Just as she was about to see whom her son had been looking at, he withdrew his gaze. He lifted his head and looked at her innocently. “Mother, what is it?”
The Duchess of State Pacification, Lin Xian, asked hesitantly, “What were you looking at?”
Gu Shen’an replied, “I was admiring the flowers.”
The corners of the Duchess of State Pacification’s eyes twitched. “Admire them as you please.”
Gu Shen’an said no more. Instead, he lowered his head and picked up a pastry from the table. He took a bite. It was very sweet, almost cloying.
No wonder she liked them…
Rongyao had eaten her fill. She accepted the tea her mother handed her and obediently took a sip. “Thank you, Mother.”
“Yaoyao, rest for a while,” Cui Huaiyin said. “If you keep eating, you might not have room for the even better dishes that will be served later.”
“Mm-hmm. Yaoyao will listen to Mother.”
Cui Huaiyin chuckled softly. She gently wiped the corner of her daughter’s mouth with a handkerchief, then wiped her hands as well. In a soft voice, she said, “Yaoyao, take a good look around. Many of the ladies have daughters about your age with them. See if there’s anyone you like.”
Rongyao lifted her head and looked toward the guests’ seats.
There were indeed many ladies, each with children by her side. The boys and girls were all around her age.
She didn’t know any of them.
Rongyao looked around, and then her gaze suddenly stopped on someone seated ahead.
Her eyes widened.
It was Qi Shen!
No, Qi Shen wasn’t Qi Shen. He was Gu Shen’an.
Gu Shen’an was the son of the Marquis of Zhenxi. Since his father had become the Duke of Zhen, Gu Shen’an was now the young master of the duke’s household.
He was looking at her.
And… smiling at her.
But that smile…
Rongyao instinctively shrank her neck and picked up another pastry, stuffing it into her mouth.
What was wrong with him? Why did he look more and more like Qi Shen?
After thinking about it, she decided that they were the same person to begin with. Gu Shen’an would grow up to become Qi Shen, so it was only natural that they resembled each other.
But no, they were different.
Gu Shen’an would not suffer the way Qi Shen had. Not only had his father been cleared of all charges early on, but he had even become the Duke of Zhen.
His entire family would remain safe and well.
He would never become a eunuch.
If Gu Shen’an did not enter the palace and become a eunuch, then Qi Shen would never exist in this world again.
Rongyao thought that was wonderful!
Without realizing it, she curved her lips into a smile. She raised her head and gave Gu Shen’an a sincere smile.
Qi Shen had helped her avenge herself. Now, she had repaid the favor.
She had said she could repay his kindness, protect Qi Shen, and keep him from entering the palace and becoming a eunuch.
She had done it!
From now on, she would become an even more formidable person. Then, would she be able to protect every kindhearted person beneath the heavens?
“The Empress has arrived!”
Every guest rose to their feet.
At the front, the Empress slowly approached in an elegant red robe. She held a little girl of six or seven by one hand and a boy of three or four by the other.
Even without an introduction, everyone knew that the older girl was Princess Shengping, while the younger boy was the Fourth Prince.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
The crowd called out in unison.
The Empress smiled and walked to the seat of honor. “There is no need for formalities. Take your seats.”
Only after the Empress sat down did the ladies gradually return to their seats.
The Empress spoke with a smile that still carried an air of authority. “Today’s banquet is a flower-viewing feast. We are admiring more than merely real flowers. I specially ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare several flower-themed dishes, so that the food might match the occasion.”
With that, palace maids began filing in. Each held an exquisite porcelain plate, which they placed on the tables of the honored guests.
Every dish was exquisitely prepared.
The first was peony duck. The duck had been sliced into thin pieces and arranged in the shape of a peony.
The second was lotus chicken. The chicken had been deboned, kneaded into a ball, and placed inside a lotus blossom to form its stamen.
The third was chrysanthemum-scented tofu…
After that came dishes resembling osmanthus blossoms, peach blossoms, pear blossoms, and more.
Every dish had been painstakingly prepared, so beautiful that no one could bear to eat it.
The ladies praised the Empress’s ingenuity one after another.
The Empress merely smiled. “The credit belongs to the cooks of the Imperial Kitchen.”
Rongyao stared at the delicacies on the table, completely fascinated. They were truly beautiful.
Cui Huaiyin glanced back at her daughter. Seeing that the girl had been staring at the food without picking up her chopsticks, she chuckled and brought a piece of petal-shaped chicken to her daughter’s lips. “Have a taste.”
Rongyao instinctively opened her mouth and ate it. Her eyes lit up at once. She bobbed her head repeatedly and declared that it was delicious before picking up her chopsticks and beginning to enjoy the feast.
After the meal and a dance performance, the Empress finally brought up the matter she had mentioned earlier.
“Besides the flower-viewing today, I’m sure all the ladies are aware that His Majesty has ordered me to select study companions for the princes and princesses. In this way, the children can study and practice calligraphy together, encouraging one another to improve.”
The ladies all voiced their agreement, saying that they would follow whatever arrangements the Empress made.
The Empress did not say anything unnecessary. She first turned gently toward Princess Fuxi and Princess Shengping. “Princess Fuxi and Princess Shengping are the elder sisters of several of the princes. You two may choose first.”
Princess Shengping rose with a smile and politely deferred. “Thank you, Mother. As Eldest Sister is older, it is only right that she choose first.”
At once, everyone looked toward Princess Fuxi.
When the Empress mentioned her, Rongyao had already wiped her mouth clean and stood up properly.
Seeing everyone looking at her, she blinked. “All right. Fuxi will choose first.”
With that, Rongyao set off toward the guests’ seats on her short little legs.
In truth, she had no idea whom she should choose.
Her mother had told her that she could choose whoever she liked. Anyone would do, since all the young ladies attending today were excellent.
Still, she guessed that many of them would be unwilling to live in the palace and leave their parents to become her study companion. If she looked at someone and that person immediately avoided her gaze, then they must be reluctant to part with their parents. In that case, she could not choose them.
How could she force someone to leave home? Only a bad person would do that.
She was a good princess. She did not do bad things.
If no one was willing to stay with her in the palace, then she simply would not choose anyone.
Rongyao looked from the front to the back. Sure enough, just as she had expected, many of the beautiful young ladies lowered their heads, unwilling to meet her eyes for fear that she might choose them.
Rongyao was not in a hurry. She looked at them one by one.
Very soon, she found an interesting young lady who was not afraid of her.
This girl was quite different. She wore a blue-green dress and was very tall—much taller than Rongyao. She was even plumper than Rongyao, and at that moment, she was gnawing on a chicken leg while watching her.
Rongyao’s eyes lit up as she walked over. She lowered her head and asked, “Sister, what’s your name?”
Wu Wanning paused mid-bite and looked blankly at the little celestial child standing before her.
The lady beside her hurriedly rose and answered, “Your Highness, my husband is the Vice Minister of Rites. This is my legitimate eldest daughter, Wu Wanning.”
Wu Wanning.
Rongyao’s eyes widened as she stared at Wu Wanning.
She was Wu Wanning?
Wu Wanning!
In her previous life, she had heard Princess Shengping talk about Wu Wanning. She had also heard the palace maids mention Wu Wanning. In any case, many people had spoken of Wu Wanning.
