Song Xibai insisted on giving it to her, and when Yuan Qingshao repeatedly declined, he simply stuck the hairpin on top of her head.
"I cannot refuse a gift from an elder!"
Yuan Qingshao subconsciously touched her hair bun and thanked Song Xibai again.
Song Xibai pinched her little face and started chatting.
Meanwhile, Princess Qin had finished eating, and the maidservant hurriedly cleared away the bowls and plates and replaced them with tea.
Song Xibai sat down next to Princess Qin with Yuan Qingshao in his arms.
"The little princess is so well-behaved and sensible, with polite manners and proper etiquette. She is truly worthy of being born to the princess. I wish I could have a daughter like her."
Yuan Qingshao rarely received such open praise, and her face flushed slightly as she lowered her head shyly.
Princess Qin smiled, pursing her lips.
"Don't praise her like that, children can't handle being praised."
Song Xibai raised an eyebrow: "I disagree! A young lady should be praised more often, which can make her more confident and assertive, and less likely to be bullied."
This statement startled the Queen Consort of Qin.
"What right does a young woman have to be so opinionated? At home, she should obey her father; after marriage, she should obey her husband. After marriage, being a good wife and mother is the proper way."
"Your Highness, you are mistaken. Qing Shao is a princess of our royal family! Even if she marries in the future, she will still be a princess. If her husband is wrong, why should she listen to him?"
Song Xibai tapped Yuan Qingshao's nose.
Yuan Qingshao blinked her big eyes at Song Xibai, her eyes filled with curiosity.
No one has ever said anything like that to her before!
Princess Qin stared blankly at Song Xibai, suddenly beginning to doubt whether she was wrong in how she taught her daughter. Her daughter was different from her; the lives of a princess and the daughter of a third-rank official were not the same.
She was caught in a dilemma.
Song Xibai did not notice the change in the Princess Qin's expression.
She felt that it was probably because she was pregnant that she felt particularly close to children.
Moreover, Yuan Qingshao is smart and sensible; who wouldn't like her?
Yuan Qingshao stayed temporarily at the West Third Palace under the pretext of taking care of her mother. The Prince of Qin originally wanted his daughter to persuade the Princess to return to the palace, but unexpectedly, he lost both his wife and his daughter. He was depressed for a long time and became angrier the more he thought about it. The next day, he refused to come again.
Looking at the Prince of Qin's temper, Song Xibai thought to herself, "If it weren't for the fact that the princes' marriages are all bestowed by imperial decree, I would definitely make the Princess of Qin divorce him!"
What kind of husband acts like that?
However, after observing for two days, Song Xibai discovered that Princess Qin was not sad.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was Yuan Qingshao, the daughter, who had been diverting her mother's attention by having her admire flowers, do needlework, and play backgammon; the day quickly passed.
Song Xibai joined in with great interest.
She also suggested new ways to play, such as making pressed flowers. Freshly picked petals are sandwiched between rice paper and pressed with thick books. After a few days, they are taken out and they become beautiful pressed flowers that will not fade over time.
She originally wanted to suggest playing Dou Dizhu or Mahjong, but that would be too abrupt and might arouse suspicion. After thinking it over, she finally changed it to Lianliankan.
Borrow backgammon pieces, flip them over and shuffle them on the board. Each player flips one piece, and those with the same pieces can be "eliminated".
This is simple and more suitable for children like Yuan Qingshao.
As expected, as soon as Song Xibai suggested this game, Yuan Qingshao quickly got hooked on it.
Even without Song Xibai's reminder, she figured out how to add other patterns to the chess pieces and even gave them a nickname: Flower Chess Pieces.
Seeing this, Song Xibai enthusiastically discussed with her what flowers to use, and finally decided on twelve kinds of flowers.
The chessboard was too small, so they had someone build a larger one.
Song Xibai couldn't go every day, so when she wasn't there, Yuan Qingshao would play with the palace maids from the West Third Palace.
Within a few days, this novel way of playing spread among the palace maids and eunuchs.
The palace servants called this "flower chess," and the chess pieces had all sorts of patterns. To distinguish them, the one that Song Xibai and Yuan Qingshao originally played was called "Flower Goddess Chess."
The latest trends in the palace have always been the objects of imitation for people in the capital, and have also been the popular trends in the Great Yin Dynasty.
Half a month later, Song Xibai learned that this card game had become the most fashionable game in the capital.
It was just a game, so there was no need to hide it. Therefore, everyone inside and outside the palace knew that this card game was invented by one of the Crown Prince's concubines.
After the story spread to the common people, many of them did not know what a "Liangdi" was, so they privately called Song Xibai "Flower Goddess".
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince was immediately moved and summoned his advisors to begin building momentum for Song Xibai.
The name of the Flower Goddess quickly spread from the capital to all corners of the country.
The Crown Prince even commissioned one of his most talented advisors to write a play about a flower goddess who descended to earth to repay a debt of gratitude, bearing children for her benefactor.
As soon as the play was written, the Crown Prince excitedly brought it to Song Xibai to see.
After reading it, Song Xibai was completely stunned.
This is practically a combination of the Snail Fairy and the White Snake Lady!
"This advisor is a real talent!"
Although the Flower Goddess was portrayed as too gentle and virtuous in the play, and she didn't get angry even when she was wronged or misunderstood, like a saint, which Song Xibai found a little hard to accept, the plot was still quite dramatic.
"Your Highness, how about we change the ending?"
Song Xibai pointed to the last few paragraphs and offered his suggestion.
Because the prototypes were the Crown Prince and Song Xibai, the advisor wrote a happy ending where the Flower Goddess gave up her immortal body and stayed in the mortal world, living happily ever after with her benefactor.
"So what if it ended? Isn't it good this way?"
The prince was puzzled.
Song Xibai tapped the paper with her fingers.
"Your Highness may not know this, but throughout history, the most unforgettable stories are always tragedies. If the ending is too perfect, people will forget it as soon as they see it, but if the ending is tragic, they will probably never forget it for a lifetime, so that it can be passed down more widely and for longer!"
Song Xibai knew about the Crown Prince's plan; all of this was for the sake of the child in her womb.
By establishing Song Xi's title as the "reincarnation of the Flower Goddess," and using this story as a foundation for publicity, the subsequent news of her pregnancy can mitigate a lot of trouble.
The Crown Prince went to great lengths for Song Xibai and the child.
“You’re right, Qingqing. I’ll take it back and have someone revise it.”
The crown prince left excitedly again.
Song Xibai touched her stomach.
She is now more than three months pregnant, and her belly is slightly undulating, but not noticeably; it's not visible when she's wearing clothes.
But as the weather gets hotter and the clothes get thinner, they won't be able to cover us up in less than a month.
Now she only allows Wei Hong to be near her, and she checks everything she eats, drinks, wears, and uses repeatedly, being extremely careful.
"I hope everything goes well!"
Song Xibai looked out the door and muttered to herself.
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