With light makeup and a peach-like face, a touch of osmanthus blossom between her brows echoed the golden crow about to fall from the sky. Her water sleeves fluttered amidst the ongoing opera music, and then slowly retracted and tossed upwards to the sound of strings and drums.
The light skirt with small bells makes a soft tinkling sound as she walks, but it's not noisy at all. When combined with the opera music, it sounds like a clear, melodious stream.
After the dance, Xie bowed respectfully, her silk-like black hair loose, with only a single begonia flower swaying precariously at her temple, making her appear like a fairy.
The room was completely silent.
Li Chenjiao, however, took a piece of the begonia-shaped flower cake from the table with great interest and slowly savored it.
"The kitchen's skills are getting better and better, making such delicious pastries." She lowered her voice, and only Princess Wu beside her heard her when she quickly came to her senses.
Princess Wu covered her lips with a handkerchief: "That seductive and alluring thing is really an eyesore."
A princess in a proper backyard, being properly selected for a grand election, is now standing on a stage like a dancer to compete for favor. What kind of behavior is this?
Wu Gege naturally lowered her voice when she said this.
Xie's dance was indeed beautiful. What if the Fourth Prince liked this kind of dance? Although Wu Gege disliked it, she wouldn't blindly make enemies.
She quietly looked away, not wanting to see any more.
Although she couldn't see the expressions of the Fujin and the Fourth Prince, Wu Gege could probably guess how bad the Fujin's face must be.
Indeed, the princess's face looked very pale at that moment.
The Fujin (wife) now found Xie Shi (née Xie) utterly irritating and increasingly regretted her decision to agree when she saw Xie Shi's portrait.
At this moment, the Fujin (principal wife) could not reveal her true feelings in her tone. She held back and turned her head to look at the Fourth Prince while speaking, keeping an eye on his expression as she spoke.
"I didn't expect Consort Xie to be so talented. She's kept it a secret for far too long. I almost didn't realize we had such a capable person in our household. What do you think, Your Highness?"
The Fourth Prince raised his eyes, his gaze deep, but then he suddenly smiled meaningfully: "Here's a reward."
Is this for the audience watching the play or for the dancers?
But no matter how you look at it, it's probably not what the Xie family above wanted after all their hard work.
Hearing Fourth Master's deep voice from behind, Li Chenjiao almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Fourth Master's words were truly disrespectful; they were practically stabbing Xie in the back.
The gloom on the Fujin's face lessened a bit, and she slowly smiled: "Indeed, she deserves a reward."
The Xie family member above was indeed able to hold her own. She simply gave another graceful bow and then slowly withdrew.
There are two more plays that the Princess Consort requested.
Fourth Master stared at the stage, secretly chuckling to himself.
The palace banquets have been filled with scheming singers and dancers; the Fourth Prince has seen countless of them over the years, if not thousands.
Fourth Master is not the kind of person who is attracted by a face alone.
For him, the backyard was a place of peace and tranquility.
Therefore, the concept of checks and balances becomes particularly important.
The Fourth Prince knew exactly what attitude to take to prevent chaos in the inner quarters.
As for the Xie family—
Fourth Master sneered again; he didn't need to take action at all.
After the fourth act of the play ended, the Fourth Prince should have gone to the main courtyard to rest, since today was the fifteenth.
When the Fujin (princess's wife) stood up, the Fourth Prince did not: "Where is Madam Xie?"
Xie Hengyi, who had just changed back into her Manchu attire, stood up upon hearing the voice: "This servant is here."
The Fourth Prince then stood up, his gaze falling on Xie Shi, who was bowing: "I'm going to your place today."
The smile on the princess's face froze completely.
These words carry immense weight.
The Fujin's gaze fell on Xie Shi almost instantly.
Just as the princess was about to try to save face by saying she was unwell, she saw that the fourth prince had already strode away.
Madam Xie slowly rose, greeted the Fujin without raising her head, and then followed closely behind the Fourth Prince as they left.
The room fell silent again.
The Fourth Prince had casually mentioned "seeing the reward" earlier, but now, knowing it was the fifteenth, he still went to Madam Xie's courtyard.
Even someone as clever as Princess Wu was now somewhat unable to figure out what the Fourth Prince was thinking.
However, this incident made her more cautious. The Fourth Prince's thoughts were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
Knowing that the Fujin was in a bad mood, Wu Gege nodded to her and said, "This servant is feeling a bit weak, so I'll take my leave now."
With her belly protruding, Lady Wu was indeed finding it difficult to even perform the proper etiquette.
Even if Song was not very clever, she could tell something from the Fujin's barely concealed expression. At this moment, she quickly found an excuse: "Before I left, the eldest princess was crying and making a fuss. I am really worried about her now, so I will take my leave first."
The Fujin didn't even hear what excuse Li Chenjiao gave for leaving. She sat back in the rosewood carved chair, her breathing becoming somewhat labored.
After a long while, the Fujin finally spoke through gritted teeth: "Xie Shi—" Her voice was shrill, clearly showing that she was extremely hateful at this moment.
Today is the fifteenth, and the Princess Consort had obviously made preparations in the main courtyard, but now it's all in vain.
It's all because of the Xie family, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Who found this opera troupe? Who let Xie Shi go on stage?" the Fujin asked again.
Yu Ru hurriedly replied, "Most of today's banquet was arranged by Granny Xu. After lunch, the Princess Consort returned from the palace saying she had a headache, so Granny Xu didn't come to disturb her."
The princess took a deep breath: "Help me back to the main courtyard. Tomorrow, I'll have someone send a reward to Madam Xie. I'll make sure it's a generous reward."
The princess emphasized the words "thick" when she said them.
Today's incident has definitely made the Fujin hate Xie Shi.
Li Chenjiao bowed and said she was feeling unwell before leaving Taiqing Courtyard.
The moonlight shone softly, and the three of them, master and servant, remained silent. The path leading the way with the lantern was also quiet.
Qiu Ci couldn't hold back any longer and spoke first: "Gege Xie's performance today seems to this servant like a mirage."
Qiu Ci thought this way, naturally she couldn't understand why the Fourth Master had calmly said he would give her a reward, but then went to Xie Gege's courtyard to stay overnight on the fifteenth.
Li Chenjiao repeated, "It's like a mirage, but unfortunately it probably doesn't even qualify as a mirage."
Li Chenjiao used to think that the Fourth Prince's fondness for her in the East Courtyard was perhaps because of her appearance, but now she felt that it wasn't.
Fourth Master was a man who valued rules very much. Even when Li Chenjiao was favored, he would never dine at her place on the first or fifteenth of the month, let alone stay overnight.
Someone who truly cares about you will consider the consequences of their actions.
The Princess Consort had far too many ways to punish a young princess; the disgusting methods alone were countless.
Not to mention Xie's actions today, which are blatant attempts to snatch someone from the Fujin on the fifteenth, a slap in the face to the Fujin.
Fourth Master did not like Lady Xie.
Instead, they ruthlessly pushed the Xie family into the eye of the storm.
First of all, the Fujin (principal wife) will keep a close eye on Xie.
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