New Year's later, Yao Niang was ready to enter the palace again, but after a new year, there were fewer people there. First, Wei Feng got engaged and no longer entered the palace, and then Princess Rong'an fell ill.
Princess Zhenyang also sighed: "Now there are only three of us in Wenqizhai."
"Why don't we wait until we get out of school and go visit them together?" Princess Zhaoping said.
Everyone agreed that Princess Rong'an was now living in the princess' residence. She lived with Princess Baohua and was also taken care of by the concubines in the palace. Their fathers had already been enfeoffed.
In fact, many people in the palace understood clearly that, except for the eldest prince, the rest of the princes would be sent to fiefdoms as soon as they got married, just to ensure the status of the eldest prince. But no one knew what would happen until the last moment.
When Yao Niang and Princess Zhenyang came in, they saw Princess Rong'an lying on the bed struggling to get up. It was Princess Zhaoping who said, "No need to get up. We are here to visit the patient. If we force you to get up again, wouldn't that be torturing the patient?"
This was very appropriate, and Yao Niang couldn't help but nod.
Princess Rong'an's face was pale, and she seemed to be smiling: "Don't worry about me. When I get better, I will release paper orioles with everyone else."
Everyone was busy agreeing.
Because Yao Niang's academic performance was among the best in the library, Princess Rong'an said to her, "Luo Bandu, if I don't understand something in the future, please teach me more."
Yao Niang said quickly, "My princess, what are you talking about? As long as you ask, I will tell you everything I know. Please take care of yourself. When the spring comes and the weather gets warmer, we can learn to ride horses and play polo again."
"Yes, you are right. I remember when I was in Liaoning, my brothers also said they would take me riding with them..." Princess Rong'an was full of nostalgia.
Entering the palace to study was a blessing, but it also meant being away from one's biological parents. Although one was a noble, one would miss his parents, especially such a young child.
But Yao Niang's position was not easy to say. The palace allowed your daughter to come to study, which was a favor. There were also people who submitted memorials hoping to raise their sons in the palace, but there was no such opportunity yet.
After a few days, Princess Rong'an felt a little better and went to school for a few days, but her body was not good and she could not move easily. She was always sick.
Fortunately, Princess Zhenyang was in good health. Yao Niang was doing needlework in her room at this time, talking to her while she was doing it.
"What are you playing at home? There's nothing fun in the palace." Princess Zhenyang complained.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "It's just visiting relatives and friends. The only day I can go out is the Lantern Festival. My parents took me to get rid of all diseases. My sisters and I held hands and ran to the city gate to touch the nails before returning."
Princess Zhenyang clapped her hands and said, "This is really fun. I wish I could leave the palace."
It is true that people outside the palace want to come in, thinking that the imperial palace is full of wonders and everyone yearns for it, but people inside the palace want to go out and see the vast outside world.
Hong Shuyi quickly advised: "Don't say that. If the maids hear it, I don't know what to say to you. Look at Sister Luo's needlework. You should also put in some effort."
Normally Hong Shuyi would always advise Princess Zhenyang like this. Princess Zhenyang didn't think it was a big deal, but Yao Niang seemed to think that Hong Shuyi was meddling too much. This was a princess, she had her own special sewing room, it was enough for her to just learn how to do it, why bother working so hard.
Even Yao Niang herself wouldn't do it every day, as it's not good for the eyes.
However, Princess Zhenyang felt that Hong Shuyi was doing this for her own good, so she said, "I know. I only told you when we were alone."
Tang Huijun was playing with a flower in her hand silently, staring out the window in a trance.
Yao Niang shook her head and continued to embroider.
The days passed like this, until the weather warmed up and everyone changed into spring clothes. Princess Zhenyang insisted on going out to release paper finch together.
Many paper irises were made in the palace, each of them was exquisite. Yao Niang missed the opportunity to select the irises because she started writing late, so no one chose the last paper iris, the black eagle.
Looking at the cute and light ones that Princess Zhenyang and Tang Huijun both chose, Yao Niang felt a little regretful: "Why didn't Princess and Sister Tang remind me? Look, the last one was left out, and there was no one else to choose from."
Tang Huijun and Princess Zhenyang both covered their mouths and laughed.
"Mother Yao, there's nothing wrong with this. This eagle is so majestic. My third brother once raised a male eagle, and we even have a room in the palace specifically for raising eagles."
"Princess, please stop comforting me."
Yao Niang was not unhappy, but her spring dress was pink, but she had a pitch-black paper guillotine on, which she felt didn't match. She thought to herself that she would release the paper guillotine first on that day, otherwise it would be strange to hold it in her hand all the time.
On the day of releasing the paper ibis, even Princess Rong'an, who often missed classes, came. She held a paper ibis that looked like a wild goose. Princess Xing'an laughed and said, "You need to run farther with the string for this paper ibis, otherwise it won't be able to get up."
Princess Yongqing wrote "May you have a long and blessed life" on the paper. Princess Xing'an sneered when she saw it. Usually, these two princesses always give priority to Princess Yongqing, and Princess Xing'an usually tolerated it. But now she dared to sneer on the spot, which also surprised Yao Niang.
Of course, she had heard Wei Feng mention that Princess Xing'an had a very bad temper. It was no wonder. She was the eldest daughter of the emperor's eldest son, and she always put on airs. She hated Concubine Hong the most, but the emperor's eldest son favored Concubine Hong and took care of the household affairs.
In the past, Princess Yongqing would get a lot of support when she spoke, just like everyone praised her casually. But this time, only a few people responded to what was written on the paper.
The people in the palace would not quarrel and tear each other apart like Ren did at home. Their attitude determined their views.
Yao Niang ran out quickly, retreated to a place, and watched the paper iris fly higher and higher. She asked Xiu Lin: "What's going on? Where did this paper iris fly to?"
"We're probably at the corner of the palace now. No one should see us." Xiulin said.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Then use scissors to cut it off."
After cutting the string of the paper eagle, Yao Niang couldn't help but say, "Eagles are born to fly in the sky. Let me give you a ride."
Northeast Corner
Gao Xuance was teasing an eagle. On his arm stood a majestic eagle with extremely sharp eyes. He used to bring this eagle with him when he went hunting.
Training a falcon is just like training an unruly person. You need to be patient and not be too cruel, nor too gentle.
At this moment, something hit him on the head. He looked down and saw a paper eagle on the ground. The eunuch immediately said, "Third Master, I don't know who lost it. Why don't you let me check it out?"
Gao Xuance smiled and said, "No need. Someone must have let this paper iris fall down. I was playing with hawks and saw this paper iris. It fits the scene."
Then, he saw the brave eagle on the paper eagle and liked it very much, but he didn't know who dropped it. If he picked it up, it would be bad if he mistakenly recognized it in the future. He couldn't help but feel it was a pity.
Seeing Gao Xuance's happy face, the young eunuch couldn't help but offer a plan: "Third Master, since it fell here, I guess the owner doesn't want it anymore. Besides, there is no name or emblem on it——"
"No need for that. I have plenty of eagle and falcon pictures in my study. This one can be placed wherever it falls. There's no need to make things more complicated." Gao Xuance said.
The young eunuch bowed quickly in response.
In a blink of an eye, the Dragon Boat Festival passed and the weather began to get hot. Princess Rong'an had been coming here and there before, and no one took it seriously. But on this day, after Mr. Wang's exam, Princess Zhenyang was asking Yao Niang to treat her to a meal because she got first place, but unexpectedly she heard the news that Princess Rong'an had died.
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Princess Zhaoping also sadly said, "A few days ago, she said that she couldn't eat the rice dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival, but she could still eat a few bites of the Five Poison Cakes. I told her that she liked the Five Poison Cakes, so I asked someone to send more to her. How could she know this?"
Princess Zhenyang was a sentimental person and she was very sad that afternoon, but Princess Rong'an was too young to hold a grand ceremony, and the young girls could not attend the ceremony either.
After Yao Niang and Tang Huijun returned to their room, they discussed the matter for a while. They both felt sad that such a living person had passed away like this...
"Sister Luo, I have also suffered from many illnesses and disasters. Seeing the death of Princess Rong'an, I always feel sympathy for her."
Yao Niang comforted Tang Huijun: "Sister Tang, please don't think like that. You are just a little weak, it's nothing serious. I think you just need to take better care of yourself in the future."
Tang Huijun shook her head. Her illness was not only physical, but also mental, and no one else could resolve it. Because it was not only Princess Rong'an who was ill, but her aunt was also ill. Although she had kept it a secret, she had already sensed it.
In this deep palace, her aunt is the only one she can rely on. But what should she do if her aunt really passes away?
The reason why everyone in the palace was polite to her was because of her aunt. As long as her aunt was alive, she was able to gain a foothold in the palace and could even be treated equally with the daughters of several powerful officials. But as soon as the queen died, she was like a lilac drifting in the wind.
Seeing that she was worried, Yao Niang shook her head and said nothing more.
In her previous life, Shi Yu was the study companion of Princess Rong An. She returned home around June or July because Princess Rong An passed away. At that time, Princess Rong An was just a code name to her, but now she is a living person.
She just sighed. Princess Zhenyang grew up with Princess Rong'an, so it was inevitable that she cried sadly. Hong Shuyi, who was always virtuous and prudent, did not show any sorrow. Instead, she said to Princess Zhenyang, "Second Princess, the Emperor's birthday is coming soon. The concubine is making arrangements. You should go over and take a look. Also, give some needlework to the Emperor."
Princess Zhenyang felt very strange: "Sister Hong, I am very sad, aren't you sad?"
"Being sad is important, but everyone has their own destiny. You can't feel bad for yourself. Also, you have to take care of your own health and be careful not to worry the concubine. The concubine only has you as her daughter, so you have to think more about her." Hong Shuyi was also doing this for the good of Princess Zhenyang.
Among my aunt's three children, she treated her daughters equally. Although they were well-fed and well-clothed, she did not pay much attention to them. Anything good was given to her youngest son, my cousin Xuan Ce.
Although this cousin was a gifted child by nature and seemed very arrogant, he didn't even bother to pay any attention to his cousin who came from a merchant family. However, he was very polite and sweet-mouthed in front of the concubine, and acted like a naive child, which made Concubine Hong's favorite son among her three children.
Hong Shuyi had heard from her mother and brother that she had a noble fate and that only an extremely noble person could suppress it.
The family is more inclined towards the second master Zhou Xuanmu. Not only was he raised by the queen, he was polite and good at poetry and painting, but not like Gao Xuance who was good at riding and archery, he also raised many falcons. The former were relatively polite to him, but the latter looked down on her.
But the Second Master is not favored by Concubine Hong. If the princess can share some of his favor and speak for him, it will be beneficial to her in the future.
Who knew that Princess Zhenyang said, "Sister, you are really something. Rong An is my sister. Of course I will cry and feel sad when she dies. As for other things, I believe that mother can understand."
Seeing that Princess Zhenyang was in a bad mood, Hong Shuyi hurried to smooth things over. Fortunately, Princess Zhenyang had always been on good terms with her, and she knew that Hong Shuyi took care of her in every way, so she just took this matter as words of comfort and casually mentioned it to Yao Niang.
Yao Niang thought that this person was really warm on the outside but cold on the inside. He seemed to be considerate to everyone, but in fact he didn't care about people's anger and only cared about whether he was okay. In his heart, he also disliked Hong Shuyi a little.
Tang Huijun believed it without a doubt, because Hong Shuyi said in front of her: "The colored silk threads you sent that day, the concubine said they were well made and she liked them very much."
"How could that be? When it comes to needlework, Sister Luo is still the best at it. Although she is younger than me, her family specially invited a famous Jiangnan needlework teacher to teach her needlework. Not only that, she has also learned painting well and is highly valued by her teacher. Therefore, her needlework is much more exquisite than mine. Sister Hong, please don't comfort me." Tang Huijun didn't quite believe it.
The main reason was that Yao Niang did needlework every day, but she was not energetic enough. It was already a lot for her to make a purse in a month, so she didn't dare to believe it.
Hong Shuyi smiled secretly: "I don't know why."
Tang Huijun's heart was pounding when she heard this. Did this mean that Concubine Hong was attracted to her? She was a little excited and quickly thanked Hong Shuyi: "It's because Sister Hong often speaks well of me in front of Concubine Hong."
Even Tang Huijun's maids were happy because the young lady had found a place to stay and they would have a home in the future.
But Hong Shuyi smiled and said, "I didn't say anything either."
The Emperor's birthday celebration was held with extraordinary grandness, but the Empress was ill at the time and could no longer arrange it, so Concubine Liao had to come out in person to arrange it. At this time, Concubine Liao was very proud of herself.
Because she had already received news that the empress was on her last legs and was just waiting for her death. The emperor would then crown her as empress, and Prince Heng would become the crown prince in the future.
And this year, Luo Zhizheng was recommended and promoted to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and Attending Academician. He was no more than 40 years old this year and was promoted to a minor official in the Ministry of Personnel. Yu would also go to the palace to attend the banquet.
Princess Zhenyang smiled and said, "I'll take you there, and you can meet your mother then."
"Yes, if I could meet my mother, I would also ask her to come and pay her respects to the princess."
…
Tang Huijun listened from the side and felt even more uncomfortable.
Luo Yaoniang used to look like a little child, but this year she is over nine years old. She has shed some of her baby fat and has become more graceful.
Seeing that she was sad, Hong Shuyi came over and patted her shoulder and said, "You don't have to be sad. In fact, there are many unhappy people in this world. Sister, my father passed away, and my family was in a state of panic. Look, I'm fine now, aren't I?"
"How can I compare with you, sister? Both my parents are dead and there is no one to take care of me. Unlike my sister Luo, she has both parents alive, is in good health, has a good family background, and is beautiful. I don't know how much I envy her." Tang Huijun confided her true feelings.
Hong Shuyi nodded and said with a smile, "I am not allowed to say this. Sister, why don't you ask the Empress to take care of it for you? She is a real Buddha and is more effective than anything else."
Yes, I have to make it up quickly before the Empress Dowager dies. Unfortunately, she is a concubine and it is not convenient for her to talk about these things.
Then, she needs to spend more time with the Empress.
During the Emperor's birthday banquet, Yao Niang, under the guidance of Princess Zhenyang, had only a few words with Yu. But even so, she was relieved to know that her brother was now studying very well.
When I returned to the room, I didn't see Tang Huijun. I asked her and found out that she had gone to the Queen's place to take care of her illness and also had to keep watch.
"Serving the sick?" Yao Niang thought to herself, Tang Huijun is already weak, and she is still serving the sick. Isn't it because the old lady is taking medicine? Just send someone to ask a few questions, or serve soup and medicine is reasonable, but for a weak person to stay up all night, I'm afraid he will be extremely weak.
The reason why Princess Rong'an's condition worsened was that, firstly, she was weak, and secondly, she heard that her grandmother was in poor health, so she went to take care of her and got sick, which made her illness worse and she died.
Just as she was thinking about it, she was told that Concubine Hong wanted to invite her over.
Yao Niang quickly changed her clothes, went out of her room and went to see Concubine Hong. Unexpectedly, she met a young man on the way. He had a three-pronged purple gold crown on his head and a black gold belt around his waist. He had a face as beautiful as jade, lips as white as rouge, and an arrogant look.
It was expected that this person should be the Prince Gao Xuance whom she had never met. It was almost a year since Yao Niang entered the palace, and this was the first time she saw him. She had even met Gao Xuanzhan once.
Among the several princes in the eldest prince's mansion, Prince Chen is the best-born. One can tell at first glance that he is a descendant of a royal family and is extremely noble.
The two of them went in one after the other. There was already constant laughter in the inner room. Yao Niang had never seen Concubine Hong so happy before. She thought it was no wonder that Princess Lian Zhenyang was jealous. Concubine Hong really favored this younger son.
When Yao Niang came in, she saluted straight ahead without looking around.
"This servant pays respects to the concubine."
Concubine Hong smiled and said, "Come here quickly, I have something to tell you."
"I wonder what it is?" Yao Niang was also very curious about what Concubine Hong wanted her to do.
Gao Xuance originally came to pay his respects to his mother, but he found out that his mother was summoning someone else, so he was not very interested.
I only heard Concubine Hong say, "I want you to copy the Buddhist scriptures. Last time I saw that the characters in your copy were smooth. I just want to trouble you because I am busy."
It turned out to be a copy of Buddhist scriptures. Yao Niang smiled and said, "In that case, you can choose one and I will copy it and send it to you in about three days."
"Well, besides that, if it's convenient for you, you can ask me to embroider a volume of the Heart Sutra of Avalokitesvara. This is not urgent." Concubine Hong added.
Yao Niang agreed to everything, but when she saw Zhou Xuance was there, she quickly said goodbye.
Unexpectedly, Concubine Hong said, "You haven't seen the Prince of Wenxi, right? This is the Prince of Linjiang."
Now, the three grandsons of the eldest prince have all been conferred the title of prince when they were ten years old. For example, Gao Xuance was conferred the title of Prince of Linjiang.
Yao Niang hurriedly greeted him again: "I, the servant Luo, pay my respects to the King of Linjiang and wish him a thousand years of life."
Luo? Gao Xuance raised his eyes and glanced at her. He saw that this little girl was as radiant as a pearl. She looked a bit like Luo Yaoniang, but she was slimmer and had fair skin. This girl should be Luo Yaoniang's sister.
But although he disliked the Luo family father and daughter, he had no intention of making things difficult for a little girl. Gao Xuance said calmly, "Get up. No need to be polite."
Concubine Hong smiled and said, "Miss Luo, please go down first."
Although Gao Xuance, the King of Linjiang, was a quiet person, he sent a gift, a piece of white jade, on behalf of Hong's concubine.
If someone gives a white jade hairpin as a gift, it is considered precious. I wonder how many earrings can be made from a whole piece of white jade. It is so generous.
However, it was strange to say, she had seen Princess Rong'an who died young, and she was always frail, and it was rare for her to see someone as generous as Gao Xuance. Having said that, it would not be appropriate for him to give her a hairpin, but this was more appropriate, and there was no other meaning.
Yao Niang had seen this and then forgot about it. She was mostly copying Buddhist scriptures for Concubine Hong. Now she has started to embroider Buddhist scriptures while also taking care of her studies. She is really busy.
Because she knew in her heart that according to the normal time in her previous life, the emperor would probably die soon. No matter what Concubine Hong was like, she had been a noble concubine and even a royal noble concubine for many years, and she still had a lot of power in her marriage.
Now that I've entered the palace, I can't let all the hard work I put into accompanying my parents in their studies go to waste.
Tang Huijun came back to keep him company for a day. When she heard Hong Shuyi talking about Yao Niang receiving a reward from King Linjiang, she never expected that she knew that this person was a phoenix egg, especially since this son was the favorite of the eldest prince and Concubine Hong.
The Queen's aunt also expressed her interest in him, but she had no idea that Yao Niang got there first.
Could it be that Concubine Hong likes her? Yes, her father has now been promoted to the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he is in a very glorious position.
There are four tutors in the eldest prince's mansion. Wei Feng has already withdrawn, Xu Qingrong is on Concubine Lin's side, and Concubine Hong only has her and Yao Niang here.
Tang Huijun was not a person who would harm others. At most, she would sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers, and she had never harmed anyone. Moreover, she usually did not dare to provoke Yao Niang, because Yao Niang was not easy to provoke.
But she had no choice but to take action now. Her aunt promised to arrange her final affairs for her, so she had to eliminate her competitor now.
Otherwise, what if Concubine Hong suddenly said that she had already decided on Luo Yaoniang? She was only nine years old now, and indeed not very old, but it was still possible to decide on her first.
With a creaky sound, the door opened and it turned out that Hong Shuyi came in hurriedly.
"Sister Tang, do you have any burn ointment? What should I do? My little girl accidentally put her leg in the boiling water and a piece of skin fell off."
Tang Huijun was started, and Hong Shuyi left when she saw that she was not there.
Tang Huijun didn't know how long she had been sitting here. She thought that the hot water could burn off all the skin, but what about burning her face?
Having a small perm is considered a flaw in appearance, but the royal family would definitely not want a princess with a damaged appearance, right?
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