Chapter 275: Escalating Argumen (1/2)
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Nan Guyue was both envious and stunned. She ran circles around Jun Huang and muttered dejectedly, “Why are you so pretty?”
Jun Huang blinked in surprise and smiled resignedly, which was so captivating it transfixed even Nan Guyue. She shook herself awake, a little mortified, and considered Jun Huang. After a bemused pause, she motioned at a number of maids to put makeup on Jun Huang.
The maids only applied some rouge to cover her tired look. Too much cosmetics would only detract from her beauty. After some hesitation, one of them put a red dot on her forehead with an brow pencil.
Nan Guyue covered her mouth as she stared at Jun Huang, too awestruck to make a sound. Jun Huang's eyes were gentle and her lips a vibrant red. She was beautiful enough as she was. A simple hairdo with a ta.s.seled hairpin would suffice. The light yellow dress she wore accentuated her grace. The red mole added between her brows made her look even more stunning. Even a woman would be attracted to a G.o.ddess like her.
Jun Huang s.h.i.+ed away from Nan Guyue's gaze. She'd been dressed as a man for a long time. Occasionally some would praise her for being handsome, but she hadn't been complimented for being beautiful for a while. It made her think of her days in Western Que.
“It'll be a shame for your beauty to be hidden away. Let's go get some fresh air.”
Nan Guyue pulled Jun Huang outside the door. Jun Huang frowned and said once the princess slowed down, “That's too risky. I should change back into men's clothes.”
“Why? I'm not going to drag you to the street for all to see. Don't worry. Let's just enter the palace and show Royal Brother how beautiful you are.”
The sedan chair was ready. Jun Huang acquiesced after seeing Nan Xun's excited smile and followed her into the litter.
They reached the palace soon and were carried straight to the royal garden. Nan Guyue motioned at the porters to stop. She jumped off first before helping Jun Huang down.
It was the first time Jun Huang visited Southern Mu's royal garden. It had its own unique beauty. Southern Mu's spring lasted the whole year. There were plants available only in warm weather here despite the time of the year. She marveled at the crabapple flowers in the distance and the cherry trees on her side.
“I'm fortunate to witness scenery that can only be found in Southern Mu,” Jun Huang said with a smile.
Nan Guyue nodded and happily responded, “You're right. Northern Qi has more varieties of flowers, but they don't last long due to the change in seasons. Southern Mu's weather is always mild like the spring. The flowers bloomed all years long.”
They made their way further into the garden as they talked. At the point where the garden opened up, a woman approached them and blocked their way. Jun Huang turned to Nan Guyue questioningly, whose dark look told her the woman was no friend to the princess.
Earlier, Honored Consort Li had arrived at the garden, her mood dark as she looked at the flowers she'd long gotten tired of. Her maids followed her timidly, heads lowered and mouths shut.
“Where has His Majesty been, and why hasn't he visited me?” asked the consort, her eyes landing on the cherry blossoms.
One of the maids shook her head and admitted, “This servant doesn't know the answer, but His Majesty hasn't visited any other consorts either. He's been staying in the study at night.”
Consort Li frowned, which made her look intimidating. The maid didn't dare say anything, worried that the consort would get angry and scold her.
Instead of reprimanding her, the consort fell into deep thought. After a moment of silence, she asked, “What have you found out about my inquiry?”
“Honored Consort needs not to worry. His Majesty prepared the flowers to entertain a male guest. The man was said to be handsome, but His Majesty can't be interested in men. Therefore - ”
A loud slap sounded through the garden. The maid dropped to her knees, covering her cheek and wincing. The other maids knelt down as well, confused by the consort's sudden anger.