Chapter 7 Palace Instructions

A few days after Yu Guangling moved into the Plum Garden in the backyard of the palace, the eunuchs from the palace came to the Changhua Palace to present gifts.

Qiandeng's eight current husband candidates either have to go to the government office to work during the day or study at the Imperial College. The only time they can get together is at night after work and after school.

According to the rules, the county lady and her husband should listen to the training together. After the two aunts Xuanji and Yingluo discussed it, they used a gauze screen to separate the inner and outer halls, with Qiandeng inside and eight people outside to prevent them from mixing.

Seeing that it was already dark, Qiandeng led the maid to the main hall. At the door, she almost bumped into Aunt Xuanji who was rushing out.

Upon seeing her arrive, Aunt Xuanji hurriedly ushered her aside and whispered, "County Lady, I'm afraid there will be discord if we discuss etiquette tonight!"

Qiandeng walked along the corridor and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I was just setting things up in the back hall when I saw that our eight candidates for husband were on edge, seemingly having a conflict. I heard that the one they were dissatisfied with seemed to be... Mr. Yu."

Qian Deng thought for a moment and asked, "Has the fate Luo Lingtai gave me in the palace been leaked?"

"Yes, there are rumors that the Emperor and Empress favor Guangling, and the other young men may have some grudges about this..." Aunt Xuanji said worriedly, "County Lady, do you think we should comfort the young men? After all, Young Master Yu is constantly seeing them in the backyard, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to get along..."

"What's coming will eventually come. If he can't even handle this little thing, how can he stand out and enter our Changhua Palace?" Qian Deng didn't care. He brushed his hair and walked towards the main hall where undercurrents surged. "I can take him in and give him a place to stay, but I can't help him with this matter."

Since he is valued by the palace and has the hope of becoming the ultimate winner, he should deal with the situation himself.

After all, she was not capable of being a husband, so why would she even hope for that?

Before she even approached the main hall, the noise inside had already reached her ears.

Shangluo, the young boy, didn't know how to hide his thoughts yet, and his voice was filled with depression. "So the county lady is really going to be betrothed to Brother Yu? Then what kind of status do we have to stay here awkwardly and have to go through three years of training?"

Xue Xiyang sat cross-legged in front of the desk, copying the palace precepts, a hint of mockery on the corner of his lips: "Then you can go home first."

Shang Luo pouted and said angrily, "No way! I'm going to stay here even if I have to...at least until my dad comes back!"

Xue Xiyang smiled, his voice drawn out with a hint of sarcasm: "Don't worry, three years is still a long time, and it's still unknown who will win. After all, fate and physiognomy are no match for the county lady's own will."

Ji Linyou laughed heartily and said, "Besides, in my opinion, matters of fate are pure nonsense. Why bother with them?"

Meng Lanxi's voice came from the side. Her clear voice was now slightly cold. "Yes, a scholar does not speak of strange things. Such imaginary things are only used by ordinary people to make absurd statements. How can a person of insight believe such nonsense?"

Yan Penglai rested his chin on one hand, stroking the Huang Ting in his hand, and said solemnly, "No. Luo Lingtai of the Si Tian Tai has studied fate in depth. I've seen him infer the birth date of a stranger, and nine out of ten times he's accurate. You can't disbelieve in the metaphysics of fate."

He sat under the lamp in light clothes and loose belt, his fairy-like appearance was ethereal in the halo. Because his face was too beautiful, he seemed to be separated from the world by clouds, and even his words had a vague and trance-like feeling.

There was inevitably some estrangement between everyone and this cold and aloof fairy who practiced Taoism, so no one spoke to her.

Meng Lanxi spread out the palace precepts in her hand and read them carefully, no longer engaging in this unpleasant topic: "In short, one must consider whether one is worthy of the position of a county lady's husband and can suppress this destined appearance."

Shangluo stuck out his tongue and whispered to Shi Jingning beside him, "It turns out that Brother Lanxi is not as bright and refreshing as he appears to be."

Shi Jingning looked a little gloomy as he flipped through the cookbook in his hand and said, "It doesn't matter what others think. It's a great blessing for us to be taken in and sheltered by the county lady. I don't dare to covet what will happen in three years."

Shangluo was still a teenager by nature. He was immediately drawn to the recipe: "Brother Jingning, this snack looks delicious. Do you want to make it tomorrow?"

"Well, the county lady likes osmanthus fragrance, so I want to make her a pair of Toad Palace Jade Rabbit cakes..."

Shangluo was longing for it and was just about to ask him to give him a taste when he saw a figure slowly coming from the corridor. The lights behind the gauze screen were turned on, and the slender figure they were already familiar with was faintly visible, reflected on the screen of cranes in the sea of ​​clouds.

The thin smoke-like gauze screen obscured her bright face, but could not hide her slender figure.

The men in the hall stood up one after another, and seeing each other's obvious thoughts, they lowered their eyes to hide their thoughts and silently saluted the thousand lights behind the gauze screen.

She was clearly only a few feet away from them, but this small screen seemed like a sea of ​​clouds, a sky, and the end of the world.

Qiandeng nodded to them in return from behind the gauze screen, and looked outside through the gauze. Everyone else had arrived, except Yu Guangling and Jintang.

She raised her eyebrows slightly, a little surprised.

Yu Guangling is calm and composed and never late. Why is he late today?

But then he heard footsteps outside and heard Jin Tang's exasperated voice: "Yu Guangling, did you hear that?"

"Yes, I heard it." Yu Guangling said in a low voice, with his usual respectfulness.

Everyone knew that Yu's father was in poverty and his mother was ill. If it weren't for his complicated relationship with the Jin family and the long-term support he received from the Jin family, his family would have been unable to afford his studies, let alone his entry into the Imperial College.

However, the Jin family never expected that this vassal who was hired to accompany their child in studying would soar to fame due to a great opportunity and was about to squeeze out the real boss.

Jin Tang was naturally furious, his roar audible even through the doors and windows: "If it weren't for my family, your father would have been exiled three thousand miles away, and your mother would have died of illness long ago! You've received so much from my family over the years, and now you want to snatch the county lady away? I'm telling you, no way!"

The voice was so hoarse that it was almost broken. It was obvious that the person was blinded by anger and had lost his mind.

Qiandeng frowned and glanced at Aunt Xuanji.

Xuanji immediately emerged from the screen, walked through the hallway, and, walking down the corridor, demanded, "The palace eunuch's instruction is about to begin. Who is making such a commotion and disregarding etiquette?"

Seeing Aunt Xuanji coming to reprimand him, Jin Tang could only control himself, bit his lower lip angrily, and turned his head to the side.

Yu Guangling silently bowed to Xuanji, lowered his head, walked into the hall, and sat down in the corner.

Jin Tang, who was following behind, was still furious. He lowered his voice and said harshly, "You toad want to eat swan meat? Dream on! Just wait and see!"