Chapter 251 - 220: Discussing Beauties Over Wine
Clad in palace attire, even though the plain green fabric muted her natural allure as a courtesan, she still could scarcely believe that one day she would don the garments of the palace.
Snow had fallen in the Capital City, fine white blossoms scattered gently, the distant snow-covered peaks looming faintly beneath the oppressive, dark sky. Not far from the lakeshore stood a modest pavilion reserved for leisure and viewing, its columns coated in vermilion lacquer.
The lamps inside were lit, while palace attendants clad in red and green strolled about outside; from the vantage point of the second floor, their movements looked like a procession of jubilant koi fish. Palace maids carried a few dishes upstairs, followed by an elderly matron dressed in plain and coarse garments. She held a crimson-glazed porcelain flask. Min Ming merely had to glance at it to imagine the thick, fragrant aroma of fine wine within.
An imposingly elegant lady of the palace lounged diagonally against the soft couch. If not for her insistence that Min Ming remain seated, Min Ming might have already knelt submissively before her. Even seated now, she fidgeted uneasily, her head bowed so low it nearly buried itself in the folds of her garments.
One palace maid poured the fragrant yet understated "Exquisite Brew" from the crimson flask into a pitcher. She warmed it gently over the iron-meshed brazier, while another maid arranged four white jade wine cups. Before long, wine was poured into two of the cups—one presented to the Empress Dowager and, after her dismissal with a wave, the other carried to Min Ming.
Min Ming, like sitting on needles, accepted the cup but dared not take even a sip.
"What’s wrong? Afraid there’s poison in the wine, that it’s a cup of lethal draught?"
The Empress Dowager’s voice was languid and idle, teasing yet not fully teasing—leaving Min Ming uncertain of her intent.
"How could this humble girl dare to speculate at His Majesty’s kind intention..." Min Ming’s voice trembled, her lips curling into what looked like a bitter smile.
"Then why haven’t you drunk?" The Empress Dowager chuckled. "Or are you implying the ’Exquisite Brew’ in this palace pales compared to the flower wine at Baihua Building?"
Min Ming froze in fear, gritting her teeth and gathering her nerve. She carefully lifted the cup to her lips and drank it all in measured gulps.
Nervously, a drop of clear wine escaped from her lips, gliding down her neck and slipping beneath the palace attire, soaking into her chest. Min Ming shivered faintly.