For several days in a row, Lanqin excused the three girls from paying their respects and only instructed Cui Niang to teach them manners.
Every day, Cui Niang would teach the three girls in the room where they lived. The first thing they learned was how to walk. The first thing they had to do upon entering the palace was to learn how to wear platform shoes and walk with grace and poise.
On this day, Cui Niang came to the house where the three princesses lived and summoned them to the main room to talk. Cui Niang had specially changed into a slightly dignified double-breasted jacket and skirt, which was only worn by governesses. Her hair was neatly combed, and although she only wore some silver hairpins, it made her look more solemn and steady.
"My three princesses, from now on you will all call me Aunt Cui. From today onwards, we will begin learning etiquette. Before we begin, Aunt Cui will first establish three rules for you three princesses. You must abide by these three rules. If you cannot do these three things, then you don't need to learn from me anymore," Aunt Cui said seriously, showing no leniency just because they were Lanqin's sisters. Because if she didn't strictly demand of them, that would be neglecting Lanqin's duty. If one day these three entered the palace and disgraced themselves in terms of etiquette, then she, as their elder sister, would truly have no honor.
“Aunt Cui, could you please tell me what the three rules are?” Xin Yi spoke first. The other two were probably a little confused by Aunt Cui’s solemn opening remarks.
"Then I'll start by stating these three rules. First, no tardiness or early departures are allowed. I will set a time and end time for daily rule-learning. Second, what you learn each day will generally be assessed on the same day or the next day. If you fail, you must practice on your own. Third, you are not allowed to gossip about anything I teach you to the concubine. She has entrusted you all to me." Cui Niang's gaze swept over the three of them.
"I have no objection, Aunt Cui, don't worry, Xin Yi will definitely abide by your three rules," Xin Yi said, thinking to herself: Although my sister has entrusted everything to this Aunt Cui, she will definitely ask about it every now and then, so I must follow her teachings well.
"I have no objection. I'm already very happy to be able to learn etiquette from Aunt Cui." Shuhui said earnestly, feeling a little nervous. It was said that this aunt came from the palace, and she was probably strict to prevent any mistakes in our selection process.
“If my two younger sisters have no objections, then I have no objections either,” Chen Xiuzhu said happily. She had already been learning from her governess at home for a while, so she was naturally not flustered at all. Anyway, she was only here to get along well with her second cousin, and learning manners was secondary.
Seeing that the three princesses had all expressed their opinions, Cui Niang said, "Alright, then today we will begin our first lesson: walking. In the palace, from the Empress to the palace maids, there are specific rules for how to walk. You will soon be selected as imperial concubines, and the governesses there will teach you how to walk as your first lesson. Why don't you three princesses come forward one by one and let me see you?"
"I'll go first, I'll go first." Chen Xiuzhu had already practiced walking on flowerpots at home, but when she saw Cui Niang say she wanted to learn this, she naturally didn't have the patience. She thought to herself, "I'll show you how it's done, maybe I won't need to learn today's lesson."
Cui Niang glanced at Chen Xiuzhu and said, "Alright, please walk a few steps and take a look, Princess."
Chen Xiuzhu immediately assumed a pose, holding a soft handkerchief in her hand, swaying it as she walked, her waist twisting along with it. Because she was wearing embroidered shoes, she didn't sway as gracefully as if she were wearing platform shoes, but she still walked with a decent gait.
Looking at her, Xinyi and Shuhui both thought she walked very well and looked very beautiful.
After walking around twice, Chen Xiuzhu looked triumphantly at the two people who were staring at her, before turning to Cui Mama and smiling.
"Hmm. Princess Chen walks quite well; she must have learned from someone before. However, while her walk is more charming than dignified, she should avoid twisting her waist so much, straighten her back, and look straight ahead," said Cui Niang truthfully.
Chen Xiuzhu had expected Cui Niang to praise her, but she was surprised to find that Cui Niang still pointed out so many shortcomings. She felt slightly uncomfortable, but she did not show it on her face and said calmly, "Thank you for your advice, Aunt."
Cui Niang nodded and then said to Xin Yi and Shu Hui, "You two just watched how Chen Gege walked. Now, you should learn to stand up, chest out, stomach in, arms swinging slightly to the sides, and eyes looking straight ahead. Do not look to the left or right. Look at me first, and then follow along."
After saying this, Cui Niang turned around, her back to the three girls, straightened her posture, and began to walk. Xin Yi and Shu Hui both followed Cui Niang's example and started walking diligently, but Xiu Zhu was not impressed. She felt that she had already walked very well, but after being told so much by Aunt Cui, she felt a little resistant. So she followed along, but did not pay attention to Cui Niang's posture and walked in the way she had learned.
After leading the three women through several rounds and seeing that they had basically grasped the essentials, Cui Niang let them practice on their own. The three women stood in a row and then walked at Cui Niang's commands. This walking session lasted for an entire hour.
Although it was just simple walking, following these instructions for an hour left all three of them slightly feverish. However, since Cui Niang didn't tell them to stop, they had no choice but to continue following the instructions. Xin Yi and Shu Hui walked more earnestly; having never learned before, they were naturally more interested. Xiu Zhu, having already learned at home, wasn't as enthusiastic, and after half an hour, she started to feel tired.
Cui Niang saw this but remained calm and continued to train them to walk repeatedly.
It wasn't until almost lunchtime that Granny Zhou came to deliver a message, saying that Lanqin had told the three of them to eat in her courtyard.
Upon hearing this, the three women were overjoyed. They had been there for several days but had not yet visited Lanqin. Because Lanqin was a concubine, and they were all guests, they could not easily go to Lanchun Courtyard. Without Lanqin's summons, they were not allowed to go at will.
"I can finally see my cousin! She's been here for several days now," Chen Xiuzhu said happily.
"How have you been these past few days, sister? I heard you have a toothache," Xin Yi asked Granny Zhou.
"Alright, after taking Doctor Liang's medicine, you'll be better in a couple of days. Three princesses, would you like to change your clothes before going to see her?" asked Granny Zhou.
"It's just a meal, and I'm not that particular about food, so I won't change it," Xin Yi said.
Cui Niang smiled and nodded, and was about to turn around and lead them away when she heard Chen Xiuzhu say, "We've been walking all morning, let's change our clothes."
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