As Madam Shen left, the smile on Song Yue's face gradually faded.
"Yun Dong".
"This servant is here."
"Send someone to keep an eye on the Eighth Prince's residence."
Yun Dong nodded.
The Eighth Prince's Mansion is no longer as glorious as it once was. His personal guards have been confiscated, and he has lost his military power, leaving only an empty Eighth Prince's position.
They couldn't even leave Kyoto.
"Your Highness, Xu Qing'er has come to pay her respects," Amber said.
Song Yue frowned.
Immediately afterwards, Xu Qing'er arrived mysteriously and kowtowed to Song Yue: "Your Highness, the Crown Princess, the Princess Consort of Zhennan seems to be waking up. Also, the Prince of Zhennan and the Crown Prince have been acting strangely these days."
"Something's not right."
“In the past, the Crown Prince would scold the Eighth Prince several times a day, but he hasn’t scolded anyone lately.” Xu Qing’er’s heart pounded: “Now I’m not even allowed to enter the Princess Consort of Zhennan’s room.”
It's the Eighth Prince again!
Song Yue helped Xu Qing'er up: "Send someone to the Xu family to deliver a message. Stay at the Xu family's place for now. I'll investigate the situation in the next couple of days."
“Crown Princess.” Xu Qing’er shook her head: “No, I can’t. Father has been acting strangely lately and is wary of Mother. A concubine has come to the mansion and has Father completely under her thumb. If I go back at this critical moment, he will definitely become suspicious.”
Xu Qing'er wasn't worried about herself, but about the two innocent children. She sniffed and said, "This morning, Zhao Qingyan and the Crown Prince suggested that we take the girl away and raise her on our own to help me. I went to the palace to ask the Empress Dowager, but she advised me that if I couldn't bear to do something, I would ruin the big plan."
The girl is so young, and she and Zhao Qingyan have always been at odds. How could she just stand by and watch her girl be taken away?
Song Yue pursed her lips; "What do you want to do?"
Xu Qing'er panicked a little. She needed to be able to rely on either her own family or her husband's family: "The Prince of Zhennan's mansion is unreliable. I beg the Crown Princess to grant my brother a future."
"This matter is not difficult to handle; I know what I'm doing."
After seeing Xu Qing'er off, Song Yue calmed down, picked up a pen and wrote down a bunch of names on a piece of paper, circling them one by one.
What are you thinking about?
Yun Ke's voice rang in her ears. Song Yue looked up and was about to stand up when he pressed her down and made her look at the paper on the table.
"Xu Lin is sixteen years old this year. He fell seriously ill before the imperial examination and unfortunately missed it. Your Highness, I propose that Xu Lin be promoted to the position."
"Lord Xu is a cunning old fox, treacherous and sly. He appears respectful on the surface, but he is always trying to trip me up behind my back."
Yunke's anger flared up whenever Lord Xu was mentioned.
Song Yue gently raised her delicate chin: "Since they are disobedient, there is no need to keep them. Now that the autumn air is crisp and clear, it is the perfect time for an autumn hunt. Your Highness can organize an autumn hunt to loosen up your muscles and bones."
Yunke hesitated.
“Your Highness, if she dies in the hunting grounds, no one can say anything. Before the autumn hunt, I will hold a flower-viewing banquet to find out about the lady in advance.”
Invitations to the flower-viewing banquet were sent to the ladies of Kyoto.
Madam Jiang, Madam Shen, Madam Xu, all the prominent figures came, including the long-absent Eighth Princess Xu Lingqing.
There were a total of forty or fifty people.
They gathered in the back garden of the Prince of Guangjia's Mansion, chatting and laughing.
Through the window, Song Yue saw groups of people in the courtyard. Logically speaking, since the Eighth Prince had lost power, Xu Lingqing should have been disliked.
But the reality is quite the opposite.
Xu Lingqing was surrounded by several young women.
Their demeanor and attire were outstanding, and their clothes and jewelry were all quite expensive.
"Whose families do these ladies belong to?" Song Yue asked.
Amber glanced at them: "The one in purple on the left is Madam He, who came to the capital last month; the one in yellow is Madam Yun from the Secretariat; the one in peach on the right is Madam Shangguan; and the one in lotus-root-colored long skirt is Princess Liang Ying."
Write it down!
"yes."
Song Yue waited for half an hour before appearing.
Wearing a light pink long dress and a small phoenix crown adorned with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix in her hair, she swayed as she approached, and in the entire garden, her beauty was the most radiant.
"The Crown Princess has arrived!"
The others all looked at Song Yue.
Song Yue smiled and said, "I recently acquired some Yao Huang and Wei Zi peony flowers, and I think they are quite nice. I'd like to invite all of you ladies to come and take a look."
As soon as she finished speaking, Princess Liang Ying, dressed in a light purple dress, smiled and said, "The land and water of the capital city are truly nourishing. The peonies in the Guangjia Prince's Mansion are blooming so beautifully. The peonies in my mansion are always sickly and cannot survive even after being transplanted several times."
Song Yue smiled faintly.
The next second, Princess Liang Ying ordered someone to bring over a pot of extremely beautiful peonies, which were entirely emerald green and as big as a bowl. Their elegance and nobility were beyond compare.
Placed among a group of flowers, it instantly stood out.
"There's only one plant left. Since the Crown Princess likes it, I'll give it to her," Princess Liang Ying said with a smile.
Song Yue raised an eyebrow.
Princess Liang Ying bent down to pick a hairpin from Song Yue's hair, but Song Yue took a step back, causing Princess Liang Ying's hand to miss. She looked regretful and asked, "Does the Crown Princess not like it?"
“Princess, you must have misunderstood the Crown Princess.” Xu Lingqing walked over with a smile: “If the Crown Princess didn’t like it, why would she hold a peony banquet?”
Princess Liang Ying nodded: "What is the reasoning behind this?"
She held up the green peony in her hand; it was beautiful, but it clashed with Song Yue's attire today.
Princess Liang Ying was Song Yue's cousin by seniority, and she was of the same generation as Princess Jia Hua. After entering the mansion, she began to act like an elder.
It was as if they were certain that Song Yue, the master of the house, would not get angry.
Song Yue bent down and took the peony from Princess Liang Ying's hand, then personally tucked it into her hair. She then picked out a crabapple blossom hairpin and said, "The princess has given me her favorite gift, how could I not reciprocate?"
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