetings to Princess Yu Jia."
The group saluted each other.
Feng Ling quickly held Xue'er's hand. Her proud phoenix eyes were much dimmer than last time, and her tone was much better. "Xue'er, you don't have to salute me anymore. It was really my fault last time. My father has scolded me and my mother."
She came to apologize. Firstly, she really didn't want to grow distant from Yu Jia. Secondly, her father insisted that she come, saying that she mustn't offend the person protected by the Emperor...
Feng Ling seemed to understand something.
Xue'er beamed, her bright eyes shining with a charming light. "Both the princess and the lady were injured last time. Since both sides were wrong, let's just let it go."
Feng Ling heaved a sigh of relief. Then she stole a glance at Yu Jia with her phoenix eyes. Seeing Yu Jia pursing her lips in silence as if still not satisfied, she winked at the maid behind her. The maid quickly handed over a stack of wrapped items.
She first handed an ancient book to Xue'er, with a slight curve of her lips. "This is a qin score. It's said to be the masterpiece of a master from the previous dynasty. I don't understand it. I'm giving it to you as an apology. You must accept it."
Xue'er was a bit surprised.
An ancient qin score from the previous dynasty must be very valuable.
She couldn't just take someone else's thing for free.
She wanted to pull back her hand, but Feng Ling grabbed it. "If you refuse, it means you don't forgive me..."
As Feng Ling spoke, she gave the other gifts to Yu Jia and the others. Only then did Yu Jia feel it was about right. She put her arm around Xue'er's shoulder and said, "Just accept them. It shows she has good sense."
"Okay, thank you, Princess."
The other reading companions also thanked her together, with the joy and delight in their eyes barely hidden.
Since they had all accepted, Xue'er had no choice but to accept too. Looking at this scene, she seemed to understand something. Feng Ling's repentance and apology might not be completely sincere. Maybe there were other considerations. But her mother had said that who could guarantee that there was no self - interest in getting along with others?
In life, besides confidants, one also needed friends.
She didn't understand this before, but now she seemed to have a bit of an understanding. Feng Ling used to be like a proud peacock, but now she came with gifts to curry favor with them, all because of an order from the Emperor.
Xue'er once again had a clear understanding of the Emperor's authority.
And she became even more afraid of the Emperor.
Seeing that both Xue'er and Yu Jia were smiling and had accepted the gifts, Feng Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her usually upturned eyebrows lifted.
"Alright, don't just stand here. Let's go practice archery. I still have to perform well in front of my father tomorrow."
Yu Jia beamed with joy. She grabbed the hands of the two of them, one in each hand, and led the others to the archery field where they usually practiced.
As a princess, Yu Jia had to learn all the six arts of a gentleman. Only by doing better than her second and third elder brothers could others not look down on her.
Several small figures followed the palace maids to the archery field. Behind them, a pair of sneaky eyes silently followed.
---
Time passed quickly. The banquet started at noon, and nearly three hours had passed. The sky was pitch - black, covered with dense clouds.
Warm Jade Pavilion was lit up with palace lanterns.
The lights were bright and warm, making the red plum blossoms and green trees in the pavilion even more colorful, losing the coldness of the daytime.
"Brother Emperor, who do you think will come out with the jade first?" Princess Kaiyun looked at Emperor Jingxiang, whose interest was waning, and curled her lips, deliberately joking.
The Feng Han she had brought, although arrogant, had top - notch jade - carving skills.
"Just because someone is fast doesn't mean the carved jade is necessarily good."
Emperor Jingxiang glanced at her, his expression a bit cold.
The two of them talked a few more words. Suddenly, a series of footsteps came from outside the pavilion. Princess Kaiyun widened her eyes and looked back. Everyone on the stage also turned their heads at this moment.
A thin white figure appeared in front of everyone.
It was Feng Han.
Feng Han was the first to come out.
Everyone's faces showed a bit of uneasiness.
Princess Kaiyun gave Emperor Jingxiang a proud smile and raised her eyebrows, as if to say, "The person I brought is still more powerful."
Emperor Jingxiang lowered his eyes and said nothing.
The other concubines couldn't help but feel disappointed. The imperial concubine snorted coldly and thought to herself that Lan Miao was really just a good - looking but useless vase.
Feng Han stepped forward, knelt on the ground and bowed to Emperor Jingxiang. The palace maid beside him presented the finished product in his hand.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Princess, this is the work of this commoner. Please have a look."
An He presented the jade stones on the wooden tray one by one to the people on the stage.
It was a white jade gourd.
It was polished very smoothly, with a shiny and moist color, emitting a faint white light. On closer inspection, one could see the beautiful texture of the jade. Through the candlelight, one could clearly see several carved lines on the gourd. From different angles, they presented different patterns.
It was truly a masterpiece.
To carve a delicate gourd out of a piece of Hetian jade in three hours, the craftsmanship was indeed superb.
"Carved quite well."
Emperor Jingxiang spoke up and praised.
A glint of light flashed in his eyes.
He had seen his wife carving jade, and her work was much better than this. His wife was definitely going to win.
"Just 'quite well'?" Princess Kaiyun was dissatisfied with Emperor Jingxiang's simple praise. A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Feng Han's skills have improved even more. Brother Emperor, if your Lady Lan doesn't come out soon, she will really be outshone."
Just then, An He shouted excitedly from behind, "Lady Lan is coming out with her finished product."