ebookland Chapter 197 The Mysterious Consort Lan
Chapter 197 The Mysterious Consort Lan
For this reason, the two brothers had little real power in the court, and naturally no one cared about them.
Wei Jianxun was two years older than Lin Yuwei. He had not yet been formally appointed as a princess in the mansion, and only had a few concubines who accompanied him in bed.
Earlier, she had expressed her affection for Lin Yuwei, but because of his lower status, Lin Yuwei was unwilling to even glance at him.
Now that it's impossible for her to marry Wei Jianning, she has set her sights on Wei Jianxun.
Wei Jianxun was not handsome enough, and he was thin and had a scholarly air about him, which was why Lin Yuwei didn't like him.
She wanted to take advantage of him.
She knew that she might soon lose the aura of being the eldest daughter of the Lin family, so she had to find someone to marry as soon as possible before her true identity was revealed, so that she would have someone to rely on in the future.
Even if Wei Jianxun's status isn't high, he is still a prince. He can guarantee her a life of comfort and a status higher than ordinary people, which is enough.
Wei Jianxun had been secretly watching her. When he saw her gaze drift towards him, he nervously lowered his head. Lin Yuwei, however, gave him a big smile, which made Wei Jianxun feel a little distracted.
Just then, someone outside called out:
"Your Majesty, Consort Lan has arrived."
The Emperor immediately perked up and waved his hand, saying:
"Invite her in."
Upon hearing the name Consort Lan, Lan Zhi, who had been bored, became interested and stared intently at the doorway. Everyone else also turned their attention to the doorway.
Many people have only heard of Consort Lan by name but have never seen her in person. Today, with the opportunity to see her in person, no one wants to miss her.
Ling Lanhua wore a light pink palace dress with a plain satin sash around her waist. As she walked gracefully forward, it accentuated her slender figure.
Just as everyone was praising her beauty, Lan Zhi was so surprised when she saw her face that she opened her mouth wide.
This woman is none other than Ling Lanhua, who has been missing for many days.
It seems her guess was right; Ling Lanhua really did infiltrate the palace and become the concubine Lan, who was favored by the emperor.
She took a deep breath, knowing that it was inappropriate to reveal her identity in public in such a setting, otherwise she would also be embarrassed.
Ling Lanhua acted as if she hadn't seen her, and approached the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, giving a delicate bow.
"Wishing the Empress Dowager a prosperous new year, all her wishes fulfilled, good health, and a house full of children and grandchildren; wishing the Emperor all the best and the spirit of a dragon and horse; wishing the Northern Wei Kingdom a bright and prosperous future, eternal youth, and evergreen vitality."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face immediately lit up with a smile, and before the Emperor could even speak, he kept nodding in praise.
"Very well said, Consort Lan, please sit down!"
"and many more!"
The Empress Dowager's brows furrowed instantly, and she displeasedly stopped Ling Lanhua from walking to her seat.
The Emperor looked at the Empress Dowager, puzzled.
"Mother, is there anything else you wish to say?"
"I have nothing to say, but how dare she sit if I haven't offered her a seat?"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor realized that he had been too hasty in asking Consort Lan to sit down and had spoken before the Empress Dowager could.
He quickly explained with a smile,
"Mother, this was my oversight, please..."
The Empress Dowager did not look at Ling Lanhua, but instead looked at Wei Ming beside her.
"Ming'er, will you be a year older after the New Year? How old are you now?"
Wei Ming nodded.
"Yes, he'll be seven years old after the New Year tomorrow."
"Seven years old, good! Time flies, your father and mother have been gone for several months now."
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager mention the deceased Wei Jian'an at this moment, the Emperor immediately frowned.
"Mother, it's New Year's Day today, why bring up that unfilial son and spoil everyone's good mood?"
Upon hearing the words "rebellious son," Wei Ming's brows furrowed instantly. He looked at the Empress Dowager, wanting to ask, but ultimately stopped himself.
The Empress Dowager frowned slightly at the Emperor, clearly displeased.
"Your Majesty, you promised the Empress Dowager not to say such things in front of Ming'er, have you forgotten?"
The Emperor recalled that after Wei Jian'an's death, his mother was bedridden. When he visited her, she told him that he should not mention anything about his parents to his son until he came of age, so as not to burden his young heart with too much.
The Emperor had agreed at the time, but just now he spoke rashly and without restraint.
He immediately nodded in remorse.
"Your subject knows he was wrong, please punish him, Your Majesty."
"That's all."
The Empress Dowager waved her hand.
"This year, I won't fuss over such a trivial matter during the Spring Festival."
At this point, she glanced at Ling Lanhua, who was still standing there bewildered, and with a slight smile, instructed Qin Shun:
"Qin Shun, go check if the food is ready. Everyone, please take your seats as soon as possible!"
Ling Lanhua twisted the handkerchief in her hands incessantly, but in her heart she hated the old woman, the Empress Dowager.
It was obvious that she was deliberately preventing her from sitting down and intentionally trying to embarrass her.
But she didn't care; as long as she had the emperor's favor, that was enough.
The Emperor looked at the Empress Dowager and asked cautiously,
"Mother, you forgot to let Consort Lan sit down."
The Empress Dowager then nodded with her finger as if suddenly realizing something.
"I'm getting old and my memory isn't good. I didn't even see a grown person standing here. Please find a place to sit."
Should I just find somewhere to sit?
She saw a chair next to Consort Jiang, so she swayed her beautiful waist and walked over. Consort Jiang secretly glared at her and turned her face away.
After Ling Lanhua sat down, she glanced at Lan Zhi and gave her an arrogant look.
Lan Zhi felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
I don't know what the emperor was thinking. Why did he insist on making his daughter-in-law's sister a concubine?
This is downright incestuous.
However, upon closer reflection, she and Ling Lanhua were not related by blood, so it didn't seem wrong for the emperor to marry her.
Besides, she married Wei Jianning first, and the Emperor bestowed the title of Linglanhua upon her later. Even if it's shameful, it's not shameful for her as a person!
Thinking of this, she felt relieved.
The Empress then spoke:
"Princess Consort, I remember you said you came from Kangzhuang Village, right?"
Lan Zhi nodded.
"Exactly."
"Consort Nalan comes from Yangshu Village, which isn't far from Kangzhuang Village, is it?"
Hearing the Empress ask this question, Lan Zhi guessed that she did not know Ling Lanhua's identity and was testing her.
How should she answer? Should she tell the truth?
Ling Lanhua was a little nervous at this moment, and her eyes unconsciously drifted towards the Emperor.
The Emperor didn't want Lan Zhi to expose Ling Lanhua's identity in such a setting, so he quickly spoke up to remind her.
"If the Empress is interested in Consort Lan's background, she can go directly to the Ministry of Revenue to check. Why bring it up in such a setting? She is becoming more and more ill-mannered."
Seeing the Emperor's displeasure and the chill in his tone, the Empress dared not say anything more and shut her unwilling mouth.
Lan Zhi seemed to realize that the Emperor was deliberately concealing Ling Lanhua's identity. Did the Emperor know about the relationship between Ling Lanhua and her?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but gasp.
If the emperor knew this, yet still insisted on making her a concubine, that would be truly perplexing.
At this moment, someone came in to report that the food was ready and invited everyone to take their seats in the main hall. The emperor also stood up impatiently and respectfully invited the empress dowager to walk outside. The others also stood up and followed behind the emperor.
Lan Zhi deliberately stepped back, and came to Ling Lan Hua's side when she stood up.
"Consort Lan..."
She emphasized those two words, which made Ling Lanhua's expression slightly tense.
However, she quickly composed herself, forced a smile, and spoke.
"Did the Crown Princess want to see me?"