Chapter 77 The Talent Show (First Release on Jinjiang Literature City)
The group entered Shou Kang Palace and immediately saw the Empress Dowager talking with several imperial concubines.
The Empress sat at the head of the table, her belly not very noticeable, but her face radiated maternal glow. Consort Luo smiled silently, sitting to the left of the Empress, seemingly unconcerned about the matter.
Consort Shu, Consort Xian, and Consort Wan, Zhou Xiaoyan's birth mother, sat on either side. While Consort Shu and Consort Xian were talking, Consort Wan was ignored. However, she seemed more excited than the two of them, staring at the door as if waiting for the young ladies to enter.
As for the fourth prince's birth mother, she didn't even have the right to come over.
As soon as the Crown Prince led the Fifth Prince inside, the Empress Dowager smiled and dismissed their formalities, beckoning to the Crown Prince: "Come here and let your grandmother take a look. It's been a long time since you've been here, and you look thinner."
The Crown Prince replied gently, "You haven't lost weight at all; you're still the same as before."
The Empress Dowager patted the Crown Prince's hand with a loving expression and said softly, "Go and sit down. You've come here today to give your younger brothers a heads-up."
Although they were said to have several younger brothers, only the fourth and fifth princes were actually choosing wives. The Empress Dowager glanced at Zhou Xiaoyan, nodded slightly, and didn't say anything more.
The Crown Prince was very pleased with the Empress Dowager's preferential treatment, but said aloud, "With my grandmother here, I'm just going through the motions."
The Empress Dowager was amused by him and her face was full of smiles. The two looked very intimate.
Standing behind Zhou Xiaoyan, Fu Mingzi couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Although the grandfather and grandson weren't related by blood, their acting skills were just as good as those of biological parents; they were both masters.
Fu Mingzi turned her gaze to Consort Wan, who was sitting to the side. She was looking at Zhou Xiaoyan with an expectant expression, as if waiting for Zhou Xiaoyan to come forward and pay his respects.
Zhou Xiaoyan naturally wouldn't be impolite in such a situation, so he nodded, walked over, and bowed, saying, "Mother Consort."
Consort Wan held Zhou Xiaoyan's hand: "Today is your big day. You must remember to choose a daughter from a prestigious family. You can't go to see daughters from humble families."
Zhou Xiaoyan frowned. He knew Consort Wan would say such a thing, but he wasn't angry. He just said in a low voice, "This matter depends on Father Emperor's will. Mother Consort, please don't say such presumptuous things."
Consort Wan paused, her face flushing red. She wanted to say something more, but ultimately dared not disobey Zhou Xiaoyan. She could only suppress her anger and whisper, "I'm doing this for your own good, you..."
"Alright!" Seeing that the Empress Dowager's gaze was about to shift over, Zhou Xiaoyan hurriedly stopped Consort Wan from speaking: "I'm going back to sit down. You should stay put and not say anything out of line today. Father Emperor will take care of everything."
Consort Wan also noticed the Empress Dowager's gaze. In the end, she did not dare to be presumptuous in front of the Empress Dowager, so she could only shut her mouth and dare not speak again.
Fu Mingzi turned and went to her seat. After sitting for a while, the Fourth Prince also arrived. When he came in, the Empress Dowager remained calm and composed. Then he also came over and sat down between Fu Mingzi and the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, Fifth Brother," the Fourth Prince greeted them with a smile.
Zhou Xiaoyan nodded calmly, while the Crown Prince smiled and said, "Today is also a good day for you, Fourth Brother. I imagine Father has already made his decision. Fourth Brother, you must seize the opportunity."
The fourth prince smiled and said, "What opportunity is there? It's all up to Father Emperor to decide."
The Crown Prince gave the Fourth Prince a meaningful look, then turned his head away.
The sixth prince also came later. Although he was only fourteen years old, it would be too late to wait until the next selection, so he decided to come along this time to settle things first. The marriage could be discussed later. The main candidates for this selection were these few people. As for the other princes, they naturally did not need to come.
The Sixth Prince was much more favored by the Empress Dowager, who asked him a few more questions. Fu Mingzi knew that this was because the Empress Dowager's maternal family was also a prominent family, so she valued these concubines and princes from prominent families.
After everyone was seated, the young ladies-in-waiting arrived shortly afterward. Perhaps knowing why they had come today, these young ladies-in-waiting all seemed a little nervous. When they entered and saw the princes, this nervousness became even more apparent on their faces.
The Empress Dowager gently comforted them for a few moments, and then asked to see their embroidery skills. So she presented them with embroidery tools, and the young ladies began to demonstrate their embroidery skills.
Before long, the handkerchiefs were finished and presented to the Empress Dowager for her approval. The Empress Dowager looked at the handkerchiefs of the two Mu family girls and nodded: "Not bad, they are indeed girls from a prominent family, they have a certain air about them."
Then he looked at the handkerchief of the Xia family girl: "The embroidery is exquisite, not much different from those in the palace."
The Xia family girl was overjoyed, her face flushed, and she subconsciously glanced at the Sixth Prince.
The sixth prince didn't even raise an eyebrow, seemingly not appreciating his cousin much.
Fu Mingzi couldn't help but whisper, "It seems the Sixth Prince doesn't like Miss Xia..."
Zhou Xiaoyan pursed his lips, thinking of his past life, and said in a low voice, "Sixth Brother is indeed unwilling, but he has no choice in the matter."
Fu Mingzi couldn't help but chuckle: "It seems we've actually done a good thing."
He was referring to the matter of giving Miss Xia to the Fourth Prince.
Zhou Xiaoyan didn't speak, but his eyes already held a deep meaning. In his previous life, the Sixth Prince married Miss Xia, but the two were a resentful couple for life. The Sixth Prince was a womanizer, and Miss Xia was ruthless, killing many favored women. When he heard that the Xia family was destroyed, the Sixth Prince completely neglected Miss Xia, and Miss Xia almost hanged herself. In this life, they changed this matter, but he didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
As they were talking, the Empress Dowager appraised the embroidery of others, but the most outstanding pieces belonged to the daughters of the Xia and Mu families.
The other young ladies couldn't help but cast envious glances at them. They knew very well that they were probably just there to make up for these men.
They were particularly envious of Miss Xia, since they knew exactly what the Mu family was like and would certainly not arrange a marriage, but the Xia family might actually produce a princess consort.
At this moment, Fu Mingzi also glanced at the two girls from the Mu family. Mu Xuexi had her head down and looked humble, while Mu Xueqing had a slight blush on her face and kept glancing at them from time to time.
The sweep was naturally aimed at the Fourth Prince, but the action was so subtle that only the observant Fu Mingzi noticed it.
After the Empress Dowager finished appreciating the last handkerchief, she was finally satisfied and nodded, saying, "Alright, what fun is it for you young people to keep an old woman like me company? I heard that the forsythia in the Imperial Garden is in bloom. You should all go and take a look, so that you won't sit here complaining that I'm keeping you from being restricted."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince hurriedly smiled and said, "Grandmother, what are you saying? I enjoy sitting here listening to you speak. Since it has nothing to do with me today, let my brothers go out for a stroll. I'll stay here with you."
The Crown Prince's move pleased the Empress Dowager and demonstrated that he would not interfere in his brothers' marriages, making him appear very magnanimous.
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "You're so good with words. Well then, stay here and keep me company."
The crown prince stayed behind, while the other princes could only maintain their dignity and leave on their own. After the princes had all left, the young ladies-in-waiting also went out under the guidance of their instructors.
As soon as Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi went out, they headed ahead. The Fourth Prince originally wanted to follow them, but he was held back by the Sixth Prince. As a result, they were delayed and Zhou Xiaoyan and the others disappeared from sight.
The fourth prince frowned and looked at the sixth prince: "Is there something you need?"
The sixth prince gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Fourth brother, I don't want to marry my cousin. Can you think of a way for me?"
The fourth prince was furious when he heard this: "Nonsense!" He said sternly, "This kind of thing is decided by Father Emperor. How can you and I overstep our bounds?"
The Sixth Prince looked displeased: "My cousin is always putting on airs and pretending. I suffered a lot at her when we were young. I don't want to marry her. She's a tigress and has a vicious heart."
The fourth prince was somewhat annoyed. This person was truly ungrateful for his good fortune. He himself was in an awkward position, and he wouldn't even dare to dream of marrying into a family like the Xia family, yet this person was here picking and choosing.
That Xia family girl looks like a gentle and well-mannered person. Even if she's a bit spoiled, how powerful can she be? The Sixth Prince can't even handle a woman himself, yet he's talking about her here. He's probably just showing off that he has a good father-in-law.
However, the Fourth Prince suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Don't think too much about this kind of thing. Childhood is childhood, and the present is the present. I think that Miss Xia cares about you quite a bit. Once you get married, things will naturally get better."
The Sixth Prince didn't believe this at all, but he could only shut up now, because even if he was stupid, he knew that the Fourth Prince probably couldn't do anything about this.
The two of them walked together toward the place where the forsythia was in bloom, since all the young ladies were there, and they had to go and take a look, even if it meant putting on an act.
When they arrived, they saw Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi about to leave. The Fourth Prince's expression changed slightly, and he went to greet them: "Fifth Brother, you came quickly. Why are you leaving again?"
Zhou Xiaoyan raised his eyes: "After admiring the flowers, we should naturally leave. Are we just going to stand here doing nothing?"
Unable to glean the information he sought, the Fourth Prince could only observe the reactions of the young ladies. He noticed that they all wore expressions of regret, with only the two girls from the Mu family appearing calmer. The Fourth Prince understood that Zhou Xiaoyan had likely not taken a liking to them.
For some reason, the Fourth Prince felt a sense of relief. Among these young ladies, although few came from families as distinguished as the Mu and Xia families, many came from official families. He did not want Zhou Xiaoyan to get there first.
Thinking of this, the Fourth Prince stepped aside and said with a smile, "Then I won't keep Fifth Brother any longer."
Zhou Xiaoyan nodded perfunctorily and walked away.
Fu Mingzi lowered his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. He glanced at Mu Xuexi. They had just arrived, and only Fu Mingzi and Mu Xuexi had exchanged a few words. He hinted that she should take the Xia family girl for a walk by the lake later, but he didn't say much else, hoping that Mu Xuexi would understand his deeper meaning.
The Fourth Prince noticed Fu Mingzi's glance, and his expression darkened. He also looked at Mu Xuexi, a sudden unease rising in his heart.
He turned his head and watched Zhou Xiaoyan and the other person walk towards the lake, a thought vaguely forming in his mind.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi, having left the flower-viewing area, went to the lakeside and found a secluded spot to hide, waiting for the good show to begin.
After a while, they heard voices coming from the direction of Mu Xuexi and the Xia family girl.
"Oh dear, I dropped my purse. I want to go back and look for it. Sister Xia, you go ahead first," Mu Xuexi's voice came through, filled with frustration.
Summer said in a soft, gentle voice, "Then go quickly, I'll wait for you by the lake."
Mu Xuexi smiled, apologized again, and then hurriedly left.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
