August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
As soon as the night watchman's call sounded at the hour of Mao, the palace became noisy.
The maids coming and going were all dressed in blue, some were sweeping the courtyard, some were carrying chores, and each of them had a festive look on her face.
The warm sunshine is reflected on the small lake in Songxueyuan, and the ripples are sparkling. A few koi fish are swimming in the clear water, adding a bit of tranquility.
Zhang You planned to give Qiao Si a gentler makeup look. After all, it was Mid-Autumn Festival, and Qiao Si's aura was too strong on weekdays. However, the Mid-Autumn Festival family reunion dinner was not suitable for a harsh look, and should be warmer.
Zhang You carefully cleansed Qiao Si's face with warm water and wiped the water stains on his face with a dry towel.
Qiao Si has very good skin. Looking closely, her face is fair and has a rosy complexion even without makeup.
Zhang You searched the powder box on the dressing table, took out a thin layer of pearls and applied it on Qiao Si to make her skin look a little whiter; Zhang You then picked up the stone ink and carefully drew a small mountain eyebrow for Qiao Si; then she used homemade rouge to apply it on the corners of the eyes, eyelids, and cheeks, and gently blended it to make her look a lot softer.
Zhang You found a peony flower in her makeup box and stuck it on Qiao Si's forehead, then added a rice-sized pearl on top, and finally applied sunset-red lip balm on Qiao Si.
Beautiful but not gaudy, dignified and peaceful.
Zhang You himself admires his own craftsmanship.
Chunhua and Cuiliu together made a magpie bun for Qiao Si, which added a bit of liveliness when paired with Qiao Si's Fei Niao Lingchun headdress inlaid with oriental pearls.
"The princess looks really good in this outfit."
Qiuyue and Dongmei dressed Qiao Si in her lotus-pink brocade straight-collared skirt embroidered with peonies. Hongmei fastened Qiao Si's belt and jade pendant and, looking at his outfit, could not help but exclaim in admiration.
"Yes."
Qiao Si raised his hand and looked at his sleeves, feeling very satisfied.
"Okay, it's getting late, let's go to Mother first."
Qiao Si led the group of eight people to the princess's Danhuayuan.
Only then did I realize that Qiao Er and Qiao Nai had already arrived and were chatting with the princess.
"Mother."
Qiao Si walked over and paid his respects to the princess.
"Why isn't Father here?"
Qiao Si found a place to sit down and asked.
"Your father has gone to inspect the city. He is very busy."
"Father is always worried."
"I heard there's a lantern festival in the city tonight. Cousin, Fourth Sister, are you going with us? Mother, why don't you go out with us tonight? It's a rare opportunity to catch the Dingzhou Lantern Festival."
After taking a sip of tea, Qiao Er gently put down the teacup and started a conversation.
"As for me, forget it. I'm old and don't like these things anymore. You sisters should go out together."
"How can mother be old? I think mother is naturally beautiful and there is no trace of aging at all."
Qiao Er acted coquettishly towards the princess in a cheerful tone.
It is rare to see Qiao Er, who is usually aloof and aloof, acting like a child and acting coquettishly with the princess.
The princess was amused by her words and laughed softly.
"Oh, I don't like to move anymore, but we can still release sky lanterns together at night."
"Then we have an agreement. Mother, please don't break your promise when the time comes."
The two of them were actually closer than Qiao Si and her. Zhang You discovered that Qiao Si and the princess never seemed to have this kind of casual mother-daughter relationship. Most of the time, when the two of them were together, the conversation would become dull after just three sentences.
Qiao Er was joking with the princess, but Qiao Si just listened quietly without reacting.
"Second sister, I'd rather not go. My status is not suitable for public exposure for the time being."
Qiao Nai refused in a weak voice.
She was afraid that if she left the palace rashly, she would end up bringing trouble to the palace. Although the emperor was far away, even if they knew she was here, they would not be able to do anything to her in a short time, but she also did not want to cause trouble for the palace.
"Cousin, if you're afraid of being discovered, why don't you wear a door curtain and leave the house? It's only one night, it won't be a problem."
"Yes, Xiaonai, it's time for you to go out for a walk. Don't stay at home all the time. Don't be afraid of causing trouble for us. Our palace can still support you."
The princess also tried to persuade her.
Seeing that they had considered everything for her, Qiao Nai no longer refused and agreed.
They talked for an incense stick's worth of time, then the palace steward, Bai, came to announce that the prince had returned home. They stopped talking and all rose to go to the front hall, where they would have lunch.
Zhang You and the others followed closely behind, following Qiao Si to the front hall.
Zhang You often lamented that these second-class maids were actually just a bunch of pretentious people.
When Qiao Si is around, he only needs Jingzhu, Cuiliu and Hongmei to serve him. Apart from doing things for Qiao Si in the yard, Zhang You and the others only need to be obedient followers and follow behind him to maintain Qiao Si's aura.
But this is safe.
Zhang You and her friends found an opportunity and had lunch in a side room at the corner.
During lunch, Zhang You secretly watched and saw that they looked like an ordinary family.
After drinking a little wine, the prince began to chatter about some interesting things about guarding the border. The princess listened quietly with a smile in her eyes without saying a word.
Qiao Er and the others would chime in with the prince, recounting their own amusing encounters. Qiao Da, still acting uninhibited, earned the prince a few scoldings. But then, seemingly reflecting on the rare reunion, the prince patiently shared his experiences and offered guidance. Qiao Da seemed nonchalant, and it was unclear whether he was listening.
However, they did not follow the rule of not talking while eating or sleeping. They all talked about their own things during the banquet. It was a rare opportunity for them to reunite, so they especially cherished this hard-earned peace.
After finishing the meal, it was already three quarters past three in the afternoon. The princess had already returned to her room for a nap. Seeing that Qiao Er and the others were also tired, the prince did not continue chatting with them and each returned to their room for a nap.
During lunch break, the yard is rarely quiet.
After waking up from his lunch break, Qiao Si sat in the pavilion in the middle of the lake in the yard, feeding the koi carp intermittently.
Suddenly, a maid ran into the yard in a panic, saying that there were guests visiting.
Zhang You's left eyelid kept twitching, and he always felt that this guest had bad intentions.
After Qiao Si asked Zhang You to fix her makeup, she hurried over.
He hurried all the way and just as he reached the reception room, he heard the princess's cold voice from afar.
"Why, aren't the affairs of Dingzhou City enough for you? Why do you still want to come to my palace?"
"Princess, you're joking. Dingzhou is fortunately safe and sound thanks to Your Majesty's perseverance. Now that I've taken over Dingzhou, I should definitely come and pay you a visit. However, Dingzhou's affairs are complex, and I've put a lot of thought into it. I only managed to sort it out before the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I thought I'd take advantage of this festive occasion to pay you a visit."
Please forgive me, Your Majesty and Princess, for my inconsiderateness. I didn't bring any gifts with me."
A smooth male voice sounded, and the words it said made people feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
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