Qin Zhaoyue lay comfortably in bed.
As long as she didn't have to get up early for court, she felt that living in the palace was not a bad idea.
The imperial kitchen served a constant stream of delicacies, and the palace servants took meticulous care of the guests. Most importantly, it was all free.
The three children had turned the food stalls outside into their main battleground, and now there was no room left for them, so the palace servants had already carried them away to make room for them.
She was different; she had only casually eaten a few snacks earlier, and now the main course was being served.
Palace maids and eunuchs filed in, and a large, carved sandalwood table was filled with a continuous stream of delicacies.
Paired with the Jade Spring wine stored in the palace cellar, tsk... the taste is absolutely amazing.
With the three mischievous children no longer around to make noise, Qin Zhaoyue was lounging casually on the chaise longue covered with soft satin.
The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air as graceful dancers, dressed in light gauze, appeared.
As the music played, they danced gracefully, their flowing sleeves fluttering, and a subtle fragrance wafting through the air.
The hall was brightly lit by candles, illuminating the fine wines and delicacies, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of nightly revelry.
The first three imperial heirs, exhausted from a long day's work, dragged their weary steps back to Qinghui Palace.
Amidst the bright lights and the continuous music, through the swaying dance figures, one could catch a glimpse of Lao Liu, his cheeks flushed and his eyes glazed over from drinking.
The three of them paused and stood together under the eaves outside the hall.
Qin Zhaowan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
The preliminary test has come to a successful conclusion, and all the hard work has been rewarded.
Previously, with her older sister and second brother supporting her, she rarely had the opportunity to be completely in charge and take on such a major responsibility on her own.
While maintaining his usual composure and calmness on the surface, the immense sense of accomplishment and the exhilaration of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel were almost overflowing from his heart.
However, upon seeing his sixth sister's languid, carefree, and drunkenly enjoying herself, most of his pride and satisfaction vanished in an instant.
What is she working so hard for, staying up all night, and being overwhelmed with paperwork...?
The thought popped into my head uncontrollably.
Although I felt a little tired just now, I am actually full of energy.
At this moment, it felt as if the backbone had been removed, leaving only a weak and powerless feeling.
Then that deflated anger quietly transformed into an indescribable resentment, causing the hand hidden in the sleeve to clench tighter and tighter.
Qin Zhaoshu narrowed his long, narrow eyes slightly, a fleeting, unfathomable emotion flashing in his eyes.
Although she wasn't as hands-on as her third sister, she had indeed been involved in handling affairs during this period, and she was genuinely exhausted.
As for Qin Jingzhan, he simply put his hands in his pockets and rolled his eyes at the people inside the hall.
He wasn't too surprised, after all, he had already experienced his sixth sister's laziness firsthand on the disaster relief mission.
They would rather sit than stand, and rather lie down than sit. Their appetite and desire for pleasure are nothing new.
"Walk."
Qin Zhaowan, who had originally planned to take a bath first, coldly uttered a single word.
The three of them entered the hall with resentment that had almost solidified into a tangible form.
The music abruptly stopped, and the dancers hurriedly halted their movements, bowing their heads and retreating to the side.
The decadent and hedonistic atmosphere that had just filled the hall instantly froze.
Qin Zhaoyue then slowly raised her eyes.
Unlike before when she was pretending to be drunk, she was genuinely a little tipsy now.
Her eyes were hazy and watery, as if veiled in a thin mist.
Qin Zhaowan's voice was calm and unreadable, revealing neither joy nor anger:
"Sixth Sister is in a really good mood."
Qin Zhaoyue waved her hand, laughing carefree:
"Hey! It's because Third Sister handled her job so perfectly."
I am very happy that so many outstanding talents have been selected for our great cause.
This table was specially set up to celebrate for my sister.
"Is that so?" Qin Zhaowan's gaze swept over the mess of leftover food on the table, a very faint smile curving her lips.
"I've never seen anyone celebrate like this before, with the host not even here."
"That's absolutely right!" Qin Zhaoyue patted her chest, making a solemn vow, her drunken state quite charming.
At that moment, Qin Zhaoshu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.
Her voice was as soft as a feather's touch, and her face even carried a perfectly timed smile:
"Sixth Sister, you must be getting a little anxious waiting, right?"
After all, the third sister was always busy and couldn't spare the time, neglecting her younger sister.
It's understandable that my younger sister started drinking first.
Qin Zhaoyue: ?
This sounds like a considerate remark, but why does it have such a strong tea-like flavor?
She raised her head, her slightly dazed eyes fixed on her fourth sister.
What happened?
Why is this fourth sister, who is usually carefree and just a background figure, suddenly putting on a tea ceremony performance today?
She pursed her lips, her speech slurred with drunkenness:
"Fourth sister...tsk, you've really kept it well hidden..."
She only recently began to understand the nuances of this situation, realizing that her assessment of her fourth sister might be somewhat inaccurate.
Fourth Sister's strategy seems to be "non-competitive," like beads on an abacus that won't move unless you move them.
But if you look at all her "conventional" actions over the years together, you can find clues.
She always completes the tasks assigned to her in a standard and orderly manner, without ever making a mistake or standing out.
To always keep the score precisely at the passing mark, not a point more or less, requires an extremely high level of control.
To portray "non-competition" as naturally as she does, one should be like Qin Zhaoyue, whose laziness is so self-assured and obvious to everyone.
The fact that she still goes to great lengths to "control the score" only shows that there is still a little bit of resentment in this fourth sister's heart.
Qin Jingzhan had long since lost his temper and retorted irritably:
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