vrcanaries Chapter 451 Relative
Chapter 451 Relative
As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell in the hall.
After a while.
"Pfft haha!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw An Lingrong laughing happily.
Seeing Shen Meizhuang glaring at her, she quickly stopped teasing and covered her stomach with a painful expression.
The others were not as bold as her. They looked at each other and couldn't help but be secretly shocked. They didn't expect Sun Heyin to be so bold. After all, Zhenpin was the mistress of the palace, but she just retorted directly without showing any weakness.
Concubine Zhen was choked by these words, her face suddenly becoming somewhat ugly. She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to refute for a moment. She could only snort coldly and change the subject: "Today, the whole palace is paying homage to the Imperial Noble Concubine, but you are late. Isn't this disrespectful to Her Majesty?"
"Respect lies in the heart, not in actions, and certainly not in words." Sun Heyin's expression remained icy, with a hint of disdain in her eyes. "Besides, the Imperial Noble Consort hasn't punished me for my crimes, so how can you arbitrarily interfere with her decision?"
"The Imperial Noble Consort is magnanimous and will not argue with you about this. I cannot stand people like you who flout the palace rules."
"If you don't like it, just close your eyes. No one is asking you to see it!"
Seeing the tension between the two growing, Zhen Huan quickly spoke out to stop them: "Alright, alright, we're all sisters in the harem. Occasionally, there's some harmless disrespect. I just treat it as sisterly intimacy. Nothing to worry about."
Concubine Zhen refused to give in: "Your Highness, there are no rules without regulations. If you forgive her so easily today, I'm afraid others will be dissatisfied, and then the rules of this palace will be completely messed up."
Sun Heyin refused to give in: "Is it the others who are unconvinced, or are you?"
Zhen Huan held her forehead helplessly, secretly complaining in her heart: These two people are really a headache. One speaks too directly and doesn't know how to beat around the bush, while the other is very stupid and only knows how to show off his quick words. Can't they both say less?
As Imperial Noble Consort, it was her duty to teach the concubines and uphold palace rules. Though she felt helpless, she had to maintain her dignified demeanor and stood up to smooth things over. "Although Sun Da Ying was a little late, it was unintentional, so there's no need to investigate further. Zhen Bin was also upholding palace rules, and her intentions were good. Palace rules are important, but the bond between sisters is even more precious. We all share the palace, spending every day together, so we should be considerate of each other and not let these trivial matters ruin the harmony."
Her tone was gentle, and her words both comforted Sun Heyin and gave Concubine Zhen a way out, hoping to gently put the dispute behind her.
However, Concubine Zhen didn't understand Zhen Huan's intention to keep things quiet. With a look of reluctance on her face, she opened her mouth and said, "Royal Noble Concubine..."
"Okay, are you annoying?"
An Lingrong finally couldn't help but mutter something in a low voice. She had originally wanted to "get off work" early and go back to rest, but seeing that Sun Heyin and Zhenpin were still arguing over such a trivial matter, her patience had long been exhausted.
She stood up suddenly, wanting to speak out to stop this meaningless quarrel. However, the moment she stood up, she suddenly felt a warm sensation in her lower abdomen, followed by an unbearable strange feeling.
An Lingrong's face changed, and she thought to herself that something was wrong. She didn't care about any etiquette or rules, and didn't even have time to say goodbye. She hurriedly picked up her skirt and ran to the back hall.
Juqing behind him hurriedly followed.
Everyone was confused when they saw her actions.
Seeing this, Sun Heyin curled her lips slightly, revealing a hint of sarcasm. She then pointed the finger at Concubine Zhen: "Empress Zhen, don't you always talk about the word 'rules'? Why didn't you say anything when Concubine Wen acted like that just now? Could it be that the rules in this palace are also based on the person's behavior?"
Shen Meizhuang heard that Sun Heyin's words implied that An Lingrong was unruly. Even though she was usually dignified and steady, she couldn't help but feel a little angry at this moment: "Sister Sun, what do you mean? If you have something to say, just say it directly."
Sun Heyin showed no sign of backing down. Instead, she raised her chin and looked at Shen Meizhuang coldly, "What could I possibly mean? I'm just following Concubine Zhen's line. If I've made a mistake, I'm willing to be punished. But the palace rules can't just restrict others. Some people act recklessly, like officials setting fires but not ordinary people lighting lamps! Concubine Zhen, isn't that right?"
Concubine Zhen's face flushed crimson. She pointed at Sun Heyin, her lips trembling slightly, but she couldn't utter a word for a long time: "You...you..."
Seeing this, Shen Meizhuang's anger intensified. Just as she was about to explode, Zhen Huan raised her hand to signal her. She suppressed her dissatisfaction, pursed her lips, and sat back in her seat, her gaze still coldly fixed on Sun Heyin.
Zhen Huan's expression was calm, and her tone was neither hurried nor slow, yet it carried an unquestionable majesty: "Princess Zhen, Sun promised, I know the rules of this palace well, and it is not your place to interfere. What Concubine Wen did is not for you to comment on."
Concubine Zhen heard the warning in Zhen Huan's words. Although she was unwilling to give in, she did not dare to be presumptuous again. She quickly bowed and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is right. I just said something wrong. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Zhen Huan looked at Sun Heyin again.
Sun Heyin smiled faintly: "The Imperial Concubine has the final say in the harem. If you don't want to punish me, no matter how much others say, it will be useless. Your Majesty, you are so kind to me. I am deeply grateful."
After saying this, he sat back in his seat without waiting for Zhen Huan's instructions.
Looking at her arrogant expression, Zhen Huan couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, but she remained calm on the surface.
She took a sip of tea and suppressed her displeasure. "I treat all my sisters equally. It's just that the Emperor's birthday is coming soon. I hope everyone in the harem is happy, and that will also make the Emperor feel at ease."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the palace nodded in agreement. Although Concubine Zhen still felt dissatisfied, she did not dare to show it. She could only force a smile and agreed, "Your Majesty is right. I will definitely keep it in mind."
Sun Heyin, however, remained calm, lowering her head to play with the teacup in her hand. There was a hint of coldness in her eyes, and the corners of her lips were slightly raised, as if she was smiling.
Zhen Huan took in everyone's reactions and spoke in a gentle yet admonishing tone, "Sisters, you are all intelligent people. You should understand that within the harem, you must be cautious with your words and actions. I don't want to see any unpleasant things happen again."
At the same time, Qi Yuebin, who had been sitting on the Diaoyutai, took in the series of changes in the palace. The palace was becoming more and more lively and interesting.
Seeing that no one was talking anymore, Zhen Huan waved her hand and said in a gentle tone: "Let's stop here for today's greetings. You can all go back and rest. It's cold, so keep warm." After she said that, she stood up. The concubines stood up, saluted, and left the hall one by one.
Sun Heyin walked last. Before leaving, she looked back at Zhen Huan with a meaningful smile.