In any case, this unprecedented competition has finally come to a successful conclusion.
*
Inside Shufangzhai,
Little Swallow leaned back in her chair, sipping the tea Mingyue had brought her. She squinted her eyes contentedly for a moment. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she abruptly looked at Yongqi. "Fifth Prince, by the way, where did you get your strength from?"
Yongqi was also sipping tea and resting nearby. Caught off guard by the sudden question, he answered without hesitation. There was nothing to hide; everyone in the palace knew. It was just that Xiaoyanzi hadn't grown up in the palace, so she didn't know.
"Oh, you mean An'an's guard?" Yongqi said casually after taking a sip of tea.
"Huh? Guard? What's a guard?" Little Swallow was completely baffled.
"The meaning of the guard team is that their master is An'an. They only obey An'an, only protect her, and follow her orders. Guard teams like this are trained from a young age."
"Wow!" Little Swallow's eyes lit up instantly, and she exclaimed, "Is it that impressive? No wonder it's extraordinary. Did Father Emperor give it to her? Can I have one too?" Little Swallow was still fantasizing about having her own guard, who would only obey her orders.
Her unrealistic fantasies will eventually be shattered.
“You’re overthinking it. This wasn’t bestowed upon her by her father, the Emperor. It was her father, Prince Rui, who raised her from a young age,” Yongqi said, somewhat envious. He then added a crucial sentence: “The Emperor is also aware of the guard situation.”
"Huh? If she can have it, then can I?" Little Swallow was still daydreaming, thinking about things that didn't belong to her. She didn't even bother to think it through. Even the Fifth Prince didn't have a guard, so how could she, a mere adopted daughter—and not even a true adopted daughter—possess such a thing?
"You're overthinking it. It's not allowed to hoard troops in the palace," Yongqi bluntly shattered her illusions. This would prevent her from constantly daydreaming and coveting things that weren't hers.
Ziwei listened from the side, feeling a pang of sadness. She gently bit her lip. Could it be that she held less weight in her father's heart than a mere princess?
Anke: I'm so stupid! Why did you have to compare yourself to me? Of course you can't compare. I'm a legitimate princess, receiving a prince's stipend. Ordinary princesses without any rank really can't compare. (￣o￣) . z Z
"Can I borrow her guards to play with?" Since I can't have them myself, I might as well borrow them to play with.
Encore: ...6
"Of course that's impossible," Yongqi said helplessly. "This guard team belongs only to Anke, and even Father Emperor wouldn't easily mobilize it."
"Is Princess Yong'an...so favored?" Ziwei didn't want to ask, but she was so provoked that she finally asked the question that had been lingering on her lips for a long time.
“Yes, this princess is Prince Rui’s only child, and he dotes on her immensely. She was brought to the palace to be raised from a young age and has free access to both inside and outside the palace. She is also a woman of both literary and martial talents.” Erkang noticed the sadness on Ziwei’s face and silently took her hand to offer her support.
"Yes, the empress is not allowed to interfere in politics. But Anke can. She can even attend court and discuss state affairs with the ministers. 'She can wield the pen to discuss state affairs and wield the gun to secure the country.' This should be considered a compliment to her." Yongqi recalled his father's evaluation of Anke.
"Oh? Is she also very good at martial arts?" Little Swallow asked with a look of longing.
“That’s for sure. That evaluation just now was Father Emperor’s assessment of her,” Yongqi said enthusiastically. “Whether it’s martial arts or lightness skills, she’s first-rate. She’s also thoroughly familiar with military strategy. She even accompanied General Zhaohui and Uncle Fu on expeditions.”
Jin Suo was completely stunned. "Isn't she incredibly amazing? She's practically an extraordinary woman!"
Benjamin was unaware of these things; when he arrived in China, Anke was already living with the Empress Dowager at Mount Wutai. However, this couldn't diminish his shock. China was a country that emphasized etiquette and morality, with even stricter constraints placed on women. He never imagined that this princess could discuss state affairs with men and even lead armies into battle. "Amazing, simply unbelievable!"
“Yes, An’an is indeed an extraordinary woman. She is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and excels in all the arts, including music, chess, poetry, and painting.” Yongqi recalled the days when he was overshadowed by An’an, and a wave of sadness welled up in his heart. He couldn’t even compare to his own cousin. “When she was young, An’an worked very hard. All the princesses and princes in the harem took An’an as their role model and tried to emulate her, but none of them could be as diligent and self-disciplined as An’an. This situation was exactly what Master Ji wanted to see, so he dragged us all into it. I heard that some princes and their little beaded girls even tried to bribe An’an with treasures, hoping that she would stop working so hard and striving for self-improvement.”
"Compared to me, Little Swallow, she's practically a monster!" Little Swallow couldn't believe it when she heard them talking about An Ke. Didn't he need any rest? He had to learn literature, martial arts, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She couldn't compare to him, but she could at least compete with Ziwei.
Ziwei, standing nearby, also felt admiration for her, but after listening, she thought of herself and suddenly felt inferior. She had thought her talents in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and literature were already quite good; her mother had hired many tutors to teach her these skills since childhood. Little did she expect that after entering the palace, there would be so many people more skilled than her, and such a vast and unparalleled world to explore.
First, there was Qing'er, a woman of exceptional talent, who inspired her admiration and a secret resentment. Then there was An Ke, an all-around capable woman, who made her feel even more bitter. Inevitably, some feelings of inferiority arose within her.
"So, is there nothing wrong with her or that she can't do?" Jin Suo asked this question not to disparage An Ke, but simply out of curiosity.
Ertai, who had been silently listening to their praise and admiration for the princess, immediately began to defend her after hearing Jin Suo's words. "How could that be? There's nothing the princess can't do."
Jin Suo was waiting to hear, but Ertai's voice startled her.
Yongqi didn't say anything, assuming that Ertai, like himself when he was young, admired Anke. Erkang, however, gave him a subtle glance.
"I don't know what An'an can't do, but her favorite thing is researching food." After thinking for a long time, Yongqi still couldn't think of anything An'an couldn't do. The only thing he could think of was that An'an was very knowledgeable about food.
“Ziwei is good at this!” Xiaoyanzi said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Ziwei.
Ziwei breathed a sigh of relief almost imperceptibly. She had almost thought she had no skills whatsoever!
"We didn't let the Empress Dowager know about the Purple Qi Coming from the East last time, so why don't we research some other delicacies for the Empress Dowager and Princess Yong'an to try?" Jin Suo thought that since the princess liked food so much, she might as well win her over through her stomach first.
Yongqi: (???.???) Didn't you hear me clearly? My cousin An'an loves to study food. What kind of food hasn't she studied?
However, Yongqi didn't discourage their confidence and enthusiasm. If they could become friends with their cousin An'an, that would be ideal, both for their plans and for their own benefit. If not, they wouldn't force it.
Ertai: They actually used all my tricks! I was originally planning to offer the princess some delicious food. How infuriating! (＞﹏＜)
Erkang: If we can gain the support of Princess Yong'an, then how far is the position of princess from Ziwei's reach? And how far is the day I marry Ziwei? Of course not!
At this moment, everyone in Shufangzhai seemed to be united as one. Meanwhile, Anke, far away in Cining Palace, was completely unaware of this.
*
Cining Palace
A few nights later, Qing'er and An Ke kept the Empress Dowager company as she talked.
The Empress Dowager said, "I never imagined that a football match would be discussed until today."
"That's because this match is unprecedented—a men's and women's Cuju (ancient Chinese football) competition. The princes' team is brave, and the princesses' team is just as impressive. It's rare in the palace to see something so new and interesting, so it's no wonder that the palace maids and eunuchs from all the palaces are talking about it with great interest," Qing'er said with a smile from the side.
"An'an, what do you think?" Seeing that An Ke wasn't very interested in the matter, the Empress Dowager thought of asking for her opinion.
"It's quite good and unique, but perhaps it's because my granddaughter isn't familiar with it," An Ke said, yawning sleepily.
Seeing how exhausted Anke was, the Empress Dowager took pity on them and let them off the hook. "Alright, alright, it's getting late, you two are tired too, go back and rest."
Seeing this, Qing'er was about to step forward to help the Empress Dowager back to her room to rest. However, the Empress Dowager waved her hand at Qing'er. "Qing'er, you should also rest early today. I have a group of palace maids with me, so don't worry about me."
Qing'er wanted to say something more, but then she saw the Empress Dowager look in An Ke's direction. Only then did Qing'er realize that the Empress Dowager wanted An Ke to fall asleep sooner. So, she obediently let the Empress Dowager be helped away by the palace maids.
"Look how sleepy you are. Did you steal something yesterday?" Qing'er couldn't help but tease An Ke, who was nodding and yawning from exhaustion.
"Ah, I'm so sleepy. Maybe I really did steal something yesterday?" An Ke heard the teasing tone in Qing'er's words, but didn't say anything more.
"Then our Princess Yong'an should rest early." Qing'er instructed Xingxing, who was standing beside her, to help An Ke. Seeing that An Ke had returned to her room, she returned to her own palace with peace of mind.
——
"Sister Qing, the sun is shining so brightly today, why don't we go for a stroll in the Imperial Garden?" An Ke looked at the beautiful weather outside and couldn't resist pulling Qing'er along for a walk.
It seems like Little Swallow hasn't caused any trouble lately, and things have been peaceful in the palace. There shouldn't be anything major happening.
The Empress Dowager was also looking forward to a stroll, so she followed the two to the Imperial Garden. "The scenery in this garden has truly remained unchanged year after year."
"Of course! The Empress Dowager has been visiting the Imperial Garden since the time of the late Emperor, so it's a common occurrence for her." "You've lived in the palace for so long, so naturally you've grown tired of these flowers and scenery." Qing'er, ever the smooth talker, stepped in to smooth things over.
“Yes, the scenery at Mount Wutai is absolutely stunning,” An Ke chimed in. “If there’s time in the future, I’d like to go to Mount Wutai with the Empress Dowager to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist prayers.”
The Empress Dowager was truly shocked. She knew how much her granddaughter disliked vegetarian food, so for her to say something like that, she must have been thoroughly tired of the palace scenery. "Very well, very well!"
Granny Gui, who was standing nearby, thought of a place to go and suggested to the Empress Dowager that they go to the Empress Dowager's rose garden.
An Ke instantly thought of this plot point and couldn't help but feel a chill for Ziwei. It seemed that Ziwei was about to suffer a little hardship in this scene.
As expected, when the Empress Dowager arrived at the Rose Garden with Anke and Qing'er, she found only flower buds and a few withered and fallen blossoms. The Empress Dowager was instantly enraged. Granny Gui, seemingly having found another opportunity to curry favor with the Empress Dowager, immediately summoned the palace maid who had cultivated the flowers.
"How did you cultivate the flowers for the Empress Dowager? How did they turn out like this?" Granny Gui asked, as if she were using a chicken feather as an imperial edict.
The young palace maid, never having seen anything like this before, nearly burst into tears. She immediately confessed, “A few days ago, Princess Huanzhu saw the flowers in the garden were blooming and wanted to pick a few. I couldn’t stop her. She said she would only pick a few, and I thought there wouldn’t be any major problems. After she left, I came to check and discovered that so many flowers had been lost. I thought the Empress Dowager wouldn’t come, so I didn’t report it.” With that, tears welled in the young maid’s eyes, and she knelt solemnly on the ground.
Qing'er, being compassionate, said, "Your Majesty, how can a mere palace maid stop a princess? Perhaps Your Majesty should calm down."
When the Empress Dowager heard this, she did not pursue the matter of the young palace maid's mistake.
"Let's go see what this Princess Huanzhu is up to!" The Empress Dowager angrily led her entourage of palace maids toward Shufangzhai.
Meanwhile, the people of Shufangzhai were still laughing and joking, completely unaware that danger was approaching.
"Ziwei, your Luohan cakes are a great success! They're sweet but not cloying, just right!" Xiaoyanzi praised without reservation.
"Yes, Miss, your Luohan cakes are absolutely delicious. They're just as good as the ones Madam made back then. I'm sure the Empress Dowager would love them." How could Jin Suo possibly dampen her young mistress's confidence?
Just then, a voice came from the doorway: "The Empress Dowager has arrived, Princess Yong'an has arrived, and Princess Qing has arrived."
Upon hearing the sound, Xiao Yanzi immediately winked at Ziwei. Ziwei instantly understood her intention.
"Little Swallow greets the Empress Dowager, may the Empress Dowager be well. Greetings to Princess Yong'an, may Princess Yong'an be well." Little Swallow's keen perception was entirely due to Yongqi's guidance.
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