Looking at Chen Nian and Qing'er sitting above, Xiao Yanzi blinked, feeling inexplicably relieved.
Upon receiving Xiao Yanzi's gaze, Chen Nian subconsciously blinked back.
One wink was enough to charm Little Swallow so much that she forgot what she was there for.
"Cough cough—"
Seeing that the person hadn't moved for a long time, the Emperor coughed lightly.
"Ah, oh, right."
When Little Swallow heard the cough, she remembered why she had come, and whispered to herself.
Then he knelt down and began to bow, kneeling firmly, but there was still an element of laziness involved, because...
After a moment of contemplation, Little Swallow turned and bowed four times, a slight smile playing on her lips.
It has to be said that Little Swallow has a certain comedic element to her character.
"Little Swallow, Little Swallow greets the Empress Dowager, Father Emperor, Empress, and Consort Ling."
As she watched, Shen Nian realized she had discovered another bug: Xiao Yanzi was kneeling, while Ziwei, a palace maid, was standing perfectly straight.
He glanced around at the reactions of the others, and thankfully, no one noticed anything amiss.
Seeing that Xiao Yanzi had done her rites without any mistakes, the Emperor smiled with satisfaction.
After Xiao Yanzi finished her greetings, Chen Nian watched as Ziwei knelt down and introduced herself.
"This servant Ziwei greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. May Your Majesty be blessed. This servant Ziwei greets Her Majesty the Empress and Her Majesty Consort Ling."
Chen Nian quietly turned his head to look at the Empress Dowager, and sure enough, he saw the Empress Dowager's furrowed brows.
Chen Nian glanced at Qing'er again, and Qing'er's brows furrowed slightly, clearly sensing that something was wrong. Their eyes met, and then they looked away at the same time.
I understand the meaning in their eyes.
Shen Nian never expected Ziwei to be so "showy".
"The Emperor has already told me your story. It seems I've missed quite a few good shows while I've been away from the palace."
The Empress Dowager continued speaking.
As Chen Nian listened to the old lady speak, she couldn't help but sit up slightly. Here it comes, here comes Little Swallow's twisted logic is about to begin.
Watching Xiao Yanzi turn her head to look at Ziwei, he pondered: ...
Shen Nian felt that Qing'er's hard work in teaching Xiao Yanzi yesterday had been in vain, as Xiao Yanzi hadn't remembered a single thing.
Even with Qing'er's detailed instruction, I couldn't remember it, let alone the rough parts.
As I watched, my eyes filled with disappointment and frustration.
Forget it, she'd better just watch the show and not worry about it. Little Swallow has the protagonist's halo; it's not her place to worry about her as an outsider.
But whether she had any worries in her heart, only she herself knew.
While everyone's attention was on Xiao Yanzi, Chen Nian groped for a piece of pastry and ate it slowly. Her stomach hurt a little. She didn't expect that she had stomach problems in her previous life and that she would have them in this life as well. What a tragedy.
In her past life, she grew up in an orphanage. The orphanage was poor, and she often didn't know where her next meal would come from. When she was hungry, she could only fill her stomach with cold water. When she grew up and became rich, she was too busy with work and it was too late to make a change. She could only slowly raise her.
In this life, because she was sickly as a child and had to take medicine, she had a poor appetite. Over time, she developed stomach problems and could only slowly recover. As she grew up, she became more capable of improving her health, but she still couldn't skip meals, or her stomach would hurt after a while.
Whether anyone inside the hall noticed Chen Nian sneaking a bite, Ertai didn't know, but he, being outside the hall, certainly saw it.
Ertai looked at the person who was stealing food, his eyes filled with laughter. He hadn't expected to see her so early in the morning.
Little Swallow's explanation has begun.
"Thank goodness, I mean, no, it's not."
"Your Majesty, I..."
Little Swallow stammered as she spoke, then sighed as if she had given up.
"Your Majesty, what you missed was something you were meant to miss, because I have been making mistakes since I entered the palace. You can let it go."
It has to be said that the little expression on Xiao Yanzi's face when she said that made people want to laugh.
Sure enough, Qing'er smiled, and Chen Nian, who was eating pastries, stopped and tried hard to suppress her laughter.
"Your Majesty, that's just how Little Swallow talks. She hasn't been taught proper manners yet."
It has to be said that the Emperor really likes Xiao Yanzi. He tried to smooth things over for her, but Shen Nian thought this might have dug a pit for Xiao Yanzi.
If it weren't for the fact that Xiao Yanzi hadn't been taught proper manners, she thought it would be easier for Xiao Yanzi to pass the test.
Actually, Shen Nian had another guess in his heart.
This might also be a reminder to the Empress Dowager, because Xiao Yanzi's manners were not taught well, and the Emperor knew that with Xiao Yanzi's temperament, she would definitely cause trouble in the future. So, he was giving the Empress Dowager a heads-up so that if Xiao Yanzi caused trouble later, the Empress Dowager would be more accepting of it.
Of course, this is just her personal speculation and has no basis whatsoever.
As expected, upon hearing that Xiao Yanzi hadn't been taught proper manners, the old lady, who had finally managed a slight smile because of Xiao Yanzi's twisted logic, turned serious again.
"She's been in the palace for so long, and she still hasn't been taught proper manners. Who's teaching Little Swallow manners?"
The Empress Dowager looked around at the people in the hall, her tone stern.
The moment the words were spoken, the serious atmosphere in the room intensified, and no one dared to speak without permission.
"Your Majesty, it was I who instructed Rong Momo to teach them, but..."
Receiving the Empress Dowager's gaze upon her, the Empress took a deep breath and spoke.
Listening to the Empress's words and glancing at the Emperor's stiff face, Chen Nian's brows furrowed slightly.
No wonder the Emperor no longer liked the Empress and preferred Consort Ling, who was a kind and understanding woman.
As Chen Nian was listening, the Empress suddenly fell silent and changed her tone.
"Your Majesty, it is my fault."
Even though losing more than half of her resources would be detrimental to Xiao Yanzi, the Emperor's expression wasn't as grim as it appeared in the drama.
Chen Nian blinked: ? ? ? The Empress changed her personality? How come she's different from the one in the drama?
Actually, Shen Nian doesn't dislike the Empress. As the head of the harem, if she doesn't pay attention to the rules, the harem will be in chaos.
As for Xiao Yanzi, an outsider princess, one should be wary. If she were to treat Xiao Yanzi as well as Consort Ling, how would Consort Ling manage the harem? Wouldn't Xiao Yanzi be even more likely to cause trouble?
Those in positions of power in the harem all indulge Xiao Yanzi; wouldn't she become unruly and lawless?
The responsibilities of an empress and a concubine are different...
Little did she know, the Empress, seeing Shen Nian's furrowed brows and her gaze lingering on her, changed her words to avoid making her feel that she was difficult to get along with.
But the words spoken earlier cannot be taken back.
"What do you mean by 'true nature'?"
Hearing the Empress Dowager's question, Xiao Yanzi had no idea how to answer. Could it be that she was a troublemaker and didn't know the rules? Xiao Yanzi turned to look at Ziwei.
Seeing the frightened little swallow, Ziwei's heart skipped a beat, she tightened her grip on the handkerchief, and took a deep breath.
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
