Chapter 430 The Secret to Eternal Youth
"It's nothing urgent. The acrobatic performances outside are about to begin, so I came to take Yu'er to see the excitement."
Yuan Hongqu's voice was cold, and the Empress knew immediately that she was holding back her anger. It seemed that someone had made things difficult for Daiyu earlier, and she had found out. It was as if she didn't even trust the Empress.
"So, you only want to take your junior sister to see the acrobatics, but you don't care about your disciple?" The Empress pretended to be angry, but a smile played on her lips.
"If the Empress wishes to go along, then so be it."
Yuan Hongqu glanced at her indifferently, too lazy to deal with the Empress who was pretending to be childish.
The unsuspecting women present suddenly realized that this person was actually the Empress's mentor, Yuan Hongqu, the only third-rank female official in the court.
He seems a bit too young.
They had long heard of Yuan Hongqu's legendary life, and in their imagination, Yuan Hongqu should be a lady around forty years old. But now she looked to be at most twenty years old, and about the same age as the Empress.
I heard that Princess Jiangzhu was raised by Lord Yuan, and the Empress was also Lord Yuan's disciple.
Could she have been a teacher at the age of ten?
This just doesn't make sense.
I heard that Lady Yuan is also an expert in beauty preservation. Could it be that she is actually over forty years old?
Aside from the ladies from the capital, the ladies from Suzhou who had never seen Yuan Hongqu before were all amazed.
"Lord Yuan, if I may ask, how do you maintain your youthful appearance? You seem even younger now than when you first arrived in the capital."
"Right? I've always wondered, is it only us who are getting older every day, while Lord Yuan is getting younger every day?"
After the ladies whispered among themselves, they finally brought out two ladies from the capital who had met Yuan Hongqu to ask her questions.
"Sir, I'd also like to know. When I first met you, you were twenty years old. How come after all these years, you still look twenty, while I look older than you?" The Empress stroked her cheek, feigning grievance.
"Sir, do you have any health secrets that allow you to stay young forever? Please share them with us."
Yuan Hongqu's eyes were cold as she swept over the expectant faces of the crowd and said indifferently, "Being able to eat and sleep well is my way of maintaining good health."
These words, spoken lightly, caused everyone present to burst into laughter.
Everyone knows that Yuan Hongqu holds multiple positions. In addition to being a third-rank official with duties in the imperial court, she is also the dean of the women's academy in the capital and is currently in charge of the expansion of women's academies across the country.
Most importantly, while she was doing all this, there was also Princess Jiangzhu who was being personally cared for. It was said that Princess Jiangzhu had at least one meal prepared by Lord Yuan every day...
It seems she has no time to rest.
No one would believe that these two things alone could grant eternal youth.
It was clear that she didn't want to say more, and everyone tactfully stopped asking.
Yuan Hongqu said no more, but whispered a few words to Daiyu.
Daiyu obediently got up, bowed to the Empress to take her leave, and then followed Yuan Hongqu outside.
The two left first, and the Empress and the others could no longer remain seated.
"Now that the entertainment is ready, let's go and have a look. I've seen entertainment in the capital, but this is my first time experiencing entertainment in Suzhou. It'll be quite an eye-opener," the Empress said with a smile, leading the ladies into the courtyard to watch the performance.
The performance area was set up in the open courtyard on the east side of the mansion, and at this moment, the sounds of gongs and drums filled the air, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
At this moment, a juggler was performing a pole-balancing act. On a bamboo pole three zhang high, a child of about ten years old was balancing a stack of porcelain bowls on his head and performing various thrilling stunts, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Daiyu sat down next to Yuan Hongqu, watching the performance intently.
“Sir, look at that child, isn’t she in pain?” Daiyu tugged at Yuan Hongqu’s sleeve and pointed at the girl who was performing contortion.
The girl seemed to have no bones, and she was able to bend her body into incredible arcs.
At this moment, a perfectly healthy person was folded into a square, like origami.
Yuan Hongqu smiled faintly and patted Daiyu's hand: "If you like, you can invite them to the mansion to perform for you in the future."
"No, it's better not to. It hurts me to watch, and I don't know how much damage they'll do to their bodies to do this," Daiyu said, feeling reluctant.
"Sir, can't these kinds of tricks be banned? Things like handstands, ventriloquism, and acrobatics, which can be learned through training, are fine. But these tricks that look like they're going to hurt my body make me feel uncomfortable just watching them." Daiyu clutched her chest, her expression devoid of any joy from watching the show, and her large eyes were filled with tears.
"They were born of mothers and fathers too. If they weren't forced by the need to make a living, they wouldn't use their bodies to perform acrobatics and make people laugh. But I can't laugh!"
This was the first time Daiyu had ever seen such a variety show. In the past, whether it was acrobatics or plays, Yuan Hongqu had never let her see these kinds of things.
Even in the capital, it was rare to see a family invite such acrobatic performances to their home.
At most, they'd send a few magicians or stunt performers; there really aren't many like that.
Yuan Hongqu beckoned to a maidservant beside her and whispered a few words to her.
The maid left, and soon the girl performing contortion on the platform stepped down, replaced by a person performing on a tightrope walk.
"Why did they stop so suddenly? This circus troupe is so hard to get, it's rare to see them. We finally got to see them today, and they left before they even finished their performance?" Many people in the back were whispering.
"Yes, I heard they have a trick called 'head swapping,' where they can break off a person's head and put it back on. It's on today's variety show program. I'm looking forward to seeing it!"
"This kind of show is not for ladies and young women to watch. Who invited this play, and who made the catalog?" An elderly lady sitting in the front also noticed something amiss.
"Luckily they stopped, and there was no more performance. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a fake head transplant; they might have really lost their heads! Don't they know what kind of occasion this is? Do they think it's their backyard?"
The people behind also heard what the old woman in front said, looked down at each other, and wondered whose family had offered this up. This was going to cause trouble!
The Empress, who was sitting at the very front, also felt somewhat uncomfortable watching the performance. However, as the mother of the nation, she maintained a certain composure and did not show it immediately.
However, she heard Daiyu's words clearly, and when she saw the play stop, she breathed a sigh of relief.
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