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Upon hearing the announcement, everyone hastily knelt to pay their respects.
"Greetings, Your Highness Consort De! Greetings, Your Highness Prince Jing!"
Consort De smiled. "You may rise."
She walked to a seat at the head of the hall and sat down; the central seats were reserved for the Emperor and Empress.
Su Li, having entered the grand hall with Consort De, helped her mother to their designated seats.
Only then did the assembled crowd rise, their eyes turning towards the front.
Just as Su Li had settled, Consort De beckoned to her.
"Li'er, come here. Sit beside me."
Su Li rose and gracefully glided forward.
A chorus of sharp inhales and murmurs of amazement rippled through the hall.
When had such an ethereal, fairy-like young lady appeared in the capital? And she was so close to Her Highness Consort De!
Could it beā¦
Wei Yuanyao and Qu Zhirou stared at the figure above, their eyes wide with astonishment.
Was this Li'er?
This was the first time either of them had seen her true appearance after her face had healed.
She was too beautiful! One couldn't find a second woman in all of Tianqi as beautiful as her; even Princess Chaoyang, lauded as the foremost of the Four Beauties, fell somewhat short.
Although Princess Chaoyang was also very beautiful, she was already approaching twenty-four and lacked the vibrant, spirited aura of the young woman before them.
The young masters in the men's seating area gazed with even more fervent eyes.
They dared not entertain thoughts about Princess Chaoyang, but this young lady, even more beautiful than Princess Chaoyang, had stirred their fancies.
They secretly wondered if this was perhaps a niece from Consort De's maternal family.
They resolved to inquire after the palace banquet which noble family this young lady belonged to.
Jun Mo swept a displeased gaze over these ardent looks.
The various young masters quickly lowered their heads.
Although they didn't know why His Highness Prince Jing had suddenly looked at them with such a terrifying gaze.
Seeing they had become subdued, Jun Mo rose and exited the grand hall.
He and Jun Ce were responsible for the security of this birthday banquet; he needed to make another round of checks.
In the women's seating area, some of the madams had already begun to inquire discreetly, wondering which household could possibly raise such an outstanding young lady.
Her beauty was striking, a pure kind of beauty that inspired delight at first sight.
Her demeanor was exceptional; watching her walk was like seeing lotuses bloom with every step, yet her earrings and hair ornaments remained perfectly still, a clear indication of an excellent upbringing.
Consort De scanned the expressions of the crowd, a faint smile playing on her lips. She had someone add a table and chair beside her and pulled Su Li down to sit.
"Her Majesty the Empress arrives! Her Highness Consort Xian arrives! Her Highness Consort Yun arrives! Her Highness Princess Pingyang arrives! Her Highness Princess Chaoyang arrives!"
Everyone knelt in obeisance once more.
The Empress led the procession in, taking the foremost seat, and then smiled, "Everyone, you may rise!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
For the Emperor's birthday celebration, all the imperial consorts were naturally adorned in grand attire.
Su Li felt that with their entrance, the already bright grand hall seemed to illuminate several degrees more.
Jade pendants chimed, and a pleasant fragrance filled the air.
The two princesses also carried themselves with great dignity, sitting gracefully in the foremost seats.
Speaking of these two imperial princesses, both were exceptionally gifted, yet their fates seemed star-crossed.
The Fourth Princess, Princess Pingyang, was already twenty-three or twenty-four this year. She once had a sweetheart, a childhood friend, but he had lost his life in the war against Beiyan.
Princess Pingyang was heartbroken and had since rarely appeared in public.
The Emperor, pitying her loss, was determined to find her another compatible prince consort, but after so many years, the princess had not taken a liking to anyone.
As for Princess Chaoyang, the foremost of the Four Beauties, she was not only exquisitely beautiful but also exceptionally intelligent.
However, she seemed uninterested in marriage; rather, it appeared that none of the imperial children were particularly keen on marriage.
Apart from the Crown Prince, who already had a Crown Princess, the residences of the other several princes were each more conspicuously empty than the last.
But daughters of the imperial family had no worries about finding a match, and the Emperor doted on his daughter, happy to keep her by his side for a few more years.
As if sensing Su Li's assessing gaze, Jun Wan (Princess Chaoyang) looked up towards her.
The moment the Empress and the others entered, they had noticed the beautiful woman beside Consort De.
Everyone was still speculating: could it be that Consort De, displeased with her future daughter-in-law's marred appearance, had early on found a beautiful concubine for Prince Jing?
Wasn't this a slap in the face to the Ministry of Rites Household and the Duke Wei State Manor?
Consort Yun's eyes darted, and a sly smile touched her lips as she asked, "Elder Sister De, which noble family does this young lady beside you belong to? She is truly beautiful; this younger sister has never seen a woman more beautiful than her. She even outshines our Princess Chaoyang!"
This single sentence made Consort Xian look over, carefully scrutinizing Su Li.
Jun Wan, however, smiled generously. "Listen to what Your Highness Consort Yun is saying. There are tens of millions of people in this world; there are plenty more beautiful than Wan'er."
Consort Yun simpered. "Our Wan'er is just being modest. But Elder Sister De, which noble family's young lady is this, truly? Seeing how highly you regard her, I wonder what Madam Su thinks."
Saying this, she looked towards Mother Su.
Mother Su was quietly discussing her daughter's restored appearance with her own sister-in-law when she was suddenly singled out, pausing in surprise for a moment.
Seeing the surrounding gazes, some mocking, some pitying, some gloating, she instantly understood.
Mother Su curved her lips into a smile, about to rise.
Consort De quickly said, "You are with child, just sit and speak. Her Majesty the Empress will not fault you."
Seeing the Empress nod at her, Mother Su settled back into her seat.
Consort Yun sneered inwardly.Ā Now she knows how to act magnanimous.
Her son had already given the Moonlight Brocade to another young lady, and now she was publicly showing such intimacy with this young lady; wasn't this a direct affront to the Su family?
Mother Su smiled faintly. "Your Highness Consort De values my humble daughter; this subject is naturally grateful and delighted."
Consort Yun and the others were taken aback.
"What do you mean by that?" Consort Yun asked.
The Empress asked with a surprised expression, "Are you saying this is Miss Su?"
Mother Su nodded, puzzled. "Yes, if not my humble daughter, who else could it be?"
Consort Yun exclaimed in disbelief, "Impossible! Everyone knows Miss Su's face was ruined. How could she be Miss Su? Or, do you have more than one daughter?"
Su Li rose and curtsied slightly. "This humble servant girl is indeed Su Li."
An uproar went through the crowd.
This was really the Number One Ugly Face, Su Li?
Heavens, this world had turned fantastical!
If this was an ugly face, then what were they?
They seemed to recall that, at the beginning, she indeed appeared to be sitting beside Madam Su, and Her Highness Consort De had even called her 'Li'er.'
Hearing her voice and looking at her features, the Empress recognized that it was indeed Su Li.
The Empress smiled. "I never expected that beneath Miss Su's veil lay such a city-toppling beauty."
Su Li smiled. "This humble servant girl's face was indeed ruined before, but this humble servant girl knows medicine and slowly healed it."
The Empress nodded. "You are a fortunate child, and Old Seventh is also fortunate."
Consort Xian also smiled. "No wonder Consort De treats her with such closeness. It turns out this is her future daughter-in-law."
Saying this, she glanced at Consort Yun, whose expression was not looking too good.
Consort Yun forced an awkward smile.
She inwardly cursed Consort De's good luck.
This Su Li had wealth and power behind her, possessed personal talent and medical skills, and now even her sole flaw had turned into an advantage.
Such a perfect person was actually the future Princess Jing!
This made Consort Yun grit her teeth in frustration.
Consort Yun was not the only one seething with resentment; seated below, Zhao Wange stared with bitter hatred at Su Li, who was conversing and laughing so freely with the noble personages above.
From the moment she saw Su Li win Consort De's favor, she had found her displeasing.
Yet, her heart couldn't help but feel a flicker of joy.
Just moments ago, Wei Yuanyao had said that His Highness Prince Jing would only marry Su Li and would not take concubines.
In a blink, Consort De appeared with a beautiful woman by her side, who was even wearing the Moonlight Brocade, a fabric exclusive to Prince Jing's estate!
Thinking this way, Prince Jing definitely didn't truly like Su Li; he was only interested in her family background.
Her own family background was not inferior, and her looks far surpassed Su Li's.
Since Prince Jing didn't like Su Li, then she had a chance; even becoming a secondary wife of equal standingā“ would be acceptable.
She believed that with her beauty and talent, she would sooner or later win Prince Jing's heart.
But!
She was Su Li!
How could she be Su Li!
If she was Su Li, then she had no chance of winning at all.
How could this not make her hate!
Hearing that this woman was actually the famed Number One Ugly Face of Tianqi, all the young masters and ladies were utterly astonished.
The budding notions in the minds of the young masters were nipped in the bud before they could even fully form.
Su Li, that was the future Princess Jing!
Even if they were tired of living, they wouldn't dare to snatch someone from Prince Jing.
They couldn't help but feel a pang of regret!
Back when Miss Su's face was ruined, why hadn't they possessed the foresight to recognize a pearl? How could they have let Prince Jing get there first!
Wei Yuanyao looked at Zhao Wange and let out an arrogant, cold snort.
She mouthed silently, "You have no chance!"
This infuriated Zhao Wange so much that she bit her lip tightly, her hands clenched into fists.
Just as everyone wore varied expressions, another announcement came from outside the doors.
"His Majesty the Emperor arrives!"