"Since your husband has his own ideas, let's do it his way. The Princess can ignore it," the old lady said.
"For those from less prestigious families, just choose someone who is good-looking and has decent character."
"Yes, then this old servant will give the order and begin the selection." If the child is from a family of such high social standing, there's no need to worry; there are plenty of options.
Regardless of what's happening in the capital, people in Chengzhou City continue to be busy.
Shu Zhongjing naturally did not give up investigating the matter. Unfortunately, he was unable to bring the person back.
Even if there are doubts, unfortunately there is no evidence, so it can only be left to fade away slowly.
Yan Nangui was arranging the peonies she had picked from outside into a vase when someone came to deliver a message.
"May Your Highness grant you a blessed visit. His Highness has invited you to see a play."
"Oh? Is there a theatrical troupe in the palace?" Yan Nangui asked.
"Your Highness, there isn't one in the palace, but in a theater in the city. His Highness said there's no rush, and the show isn't starting this early, so please take your time getting ready before you come," the young eunuch said with a smile.
"Then I must dress up properly, so as not to embarrass Your Highness." As she spoke, she glanced at Jiangxiang.
Jiangxiang understood and smiled as she handed the young eunuch a silver ingot, saying, "Thank you for your trouble."
"Sister, you are too kind. Thank you for your generous gift, Mistress Liangyuan."
After saying that, she left happily, thinking to herself, "No wonder my brothers like to do things for the people from Jiyue Pavilion; there are benefits to it."
Yan Nangui thought for a moment, then changed into a pale yellow long dress with a beige bodice trimmed with light yellow edges.
These different shades of yellow, when combined, do not appear cluttered but rather serve as accents. At first glance, they look similar, but upon closer inspection, they reveal subtle differences.
The bodice is embroidered with intertwined branches welcoming spring and adorned with scattered pearls.
She wore a front-opening embroidered jacket over her clothes, which was only slightly shorter than her long skirt. The jacket was off-white in color, which complemented the skirt perfectly.
This jacket is thin, but not see-through.
The edges are embroidered with intertwined flowers of the same color, and the body has subtle patterns that only reveal the petals of the same color when you move around.
She styled her hair in a snake bun, adorned with a beaded chain and cat's-eye stones, and secured with a hairpin.
The hair ornament is adorned with large pearls made of gold thread, swaying precariously and making it quite eye-catching.
The earrings, however, are simply cat-eye pendants made of small beads.
The eyebrows are lightly drawn without a prominent arch, and are slender and curved.
A slight downward stroke is drawn at the corner of the eye, and then a touch of pink blush is blended at the outer corner. It creates a pair of innocent and youthful almond-shaped eyes.
That's why her eyes are so easy to shape.
Full red lips and rosy cheeks.
She then put on a pair of pearl-embroidered shoes of the same color and held a round fan embroidered with butterflies in her hand. What a beautiful woman!
When she stood in front of Shu Chengfeng, the latter was quite amazed.
In early summer, April, she was just like a tender lotus emerging from a pond.
With morning dew on them, the petals slowly unfold in the gentle breeze.
"What dissatisfaction does Your Highness have with me? Why didn't you tell me to get up when I was supposed to pay my respects?" Yan Nangui stood up by herself.
“I am clearly captivated by Nan Gui’s beauty and cannot extricate myself. How can I be dissatisfied? It is all my fault. I will apologize to you.” He then laughed and said, “Yun Ji, find her a set of topaz jewelry. It must be exquisite. If you can’t find any, go out and have them made.”
"Yes." Yun Ji thought to himself, this is a temporary palace, where can we find one? Let's go outside to make it.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"My sister is indeed beautiful. Not to mention His Highness, even I am stunned," Su Liangdi said with a smile.
"Greetings, Sister Su." Yan Nangui smiled, looking at Su Liangdi in her floral dress, which was also very beautiful.
Her eyebrows and eyes were deep-set, especially her eyes, which were bright and sparkling, and she was extremely beautiful.
“Since we’re going south anyway, let’s set off,” Shu Chengfeng said.
"Does Your Highness and Sister Su expect me to? I'm truly embarrassed." Yan Nangui lowered her head.
"A beauty should keep one waiting. It's good that you've arrived," Su Liangdi said with a smile.
Shu Chengfeng smiled too.
Before long, three carriages emerged from the imperial palace and headed straight for the Baixilou, the largest theater in Chengzhou.
People nowadays love to listen to operas, and many wealthy families keep actors to perform.
It's not that I did anything bad, it's just that I sang opera.
Many wealthy families often show off by having opera performances. For example, if your family is hosting a banquet today, you can invite my family's opera troupe to perform.
Who is good at what songs, and how to sing them?
Chengzhou is also a relatively important place for the Northern School of Peking Opera.
Even people in the capital had heard of the Hundred Plays Pavilion, which shows what kind of theater it was.
At this time, opera resembled Kunqu Opera, but it wasn't entirely the same; there were differences between the North and the South. Each region had its own unique tunes.
The North is more rugged, while the South is more delicate.
Therefore, songs from the North often depict family and national grievances, wars, and border conflicts.
In the South, however, there is often a lot of romantic entanglement.
The Hundred Plays Pavilion is very large; although it's called a pavilion, it's actually a very large theater.
The stage is also very large, with three floors in the main building, and the third floor is the best place to watch the play.
The stage is high enough that it's a bit difficult to see from the first floor.
Shu Chengfeng was dressed casually and did not ask anyone to clear the area, but he booked the entire third floor.
The members of the opera troupe were also aware of this, so even though they didn't reveal it, they knew that this person was no ordinary individual.
I don't know for sure if it's the crown prince, but he must be a member of the imperial family.
When Yan Nangui sat down, he looked around and saw that there were many people hiding in the shadows, both inside and out. After all, it was the Crown Prince's trip, not the capital, so they had to be careful.
This Hundred Playhouse truly lives up to its reputation as a famous theater with a history of three hundred years.
The architecture has a classic charm, with the main building and stage surrounded by blooming flowers and swaying willows. There are also artificial hills, springs, stone tables, and bonsai.
The area is large enough that it truly offers a scenic view every five steps and a pavilion every ten steps.
The main building is decorated with exquisite luxury, especially the third floor, where every table and chair is exquisitely crafted.
Even the tea itself has a special origin, as it is made with snow water.
The snow on the plum blossoms in winter still carries their fragrance.
The dim sum is exceptional, sourced from the best dim sum shops in the city.
The show hasn't even started yet, but it's already worth the ticket price.
However, Yan Nangui had other thoughts in his mind. His Majesty was still investigating the assassination attempt on the Seventh Prince.
The crown prince then swaggered out to watch the play with his two concubines.
Tsk.
Is the Crown Prince truly magnanimous, or does he want people to perceive him as magnanimous?
Or perhaps... today's show is something we simply have to watch?
The gaze of the returning geese seemed almost tangible.
Shu Chengfeng shook his head and laughed: "Are you trying to make up for all the wisdom you lost in the past ten years?"
Alright, once he said that, Yan Nangui understood, and smiled: "Your Highness, please have some tea. Although I can't taste any difference in how the tea brewed with the blood from these plum blossoms is made, I'm sure it will be very good."
"It's just a affectation. Is snow water necessarily cleaner than well water?" Shu Chengfeng was clearly unimpressed.
The wild geese flew south with a smile, eagerly anticipating the start of the exciting show.
Whether on or off the stage.
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