Chapter 228 Reunion of Old Friends
Spring goes and autumn comes, and in the blink of an eye, more than half of the year has passed.
After the academy's autumn garden party, the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday began.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, a banquet was held in the palace, and officials from all over the capital attended with their families.
Inside the Phoenix Palace, wisps of smoke rose from a gilded incense burner, filling the hall with the fragrance of sandalwood.
The Empress sat gracefully before her dressing table, letting the palace maids style her hair.
The bronze mirror reflected a dignified face, with eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like autumn waters. This was the most noble empress in the world, the mother of the nation, and a model for all women.
"Your Majesty, all preparations for today's palace banquet are complete."
The head maidservant reported softly.
"The Imperial Kitchen has just received some osmanthus wine, and the other various fruits and melons for moon-viewing are mostly sourced by Prince Xian from Xiangrui Manor, along with some exotic fruits from various regions. They have all been prepared as rewards after the banquet. The officials and their wives outside have also taken their seats, awaiting Your Highness's arrival."
The Empress nodded slightly, her fingertips gently tracing the phoenix hairpin on the table.
She will see the gentleman today, so she might as well not wear the phoenix hairpin!
Since it's a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, not a very formal one, let's keep it casual.
Instead of choosing a phoenix hairpin, she opted for a simple, standard floral crown suitable for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"Has Mr. Yuan, the headmaster of the girls' academy, arrived yet?" the Empress asked casually.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Yuan accompanied Princess Lin, but..." The old woman paused,
"Many female students from the Girls' Academy came to the banquet today, and they all came to greet Mr. Yuan. Mr. Yuan was probably a little impatient, so he took Princess Lin to the side hall just now."
The Empress smiled slightly and said softly,
"The gentleman is still the same as always."
"Your Highness was indeed farsighted, preparing a place for Mr. Yuan well in advance... I just saw that Mr. Yuan was clearly very impatient, but he still tried to maintain his composure and couldn't leave even if he wanted to. Fortunately, Princess Lin was next to Mr. Yuan, otherwise he might have lost his temper on the spot."
“One of the rules of the girls’ academy is that students do not need to be overly polite outside the academy. The relationship between teachers and students is equal, like friends. If they are too polite, the teachers will only feel that they have failed in their education... However, respect for teachers is ingrained in their bones. It will probably not be easy to change the women of the capital.”
The Empress couldn't help but chuckle as she imagined the expression Yuan Hongqu might make.
"Let's go."
The Empress stood up, the tassels on her crown swaying slightly. "Let's go to the side hall first. I'm so close to you, sir. If I can't see you again this time, I don't know when I'll be able to muster the courage again."
"Granny, when will the banquet begin? Have the sisters from our academy prepared any performances? When will they perform?" Daiyu walked around the Imperial Garden and found that this place was grand and imposing, while her own place was small and exquisite, each with its own unique characteristics.
However, she still prefers her own yard.
The Empress, accompanied by her nanny, walked towards the side hall.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the side hall, I heard Mr. Yuan's hearty laughter coming from inside.
It turned out that Daiyu was vividly recounting the interesting things that happened in the classroom at the academy, which made Yuan Hongqu laugh heartily.
The Empress stood at the door, hesitant to step forward for a moment.
Just as the nanny was about to announce the news, the Empress raised her hand to stop her.
Just then, Yuan Hongqu seemed to sense something, looked up at the door, and met the Empress's gaze.
Yuan Hongqu was slightly taken aback, then stood up and bowed.
The Empress hurried into the room and said, "Sir, there's no need for such formalities. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival; you should simply treat it as a time to gather with your friends."
Before she could finish speaking, the Empress's eyes filled with tears...
She simply couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Now that you're being so distant with Hua Jing, can we never go back to the way things were?"
Seeing this, the nanny quickly retreated and closed the door.
When Yuan Hongqu saw the Empress shed tears, she felt a pang of sadness and quickly stepped forward to support the Empress's arm.
"Your Majesty, please don't be sad. It's just that our statuses are different, so we have to abide by certain rules."
The Empress held Yuan Hongqu's hand tightly.
“Sir, in my heart you will always be my mentor. No matter how our status changes, this friendship will never change.”
Yuan Hongqu sighed softly.
“I am grateful that Your Majesty cherishes our past friendship. But I fear that gossip from others may damage Your Majesty’s reputation.”
"I don't care about those rumors, as long as you are still willing to treat me as before." The Queen's eyes were glistening with tears.
"Hua Jing, you've suffered so much these past years." Yuan Hongqu looked at her first female student.
She was the woman she had taught with all her heart, a woman whose modern ideas and ancient wisdom had collided to create the most perfect spark.
However, in the end, they still lost to the ancient system, to the rigid hierarchical relationships of ruler and subject, father and son.
Upon hearing this brief sentence, Empress Zhao Huajing's tears finally rolled down her cheeks, and Yuan Hongqu felt a surge of heartache.
"Now that we are reunited, Hua Jing, please do not cry anymore. If outsiders see this, they may think that I, who was once a teacher, am abusing my position as a teacher to reprimand Your Highness."
Yuan Hongqu intended to wipe away Zhao Huajing's tears as usual, but when her gaze fell upon Zhao Huajing's magnificent empress robes, she withdrew her hand.
Zhao Huajing felt a slight pang in her heart; her husband still harbored resentment towards her. But then she heard Yuan Hongqu say…
"You'd better cleanse your face quickly and have someone touch up your makeup. I don't know how to do the Empress's elaborate makeup."
The empress was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter through her tears, as if the two had rediscovered the ease and comfort they once shared.
Just then, the old woman's voice came from outside the door, announcing that the banquet was about to begin.
The Empress straightened her clothes and had someone fix her makeup.
"Sir, please come with me. Today we must enjoy the moon and savor the newly presented fruits."
The Empress held Yuan Hongqu's hand in one hand and Daiyu's hand in the other.
"This must be my junior sister Daiyu. She truly deserves to be Master's last disciple. I have never seen Master so happy. With my junior sister by Master's side, I feel much more at ease."
"Senior Sister Empress, the Master treats me very well, so I should treat him very well in return."
Although Daiyu's answer was a simple, childlike statement, revealing her naivety, the Empress was deeply moved. She had said the same thing before, but in the end, she had let her teacher down.
The man loved her wholeheartedly, hoping she would live a carefree life and be free.
As a result, she broke her own wings and entered the palace, which was like a cage.
How could the gentleman not be disappointed?
However, it seems that the master has forgiven her now, and the empress has been conflicted and uneasy all along.
But the moment he saw Yuan Hongqu, all his words and thoughts seemed to vanish.
She knew that her husband understood her and didn't blame her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
