“Ahem? How did it turn into a herbaceous peony? It was clearly a peony before!”
Baizhi shouted out in surprise. Baisu and Baishao were alerted at once, and turned to look at that dress. “Right, it is a herbaceous peony now.”
But they had seen it before. It was a peony!
“I will leave the explanations to your sister, Baiji. Without her, I would have been in big trouble today.”
Then, the three maids surrounded Baiji, pleading with her to explain.
They were lovely but stubborn. Baiji had to give in and explained, with a flushed face.
“It’s not a big deal. I should thank Master for her appreciation.”
Baizhi immediately grabbed her arms and shook it, as she asked.
“My dear sister, tell us. What’s going on?”
It was truly a peony, but it looked very much like a herbaceous peony. The only difference between the two was the edge of their petals.
Aunt Bai was aptly called the St.i.tch Master for her skills in sewing unique st.i.tches. She resewed the st.i.tches, so that it looked exactly like the original st.i.tches, after Baiji removed the threads on the top petals. Besides, what she used were small needles, which was thin as cowhair.
In modern times, it could only be seen under the microscope, or any equipment that could enlarge it.
But this was the ancient times. n.o.body could tell the difference only by looking or touching.
So, even though the Minister of Dressing might have seen the altered st.i.tches, they did not have any evidence.
Everyone thought that the St.i.tch Master was a person who only existed in the past, thus, the Empress would never know how she failed in her attempt, even till the day she died.
“G.o.d! I have come to realize what superb craftsmanship means today. Sister Baiji, you really broadened my view!”
Baishao had a clever brain, but clumsy hands. She was totally impressed.
She did not understand until today, why Lin Mengya preferred the clothes made by Baiji, to that prepared by the Palace.
That was because Baiji’s clothes were much better than those in the Palace!
“Alright, stop your flattery. Without Master’s appreciation, everything would not have happened. My mother tried her best, because Master regards us as important people. So stop flattering me. Later, it will be your turn. I’m capable only because Master believes in my capability.”
In Baiji’s mind, Lin Mengya was as important as her real sister.
She must have done a lot of kind things in her previous life, so that she now had such a kind master in this life, Baiji thought to herself.
Lin Mengya had given her parents Sanjue Hall, and it was something that no one else would offer.
So her parents felt grateful toward Lin Mengya, and also regarded her as their child.
“Baiji is right. I pa.s.sed the test that day, but there will be a deep trap waiting for me tonight. You’d better be cautious. The Empress is irritated because of her failure with the dress. She would make it harder for us tonight. She is that kind of person. So you must stay alert every minute, see?”
Hearing her warning, the four maids nodded seriously.
Lin Mengya was right. The Empress was furious. It stood to reason that she would set more traps for Lin Mengya, so that she could regain her dignity.
“I see, Master.”
Lin Mengya finally felt at ease. She would not feel anxious, since so many people were keeping her company.
The blessing banquet was much bigger than those imperial feasts held before.
Many relatives of the royal family would come from their fiefs for the banquet.
Lin Mengya put on a pale purple dress, with a racc.o.o.n-fur collar. On the collar, there were dark golden st.i.tches in complicated patterns.
Aunt Bai and Baiji had spent half a month making it. Even in the dark, those golden st.i.tches would make her glow.
Lin Mengya wore a pair of shoes embroidered with eight treasures st.i.tches, and walked charmingly in front of every guest. She had a gentle, faint smile on her pretty face and with her bright, sparkling eyes, everyone was obsessed by her, and no one was comparable to her.
Some beauties looked pretty because of their charming faces and slim bodies.
Lin Mengya, however, had a beauty that was like a star hiding in the dark, sparkling, but out of reach.
Most of guests at the banquet, were attracted by her beauty.
Standing in the center of the hall, Long Tianyu had an unusual smile around his eyes as he watched his princess approaching him, step by step.
“Sorry to have worried you, Your Highness.”
Lin Mengya’s lips were slightly apart, and her melodious, tender voice floated over to him, with its unique scent.
“As long as you’re safe.”
In the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Lin Mengya had been taken away abruptly. That had made Long Tianyu’s blood run cold.
n.o.body would know more about the Empress than him.
But, on that occasion, he had been preoccupied and could not be the first to come to her rescue, and show his concern.
And worse still, the arrow shot by Long Yingchu. had given him a ma.s.sive fright.
Lin Mengya’s face looked delicate and attractive. No one knew how cold his palms became, when he saw what Long Yingchu did just now.
Long Tianyu originally thought that with his presence, no one would dare to harm Lin Mengya.
But it proved that how little he knew of their boldness! They were fearless enough to take action, even during the Heaven-worshipping ceremony.
“Lin Mengya, I will make them sorry for what they have done to you!”
Suddenly, Long Tianyu took Lin Mengya’s hands. She tried to shake it off and leave, but she found that he was holding her tightly.
“Your Highness, there are a lot of people here.”
Even her wide sleeves failed to stop their hands from being entwined.
It was still the ancient times, where people were not openly affectionate. They were a couple but this kind of behavior was still too bold.
“Your Highness…”
Lin Mengya looked embarra.s.sed, which was rare. Looking at her pink face, it gradually turned red, because of his action,
Long Tianyu found his heart beating faster, as if it was being squeezed by someone.
“I really want to hold her in my arms now.”
Long Tianyu was mature and steady. But now, for no reason, he wanted to indulge his feelings.
“Whoosh—”
His black cloak covered Lin Mengya, in a minute.
Lin Mengya stood still, even though she was already in his arms.
Her worried heart was comforted and calmed by his generous and warm embrace. It was a magical feeling.
Regardless of the public, Lin Mengya held him back.
That was how they showed their love.
Every guest there was extremely astonished by their behavior.
Lin Muzhi and Lin Nansheng, sitting among those officials, seemed calm, like what a general should do.
Looking at his daughter and his son-in-law, Lin Muzhi chose to avert his look, cover his ears and close his mouth.
But Lin Nansheng, who was surrounded by a group of young people, was suffering.
They winked mischievously and made signs to each other, and started to make fun of him.
“Nansheng, you’re so bad. If you told me that your sister was such a beauty, I would have gone to your house and proposed.”
Lin Nansheng gave them a light smile, but complained about them silently, in his heart.
They all knew about his sister. Lin Mengya would also have a good life without any worries, if he had really asked his friends to help.
But, his sister tended to be rather unusual.
He looked at Lin Mengya proudly. “Ya’er is the outstanding star at the banquet.”
But when he glanced at the tall man in black next to her, he felt a little jealous.
It was understandable that Lin Nansheng felt jealous of Long Tianyu, since the latter got the treasure that he already cherished for dozens of years.
“I don’t think so. Nansheng did give you a chance, but you guys wasted it!”
Another remark came from Qin Mo. Lin Nansheng cast a grateful glance at him.
Qin Mo returned his look. From the day Lin Mengya helped Qin Mo clear his poison, the morale of the troops had risen, and the relationship between Qin Mo and Lin Nansheng became better.
So Qin Mo, of course, would come to his rescue, when he was teased by others.
“Fine, you two are brothers! We are just fair-weather friends!”
They left, amid a lot of laughter. Looking at their backs, Lin Nansheng shook his head.
In fact, there were many capable men, but they had to act arrogantly, for their family’s sake.
“Nansheng, I heard that the Fifth Prince almost took Princess Yu’s life.”
Both of them wore faint smiles, but their eyes were cold.
“Have you figured it out? Why did he try to kill Ya’er?”
Qin Mo had many friends who were in charge of the safety of the ceremony.
If they had paid a little more attention, they would have known what took place in the hall.
Lin Nansheng and Qin Mo, however, had to suppress their anger.
“I don’t have the details. But someone told me that the day before the ceremony, the Crown Prince went to see the Fifth Prince.”