Proud Feather

Chapter 148 Seeing Red
"His Majesty has arrived—" a eunuch's shrill voice rang out from outside.

The group of laughing and joking concubines hurriedly stopped and rose to greet the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you. Long live the Emperor!"

The Emperor brought Chu He in and personally helped Consort Shu up, saying, "I've already told you, you're not feeling well, so don't force yourself. These formalities are unnecessary."

Consort Shu smiled happily: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The emperor looked at the others and said, "Please rise. This is a family banquet, there are no outsiders here, so please don't be so formal."

The concubines all responded and rose to return to their respective positions.

Chu He first went to pay his respects to his mother, and then sat down next to Pang Yu.

Chu Ling smiled and extended her hand to him: "Second Brother!"

Since Chu Yi's death, the siblings hadn't met in this kind of situation for a long time. Recently, Chu Ling had been engrossed in searching for the killer, and Chu He felt his sister had become unfamiliar and sharp. Seeing her like this now, for a moment, it was as if he had returned to the past.

Chu Ling raised an eyebrow: "Second brother, you didn't prepare any New Year's money for me, did you?"

Chu He snapped out of his daze and quickly replied, "Of course! Ayu!"

Pang Yu hesitated for a moment, their eyes met, and Chu He's lips moved. Pang Yu wasn't very willing, but there really wasn't anything suitable, so she could only smile and call over a maid.

"I've already prepared it for you, here you go."

When Chu Ling opened the gift box, it was full of pearls, each one perfectly round and lustrous.

Pang Yu's eyes held a hint of reluctance: "This is a South China Sea pearl. It's not easy to find one this big. You can use it to make jewelry or ornaments; it will look very presentable."

Chu Ling smiled. "This must be a gift from the Marquis of Jingping's mansion. I'm lucky today; I've gotten a good deal."

"Thank you, Second Brother, thank you, Second Sister-in-law!"

Watching her handle those pearls, Pang Yu's heart ached. He'd completely forgotten to prepare her New Year's money today; this box of pearls had just arrived from his mother and hadn't even been properly enjoyed yet!

Forget it, there's no use feeling sorry for it now, it's already been given.

On the other side, the emperor exchanged a few words with his concubines, comforting each of them. Seeing that it was getting late, he ordered the banquet to begin.

The emperor raised his cup first and uttered some prayers.

The concubines, princes, and princesses raised their cups and kowtowed to express their gratitude for the emperor's favor.

After finishing the drink, a dance and music performance began on the high platform outside. The atmosphere relaxed, and everyone ate, drank, and chatted.

Chu Ling listened to her two sisters-in-law chatting, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

Pang Yu's mind was entirely focused on the baby, and she talked about everything during her pregnancy—morning sickness, food, and how her belly made it hard to sleep at night.

Lü Chan shared her experiences with her one by one.

Pang Yu initially smiled, but as she listened, she suddenly paused: "Sister-in-law, you mean, the belly can move?"

“Yes.” Lu Chan smiled and said, “You may feel it less now and think it’s your intestines moving, but it’s actually the baby moving. You’ll understand in another month.”

"So that's how it is. That explains why my belly sometimes feels bloated." Pang Yu turned to Consort Shu and asked, "Mother, can you feel the baby moving?"

Consort Tian nodded, unconsciously stroking her belly, her face full of affection: "It feels a bit like blowing bubbles. I only felt it at night, and it passed quickly if I wasn't careful."

“It seems I was careless.” Pang Yu changed the subject. “Mother, these pickled plums are quite good, sweet and sour. You should try some.”

Consort Tian smiled and agreed, and indeed tried two, nodding in approval.

After watching several song and dance performances, Consort Shu was tired. But since it was New Year's Eve, it wouldn't be appropriate to return to the palace so soon. So she excused herself to the Emperor and went to rest in a side hall.

Feeling bored, Chu Ling took Jin'er outside to play.

It's been very cold these past few days, and ice has formed on the railings and eaves. The aunt and niece went over to each other, breaking off icicles to play with. Lü Chan watched with a smile, "A-Ling hasn't grown up yet!"

Chu Ling said, "You can still play when you grow up! The point of living is to be happy, to be able to eat, drink, sleep, and play."

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right!" Lü Chan said, her heart filled with the same emotion. Indeed, people can just disappear like that. Thinking back to last year, how happy her family was, now she and Jin'er were orphans and widows, everyone showing them pity.

Just as she was thinking this, a few drops of water splashed on her face. Lü Chan turned her head and saw Jin'er and Chu Ling playing around, deliberately throwing ice shards at each other. Chu Ling was naturally just teasing the child, and Jin'er was also amused by her, chasing after her while laughing.

She watched with a smile until Jin'er lost her balance and fell flat on her backside.

"Ouch, did you hurt yourself?" Chu Ling asked him.

Jin'er shook her head: "No, I can get up by myself."

He bravely refused help and got up on his own.

Chu Ling gave a thumbs up: "Impressive, Jin'er is a real man!"

Jin'er chuckled, "Of course! I'm a man, I have to protect my mother and aunt."

Lu Chan stopped her hand from taking the food, feeling both relieved and heartbroken.

It was cold outside, so the aunt and niece played for a while before going back inside. Jin'er's clothes were a little disheveled, so Lü Chan took him to relieve himself and change.

Chu He went to talk with the emperor, while Pang Yu was nowhere to be seen, nor was he in his seat.

Chu Ling was hungry, so she buried her head in her food.

After a while, Pang Yu returned.

Chu Ling looked up and noticed that her eyes seemed a little red. She was taken aback and asked, "Second Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Who made you angry?"

Pang Yu wiped her face and forced a smile: "No!"

Chu Ling pointed: "But your eyes are all red, didn't you cry?"

Pang Yu bit her lip, annoyed by her outspokenness, but all the concubines around her looked over, and even the emperor and Chu He were drawn to her attention.

She could only reply, "No, it's probably from the cold. I rubbed it a few more times."

"Oh..." Chu Ling chuckled, "I knew it, who could possibly make Second Sister-in-law angry?"

Pang Yu forced a smile and echoed, "That's right, my father is loving, my mother is considerate, and no one can make me feel bad."

With no one around, Chu Ling continued chatting with her: "Where did you go just now, Second Sister-in-law? Your belly is starting to show, you have to be careful."

Pang Yu absentmindedly fiddled with the pastries on the plate and replied, "Go change your clothes."

"Really? I thought you went to see Consort Shu!"

Pang Yu paused for a moment and said, "She went to change her clothes after seeing her mother."

"How is Consort Shu?" Chu Ling asked with concern. "She looks very tired. I hope she doesn't overwork herself."

“My mother is asleep!” Pang Yu emphasized. “I didn’t look closely before I came out.”

"Oh," Chu Ling replied, and continued eating.

She wasn't interested in whether Consort Shu was good or not; she just wanted to embarrass her second sister-in-law.

Before the emperor had finished his lotus seed soup, a commotion arose outside. The noise grew louder and louder until even the emperor frowned.

"What's going on? What's all the noise about?"

"Your Majesty!" A eunuch rushed from the side hall, knelt down in front of the hall, and cried out, "Consort Shu, Consort Shu is bleeding!"