[This chapter is a double-length update, 6,000 words. Today's update is now complete.]
Fragrant Pavilion
"My lady, the lotus pond maid Sherry requests an audience." Lana Qiu's handmaid hurried inside to report to her, finding Lana staring blankly out the window.
"What? Sherry's here? Quick, let her in!" Hearing that Ivy Shen had arrived, Lana Qiu was visibly delighted.
Soon, Ivy Shen appeared before her. Lana Qiu hurried over, unable to hide her joy. "Sherry, what brings you here?"
"What, not happy to see me?" Sherry pretended to pout at her.
"How could I not be? I was hoping you'd come! Sit down, quick." With that, Lana led her to the table and instructed the maids to bring tea and snacks.
Sherry didn't stand on ceremony and sat down right away. On her way over, she'd already checked for any prying eyes or suspicious auras. To her relief, there was no trace of martial power here except for the two of them. Clearly, Crown Prince Zhijue didn't care about these lesser consorts at all.
"Sherry, how did you even get here? Is something wrong?" In this palace, even minor consorts couldn't wander around freely—let alone maids!
"I just wanted to see you! The Crown Prince gave me permission to come." Sherry replied with a soft smile.
Lana Qiu was momentarily stunned, then remembered what Gavin Wang had told her that morning. She'd been brooding over it by the window, and now Sherry had suddenly shown up.
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?" Sherry asked when she noticed Lana had gone quiet.
Lana glanced at her but didn't answer. Just then, the maid finished setting out the tea and snacks, and Lana waved her hand, dismissing the servants with a bow.
"How many maids do you have here, Lana?" Sherry asked. She'd only seen two since coming in.
"Just two. Only when you get promoted to Talented Lady, Baolin, or Liangdi do you get more maids."
"Oh, right! I heard that Julia Shang got lucky with the Crown Prince. Has she come to give you trouble yet?" Sherry asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
Lana just shrugged. "No, not really. But I heard she's been promoted to Meibaolin. Looks like she's moving up fast—skipped right over Talented Lady. Having a powerful dad really makes a difference. She'll probably be Liangdi in no time." She laughed it off, clearly unconcerned.
Just as Lana finished speaking, her maid rushed in, breathless. "My lady, Meibaolin is here!"
Lana froze for a second. Seriously? Speak of the devil and she appears?!
"Ugh, who even lives in a dump like this? It's a total wreck." Julia Shang strutted in, nose in the air, flanked by her two loyal sidekicks. Clearly, she was still just a minor consort.