Huan Yue returned to the Eastern Palace, followed by five dancing girls.
The oldest, Yang Quenu, was around thirty years old.
Orioles and egrets are seventeen or eighteen years old, while thrushes and larks are only twelve or thirteen.
Huan Yue stopped in the open space behind the Qing'e Palace.
Everyone else came to see what was happening.
The dancers weren't shy at all. Yang Quenu was of average appearance, but had a great figure; Bai Ling was both beautiful and lively.
Huan Yue said, "Let's stay at Anxiang Courtyard."
Yang Chu'er nodded. There was an empty room on the west side. Five people sharing one room wasn't too crowded.
Anxiang Courtyard can even be set up in one room for dance practice.
Huan Yue said, "Once you're in the Eastern Palace, that's my rule. Besides focusing on practicing dance, it would be best if you learned something else. Dancing is mainly for young people, although some dance until they're sixty. Learning something else can also help you relax."
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
Di Baose explained, "Her Majesty is kind-hearted and hopes that you will be more complete. Even if you don't dance in a few years and want to go out, you can still live a normal life. Don't let Her Majesty down. You will be rewarded when she asks you to dance."
"Yes!" the group replied honestly.
Although she might have been trying to seduce the Crown Prince, she had always been under his control before.
Huan Yue said to Yang Quenu, "We can practice together with Grand Master Yang."
Ren Zhaoxun asked curiously, "Should we show you what we've got first?"
Yang Quenu smiled and said, "You have a unique skill in painting eyebrows."
Huan Yue nodded.
Then, the thrush took out a colorful silk ribbon with bells hanging from it. When she danced, the ribbon was beautiful, and the bells jingled with a rhythmic quality—the sense of rhythm was excellent! As she shook the ribbon faster and faster, the bells jingled even more rapidly, and she spun around like a whirling whirlwind, making everyone dizzy.
The palace maids and eunuchs of the Eastern Palace were all attracted and formed a large circle around.
When the thrush stopped, everyone cheered!
Huan Yue simply said, "Reward me!"
In addition to the silver, he was also rewarded with two bolts of cloth.
Huamei was quite happy, her face flushed, and she was a little out of breath when she spoke.
Ren Zhaoxun's eyes widened: "No one's alright!"
Huan Yue laughed and said, "Or is it a special skill?"
Yang Quenu smiled and said, "Bai Ling also has her own special skills. But we need to prepare."
Huan Yue nodded: "Settle things down first, there's time. Dancing is hard work, but don't hurt yourself."
The dancers exchanged bewildered glances. Was someone really concerned about their bodies? Was the Empress truly not a saint?
Huan Yue left and sat in the Jixian Pavilion, enjoying the spring breeze.
The flowerbeds in front are blooming beautifully right now!
Outside, Yang Quenu followed the female official to Anxiang Courtyard.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it was still very beautiful, with flower petals blowing in the wind.
The room was quite large; besides sleeping, they could also partition off a living area.
Yang Dong'e returned to her room. A sense of anxiety lingered within her.
There are too many good things in the world, so those who compete for favor may fall out of favor at any time.
Those who fall out of favor will gain even less if they fail to perform well.
Although the Empress granted me freedom, there's not much I can do. Studying or practicing Taoism are possible, though.
Not everyone is cut out for it.
Yang Chu'er was in her room and felt that she might really become a dancer, but she had no one to rely on.
That seems rather strange.
Apart from Consorts Di and Guo, who had strong backgrounds, the rest of the Crown Prince's concubines, like Consort Huan, had no family to rely on; Consorts Ju and Ren were practically the same; Consort Zhang was an orphan; and Consorts Meng Pingting and Yu Anu had no family to rely on.
The main power lies in the Eastern Palace, where the Crown Prince and Crown Princess hold the highest positions.
Luo Yaohui and Lu Feiran used to have powerful connections, but they're all finished now.
Yang Chu'er thought to herself, "If I don't have a background, am I just going to drift along like this? Didn't the Empress remind everyone to find something to do again?"
Ren Zhaoxun just plays around, which is not bad.
Ren Zhaoxun was having a great time. When she arrived at Wenqi Academy, she saw that Gong Zhaoxun's "Collection of Charity" was finally about to be published.
Gong Yun thought to herself, "These weren't written by her."
The content remained the same, but Grand Secretary Xu wrote a preface.
Who is Grand Secretary Xu? The thing is, his preface isn't hard to understand either, which is impressive!
Gong Yun still has a lot to learn. She doesn't even have time to watch dancing. Charity has a profound meaning; it's not hypocrisy.
Ren Zhaoxun stopped looking and ran to play in the vegetable garden of Shicui Hall.
Princess Yongmu, Xie Fufu, and Yan Boxuan are all here.
Princess Yongning was studying in the thatched hut. She hadn't attended the imperial ceremony today, but her father had still rewarded her, so she would study hard.
This thatched hut is perfectly fine in spring; even if Changchun Temple were to be renovated like this, it wouldn't matter.
Ren Zhaoxun sat to one side and watched. Changchun Temple was probably just a bit bigger; several acres couldn't compare to a few acres.
She can go to Changchun Temple to play, and she can chant sutras occasionally, but she can't chant them all the time.
Princess Yongning asked her in a low voice, "Do you have anything for children to play with?"
Ren Zhaoxun blinked. What was he going to do?
Princess Yongning said, "Let Jiulang play with it."
Ren Zhaoxun asked, "Do you want a younger brother?"
Princess Yongning had nothing to hide: "My mother has always wanted a younger brother. Yan Boxuan is quite good too."
Ren Zhaoxun nodded: "As long as you treat Jiulang sincerely, then you are the older sister all along."
Princess Yongning nodded. She couldn't be close to her eldest, second, or third brothers. But being close to Jiulang was acceptable.
As for Jiulang being unreliable, his second sister-in-law will definitely beat him up first.
Furthermore, children are taught well, and Second Sister-in-law can teach Jiulang well, so Yongning Gong can act as an elder sister.
Ren Zhaoxun thought to herself, "Children think so much." She didn't want to raise children yet; it was too exhausting.
Princess Yongning looked up, and then she heard Balang crying behind her. She realized that all affection she had for her father was probably gone.
After all, the Emperor is currently favoring Qian Sha, and if she were to have a younger brother or sister, she might be even more favored.
Princess Yongning stopped vying for favor and behaved herself well with her second sister-in-law.
Ren Zhaoxun thought for a moment, then continued to play happily.
Life is short, so it's good to be happy.
The eunuch rushed to Qing'e Palace and reported to the Empress: "Consort Kong has passed away."
Huan Yue had just changed his clothes when he blinked rapidly. "So fast?"
The young palace maid asked, "Could it be that he's just unconscious?"
Huan Yue nodded: "There are cases of feigned death. If no one wants her dead, then keep a close eye on her and don't mistake a living person for a dead one."
The eunuch thought for a moment and said, "This servant will go and inform them."
As for the final decision, it is up to the Duke of Qi.
If the Duke of Qi wants her dead, then she must die. As for the Kong family, they have little power now.
If someone tries to spread rumors about this, and it's pure fabrication, then we'll deal with them.
Another eunuch came to deliver a message: "The Xiong family has sent the person into the palace."
Huan Yue remained silent. How could an ordinary person understand the ways of a sage?
The Xiong family is not easy to deal with, and it's not a good time to make a big fuss about it now. Huan Yue doesn't care how things go about it.
She's living a very comfortable life; she dresses beautifully, eats delicious meals, and sleeps soundly at night.
Xie Zhou came to see his wife.
Huan Yue looked at him and asked, "What do you think of the Duke of Qi's mansion?"
Xie Zhou nodded: "Someone must have done it."
Huan Yue understood. If there were many tricks in the palace, then the Duke of Qi's mansion probably had even more.
If Xie Yu hadn't been vigilant and hadn't handled the situation, things could have been quite interesting.
There's no need to perform (big) acts every day; a gentle breeze blowing all day won't be easily noticed.
It's up to Xie Qi himself.
If you can't even manage your own family, what are you thinking about for the world?
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