Princess Jinyi, the youngest daughter of Empress Jing'an, had three princes before her. Two of them were murdered. The remaining princes were raised by the emperor, while Princess Jinyi was raised by the imperial concubine.
Empress Jing'an is the mother of a country. As the queen and the mother of a concubine, she is clearly alive, but she is separated from her child and cannot raise her own heir. In the deep palace struggle, even the slightest bit of softness can't protect the child, and even the queen is the same.
Jinyi was only seven years old, yet she was as intelligent as Empress Jing'an, though without her soft-hearted nature. Ever since she was brought to the Imperial Noble Consort's care, she had followed Empress Jing'an's instructions, always making herself comfortable. She welcomed the Imperial Noble Consort with a smile, unafraid of her probing gaze, and treated her like a true daughter. Three months later, the Imperial Noble Consort accepted Jinyi.
The Imperial Noble Consort had been in the palace for over a decade without any pregnancy. She had been selected to enter the palace after the Emperor ascended the throne. While her background wasn't as high as Empress Jing'an's, it wasn't far behind. Her great-uncle controlled the court's purse strings, and her brother commanded a significant military force. She had been granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon entering the palace, having been canonized three years prior.
After Princess Jinyi fell asleep, she dismissed all the servants and sat on her Qian Gong Ba Bu bed, which was enclosed by a curtain. From a secret compartment beside the bed, she took out a token left to her by Empress Jing An. The token was a jade seal with two words engraved on it: Dream Back.
Princess Jinyi played with the seal for a while, then returned it to its secret compartment. She lay down, thinking about Queen Jing'an's instructions. If her brother or she were in trouble, they could use the seal to contact a hidden agent in the palace, who would escort them out of the palace.
Princess Jinyi was lost in thought, thinking about what Queen Jing'an had told her. When she came to, she closed her eyes and began to fall asleep. Queen Jing'an always said that children must eat and sleep more so that they can grow taller and stronger. Princess Jinyi wanted to grow up quickly, not be a child like she was now, unable to do anything.
I went to the Imperial Noble Consort's Changle Palace yesterday, so I don't need to go there to pay my respects or greetings these days. Princess Jinyi went to the women's quarters in the palace to learn new lessons this morning, just like any other day.
All the princesses who studied together in the women's academy were princesses from the palace. With the exception of Princess Jinyi, who had a title and fiefdom, the other princesses were addressed according to their seniority. Along with Princess Jinyi, there were four other princesses studying together: the Third Princess, the Fifth Princess, the Eighth Princess, and the Ninth Princess. Jinyi was considered the sixth princess in terms of seniority.
The women's academy was established by Empress Jing'an. The princesses in the academy did not have to learn needlework or rings. The courses in the academy were the same as those for the princes, except that there was an additional item: how to get along with the prince consort.
Empress Jing'an's original words were: "As a princess, you should respect yourself and love yourself. Except before your mother and the emperor, you should be the sovereign before everyone else. As the saying goes, Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, parents, and teachers, it's not logical for a princess to serve her parents-in-law after marriage. The sovereign always comes before her. If a consort is not chaste and becomes involved with a woman after marriage, he will be dealt with according to the rules."
However, since Queen Jing'an stayed indoors, this course was stopped.
Princess Li's Eighth Princess and Princess Jinyi were only a few months apart in age, but whenever they met, the Eighth Princess always liked to provoke her. She was always defeated miserably, but that didn't stop her from fighting again and again.
Princess Jinyi looked at the naive Eighth Princess and thought it was ridiculous. Concubine Li was really brave.
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