Farewell Flower Festival

After this incident, all the ladies in the capital knew that Princess Chaoyan was not someone to be trifled with. The news even reached the palace, and when Emperor Mu came to Fenghua Palace, Concubine Yin mentioned the incident.

Then Chao Yan was summoned again.

This time, Emperor Mu summoned her alone in the imperial study and asked her what was going on with the rumors.

Chao Yan frowned in grievance and said, "Your Majesty, those are not true. Except for the Fourth Prince, I am not familiar with the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince. They are just fools gossiping. I will not argue with fools, and Your Majesty should not take it to heart."

Emperor Mu laughed when he heard this. "You are quite open-minded. If I take it to heart, I will be a fool, right?"

Chao Yan broke out in a cold sweat. It is said that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. This saying is indeed true. "Your Majesty is wise," before he finished speaking, Emperor Mu asked, "How am I wise?" Chao Yan broke out in a cold sweat again. His brain was working fast, and he replied, "The people have food to eat, houses to shelter them from the wind and rain, and they can enjoy the happiness of family life. This is all because of the Majesty's way of governing the country."

Emperor Mu held the teacup and scraped it, without saying whether Chaoyan's words were good or bad.

Chaoyan's heart was beating like a drum, she was very nervous. She thought that if she had known earlier, she should have learned more poetry and songs. At this time, if she could recite some passionate and flattering words, maybe she could pass the test easily.

After a while, Emperor Mu said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Chao Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but Emperor Mu's next words made her nervous again.

"You are a smart child. Do you have any plans for your marriage?"

Chao Yan replied: "I am still young, there is no need to rush."

"You're sixteen, not a kid anymore." Emperor Mu took a sip of tea, thought for a while, and asked, "Can you ride a horse?"

Chao Yan was stunned for a moment, then shook her head to indicate no.

"Then you stay in the palace for two days. I will have someone teach you." Emperor Mu said.

Chaoyan: “……?” Are all the emperor’s train of thought so unfathomable? . . . .

"The imperial concubine also wants to see you. You go first." Emperor Mu gestured, and Eunuch De took Chao Yan to leave. After coming out, he gave Eunuch An some instructions, and then took Chao Yan to Fenghua Palace to pay a visit to Imperial Concubine Yin.

Eunuch An brought Liu'er and Dong'er to the palace. The two were maids serving Chaoyan. They came back to pack some clothes and jewelry for Chaoyan to take to the palace.

Shen He learned that Chao Yan was kept in the palace, and asked Eunuch An indirectly. Eunuch An said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Imperial Concubine likes the Princess very much, so she wants the Princess to stay in the palace for two more days. If Your Majesty has any words for the Princess, I can help convey them."

Shen He asked Eunuch An to sit for a while and asked someone to pack some things.

After returning to the palace, Eunuch An brought Liu'er and Dong'er to Fenghua Palace, and after conveying Shen He's instructions to Chao Yan, he said goodbye. Liu'er and Dong'er each took a bundle, one bundle contained food, all of which were Chao Yan's favorite snacks and candied fruits, and the other bundle contained clothes and jewelry.

Concubine Yin let Chaoyan live in her residence and assigned two palace maids to serve her. She also invited her to have dinner together. Chaoyan even suspected that the concubine had set her eyes on her as her daughter-in-law.

After dinner, Concubine Yin asked Chaoyan to accompany her to take a walk in the imperial garden. A palace maid came over and whispered a few words to Aunt Hong, who then reported to Concubine Yin that Concubine Shu was not feeling well and that she had asked the imperial physician to see her.

Concubine Yin took Chaoyan to visit. On the way, Concubine Yin told Chaoyan about Shufei, saying that Shufei had been in poor health since she gave birth to Mu Tianchen, and she rarely went out on weekdays. She casually asked Chaoyan if she had seen her before, and Chaoyan replied no.

Concubine Yin talked about Mu Tianchen's marriage again, saying that he was not young anymore and it was time for him to get married.

Chao Yan felt that the other party was testing her attitude towards the Third Prince Mu Tianchen, so she did not express her opinion.

After arriving at Jingning Palace, Concubine Yin took Chaoyan into the bedroom.

There was a faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the air, like the kind that is lit in Buddhist temples. The interior was also decorated in a simple and elegant style, and the gauze curtains and draperies were all in light and elegant colors, giving it a sense of ancient Buddhas and green lamps.

When Concubine Yin brought Chaoyan in, the maid reported that the imperial physician was checking Concubine Shu's pulse. The two sat outside for a while, and when the imperial physician came out, Concubine Yin asked about the situation. The imperial physician replied that there was nothing serious and she would be fine after a few days of recuperation.

After the imperial physician left, Concubine Yin took Chaoyan in to see Concubine Shu.

When Chaoyan saw Lady Shufei for the first time, she thought of the four words "gentle as a chrysanthemum", and thought that it was no wonder that the Third Prince had a somewhat aloof personality.

Shu Fei wanted to stand up to salute but was stopped by Concubine Yin. Concubine Yin exchanged a few words of greeting, reminded Shu Fei to take good care of her health, and introduced Chao Yan to Shu Fei.

Chaoyan stepped forward and bowed to greet him, but Shufei asked her not to do so. She looked at her with a gentle and soft gaze, and said with a gentle smile on her lips, "You look very much like your mother." Her voice was also gentle and soft.

"Your Majesty knows my mother?" Chaoyan was a little surprised.

Shu Fei nodded slowly and asked the maid to bring the pair of twisted wire bracelets to Chao Yan as a gift. Chao Yan felt that she had received too many bracelets recently, and wondered if she was lucky with bracelets...

After leaving, Concubine Yin mentioned to Chaoyan intentionally or unintentionally that the pair of twisted wire bracelets were worn by Concubine Shu when she first entered the palace, and it seemed that Concubine Shu liked her very much.

Chaoyan really didn't want to live with this imperial concubine. It was exhausting to even talk to her, and she had to be on the lookout for traps all the time.

In the evening, Chaoyan dressed herself in riding clothes, looking forward to her first horseback riding tomorrow.

The next day, Eunuch An came and took Chaoyan to Baibuting. The name was taken from the meaning of shooting an arrow through the target from a hundred steps away. This was originally the place where the princes in the palace practiced horse riding and archery.

When Chao Yan came over, she saw a very beautiful white horse with snow-white fur and a gentle demeanor. She slowly reached out her hand and gently touched the horse's nose. At this time, a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Does the princess like it?"

Zhao Yan looked back and saw that it was indeed Han Lie. She felt as if she had been hit on the head by a stick. She really, really, really didn't expect that the person who taught her to ride a horse would be him. She still held on to a glimmer of hope and asked, "Would it be you who taught me?" Han Lie answered irrelevantly, "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

Eunuch An replied for her, "The princess has never learned to ride a horse before, thank you for your concern, Second Young Master." He then said to Chao Yan, "Don't worry, Princess. No one in the palace can match Second Young Master's riding and archery. With Second Young Master's guidance, the princess will definitely learn it quickly." After saying this, he bowed and took his leave.

As soon as Eunuch An left, Han Lie asked Chaoyan to get on the horse without showing her how. Chaoyan said she didn't know how to ride and that her feet hurt, so she wanted to go back and rest.

"If the county princess doesn't want to learn, I'll go tell the emperor. There's no need to pretend that your feet, legs, or stomach hurt." Han Lie was about to leave with his white horse when Chao Yan called him. She came over, glanced at him with a little resentment, and said, "Isn't it okay for me to learn? Don't tell tales."