Blissful Days After Widowhood - Chapter 440

Empress Zhou gazed at the scene and noticed several young women sitting together, each holding some unfamiliar pieces of silver paper in their hands. One of them humbly pleaded for mercy, admitting defeat to the others.

These women were not much younger than Empress Zhou, yet they exuded a contagious sense of enthusiasm and liveliness. She couldn’t help but smile and take a closer look.

Among the various small board games available at Food of Heaven, a card game had stood the test of time as the most popular. Although the female guests used chips, they refrained from gambling. Instead, the losers were responsible for settling the bill and adorning their faces with notes as punishment.

Observing that Empress Zhou had arrived alone, Mrs. Lu, who had suffered the most losses, extended an invitation for her to join the game, but Empress Zhou waved her hands in polite refusal.

Mrs. Lu insisted, saying, “This is quite simple; it’s called ‘Fried Golden Flower.’ Let me explain it to you.”

Empress Zhou was not typically one for games, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she listened attentively as Mrs. Lu provided the instructions.

Once Mrs. Lu had finished explaining, she encouraged Empress Zhou to watch the game first. If she still found it uninteresting, they would not push her.

Given the proximity of the tables, all the players could engage in the game together. After observing a few rounds, Empress Zhou had grasped the rules.

Before she joined, Mrs. Lu addressed the others, saying, “This lady is a beginner. Please be considerate. If she loses, her losses will be added to my tab.”

The female guests in Elegant Hall were not short of funds, and the bill payer was inconsequential, but adorning their faces with notes was a true penalty, and they couldn’t remove them until they left.

One of the other players quipped, “How will Mrs. Lu keep track of the accounts? There isn’t enough space to stick notes on your face!”

Laughter rippled through the group as they found the remark amusing. Empress Zhou joined in, saying, “No worries, if I lose, you can stick them on me.”

Mrs. Lu whispered, “Beware, these people are cunning. I can hardly protect my own face, let alone keep it down.”

Though it was a minor complaint, her words resonated with everyone present and elicited more laughter.

While Empress Zhou was playing “Breaking Golden Flowers” for the first time, the game appeared to be more of a psychological battle than a game of chance.

One of her notable strengths was her ability to maintain a stoic expression regardless of the cards dealt to her. Furthermore, as the other players were unfamiliar with her character, they simply judged her by her demeanor. Little did they expect that she would daringly engage in “stealing the pot” with a few inferior hands.

As several rounds unfolded, Empress Zhou accumulated more chips in front of her, while others ended up with various notes adorning their faces.

Mrs. Lu couldn’t help but chuckle, insisting that no one should poke fun at anyone.

During breaks between rounds, the players engaged in conversations. While the topics might have been trivial, ranging from whose concubine had been causing trouble lately, to whose children had been misbehaving, or whose mother-in-law was giving them a hard time, Empress Zhou remained a quiet listener.

In the midst of these conversations, she couldn’t help but recall some old memories. The time when Emperor Zhengyuan accepted Concubine Feng marked the lowest point in their husband-wife relationship. After she was diagnosed with a second pregnancy, she had abruptly distanced herself from Emperor Zhengyuan, who was still the King of Righteousness at the time. She straightforwardly informed him that her proximity to him had only been to conceive another child.

Emperor Zhengyuan, no fool, was deeply disheartened. At that time, the Rebel Army was gaining ground, and many ambitious individuals were eager to send their daughters to Emperor Zhengyuan.

Emperor Zhengyuan approached her and proposed that he would reject those offers if she disapproved. However, she hadn’t taken his proposal seriously and suggested that he could accept anyone he pleased, leading to the arrival of Concubine Feng.

Concubine Feng became pregnant two months after her, resulting in two princes of the same age in the palace. Reflecting on it, she realized that no one’s path was entirely smooth, and life was riddled with various challenges.

However, the women in front of her, despite their complaints, didn’t lose their composure. They maintained a sense of freedom and ease, taking pleasure in life without dwelling on their misfortunes.

As Mrs. Lu wisely put it, “Well, how are you living these days? Happiness and sorrow come and go. We have but one lifetime to live. It’s already a challenging journey, and if we don’t know how to take care of ourselves, survival becomes even more arduous.”

Empress Zhou found herself quite inspired. Fortunately, her eldest son’s return had improved her mood, and the thoughts of the past now seemed distant, as though they belonged to someone else.

After Gu Yin had finished her work and her caramel patch, Empress Zhou had been playing with Mrs. Lu for nearly half an hour. When Gu Yin finally noticed her presence, she couldn’t help but express her surprise, saying, “Empress… Mrs. Huang, why are you here?”