The group walked up the white marble steps, entered the main hall from the main gate, and then walked towards the east side hall.
The head maid had a smile on her face the whole time. She walked at a leisurely pace and said to Gu Yanfei tentatively, "You look unfamiliar, young lady. Is this your first time in the palace?"
"That's true." Gu Yanfei nodded with a smile, without saying a word more, pretending that he didn't understand the other party's test.
Upon hearing this, Wang clenched the handkerchief in her hand. She had a million questions in her mind and felt uncomfortable as if she was being scratched by a cat. But this was not a good place to question Gu Yanfei.
After passing through two more door curtains, Wang, Gu Yanfei and the other two followed the head palace maid into a warm room as warm as spring.
The room was filled with a strong scent of sandalwood, which was spreading in wisps. The golden brick floor underfoot was as bright as a mirror, and the floor was covered with a gorgeous carpet that extended to a pair of black embroidered shoes with golden phoenixes embroidered on them.
Empress Yuan, wearing a rosewood silk jacket with a round longevity pattern, sat back on the kang, looking dignified and graceful.
In the warm room, there were many young girls in their prime sitting on both sides, with fragrant clothes, the scent of wind, and looking at the clusters of flowers.
Wei Jiaoniang was also among them.
She had changed into new clothes. She was wearing a pink silk jacket engraved with crabapple flowers and a light red embroidered long skirt. Her black hair was tied up in a lily bun and she wore a golden phoenix hairpin inlaid with rubies and a pearl in its mouth.
Wei Jiaoniang was bored to death and could hardly sit still. She turned her head to the side and yawned secretly, and the three strings of tassels on her hairpin swayed slightly.
When she turned around, she saw Gu Yanfei who came in with Wang. She was immediately perked up, all her sleepiness disappeared, and her eyes sparkled.
Yanfei, you are here too! Wei Jiaoniang quickly blinked her left eye at Gu Yanfei and made some faces.
Gu Yanfei and Wei Jiaoniang exchanged a tacit look.
Wang brought Gu Yanfei and Gu Yun'er to the front to pay their respects to Empress Dowager Yuan. Empress Dowager Yuan drank her tea gracefully with an indifferent expression, neither warm nor cold. She simply said "no need for courtesy" and when her eyes fell on Gu Yanfei, there was a hint of scrutiny.
An old maid came over and whispered something in Empress Dowager Yuan's ear. Empress Dowager Yuan nodded slightly, her eyes darkened, and she glanced at Gu Yanfei lightly again.
Empress Dowager Yuan did not offer her a seat, so Wang could only stand there, not daring to move or look around, looking respectful and dignified.
Soon, Queen Mother Yuan put down the pastel enamel Three Gentlemen teacup in her hand, stroked the edging on her sleeve, and said to Wang in a light tone: "Madam Dingyuan Marquis, the marriage between Prince Kang and your daughter has been full of twists and turns and has been delayed for a long time."
The "your daughter" she was referring to was of course Gu Yun'er.
Wang's heart skipped a beat, fearing that something might happen, and she pretended to listen to the empress dowager's instructions.
"Your daughter will soon be of age, so we'll decide on her marriage after the New Year." Empress Dowager Yuan spoke slowly and calmly, with a hint of superiority in her words.
Wang was overjoyed, and quickly knelt down to pay respect to Empress Dowager Yuan, saying solemnly, "I will obey the Empress Dowager's order."
Wang was not stupid. She knew how to read people's expressions and could tell that Empress Dowager Yuan did not look very happy when she said this. But no matter what, as long as the marriage could be accomplished, it was fine.
In the past few months, everything in the family has been going wrong and bad luck has been rampant. Now, there is finally a happy event that can wipe out the bad luck brought by the return of this girl Gu Yanfei.
Gu Yunyan, who was standing beside Wang, also knelt down and bowed, thanking her in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your grace."
There was a faint smile on her lips, her movements were graceful and generous, her demeanor was excellent, like an orchid or a lotus, her temperament was natural, without any of the petty-mindedness of a girl in the boudoir.
Seeing this, even Empress Dowager Yuan, who disliked her, nodded secretly.
Empress Dowager Yuan then ordered the old maid, "Take the wife of Marquis Dingyuan to the West Hall for a short rest."
She did not mention Gu Yanfei and Gu Yunmeng, obviously intending to keep the two girls in the warm room.
When Wang first entered the warm room, she noticed that all the ladies with royal titles were gone, and only the girls were left here. She thought the empress dowager must have other intentions.
Wang was very tactful and took her leave immediately, following the old maid to the west hall.
Gu Yanfei and Gu Yun'er were given seats by Empress Dowager Yuan.
As soon as Wang left, two more families came. The elders were also sent away by Empress Dowager Yuan, leaving only the two girls Lu Qin and Yu Chaoyun.
The palace maids of Shou'an Palace were well trained and quickly served tea to all the girls. The fragrance of Biluochun spread with the hot steam.
The girls summoned by the Queen Mother today were either noble ladies or from aristocratic families. They would often meet at banquets in various mansions and were acquainted with each other.
They did not dare to act unruly in front of the Queen Mother and greeted each other with smiles.
"Your Highness," Yu Chaoyun said calmly, "I heard that the best Biluochun is a tribute. I tasted it today and it is indeed fragrant and refreshing. I am so lucky to have such a delicious meal."
Seeing Yu Chaoyun again, Gu Yanfei was very calm. He just glanced at him indifferently and lowered his head to drink tea.
Empress Dowager Yuan smiled kindly, and ordered the maid in charge to give the other party a can of Biluochun. She said with a smile: "This young girl is full of energy and vitality, and each one is like a flower. I am happy to see her."
"Come on, tell me what you like and what you are good at."
She stopped there and didn't say much more, being generous and decent in maintaining the demeanor of a girl from an aristocratic family.
Then, the other girls next to them also answered. Some said they liked playing chess, some said they liked copying scriptures, and some said they were good at playing the flute and the zither...
When it was Wei Jiaoniang's turn, she smiled and blurted out two words: "Fight."
There was a sudden silence all around.
Several girls from aristocratic families disagreed, thinking that Wei Jiaoniang was really rude and disrespectful. Lu Qin, who was sitting next to Wei Jiaoniang, almost laughed out loud and tried hard to cover her mouth to hold back her laughter.
“Puff!”
Suddenly, a clear laughter came from among the girls, which was particularly loud in this quiet warm room.
Everyone's eyes were directed towards Gu Yanfei, who had a pair of dark eyes that were sparkling and bright. When she smiled, she was like a blooming spring flower, gorgeous and yet a bit unrestrained.
"..." Empress Dowager Yuan, who was drinking tea, almost choked. She pursed her lips and a hint of suspicion flashed across her eyes.
It sounded like Wei Jiaoniang's answer was just a perfunctory answer.
Empress Dowager Yuan glanced at Wei Jiaoniang, suppressed her displeasure and did not get angry, and said in a tone of admonition: "Jiaoniang, a girl should be virtuous, dignified, gentle and chaste. You, you are already a woman of marriageable age, don't shout for war and killing all day long."
Facing Empress Dowager Yuan's reprimand, Wei Jiaoniang was not afraid at all, nor did she feel uncomfortable at all. She smiled and said, "Emperor Taizu said that women are not necessarily inferior to men. The Grand Princess Fengyang also led an army in person, galloped on the battlefield, and made great military achievements for our Dajing."
The Grand Princess Fengyang was the eldest sister of the late emperor. She once led an army of 100,000 to pacify the three northeastern states, and made immortal contributions to Dajing, which will be recorded in history forever.
Most of the noble ladies who came from the families of meritorious military generals admired her very much and could not help but show fascination and smiles in their eyes.
The Weiguo Mansion has an extraordinary status in the Dajing Dynasty. The current Duke Wei Shen not only controls a large number of troops, but is also the cousin of the current emperor and the cousin of Prince Kang. As the legitimate daughter of the Weiguo Mansion, Wei Jiaoniang naturally has an extraordinary status.
Perhaps she was the only one who dared to speak to the Queen Mother in such a contemptuous and perfunctory manner.
“…” Empress Dowager Yuan choked for a moment, her lips pursed tighter, and a shadow flashed in her eyes.
The Grand Princess Fengyang was the eldest sister of the late emperor. She was hot-tempered and heroic. Although she was a girl, she was more daring and courageous than men, and stood tall in the court with her outstanding military exploits.
When the late emperor decided to make her the empress, Princess Fengyang was strongly opposed to it. In a fit of rage, she even whipped her and the late emperor.
Thinking about it now, Empress Dowager Yuan couldn't help but feel a little afraid.
Her slightly dark eyes passed from Wei Jiaoniang to Gu Yanfei. She stared at him for a while before asking, "I remember you are the second daughter of the Gu family, right? What about you? What are you good at?"
"Fortune telling." Gu Yanfei answered seriously with a sincere expression.
"Puchi!" Wei Jiaoniang laughed happily, her laughter as clear as a bell, and she and Gu Yanfei smiled at each other.
She is good at fighting, and Gu Yanfei is good at fortune-telling. They are a perfect match! "Pah!"
Empress Dowager Yuan slammed her palm heavily on the coffee table, frowned slightly, and the anger that she had just suppressed was released at this moment without any concealment.
As for Wei Jiaoniang, Empress Dowager Yuan would still be patient for a while out of consideration for Duke Weiguo, but the same was not necessary for Gu Yanfei.
"How dare you!" Empress Dowager Yuan said coldly. Her voice was not loud, but it was intimidating. "How dare you be so rude in front of me."
The palace maids and eunuchs around all lowered their heads and remained silent.
Gu Yanfei looked at Empress Dowager Yuan and smiled without saying anything, with the corners of his lips curved into a smile that was not a smile.
She always tells the truth, why doesn't anyone believe her! "..." Gu Yunyan frowned slightly, and felt that she couldn't see through Gu Yanfei.
Gu Yanfei is not stupid, no, it should be said that she is a smart person.
Every time she played some mysterious tricks at home, she had an agenda, so why did she do it today? Most of the others also saw that the Queen Mother was taking out her dissatisfaction with Wei Jiaoniang on the second daughter of the Gu family.
Or maybe…
The Queen Mother is taking advantage of the situation.
Yu Chaoyun recalled the day when the eldest prince looked at Gu Yanfei differently, and the look he gave her was somewhat meaningful.
There was silence in the warm room for a moment, and a hint of sandalwood, quiet and cold, was quietly emitting from the white jade incense burner in the corner.
"Since you say you are good at fortune-telling," Empress Dowager Yuan sneered, casually stroked her sleeves, and her voice became even colder, "Then tell me one."
(End of this chapter)
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