Just as everyone was chattering and gossiping, a powerful wave of spiritual energy fluctuation swept in from the horizon.
Liu Shumei looked up toward the sky and saw Hua Yanyun slowly descending onto the open-air floating platform while holding He Shu in her arms. Such a high-profile entrance caused the entire venue to fall silent.
Hua Yanyun set He Shu down from her embrace. The curious gazes of the many concubines below immediately focused on her.
He Shu had once been a City Lord and had experienced many grand occasions like this. She should not have felt nervous.
But this time was different. She was no longer appearing as He Wanyi. Instead, she was being scrutinized by everyone in her true appearance as He Shu.
Hua Yanyun wrapped an arm around He Shu’s waist and pulled her into her embrace. Clearing her throat, she announced loudly, “My beloved consorts, I trust you have all been well since we last met.”
Not many people had received invitations to this private banquet. Without exception, they were all women Hua Yanyun had frequently favored in the past.
After a quick glance around, Hua Yanyun saw that everyone had arrived.
“Since everyone is here, please take your seats.”
With a wave of her hand, clouds and mist rose above the open-air platform and condensed into dozens of round tables. Each table could comfortably seat nearly ten people.
Once every table was filled, countless palace maids streamed in from all directions, neatly placing various delicacies, fine wines, and spiritual nectars onto the tabletops.
“Continue the music and the dance.”
Hua Yanyun sat at the head of the main table. He Shu stood beside her. With mischievous intent, Hua Yanyun had not prepared a seat for He Shu.
He Shu was wearing nine-centimeter high heels that made her already attractive legs appear even longer and more slender.
They looked beautiful, but the tall heels also turned He Shu into little more than a decorative vase who could barely walk. If Hua Yanyun had not kept an arm around her waist the entire way, she would have fallen countless times already.
Seated at the first position to Hua Yanyun’s left was Lin Hanjing. She was at the Nascent Soul realm and the eldest daughter of the Valley Master of Spirit Purity Valley.
Originally, this seat should have belonged to Bing Yao. But Bing Yao was dead—killed personally by Hua Yanyun—and Lin Hanjing had taken her place.
Lin Hanjing lived up to her name. Her temperament was fresh and otherworldly, and she rarely smiled, making her an icy beauty.
To the outside world, Lin Hanjing appeared as pure and holy as an immortal descended from heaven. Only Hua Yanyun knew just how starkly different she was in bed.
This contrast between her public and private personas intoxicated Hua Yanyun. At the same time, Lin Hanjing was one of the few people who could actually leave Hua Yanyun feeling exhausted.
She was like an endless abyss! Even someone like Hua Yanyun sometimes found it hard to keep up. Every time she visited Lin Hanjing, she would feel refreshed and abstinent for quite a while afterward.
Including Hua Yanyun and He Shu, there were thirteen people at the main table—all breathtaking beauties of peerless appearance. There were tall, mature beauties as well as pure, innocent young maidens. The sight was a feast for the eyes.
Even He Shu, after looking over the people at the main table, could not help but think, Hua Yanyun really knows how to enjoy herself…
Beautiful things were always pleasing to the eye, and He Shu was no exception. This was one of her few ways to find some small comfort in her suffering. However, the moment she spotted Liu Shumei also sitting at the main table, her expression fell.
He Shu stared at Liu Shumei, and Liu Shumei stared back at her. The atmosphere between them was clearly off.
When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred. He Shu held no good feelings toward Liu Shumei. Their very first meeting had involved Liu Shumei making things difficult for her, and she had even been tied up by her.
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward. Strangely, the first person to break the tension was neither Liu Shumei, He Shu, nor Hua Yanyun.
Lin Hanjing rested her cheek on one hand as she looked at Hua Yanyun, then glanced at He Shu. Her eyes carried a seductive charm that did not match her usual icy demeanor.
“Your Majesty, may I ask if the person beside you is the newly joined Consort Wanyi? She is truly petite and adorable. No wonder Your Majesty has not come to visit me for so long.”
The moment she spoke, her words were thick with jealousy.
Hua Yanyun had expected Liu Shumei to be the first to make things difficult for He Shu. She had even been looking forward to watching the show. She had not anticipated that Lin Hanjing would be the one to speak first.
Hua Yanyun’s expression remained unchanged, but she felt a flicker of nervousness inside. The woman beside her was a high-powered “juicer” who was simply too intense. Every time, it was Hua Yanyun who ran out of stamina first.
All eyes at the table turned toward Lin Hanjing and He Shu, making the already extremely uncomfortable He Shu feel even more uneasy.
He Shu desperately wanted to say, I don’t want to be constantly tormented by that old witch Hua Yanyun either. But she could not voice it.
The previously relaxed atmosphere grew tense. The pipa music in the background continued to play, yet no one was in the mood to appreciate it. Everyone was waiting to see how He Shu would respond to Lin Hanjing’s provocation.
The table was covered with exquisite food and wine, yet no one picked up their chopsticks.
He Shu kept her lips tightly pressed together and said nothing. She truly did not understand why Hua Yanyun ignored her harem of three thousand beauties and insisted on fixating on her—a tiny little bean sprout who barely reached four feet tall.
The silence dragged on. Lin Hanjing’s gaze toward He Shu grew increasingly sharp, as if she wanted to devour her alive.
In the end, it was Hua Yanyun who personally stepped in and gave Lin Hanjing a way to back down gracefully.
“Consort Lin, do not trouble her too much. Consort He is timid. Don’t scare her.”
Lin Hanjing knew when to yield. She smoothly followed Hua Yanyun’s lead. “It was this consort who was being difficult with little sister Wanyi. Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty.”
“Little sister, please don’t take offense. Consider this cup my apology to you.”
She stood up, poured a cup of wine, and smilingly offered it to He Shu.
He Shu took the wine cup and instinctively glanced at Hua Yanyun.
Hua Yanyun made no gesture, simply staring straight at He Shu like everyone else.
Feeling a chill run down her spine from being stared at, He Shu steeled herself and brought the full cup of wine to her lips.
“Then I thank you, sister.”
She drained the cup in one gulp. The taste was not spicy at all; instead, it carried a faint sweetness.
“This is our Jade Water Immortal Kingdom’s national brew, Cloud Sea Jade Life Wine. Since little sister comes from Southwind Immortal Kingdom, you probably have never tasted it before.”
Lin Hanjing explained at the right moment. Her words carried an implied meaning that sounded quite sarcastic to everyone present.
All those seated knew that “He Wanyi” came from Southwind Immortal Kingdom. Although Hua Yanyun had kept the fact that He Shu was a Southwind spy tightly under wraps, no wall was completely airtight. After a month, some rumors had inevitably leaked out.
After this small incident, Lin Hanjing returned to her seat and truly stopped making things difficult for He Shu, though her gaze would occasionally drift toward her.
He Shu finally managed to relax her tightly wound nerves a little since the start of the banquet.
At Hua Yanyun’s command, He Shu took on the role of a servant, peeling grapes and feeding them directly into Hua Yanyun’s mouth.
Liu Shumei watched the intimate interaction between He Shu and Hua Yanyun, gripping her chopsticks so tightly her knuckles turned white.
She was the first imperial concubine to have come into contact with He Shu, so she understood the girl’s situation far better than those who had never met her or had only heard rumors.
She’s nothing more than a imprisoned plaything. What right does she have to receive His Majesty’s favor?
She was not the only one thinking this. Hua Yanyun could also sense the intentional and unintentional glances directed at He Shu from those around her, but she paid them little mind. She casually wiped the grape juice from the corner of her mouth.
“Continue the music and the dance.”
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