The Sheng Hua Zan incident concluded with Tuan'er, the head palace maid serving Consort Wei, being banished to the Imperial Laundry Bureau.
Although Tuan'er protested her innocence, whether she was truly wronged no longer mattered.
Consort Wei had lost all trust in her.
Even if Tuan'er were to return to Huayang Palace in the future, her previous status would be gone, and she would only be a menial palace maid.
Consort Wei remained unaware that the Sheng Hua Zan incident was orchestrated by Wang Qingyao herself.
This event made her extremely paranoid, seeing everyone in the harem as a threat. She even took action against several concubines suspected of being behind the scheme, causing widespread discontent in the harem.
When the Emperor heard about it, he naturally drew his own conclusions.
Meanwhile, Wei Qing invited Wang Qingyao to visit the Rong Prince's manor.
Her relationship with Wang Qingyao was complex; their families were rivals, but the two of them got along well.
Wang Qingyao had played a significant role in Wei Qing's eventual union with the Second Prince.
Following the Sheng Hua Zan incident, Wang Qingyao's relationship with Consort Wei and Wei Yu had further deteriorated. Wei Qing was eager to mend these ties.
She invited close friends, with Wang Qingyao at the center, including Fang Yuan, Zuo Yun, and Feng Jiangduo, all of whom were good friends with Wang Qingyao.
Also invited were Wang Qingyao's sister-in-law, Bai Junya, and her married sisters, Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu.
Bai Junya, Wang Qingzhen, and Wang Qingzhu were not of a high enough status to attend a banquet at the Rong Prince's manor. It was out of respect for Wang Qingyao that Wei Qing extended invitations to them.
Additionally, there were the Wei family daughters and the Ban family daughters.
It was a lively gathering, filled with either young wives or young ladies.
The afternoon sun was bright, casting golden rays across the garden.
Wei Qing had ingeniously arranged for five large tables for a "stove gathering" to be prepared. Charcoal was lit, and on top, they roasted sweet potatoes, peanuts, and red dates, common fare for ordinary people. There were also tangerines, longans, and roasted glutinous rice cakes, filling the garden with a fresh aroma.
The tea was exquisite, a top-grade Mansong tribute tea, usually only found in the palace.
The Emperor, knowing the Rong Prince's fondness for it, had gifted it all to him.
The water used to brew the tea was also special, collected dew from lotus flowers during the summer.
In short, it was elegant.
Wang Qingyao had seen similar "stove gatherings" on Douyin many times and had always longed to experience one. However, her apartment lacked a garden, and she dared not burn charcoal at home, so the idea remained unfulfilled.
After coming to this era, during winter, the Xiao family would also have stove gatherings.
But it was merely for brewing tea. Wang Qingyao wasn't interested in tea, and drinking it at night made her unable to sleep.
She always drank plain water instead.
Stove gatherings in noble families would not feature such common ingredients.
Besides, gnawing on sweet potatoes and rice cakes was not considered elegant.
When Wei Qing saw Wang Qingyao's eyes light up, she knew her idea had been a success.
She had long noticed that Wang Qingyao was a peculiar person; she appreciated both the common and the refined.
She liked gold and silver jewelry, but disliked tea tasting, perfume making, and poetry gatherings.
She had little interest in novelties from distant lands but enjoyed engaging in activities considered lowly by noble families.
In essence, she was very strange.
The stove tables were arranged in a triangle. Wei Qing, Wei Yu, and Wang Qingyao sat at the head table.
The others were distributed among the lower tables.
Wang Qingyao scanned the guests and noticed Wang Qingzhu was absent, likely due to not recovering well from her recent confinement, making it inconvenient for her to go out.
She hadn't given it much thought until her eyes landed on Lian Yiniang, the favored concubine of Pang Yan, her cousin.
Wang Qingyao had only seen her disguised as a man at a wedding. At first glance, she didn't recognize her, only finding her familiar and staring for a few moments before realizing who it was.
Well, this was truly interesting!
The principal wife wasn't present, but a concubine was!
Wang Qingzhen didn't recognize Lian Yiniang, and the others certainly didn't, assuming she was brought by someone else.
Lian Yiniang had thus slipped in.
Seeing Wang Qingyao staring at her, she boldly smiled at her.
She was truly audacious!
Wang Qingyao recalled the story of her disguising herself as a man to accompany her husband in marrying his principal wife, and sighed inwardly once more.
In the Jinxiang Bo's manor, the Bo夫人 managed the household. However, in Pang Yan's courtyard, it was Lian Yiniang who was in charge. Moreover, Wang Qingzhu was currently confined and recuperating, and she hadn't even received an invitation to the Rong Prince's manor.
Had she received one, she might have forced herself to attend the banquet.
Lian Yiniang, of course, would not pass up this opportunity to elevate her own status.
With so many people at the banquet, who would know who was who?
Later, when recounting the event, she could claim to have attended the Rong Prince's manor.
If she were discovered, it wouldn't matter; she could blame it on Wang Qingzhu.
They were all people who cared about their reputation. Wang Qingzhu was the direct cousin of the Ding'an Prince's Consort. Out of respect for the Ding'an Prince's Consort, the Rong Prince's Consort would be hesitant to expel her, wouldn't she?
Lian Yiniang carried herself with grace. Although her demeanor was gentle, it was not timid, and those seated with her assumed she was the principal wife of some noble family.
Wang Qingyao stared at her for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
Lian Yiniang could initially force a smile, but gradually, her smile faded.
Alas, the Ding'an Prince's Consort was so frightening!
"Ding'an Prince's Consort, what is it?" Wei Qing followed Wang Qingyao's gaze and asked curiously.
Wei Qing also saw Lian Yiniang and didn't find anything amiss.
"Do you recognize this lady?" she asked.