The palace maid
Luan Zhengya placed the brush on the pen holder and asked with interest, "It seems that the whispers a few days ago were about this dagger?"
The secret guard lowered his head in silence, sharing the same sentiment. He simply couldn't understand why the prince, knowing his fiancée had prepared a dagger, could still smile so... voluptuously.
"It's okay, just pretend you don't know about this matter, I will handle it myself." Luan Zhengya picked up the brush and continued working on the desk.
Looking closely, one can see that what is spread out on the desk is a scroll with a picture on it. The picture on it is a woman with a very bright smile, who is none other than Qin Yuyao.
I still remember her always asking, "Why do you paint mountains, rivers, streams, and trees, but never people? Is there no one worth painting?"
At that time, he always kept silent about it, even though the person he wanted to paint was right in front of him. But the desire in his heart forced him not to show his ugly side in front of her. The kind of love he had for her, not wanting to miss a glance, would scare her.
But it’s different now. The wedding is approaching, and there will be plenty of time in the future for him to reveal his true self little by little. I just hope she can accept it little by little.
The final touch is a teardrop mole at the corner of the eye, a mark that would be invisible unless you look closely. However, it is extremely charming on Yuyao's face, and her best look is when she smiles.
Looking at the picture of the beauty on the desktop, Luan Zhengya's eyes were dark and the smile on the corner of his mouth looked very dangerous.
*
The three aunts in charge, who looked very arrogant, all looked at Qin Yuyao who was pacing back and forth in front of them.
"In other words, you are all masters invited by Prince Zhen'an to teach me the rules and etiquette and how to manage domestic affairs?" Qin Yuyao crossed her arms and looked at the few people with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
The three of them were chosen by the aunt who was respected in the palace, and now she was in front of a young lady who was said to have grown up on a farm.
Immediately, Aunt Li in the middle spoke up: "Miss Qin, we were not sent by Prince Zhen'an, but by the palace. Prince Zhen'an asked us to listen to your advice. If you are unwilling to learn, we will go back on our own."
He paused, as if he found Prince Zhen'an's order incomprehensible, and continued, "But Miss Qin, as far as we know, you grew up on the farm. How could you understand the rules and etiquette of this rural place like us?"
With the first one to speak out, the other two aunts did not rush to demonstrate, but when they looked at Qin Yuyao, they expressed the same meaning: you have to learn even if you don't want to. If you really don't learn, you will be a bumpkin and will only make a fool of yourself.
"Oh!" Qin Yuyao nodded heavily, then smiled and looked at the three of them. "I wonder what the three aunts are going to teach you? If you can show me one or two, I can prioritize them. After all, my wedding is only seven days away."
Suddenly, the three of them exchanged glances, each vaguely dissatisfied with the other. Then Aunt Li stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Miss Qin, my main job is to teach the nobles in the palace how to behave. They must have a proper posture. Once they learn well, their words and actions will be extremely elegant. Now many wives of officials in the capital have asked me to teach unmarried young ladies." Aunt Li's words were full of confidence, and the smile on the corner of her mouth became more and more conspicuous.
Unexpectedly, Qin Yuyao only glanced at her indifferently, then looked at the other two: "I wonder what the two aunts are good at?"
What they usually do is ask Aunt Li to explore the way first, and then they will make decisions on their own. Now, seeing Qin Yuyao's attitude, how could they not know that this is not the kind of girl who can be manipulated at will?
They all spoke kindly: "Miss Qin, what does she want to learn? What is she curious about? Whatever you want to learn, we two can tell you something." After Aunt Zhang finished speaking, Aunt Liu nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Qin Yuyao's eyes flashed with a hint of smile. However, this smile disappeared very quickly, but it was clear enough for the three of them to see clearly.
Aunt Li felt a little embarrassed when she saw this, and tried to excuse herself by saying, "If Miss Qin doesn't like to learn these, I can just demonstrate."
Qin Yuyao raised her eyebrows and said noncommittally, "In that case, I will make all the things that you aunts are good at. Please give me some comments and see if there is anything that needs to be improved."
In a surprising twist of fate, she was actually willing to try again. The three of them exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. Then, inevitably, they felt a tinge of anticipation. If Miss Qin refused to learn anything, she might become a notorious rude shrew in Shengjing.
Outside the courtyard, Madam Lin had previously specifically reminded the three aunts to punish Qin Yuyao. When she heard Chunmei's message, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on her face.
"Did she really say that?" Madam Lin frowned, feeling that Qin Yuyao was too arrogant. She had acted well in front of her grandmother before, but now she was throwing a tantrum in front of her old aunt in the palace.
If something goes wrong, she will definitely spread the news so that the young ladies from the noble families in Shengjing will laugh at her.
"Go and take another look. Make sure you see it clearly before you tell me anything." Mrs. Lin reminded her again and again with concern. After fighting with her several times, she was a little afraid of Qin Yuyao.
Chunmei nodded, looked around to make sure no one saw her, and then returned to the yard.
At this time, in the courtyard, Qin Yuyao said slowly: "This is standing and bowing, take a look and see if this is what it looks like."
After saying this, Qin Yuyao stood up straight, looking straight ahead with her eyes level. She crossed her hands in her sleeves, resting them on her abdomen.
After a brief pause, Qin Yuyao continued. She placed her right hand on top of her left, bringing both hands to her chest. She bent her knees and lowered her head slightly, a gesture of bowing.
Aunt Li, who had witnessed every move, was already slightly shocked and opened her mouth. It took a long while before she found her voice again: "Miss Qin, this etiquette is indeed standard. It is even comparable to that of the princess with the best etiquette in the past. Even I can't tell her."
Hearing this, Qin Yuyao couldn't help but lower her eyes. She didn't understand these things at first. But Luan Zhengya mentioned at the time: "Since you want to learn from me, I must teach you everything I know. Otherwise, I would be letting you down by saying, 'Master is the best.'"
She was the first one who didn't want her to call him Master, but every time he wanted to teach something new, he always liked to bring it up.
When she looked up, Qin Yuyao's expression was normal. "Aunt Liu is good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but now she can't display them here. It just so happens that the scenery in this summer courtyard is quite nice, so I will use this scenery as the theme and paint a picture of weeping willows in summer."
Jin Yu and Qing Yu quickly brought the desk from inside the house. When they were about to move the chair, Qin Yuyao stopped them and said, "No need. I already have an idea for this painting in mind. I can finish it while standing."
Instantly, the entire courtyard fell silent, waiting with bated breath for Qin Yuyao to begin painting. Aunt Zhang watched the scene gradually take shape on the scroll, and in astonishment, she couldn't help but take a few steps closer.
He murmured, "The resemblance of the scenery is the foundation, but the most difficult thing to learn is the smudge of ink weight. Using light and dark to replace the gradation of color, it achieves the effect of five colors in one ink. Miss Qin's calligraphy is truly superb."
After she finished speaking, Aunt Zhang couldn't help but clap her hands softly: "Wonderful! Miss Qin's painting skills are far inferior to mine. You should be the one teaching me."
Seeing Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li both "failed," Aunt Liu's expression was very complicated. The three of them had previously told the Prime Minister's wife that they would teach them carefully and would definitely punish them severely and reward them lightly.
Now that Qin Yuyao had shown her superiority, the other two felt inferior. It was clear she had no chance of winning. Aunt Liu's heart was mixed, but then she realized she was an old member of the palace, not a servant in the Prime Minister's mansion. Her teaching results had nothing to do with Madam Lin.
Aunt Liu felt a little relieved and said with a smile, "Miss Qin, your knowledge, etiquette and skills are the best among all the young ladies we have met. I don't have anything else but the skills of managing the household and checking the account books."
Qin Yuyao sighed inwardly. After all this "performance," she finally found the real person. She stood up, approached Aunt Liu, and said, "Aunt Liu, you're incredibly skilled at reading account books. This knowledge is far superior to my own. I hope you'll be able to teach me."
With Qin Yuyao grabbing her hands, Aunt Liu was so surprised she didn't know what to say. Then she heard her ask, "What about the dowry my family prepared for me, plus the betrothal gifts sent by Prince Zhen'an? Will I have to take all of these away when the time comes?"
Aunt Liu nodded subconsciously after hearing this: "That's natural. If a family swallowed up the girl's dowry and betrothal gifts, it would be laughed at."
Then she heard the person in front of her laugh softly, grab her hand and lead her to the other side of the yard, because under the eaves over there were all the betrothal gifts sent from Prince Zhen'an's Mansion.
"Aunt Liu, I think you're right. The prince's wife should learn how to manage the household expenses and the account book." After a pause, Qin Yuyao said seriously, "Then let's start with the betrothal gift and my dowry."
At the edge of the crowd, Chunmei was about to leave through a small door when she was caught by Jinyu, who had been waiting for a long time. She wanted to call for help, but when she turned around, she saw Qingyu already holding Xiaju and standing on the other side.
Chunmei and Xiaju exchanged a glance, seeing panic in each other's eyes. However, the news Mrs. Lin wanted to know was probably not going to be passed on.
Outside the courtyard, Madam Lin paced back and forth in a pavilion, wondering how these three palace aunts could have been so persistent. Could it be that Qin Yuyao was truly capable, unable to be subdued by them?
Thinking of this, Mrs. Lin's face became more and more anxious. Somehow, she felt a chill down her spine.
Soon, she knew where the source was. This was because a group of people came out of Qin Yuyao's yard on the other side.
Leading the way were Qin Yuyao and Aunt Liu, who was constantly recording in a ledger. Seeing their movements, Madam Lin quickly understood what was going on and turned around, quickly rushing back to her own courtyard from the other side of the path.
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