Chu Lian was leisurely drinking a cup of Nine Flowers Honey Water made by the palace maids. She hadn't even swallowed it when she suddenly heard the results. She choked and coughed violently.

What?

How could Count Jing 'an's estate win first place?!

Fortunately, they were sitting quite a distance away from the head seat, so not many people noticed her sudden change in behavior.

Xiyan hurriedly handed a handkerchief to Chu Lian and worriedly asked, "Third Young Mistress, are you alright?"

Chu Lian waved her hand to indicate that she was fine.

At this moment, almost all of the noblewomen looked in the direction of Count Jing 'an's estate. After a moment of silence, one of the noblewomen congratulated Matriarch He.

Matriarch He was stunned for a moment before she reacted in time. She and her two granddaughters-in-law returned the greetings to each of the congratulating noblewomen.

Madam Pan sat at the table in front of them. Sitting at the same table with her was Madam Yang, whose husband was also a cabinet minister.

In terms of awkwardness, it was Madam Pan's table.

Before the female official announced the results, the noblewomen at this table had already started congratulating Madam Pan. Now, the winner wasn't from the Pan Estate. Nothing could be more humiliating than this situation.

The noblewomen who had just spoken shut their mouths tightly and lowered their heads slightly, trying their best to reduce their presence.

Only Madam Yang smiled knowingly at the side.

Madam Pan's usually amiable face could no longer maintain its usual modesty. Her face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot.

She looked up in disbelief. It was clearly predetermined, so how did things suddenly change and land in the hands of Count Jing 'an's estate?!

She couldn't hold back her anger anymore. She stood up and took a few deep breaths before forcing a smile. She said to Matriarch He's table, "Matriarch, you've really hidden your strength well!

I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to try the dumpling cakes your estate has offered? "

Chu Lian frowned slightly. However, the head of the household was Matriarch He. As a granddaughter-in-law, she had no right to speak.

Madam Yang also stood up, but she didn't say anything. She only looked in the direction of the other noblewomen from Count Jing 'an's estate with a slight smile in her eyes. When she looked at Chu Lian, her expression became even more gentle.

Madam Pan didn't believe that Count Jing 'an's dumpling cakes could take first place!

Other people might not know, but how could she not know that Count Jing 'an's Tuan Jiao was snatched away when he entered Ninghe Palace!

They didn't know where they got these dumplings from, but if they could win first place, then where would the faces of the aristocrats in Shengjing go!

Today, she was going to expose Count Jing 'an's estate in front of the emperor!

They had lost all their face!

Diagonally across from the noblewomen's table, Noble Consort Wei was also looking curiously at the table where the wives of Count Jing 'an's household were seated. She saw that the furens had all stood up. It seemed like a dispute had broken out.

She raised the corner of her eyes and was very satisfied. If they didn't quarrel, then she would have let down this good show that she had specially arranged!

Emperor Cheng Ping's eyes slanted and saw Wei Guifei, whose face was full of smiles. He raised his wine cup and took a sip. Following her gaze, he suddenly said: "Guifei, zhen sees that you seem very happy?"

Wei Guifei started and hastily hid the strange expression on her face. She replied charmingly, "Your Majesty, this Mid-Autumn Festival only comes once a year. How can chen qie not be happy?"

Emperor Chengping withdrew his gaze and put down his cup. He said ambiguously, "Is that so?"

"Of course, chen qie wouldn't dare to deceive Your Majesty."

Princess Ruanjia looked over and saw that Chu Lian seemed to be in trouble again. She hurriedly stood up and wanted to go help but was pulled back by Princess Wei.

"Lady Mother!

Don't stop me. I want to go see if that idiot Chu the Sixth is being bullied again! "

Princess Wei glared at her. "You're not allowed to go!

If you go now, you'll only add to the chaos!

Jinyi isn't as stupid as you think. If she doesn't have a backup plan, she'll naturally send someone to ask for our help. "

"But …"

"But what? Watch carefully. Who knows, the unlucky person who will end up bullying Jinyi instead?"

After hearing Prince Wei's words, Princess Ruanjia could only sit down and watch the situation anxiously.

When Matriarch He was young, she had dealt with the noble matrons of the capital all day long. Naturally, she wasn't that easy to bully. Madam Pan's insistence on seeing Count Jing 'an's dumplings clearly showed that she didn't believe in the duke's estate's strength and wanted to slap them in the face.

Matriarch He saw the confident look on her face and understood that Madam Pan probably had something to do with the fact that the dumplings from the duke's estate had been mysteriously taken away today.

Although Matriarch He was old and her hair had already turned white, her eyes were still sharp and bright. Her mind wasn't muddled at all.

The matriarch didn't retreat at all. Instead, it was Madam Zou who shrank back under the stares of the wives of the high officials. She stood behind the matriarch and tried to hide herself.

This time, she had long forgotten about her jealousy of Chu Lian's dumplings. She only rejoiced that this had nothing to do with her.

Chu Lian supported Matriarch He. When she saw that Matriarch He didn't shrink back and even straightened her back, Chu Lian felt that she was standing even straighter.

"Madam Pan, are you purposely making things difficult for me?

The dumplings have already been offered to the Empress Dowager. If Madam Pan wants to have a taste, I'm afraid you should ask the Empress Dowager for this favor! "

Madam Pan was so angry that her hands trembled under her wide sleeves. With a flick of her sleeves, she turned around and bowed to the Empress Dowager who was seated at the head of the table.

The Empress Dowager was old and for a moment, she didn't clearly see who the madam was. The female official standing to the side quickly reminded her.

"Madam Pan?

What business do you have? "

Although Empress Shen didn't know about the dispute at the mid-autumn banquet, she was happy to watch the show. Looking at the scene below, she raised an eyebrow.

Hearing the Empress Dowager personally ask, Madam Pan's spirits rose. She respectfully replied, "Replying to the Empress Dowager, for the sake of this mid-autumn banquet's dumplings, this subject has been researching a new method of making dumplings for half a year. Today, I have lost to Sun Shan and am somewhat dissatisfied. I would like to ask the Empress Dowager to bestow the dumplings that won today's contest so that this subject can personally taste it and calm this subject's heart."

Madam Pan's status was noble and she had the power to say this. If it was the wife of an ordinary official who dared to question the Empress Dowager like this, she would have long been charged with disrespect.

However, even if it was Madam Pan, her actions were still somewhat inappropriate.

When the Empress Dowager heard this reason, her expression instantly turned ugly. In reality, the Empress Dowager didn't care about the dumplings at all. She was old and just wanted to use the mid-autumn festival to join in on the fun. However, being questioned by others was always unpleasant.

Although the Empress Dowager didn't blame Madam Pan, her voice clearly didn't have the benevolence from before.

"Since this is the case, aijia will make you sincerely convinced.

Go, bring over Count Jing 'an's dumplings and let all the furens have a taste. "

The female official serving the Empress Dowager crouched down and bowed. Then she led the two maids to the table where the dumplings were placed.

Emperor Chengping sat at the head of the table and glanced below. He didn't move, as if he hadn't pointed out the winner of the dumplings.

When Madam Pan heard that the Empress Dowager had approved, she immediately sighed in relief. She turned to look disdainfully at Count Jing 'an's residence, as if she could already foresee their miserable fate.

The female official serving the Empress Dowager was meticulous in her work. She divided the dumplings presented by Count Jing 'an's residence into several portions and placed them on porcelain plates decorated with pure white dumplings. She had the maids bring them to Madam Pan, who was seated at the bottom, and the imperial concubines and relatives at the top.

The maid carried the plates of dumplings and walked to Madam Pan's side. When she crouched down, she said, "Madam, these are the dumplings for today's victory. Please have a taste."

When the maid said this, all the surrounding noble matrons focused their gazes on the porcelain plate the maid held in her hands. When they saw the dumplings on the plate, they all sucked in a breath.

The round pastry was decorated with lace. The front side of the pastry was facing upward, and there were delicate patterns of Fu Lushou on the flowers. The pastry was baked to a crisp yellow color. Each pastry was only the size of half an egg, and there were five of them neatly stacked on the plate.

Impossible!

How could such a small dumpling be decorated with such intricate designs? It could even be compared to embroidery!

The noble matrons hadn't even taken a bite before they were all captivated by the delicacy of the dumplings.

Madam Zou stared at the small plate of dumplings in disbelief. Where … where did such exquisite dumplings come from?

She had never seen them before and had no idea. When she thought of this, she suddenly looked at Chu Lian, who was sitting on the other side of Matriarch He. It was her!

It was Third Sister-in-law again!

Matriarch He had actually only seen the dumpling dumplings that Chu Lian had mentioned for the first time. Her heart had been beating like a drum, but when she saw it with her own eyes, she felt much more at ease.

She glanced warmly at Chu Lian. Chu Lian returned her gaze with a faint smile.

Madam Pan's expression didn't look so good. Her hands trembled as she picked up a piece of dumpling and tasted it. She bit through the crispy yellow skin and found a soft, translucent core inside. It was hard to tell what it was made of, but it was similar to the filling of dumplings. There was also a small layer of red bean paste on the inside.

The dumpling was very small. After eating one piece, it wasn't greasy at all. The skin was soft, and the core was sweet and glutinous. It even had a hint of the sweet aroma of red beans. Even Madam Pan couldn't help but want a second dumpling after taking a bite …

When she reached out her hand, she finally remembered why she had stepped forward.

She swallowed the saliva that had formed from eating Count Jing 'an's dumpling dumpling. Although she didn't want to believe it, the truth was right in front of her. She wasn't the only one who had tasted the dumpling dumpling from Count Jing' an's estate. She couldn't deny the fact that everyone's mouths were irrefutable.

After Madam Pan took a piece of mooncake, Madam Yang impatiently took a piece as well. After eating it, she glanced at Chu Lian with a satisfied expression. The rest of the dumplings were divided among the other noble matrons. They were also full of praise.

Princess Wei also got a piece. Royal Princess Ruanjia looked at the dumpling in front of her mother and asked curiously, "Isn't this the one I took from Chu the Sixth in the imperial garden?

Chu the Sixth told me that it was a mooncake. How did it become a dumpling? "

"Oh?

Mooncake? "

"Yes, that's what Chu the Sixth said. But no matter what it's called, it's delicious. Lady Mother, hurry and try it. The one I ate had egg yolk inside."

Princess Wei smiled. She put the exquisite piece of mooncake into her mouth and took a bite. Oh … this one was actually savory. It had ham filling. Not bad, it was just what she liked.

In the main hall of the banquet, everyone who had tasted the dumpling dumpling dumpling from Count Jing 'an's estate looked at Madam Pan with different expressions.

Madam Pan had lost all face today. She took the initiative to apologize to the Empress Dowager. She didn't say a single word during the rest of the banquet. When the banquet ended, she hurriedly left the palace with her entourage. She couldn't even be bothered to exchange pleasantries.