Kill That Transmigrator Woman - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: The Empress Dowager (3)

The Empress Dowager was devoted to Buddhist practice, if one were to stay by her side, it meant eating vegetarian meals and chanting scriptures together.

Though this was an excellent opportunity to win her favor, if it had fallen to some other noble young lady, few would likely have been willing to remain.

After all, anyone with eyes could see this wasn’t the kind of arrangement where one could stay for a few days and then go home.

Once you stayed, there was a high chance you’d remain with the Empress Dowager until the day of engagement—
Unless the Empress Dowager passed away.

“Good!” the Emperor exclaimed joyfully. He had long known that his mother was lonely. Unfortunately, none of his children ever wished to spend time with her.

An elderly woman, with a face full of wrinkles, who had managed to survive the many perils of the palace, such a person naturally carried an air of cold severity and majesty far beyond that of ordinary people.

How could children be expected to grow close to a woman like that?

What was done was done. Madam Cui’s fingernails dug into her palms, and the worry in her eyes was about to spill over.

The imperial palace was a place that devoured people. Serving the Emperor was like living beside a tiger.
Though their Wanwan would not be at the Emperor’s side, the Empress Dowager was a long-time practitioner of Buddhism, no doubt someone who preferred quiet. Wanwan had never been able to endure the slightest grievance. If she stirred up trouble in the palace and provoked the Empress Dowager…

The consequences were unthinkable.

Cui Father tugged at his wife’s sleeve, and the two knelt together to express their gratitude.

“I do not intend to keep Wanwan at my side forever,” the Empress Dowager said to the Emperor. “Lest her youthful years be wasted in vain.”

“Then let it be two years,” the Emperor said. “Since Mother likes this child so much, keeping her close for two years will allow you to enjoy a bit of family happiness.”

The grand hall was lively and bustling, with strings and flutes playing in the background. Just then, a gasp of astonishment suddenly rang out from somewhere in the crowd, setting off a ripple of commotion.

A figure dressed in white slowly stepped in from outside the hall.

Seated at the Empress Dowager’s side, Cui Wanwan was sipping hot soup. Holding the glass bowl in both hands, she glanced at Wei Qingyu, who had finally arrived, and curved her lips in a smile.

Wei Qingyu wore a floor-length white gown. Her slender waist and long black hair were casually pinned up with a single jade hairpin.

The gown was even made of gauzy fabric. Her snow-white skin faintly showed through in a soft, hazy way, giving her an ethereal and fairy-like aura. Her bearing was graceful, her figure delicate and frail, and a sense of aloof detachment emanated from her.

Her brows were cold and her eyes emotionless, her refined oval face flawless and pale.

“My god, is that a fairy…?”

“She’s so beautiful…”

Wei Qingyu listened to the admiration and gasps echoing from all directions, and her vanity was greatly satisfied.

She lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Cui Wanwan. Looking at Cui Wanwan’s completely different temperament, Wei Qingyu sneered inwardly—
Just a vulgar, painted woman!

“Little sister, you walked too fast and didn’t even wait for your elder sister.” Wei Qingyu finally pressed her lips into a smile at this moment, drawing another wave of gasps from the crowd.

A cool, aloof beauty, every frown and smile felt distant and untouchable, like a snow lotus on an icy peak, pure and flawless.

“Empress Dowager, may Wanwan go down now?” Cui Wanwan asked for the Empress Dowager’s permission.

Naturally, the Empress Dowager agreed and kindly patted the back of her hand.
“Whatever Wanwan wants to do, go ahead and do it. I am here to support you.”

After the earlier conversation, the Empress Dowager had learned of the discord between the two sisters, and how their parents were clearly biased toward the adopted daughter. The Empress Dowager felt deeply distressed over this.

Such a good girl, and they didn’t love her, instead, they favored a wild-blooded outsider. Truly, those parents must have been blind.

With the Empress Dowager’s approval, Cui Wanwan finally put down what she was holding, slowly wiped her fingers with a silk handkerchief, and stood up with her skirt in hand.

The hall was warm, so she had already removed her red cloak upon entering.

Underneath, she wore a brilliant and luxurious red winter gown, warm and dazzling at the same time.

On an ordinary day visiting the palace, the daughter of a court official like her would of course not dress so eye-catchingly.

But today marked the beginning of the New Year, a festive and joyous occasion, so all the noblewomen had dressed as brightly and festively as they could.

Only Wei Qingyu appeared as if she were attending a funeral, dressed in white.

The hem of Cui Wanwan’s red dress trailed down the steps. Her beauty was strikingly aggressive. She was not suited to cold or restrained styles, yet it was exactly this kind of lavish and radiant clothing and makeup that amplified her beauty and brilliance to the fullest.

Step by step, she descended, and at that moment, she became the absolute focus of the entire hall.

Cui Wanwan’s stunning looks had already amazed the crowd when she first appeared. Now, with her and Wei Qingyu standing apart and facing one another, a strange sense of contrast filled the air.

True ethereal grace is like a fairy descending to the mortal world, but if one relies solely on artifice to feign aloofness and transcendence, once there is a real comparison, the illusion quickly begins to crack.

Cui Wanwan had never intended to compete over beauty. But this Wei Qingyu was simply too hateful. Listening to her private rants and her unjust verbal abuse toward herself in the system, Cui Wanwan was not the type to meekly take it lying down.

Since Wei Qingyu had made things unpleasant for her, she naturally would not let Wei Qingyu have it easy either.

Is it a beauty contest you want?

Fine! Cui Wanwan would compete!

More and more people were stunned by Cui Wanwan’s beauty. And when the girl in the red gown finally stood before the one in the gauzy white dress, only then did the onlookers gradually realize, though Wei Qingyu was beautiful, the cold purity of a little white flower could never outshine the dazzling glory of a peony in full bloom.

How could a cold, flawless jade truly compare to the blazing brilliance of the sun?

Cui Wanwan’s victory lay not in her looks, but in her aura.

Compared to Wei Qingyu’s slender and frail figure, who looked like she might topple over with a gust of wind, deliberately putting on the posture of a weak willow swaying in the breeze, Cui Wanwan stood tall with a straight back.

Her neck was slender and fair, her chin slightly lifted, her brows and eyes glimmering with confidence. Whether walking, sitting, or in every gesture and movement, she carried herself with elegance, poise, and a proud self-assurance.

“Is elder sister very afraid of the heat? It’s still winter now, and yet elder sister is already wearing a summer gauze dress.” Cui Wanwan mercilessly exposed Wei Qingyu’s vain desire to act like a fairy and earn the envy of all present.

Wei Qingyu froze awkwardly. She had always prided herself on her strong mindset and quickly recovered, replying, “Little sister Wanwan jests. With the palace banquet’s blazing fires, naturally there’s no need for heavy clothing.”

“But is there really any need to wear a full gauze dress?” Cui Wanwan turned to Wei Qingyu’s personal maid, her tone displeased.

“Today is a palace banquet. How exactly are you serving the young lady? How could you let elder sister wear mourning attire to attend a banquet?”

“Wanwan!” Her elder brother Cui Heng called out in alarm.

Cui Wanwan’s words were like a stone dropped into still water, stirring up a thousand waves. The hall erupted in noise, and even the color drained from Wei Qingyu’s face.

Wei Qingyu wore an all-white outfit, not even a bit of adornment at her waist. Had she at least tied a jade ornament, or embroidered a few flowers on her dress, or added subtle patterns, any of it would have worked.

But there was nothing, no embellishment, no accessory, just plain white. If this wasn’t mourning attire, then what was?

Looking more closely, people noticed Wei Qingyu wasn’t even wearing earrings, and her wrists were completely bare.

Beautiful as she was, wasn’t this outfit meant for mourning?

This was a palace banquet, a grand event with both the Emperor and Empress Dowager present. The Cui family was at least a scholarly household. For her to be dressed like this… it was truly inappropriate.

At that moment, the Empress Dowager suddenly spoke, “Why hasn’t anyone taken the Cui family’s adopted daughter to the side hall to change into something more suitable?”

The words Cui family’s adopted daughter were especially emphasized.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Several palace maids quickly walked to Wei Qingyu’s side, one on each side. “Young lady, this way, please.”

To be escorted out of the palace banquet by order of the Empress Dowager with such an unfriendly tone, Wei Qingyu was probably the first woman in history to suffer such a disgrace.

Wei Qingyu opened her mouth, wanting to explain, when she heard her father’s voice offering an apology.

Father Cui first admitted guilt to the Emperor for failing to discipline properly. Once he received the Emperor’s pardon, he turned to her with a cold face and scolded, “What are you still standing there for? Hurry and go to the side hall to change clothes!”

Wei Qingyu was half-pushed, half-dragged out.

How could this be happening?
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

In transmigration novels, the female lead always wore white, without any makeup, and easily crushed all those tacky, painted-up female supporting characters.
Why wasn’t it working for her?

No, this wasn’t right! Clearly, everyone had been stunned by her beauty before.

That’s it, it was all Cui Wanwan’s fault. Everything was Cui Wanwan’s fault.

If she hadn’t deliberately pointed it out, how would the others have even noticed?

A bunch of feudal, superstitious fools! So what if she wore white? It’s not like she committed a crime. Was it really that serious?!