Love In The Palace

Autumn

This is chapter 12.

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The pond looks green, almost covered with leaves of lotus. No bud of lotus can be seen, perhaps because the season has long passed. The pond supposedly contains many best breeds of Koi fishes, yet the green shades of the water seem to have provided them a place to hide. Bushes were growing naturally near the bank, and trees have browned. With every step the woman in blue takes, rustles of leaves on the ground can be heard, clearly showing how crisp they are. Her lady-in-waiting readily follows beside her, while some of the guards hold up a big red cloth umbrella with golden decorations dangling, shielding her from the falling leaves. As she stops to admire the scenery, everyone else behind her too, stops.

The tranquility of the place is soon torn apart by the arrival of another woman, all in her lavish and extravagant style. Her dress is long and it sweeps the ground, probably even heavy, but made from the finest silk woven by the best weaver. The sleeves are too, long, and so overly-filled with colourful embroideries. The trimmings of her dress are all sewn with golden silks. White cranes are embroidered at all the back of the dress and her pale yellow shawl has chrysanthemums with brighter shades of gold embroidered on it. Her hairdo is done after hours in front of the mirror, by three skilful hairdressers she hires. A big red peony is centred on it, surrounded by many golden pins.

"Oh? What a coincidence to have met Sister here." The Empress turns her head right, finding her sworn enemy in the palace standing before her, with many servants and guards standing behind her. Perhaps, she has even more servants and guards following than what the Empress has.

There she stands, waiting for the other woman to greet her. After moments have passed and she only receives a smile full of hatred from her, she gives up, for she knows her enemy will never greet her.

"Sister yourself too, what brings you here?" She asks, though she does not want to know what Consort Shine is up to.

"Oh, I am on my way to the Emperor's palace. He said that he wants to taste the red dates soup I make. Thus, I have been preparing it since yesterday just for him."

"Sister seems to be dressing up a lot today." The Empress intentionally emphasises on the word dressing, all to make her realise how extravagantly she is dressing when there is no occasion at all.

"A woman needs to be accompanied with respectively gorgeous and beautiful dressed and accessories, in order to bring out the real beauty a woman may possess." Consort Shine comments arrogantly, her eyes sharp as eagles, seemingly piercing through Empress'.

"Really? Does this mean that...Sister...you are not a beauty?"

"Y...You!"

"I am just kidding." Empress expertly fakes a laugh that sounds real enough, only those who have known her enough could detect the insincerity. When the Empress notices the fists of Consort Shine tightening, she cunningly smiles and walks towards her. Consort Shine tenses up, but Empress walks right past her, stopping beside her for a moment.

"But Sister, you need to be careful. Because...when you dress up too much before the Emperor, he may end up liking your dresses and accessories, not Sister yourself." And she smirks, leaving behind Consort Shine whose face is as red as her lips, with a face full of glory.

After the Empress has walked quite a distance away from Consort Shine, Lis gathers up her minute courage to voice out her opinion towards her master of years.

"Your Highness, Consort Shine has always been disrespectful towards you. So what if she is the Emperor's favourite? She is still a Consort, and Your Highness is the Empress. This means that she has already violated the rules. She deserves punishment." Empress only chuckles softly at what Lis says.