Chapter 293 - 293 What a Pity!

293 What a Pity!

Where could Noble Consort Shu get a snake in such a short time?

Not to mention that she was afraid of snakes, to begin with. If she let someone kill a snake on the spot, not only would it not scare Yu Niaoniao, but it would also scare her.

In the end, Noble Consort Shu could only swallow her anger.

“Since Sister Empress has already appeared to plead for the Princess Consort of Lang County, I can’t say anything else. Let’s forget about this matter. The Empress Dowager is still waiting for us to pay our New Year greetings. Everyone, leave quickly. We’ve been keeping her waiting for too long.”

Empress Wen did not want to pursue the matter further and responded casually.

“Yes, let’s go.”

Everyone returned to their respective carriages.

The venomous snake incident was over just like that.

Yu Niaoniao did not know what others were thinking, but she felt quite regretful. Initially, she had wanted to have another snake stew, but her wish had fallen through.

What a pity!

The guard of honor continued forward and soon arrived at the Crystal Spring Palace.

When Empress Wen led everyone into the main hall, she realized that all the princes and princesses were there.

They were all here to wish Empress Dowager Deng a happy new year.

Among them were naturally the Sixth Prince, Shen Rui, and Princess Tao Ran.

The princes and princesses bowed to the empress in unison.

“Greetings, Mother. May the new spring be safe and sound.”

Empress Wen led a group of concubines and women to greet Empress Dowager Deng.

“Your concubine respectfully invites the Empress Dowager to have a prosperous new spring and a long life.”

Empress Dowager Deng smiled kindly. “We’re all family. There’s no need to be so polite. Hurry up and sit down.”

Everyone sat down according to their status.

This place was filled with women, so it was inconvenient for the princes to stay for long.

They only sat for a while before getting up and leaving.

Noble Consort Shu’s gaze never left the sixth prince, Shen Rui.

He was her only son and her only hope for the rest of her life.

In her opinion, among the three princes present, her son was the most outstanding. He would definitely achieve great things in the future!

This was also the first time Yu Niaoniao had seen all the princes and princesses.

Before entering the palace, Granny Xiu Yan explained the general situation in the palace to her.

The Emperor originally had eight princes and five princesses, but for various reasons, unfortunately, several children died young.

Among the princes, only the Third Prince, Fourth Prince, Sixth Prince, and Seventh Prince could successfully grow up.

There were only two princesses left, and Princess Tao Ran was one of them.

However, the strange thing was that only three princes and two princesses could be seen at the scene, and one prince was nowhere to be seen.

No one present mentioned this matter, as if the fourth prince had never existed.

Everyone surrounded Empress Dowager Deng and chatted happily. All kinds of auspicious words poured out like they were free.

Only three people present did not say anything. It was Empress Wen, Princess Tao Ran, and Yu Niaoniao.

The first two did not like to socialize because of their personalities, while Yu Niaoniao was focused on food.

In front of her was the exquisite tea and snacks made by the royal chef. Both the color and fragrance were excellent.

As Yu Niaoniao tasted it carefully, she pondered over the preparation methods of these refreshments.

At this moment, Noble Consort Shu suddenly called her name.

“Princess Consort of Lang, what are you doing?”

Yu Niaoniao paused in her eating.

She looked at the pastries in front of her eyes and answered truthfully, “Eating.”

At this moment, all the concubines and women looked at Yu Niaoniao in unison. Seeing that she was actually focused on eating, they secretly mocked her for being unsophisticated and inelegant.

Noble Consort Shu frowned slightly and looked disgusted.

“Your hand has just caught a poisonous snake and you haven’t washed it yet. How can you eat directly? Aren’t you afraid of eating something bad?”

Yu Niaoniao looked down at her hands. They were quite clean.

But the others didn’t think so.

A concubine covered her mouth and chuckled. “I heard that the Princess Consort of Lang County comes from Sichuan. In a remote place like Sichuan, the people living there should be barbarians who have yet to develop. They’re used to living a life of eating raw meat and drinking blood. Why would they care about cleanliness? Don’t they just grab things and stuff them into their mouths?”

At this point, she deliberately glanced at Yu Niaoniao with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry. I’m a straightforward person. I’m more straightforward than most people, but I don’t have any ill intentions toward you. You won’t be angry, right?”

Yu Niaoniao spoke unhurriedly.

“You said so much just now because you want to imply that I had no upbringing and despise me for being too barbaric. However, when the emperor bestowed the marriage, he had once praised me in the imperial edict for being virtuous, proper, appropriate, and smart. My character has already been recognized by the emperor, but you’re publicly laughing at me for being unruly.”

“Why? Do you think the Emperor was wrong about me? Are you so powerful that you can point fingers at the emperor?”

The last sentence was like a thunderclap, scaring the concubine so much that her expression changed drastically.

She was about to jump up and accuse Yu Niaoniao of spouting nonsense when she saw her smile innocently.

“I’m sorry. I’m also a straightforward person. I hope you won’t be angry.”

That concubine instantly felt that her breath was stuck in her chest and she could not swallow it or spit it out. She almost choked to death.

It was said that Duke Lang was a silent living King of Hell. Why did he marry such an eloquent consort?

How could two people with completely opposite personalities live together?!

Empress Dowager Deng did not want to see people quarrel during the new year, so she said in a low voice.

“Alright, stop talking.”

The concubine could only shut her mouth resentfully.

Empress Dowager Deng looked at Noble Consort Shu and asked about the poisonous snake.

Noble Consort Shu had been waiting for this opportunity and immediately said, “On the way to the Biquan Palace just now, the Princess Consort of Lang County suddenly killed a poisonous snake. I was almost scared to death.”

“Initially, I wanted to teach the Princess Consort of Lang County a lesson so that she would be more stable in the future.”

“Unexpectedly, the empress actually stood up for the Princess Consort of Lang County. This matter could only be left unsettled.”

Towards the end, she deliberately pressed her chest and frowned slightly, revealing a look of lingering fear.

Empress Dowager Deng was Noble Consort Shu’s aunt. They were relatives, to begin with. In addition, Noble Consort Shu was a sweet-talker. After entering the palace, Empress Dowager Deng had always liked her.

After listening to Noble Consort Shu’s story, Empress Dowager Deng was very worried.

She held Noble Consort Shu’s hand and asked with concern.

“Did something happen to you? You don’t look well. Do you want to get an imperial physician to take a look?”

Noble Consort Shu said gently, “Thank you for your concern, Empress Dowager. I was originally a little uncomfortable. However, after saying a few words to you, I feel much better.”

“It should be because I touched your blessing that my illness disappeared.”

Empress Dowager Deng beamed with joy.

“You only know how to coax me.”

Then, she looked at Yu Niaoniao and asked, “Where did you get the snake?”

Yu Niaoniao replied truthfully, “I don’t know either.”

Queen Mother Deng looked at her doubtfully, “It’s impossible for a poisonous snake to appear in the palace for no reason. Someone must have brought it in from outside.”