Chapter 335: Burning Hatred (1/2)

The young masters of the manor laughed and jeered at her rudely. Jun Huang smiled in response. “I'm just having fun. I understand why sisters said what you said. I hope you'll forgive me.”

The young masters and mistresses laughed even harder. The third young mistress huffed. “You may be having fun, but you're embarra.s.sing the family. Don't you feel ashamed? We're going to be the b.u.t.t of the joke...”

“Enough!” The mistress rubbed at her temples. She was fed up with the insults. She threw them a glare and snapped, “We're a family. Must you talk to her with such aggression? That's what people will mock us for if they know. She's never attended such a banquet. You should've offered her guidance, not mockery.”

Jun Huang listened intently and said with lowered eyes, “I understand, mother. We don't have a lot of time, though. How about… I stay at home? I don't want to embarra.s.s mother...”

“Don't be silly. Who's going to judge us? Just follow me and ignore the others.” The mistress led Jun Huang to the waiting coach. Jun Huang kept her eyes downcast, seemingly dejected.

The mistress tried her best to cheer her up and finally made her crack a smile. Jun Huang kept up a pleasant conversation with her, listening to the mistress talk with her lips curved, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

Once the coach came to a halt, the mistress and Jun Huang got off. Jun Huang glanced at Nan Xun, who had his gaze kept forward, but in fact was only paying attention to Jun Huang. Even in this state, he found her more beautiful than any celestials.

The mistress called out for Jun Huang. She looked away and followed the mistress to the palace.

They ran into other guests on the way. They wore fine dress and delicate makeup. The silver accessories in their hair were eye-catching. They all covered their mouths and laughed when they saw Jun Huang, pointing and mocking her with hurtful words.

Jun Huang turned a blind eye to that, while the mistress couldn't help feeling embarra.s.sed. Nevertheless, she had to introduce Jun Huang to them. “This is my daughter. She's p.r.o.ne to illness and has been living in the manor for years. She doesn't understand the rules of the real world. I hope you'll be kind to her.”

They smiled awkwardly, understanding the mistress unspoken warning. Jun Huang stood by the mistress with an impa.s.sive expression, unfazed by her surroundings.

Bored, she turned around, but didn't see Nan Xun. She remembered him saying that he had matters to take care of. He must have left to do that.

A sense of loss rose from her heart, unbidden, but she didn't let it show. She continued to listen to other people make small talk and exchange boastful words, keeping her disappointment to herself.

“I remember your daughter,” a woman spoke up. “She didn't look like this last time. What happened?”

Jun Huang threw a glance at the woman. They must have met at the last banquet. She lowered her eyes and looked away.

The mistress smiled awkwardly, at a loss of what to say. The woman seemed to have realized something. “Can it be that she's so beautiful you have her hide it to avoid attracting jealousy?”

The others paused and broke into laughter. The reasoning itself was incredulous. The mistress cleared her throat without a word, her expression darkening.

Jun Huang didn't care about being the laughing stock. She shrugged and didn't pay any attention to their conversation.

Later, a eunuch walked out from the main palace. In a high-pitched voice, he exclaimed, “Let the banquet commence! Please, come inside.”

The guests entered the palace. The mistress glanced at Jun Huang and patted the back of her hand rea.s.suringly, silently telling her to ignore other people's words. Jun Huang nodded in acknowledgement and followed her to the palace.

Inside was all gold gilding and extravagant decorations. Silk curtains were put up for the occasion, creating a stunning scene. Jun Huang stayed close to the mistress, scoffing inwardly. What a wasteful man the emperor of Eastern Wu was.

Once seated, Jun Huang calmly told her maid to pour a cup of tea for her. She quietly observed the other guests.

“We should've held the banquet earlier,” the man dressed in dragon robe said with a laugh from his throne. “Unfortunately too many things have happened lately, so the banquet didn't happen until now. At least it's not too late yet.”

The Royal Uncle agreed, “Your Majesty is right. It's never too late to hold a banquet such as this.”

“Hahaha, to be honest with you, these have been the best few years of my life. It's fate that I was able to defeat Western Que...” The emperor gulped down some wine and pontificated about how he destroyed Western Que, his smile wide and prideful. The others obediently reacted to everything he said.