She was very satisfied.
"Zhou Hanyan pays respects to the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager live a thousand years!"
The Empress Dowager was even more pleased with Zhou Hanyan's fluent Mandarin, which dispelled the gloom brought about by the Zhao Yan and Consort Ning incident. She kindly called Zhou Hanyan to her side and asked, "My dear child, are you homesick?"
"I do want to, but Sister A-Jun is so good to Han-Yan, so it's not that I really miss home." She said stubbornly, but in reality, she missed home very much, and her eyes were red.
Such a woman, who wears her emotions on her sleeve, has not been seen in the palace for many years, including Zhao Shu, who hasn't had one since she was nine years old. The Empress Dowager was quite moved and patted her hand, saying, "Good child, treat this place as your home. If you are wronged, come to me, and I will stand up for you."
Zhou Hanyan was so moved she almost cried. She had heard that the Empress Dowager was in charge of the government and was a dignified person, and many people were afraid of her. But at this moment, she only felt the Empress Dowager's kindness, not a bit fierce.
She sniffed. "Yes, Hanyan definitely will, Your Majesty. I remember reading in a storybook that one must perform a song to pay homage to the Empress Dowager. How about Hanyan sings for you?"
"Fine." The Empress Dowager glanced at Zhao Shu, pretending to be very dissatisfied with her, and said, "This blockhead has never been able to please me."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu immediately shrugged and spread her hands, "You see, you don't care about A-Jun anymore, you've started caring about someone else instead."
"If I don't love you, what are you going to do with me?" The Empress Dowager said with a smile, acting shamelessly—no, acting like a rogue.
When Zhou Hanyan first met the Empress Dowager, she could tell that she was in a bad mood. Seeing that Zhao Shu wasn't really angry, she said, "Sister Ajun, you're going to lose favor."
"You're everywhere, why aren't you singing?" Zhao Shu rolled her eyes at her, but the next moment, the group burst into laughter.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's brows gradually relax, she finally felt relieved.
Zhou Hanyan has a beautiful singing voice and is very talented. If she were to receive guidance from a renowned teacher, she would surely achieve great things in time. However, nowadays, most people look down on courtesans, and no one would choose to become one, especially those of high status.
Moreover, the songs of foreign tribes were quite novel, and the Empress Dowager did not show any old-fashioned disdain for them. She listened attentively and, after being pleased, generously rewarded Zhou Hanyan with some good things.
The Cining Palace was filled with joy and harmony, but other places were quite different.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
