But when the time came, she saw that the room was packed with guests and she didn't dare to go in. She held the pair of tiger-head shoes she had embroidered herself in her hands and slowly walked out. The maid Yunzhu beside her said, "Why don't you go in, young lady?"
Yunzhu was a maid that had just been bought by the Marquis' Mansion, and she had no idea what Gu Yanran had done in the past.
When Yunzhu first saw Gu Yanran's face and the scars on her face, she was naturally afraid, but as time went by, she became less afraid. In addition, Gu Yanran's whole mood had changed since her disfigurement, and she became much gentler and calmer. Yunzhu felt more sympathetic towards the fourth girl.
"With so many guests, I'm afraid my face would scare them."
Yunzhu said, "Miss, you can go with your veil on. You have spent several nights preparing this gift for the young master. How can you not give it to him?"
Gu Yanran just shook her head, "Let's go——"
"Such nice tiger-head shoes, how come you don't want to give them away?" The tiger-head shoes in her hand were suddenly snatched away. Gu Yanran looked up in surprise, only to see Shen Qingqiu holding the tiger-head shoes in his hand. Seeing Gu Yanran looking at her, she touched the tiger-head shoes with her hand, "The thread is dense and the satin is soft, it's perfect for children to wear."
Gu Yanran's eyes moved slightly, and Shen Qingqiu instructed again: "Jin Cai, since the fourth lady has sent gifts, go and bring the wedding candy and red eggs to the young lady." Jin Cai nodded, and soon brought out a box and handed it to Yunzhu behind Gu Yanran.
"Your girl is not feeling well, help her back quickly."
Yunzhu nodded, and Gu Yanran turned her head, "Thank you."
Jin Cai followed Shen Qingqiu, "Miss, I think the fourth lady is very different now." Although Gu Yanran used to be beautiful, she was full of resentment, which made people dislike her. Now the resentment is gone, and although she is disfigured, Jin Cai thinks she looks better now.
"After going through some things, my state of mind is different." Shen Qingqiu said.
Appearance is determined by the heart, and sometimes these words are true. Gu Yanran was just a 14-year-old girl who had taken the wrong path and her appearance was ruined, but she suddenly realized her mistake. Shen Qingqiu shook his head, took the pair of tiger-head shoes and went into the room.
——
The prince's full-month banquet was over, and Shen Qingqiu was still the princess's companion, so naturally he had to enter the palace.
But it seems that she won't be able to be a companion reader for long. Princess Changhe is the oldest among the three. She will be fourteen after the Chinese New Year. Naturally, she will not enter the palace at that time. And Shen Qingqiu will be fourteen after the Chinese New Year. Girls of this age have to find their husbands, so she will not stay in the palace.
The three of them had played together for several years, and seeing that they were getting older and had to separate, the Ninth Princess was naturally reluctant to leave. "After the New Year, cousin Changhe won't come, and next year Qiu'er won't be able to come either. I will be the only one left in the palace."
Shen Qingqiu said: "If the princess misses us, she can leave the palace to look for us."
"Don't you know that my father doesn't let me leave the palace?" The Ninth Princess gave her a resentful look.
Shen Qingqiu curled his lips, "The emperor didn't ask you to come out because you are not in good health, but what if you are better?"
The Ninth Princess was stunned when she heard this. "How can it be cured? The imperial physician has been treating me for years and it still hasn't healed me—"
Shen Qingqiu just said: "Don't worry, if I say it can be cured, then it can be cured."
Gu Yanwei and the Ninth Princess both had the same disease. One of them was the Ninth Prince and the other was the Ninth Princess. It was in line with the Taoist number of Nine Extremes. Both of them were weak and needed treatment. But Shen Qingqiu didn't believe in metaphysics. Since Gu Yanwei was poisoned, how could the Ninth Princess be any better? Over the years, she had already found the medicine to cure Gu Yanwei, and of course, the Ninth Princess.
Seeing her friend like this, the Ninth Princess couldn't help asking questions, but Shen Qingqiu refused to reveal anything, only telling her not to worry, he would definitely give her a healthy body. She always knew that Shen Qingqiu kept his word, so she couldn't help but feel excited, but Shen Qingqiu just told her not to tell anyone.
The Ninth Princess was so depressed that she could only think of ways to divert her thoughts. "Oh, my father's birthday is in the second half of the month. Because of my seventh brother's matter, my father has been in a bad mood recently. I have to think of a gift that can make him feel better."
Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows. Emperor's birthday banquet?
Last time, the emperor gave her mother a premature baby, so she had to prepare a gift for the emperor.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingqiu suddenly glanced at the Ninth Princess again, "Furong, do you like your father very much?"
The Ninth Princess was stunned for a moment, then she seriously thought about the question her friend asked, and shook her head honestly, "I don't like my father. When I was young, my mother was not favored. I saw her being bullied by eunuchs and scolded by palace maids many times, and my father never came out to help us. Later, when I was seriously ill, my father suddenly liked me for some reason, and because my father liked me, the palace maids would treat my mother well."
Growing up in the palace, even a simple person like the Ninth Princess has her own thoughts. For example, she knows that without the emperor's favor, she and Concubine Rou are nothing.
"Qiu'er, why do you suddenly ask this?" The Ninth Princess asked suspiciously.
Shen Qingqiu said: "It's just that I heard from the imperial physician these days that the emperor is not in good health, and I'm afraid you will be sad."
The Ninth Princess spread her palms indifferently, "Are you saying that you are afraid that my father will pass away and I will be sad? I may be a little sad, but I am more worried. I don't like my father, but as long as he is here, people in the palace will not bully me and my mother." At this point, the Ninth Princess frowned again, "Although the Crown Prince is a good person, the Queen Mother appears generous on the surface but is actually narrow-minded, especially Yongning. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, she will definitely make trouble for me."
Thinking of the many times she had provoked Yongning before, the Ninth Princess now felt a little regretful. "Seventh Brother is not good either. Concubine Li also had a grudge against my mother. And Seventh Brother is a narrow-minded person. He has always remembered the things you did to help Ninth Brother. He will definitely seek revenge in the future."
"What if it's the Ninth Prince?" Shen Qingqiu asked.
"Ninth brother?" Princess Nine asked, "How is that possible?" Ninth brother is bedridden like her, and may not even live to be 25 years old, so what future does he have? But since her friend asked, she still answered, "Ninth brother has a good temper and is a good person. He is my favorite among all the brothers."
Hearing this, Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he had made some decision.
——
Soon the day of the emperor's birthday banquet arrived.
The whole country celebrated, and the whole palace was covered with bright yellow silk ribbons. During the day, the emperor and all the officials paid homage, and the main banquet began at night. Shen Qingqiu was no longer attending as the princess's companion, but as the legitimate daughter of the Gu family, Lady Kangle, and attended with Liu.
"I heard that there is a princess from another country who will be performing today," Liu said, "I think the show will be very interesting."
"It's called a performance, but it's actually a marriage, right?" Shen Qingqiu said.
Nowadays, there are many princes in the court who are old enough but still don’t have a wife, such as Gu Cheng and Gu Yanwei.
Thinking of Gu Yanwei, Shen Qingqiu didn't know why, but he suddenly felt inexplicably unhappy. Fortunately, this inexplicable feeling came and went quickly.
After a bell rang, the emperor and empress came in slowly.
"Today is the emperor's birthday, and the whole country should celebrate together with the people." Empress Pei, like the emperor, wore bright yellow court dresses. She smiled gracefully and elegantly, "The emperor has already decided to reduce taxes nationwide by 10% this month."
As soon as this move was made, all the ministers naturally cheered.
After the necessary procedures were completed, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess Wang Qingluo presented this year's birthday gift to the Emperor. It was not much different from previous years, and the Emperor did not even look at it, and casually said a word of reward. After that, many ministers and concubines continued to present gifts.
Gu Jiacheng had presented the gifts to the emperor early on, and then the ceremonial officers sang the gifts sent by the officials to the emperor while watching the various performances on the stage.
Shen Qingqiu was feeling bored, but suddenly, he heard the music on the stage suddenly change, the originally peaceful sound of stringed instruments became enchanting and charming. Looking at the dancers who were originally dancing on the stage, they all left the stage at some point. Now, there was only one big drum left in the huge venue.
A moment later, a woman in gorgeous clothes and a veil was carried onto the drum by several palace maids. She lifted her toes slightly and the drum sounded.
Then she started to dance on the drum. Her charming dance moves matched the rhythm of the drums, and her blue eyes immediately attracted the attention of all the men in the audience. Even the emperor was not surprised. With the last move, the woman raised her feet and spun around, then slowly floated under the drum, revealing the veil on her face.
A beautiful face with an exotic look was revealed, causing everyone in the audience to stare at it.
The woman raised her head again and glanced at the emperor shyly.
At this time, Concubine Li, who was sitting on the right side of the emperor, spoke up, "Your Majesty, this girl was met by my second brother when he went to Persia for business. The Persian gave her to him, but my second brother said that such a beauty was hard to find in the country, so he sent her to the palace. I also saw that she can sing and dance well, and is a wonderful person. The harem has not been filled for a long time. Your Majesty, what do you think?"
Concubine Li had already said the most extreme thing. She was also a stunning beauty, so the emperor would never push her away. He just said, "It's hard for your brother to think of me all the time. If that's the case, you should stay in the palace."
Concubine Rou smiled and said to the woman below: "Why don't you thank the emperor for his grace?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Soon a palace maid came over and helped the woman down.
"My beloved concubine and your brother are both very thoughtful." Having such a beauty, the emperor would naturally remember Concubine Li's kindness.
Concubine Li smiled softly, "It is my duty to share the emperor's worries." Concubine Li said, but she didn't know what she was thinking about. Her slender eyebrows slightly frowned. Seeing this, the emperor hurriedly asked, "My beloved concubine, what's wrong? Why do you suddenly look like this? Are you feeling unwell?"
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