The Empress, who had been smiling and prepared to deliver a basketful of praises, was stunned by the messy thread. Her expression faltered, and the words of praise were stuck in her throat.
Ruru waited a moment, then presented the handkerchief to the Imperial Concubine.
Consort Rong widened her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Then Ruru presented the handkerchief to Lady.
Lady glanced at the handkerchief, then at Ruru, quickly lowering her gaze.
The palace maid with the pen waited for the Empress, Imperial Concubine, and Lady to speak.
But at this moment, they were collectively silent.
The Empress, in a daze, knew this wasn't Ruru's true embroidery skill. Ruru had previously exchanged embroidered handkerchiefs with the Third Princess, and she remembered the handkerchief embroidered with lotus flowers, standing gracefully, with natural color transitions that were quite good in terms of both color matching and technique.
