This was Yu Wan’s first spring in a different world. She did not know if it was an illusion, but she felt that she had to change into a summer shirt after taking off her cotton jacket for a few days. The weather in late April was already a little unbearable.
Madam Meng sent over a few more sets of clothes one after another. They were no longer red. There were yellow, blue, green, and purple. Yu Wan chose a lake-blue dress with a waist and a white transparent veil dress. She looked like a fairy with a moving aura and an indescribable coolness.
The little munchkins who were brushing their teeth were stunned.
Yu Wan smiled and walked over. She rubbed their little heads. “Is Mom beautiful?”
The three of them nodded blankly.
Yu Wan’s smile widened. Did they admit that she was beautiful, or did they admit that she was their mother?
Yu Wan could feel that when she called herself Mom, the shock on their faces was decreasing. Now, they no longer looked at her differently. They should be used to her being their mother and had already forgotten about Yan Ruyu.
Yu Wan stuffed the small toothbrush made from the willow branch back into their mouths. “Continue.”
The three of them continued to brush their teeth, but their black eyes were on Yu Wan and could not move away.
Yan Jiuchao left early in the morning. Yu Wan accompanied the little fellows to eat breakfast before leaving for Lanfang Pavilion to take Nanny Wan’s assessment.
Actually, she had only studied for a few days. In Nanny Wan’s words, time was tight. To maximize the effect, she needed to take a small test every three days, a big test every five days, and a repeated test every ten days.
Today was the three-day small test.
Yu Wan’s theoretical results could be said to be perfect. She knew the royal family’s genealogy backward and did not miss a word of the historical rules. Uncle Wan watched from the side and nodded in relief. He had also been in the palace and knew how those young ladies learned things. What Young Madam learned in three days was comparable to a month of theirs, but Young Madam’s results were better than all the young ladies.
Nanny Wan could not find any fault with it. The ruler in her hand did not come in handy for a long time.
Soon, it was time for the practical part.
“Pay your respects,” Nanny Wan drawled.
Yu Wan walked forward without looking sideways. She took three steps forward and raised her arms after three steps. She crossed her hands in front of her forehead and knelt down demurely.
A trace of admiration flashed across Uncle Wan’s eyes. This bow was not inferior to the princess.
Nanny Wan gave Li’er a look.
Li’er placed a bowl of water on Yu Wan’s head.
“Up,” Nanny Wan said.
This was a test of the balance of the body. Nanny Wan requested that not only could the bowl not fall, but not a single drop of water could be spilled.
Yu Wan stood up steadily.
Uncle Wan broke out in cold sweat for Yu Wan. Fortunately, nothing went wrong.
“Take two steps.” Nanny Wan raised her chin.
Yu Wan took a few steady steps.
Uncle Wan looked at Nanny Wan and saw her nod in satisfaction. He felt relieved.
At this moment, Nanny Wan looked at the door behind Yu Wan and suddenly stood up. Her expression changed drastically. “Xiaobao!”
She turned around. A bowl of water fell from her head. Water dripped all over her. The bowl hit the wooden floor and rolled several times. But there was no sign of Xiaobao. She had been fooled by Nanny Wan.
The satisfied expression was also deliberately made to make her relax. What an old fox, she even wanted to use her motherly heart.
Nanny Wan said solemnly, “You’re the Princess Consort. You have to learn to remain calm even if the mountain collapses. Otherwise, if something big really happens, you’ll be in chaos first and everyone below will be in chaos.”
That was her son. How could she not be nervous? How many mothers in the world could remain calm when something happened to their biological children? The rules of the royal family were sometimes a little unreasonable.
After this lesson, Nanny Wan deceived Yu Wan a few more times. Yu Wan did not fall for it again and successfully passed.
Next were the tea and flowers. These were Yu Wan’s Achilles heel. Her movements were all right and her temperament was elegant, but the tea she brewed was difficult to swallow. The flowers she planted were also unbearable to look at.
“W-what are you doing?! I asked you to arrange flowers, why did you arrange so much grass?!” Nanny Wan’s temples throbbed.
Uncle Wan covered his eyes. He couldn’t stand it anymore.
Yu Wan exclaimed and pointed at the first vase. “This isn’t grass. It’s tiger orchids, ivy, and white palms. The aura they emit has the effect of calming one’s mind and helping one sleep. Moreover, I’ve also planted flowers. Nanny, look, the white one is jasmine, and the purple one is lavender. It can also help one sleep.”
“And this.” Yu Wan took the second vase. “This is the Longevity Chrysanthemum. This is the geranium, white orchid, wormwood, and mint. It can both refresh the mind and prevent mosquito bites. By the way, there’s also the Nepenthes…”
Nanny Wan was about to be defeated by her. Other people’s floral arrangement includes paeonia, and peony, but hers had Nepenthes.
Nanny Wan glared fiercely at Uncle Wan.
Uncle Wan felt bitter. I didn’t teach her! What he taught was this, this, this, but when Young Madam made it, it became that, that, that, who knew why!!
Nanny Wan… Nanny Wan was so angry that she lay on the bed. “Rest, rest in the afternoon…”
After leaving Lanfang Pavilion, Yu Wan whispered to Uncle Wan, “Did I do well, so Nanny rewarded me with half a day off?”
There were so many flowers and plants with such powerful effects. Ordinary people could not gather them all!
Uncle Wan : “…”
She was so angry with you that… she can’t get out of bed… okay?
Yu Wan, who had received half a day of vacation, was very happy. She led the three little fellows to the manor’s orchard to pick cherries. The cherries were ripe and red, emitting an alluring fruit fragrance. The three little lads drooled, but they were too short and could not reach them even if they stood on their tiptoes.
Yu Wan laughed hysterically. She, Li’er, and Tao’er each picked up a little fellow. Only then did the three of them reach the cherries.
Just as they were happily picking the flowers, a pageboy suddenly reported that an esteemed guest had come to visit.
… .
Worthy Consort Xu had not had a good time recently. First, the Empress left the Fengshai Palace, and then the Empress took over the marriage between Prince Cheng and the princess of Xiongnu. The harem had always been a place to follow the wind. Now that the Empress had regained her favor, the Xianfu Palace began to become deserted.
The concubines who originally came to pay their respects every day gradually stopped coming. At first, it was Consort Zhen, then Lady Wan of Bright Deportment. Gradually, even Concubine Mei, Concubine Xiang, and a few Noble Ladies did not show their faces. Concubine Yu had long gone to Zhaoyang Palace. After all, her son’s marriage was controlled by the Empress, so she had no choice but to go. But why did even Concubine Mei and the others turn to Zhaoyang Palace?
“Isn’t the phoenix seal still in my hands? Do you really think I’ll give it away?”
Worthy Consort Xu’s eyes widened.
“Your Highness, someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs has sent something over,” said the eunuch from Xianfu Palace.
Worthy Consort Xu said indifferently, “What did he send?”
The eunuch said, “It’s the new cherries that were offered this year.”
Worthy Consort Xu recently had no appetite because she was angered by the Empress. When she heard of such sour and sweet fruits, she could not help but have an appetite. She said to the eunuch, “Bring it over.”
“Yes.” The eunuch placed the washed cherries on Worthy Consort Xu’s table.
Worthy Consort Xu glanced at it and frowned. “Why is it so small? The quality is so bad!”
In the past, the cherries were big and red, unlike the ones on this plate. Not only were they small, but they were also yellow. It was obvious that they were not fully ripe.
The eunuch cleared his throat awkwardly. “The Empress… picked a batch first.”
Worthy Consort Xu’s eyes turned sharp. “You mean… these were the leftovers after the Empress picked it?”
“The… the Empress first picked some for His Majesty, then gave some to the old consorts, the Eldest Prince’s mansion, Prince Cheng, Consort Zhen, Concubine… Concubine Yu…” The eunuch did not dare to continue.
Worthy Consort Xu was furious. This was not left over by the Empress, but by the entire palace!
“This slut!”
Worthy Consort Xu punched the table, but it was still not enough to vent her anger. She ruthlessly brushed the fruit plate on the table to the ground, and the cherries rolled all over the ground.
A cherry rolled to the eunuch’s feet. The eunuch did not move. He mustered his courage and said, “I heard that the envoy from Nanzhao is coming. The Empress is actively moving around and intends to arrange for the Eldest Prince to enter Honglu Temple as a junior official.”
“The junior official of Honglu Temple?” Worthy Consort Xu narrowed her eyes.
The chief of Honglu Temple was in charge of diplomacy. An assistant junior official did not need to be very capable. It was fine as long as he knew how to eat, drink, and play. It was a rare job that pays a lot but needs little skills.
Worthy Consort Xu sneered. “The Empress is hosting the marriage, and the Eldest Prince is receiving the envoy from Nanzhao. This mother and son have really taken all the benefits! Do they think that His Majesty wants to give up on the Second Prince and appoint the Eldest Prince as the Crown Prince?”
“This…” The eunuch did not dare to reply.
After a pause, he said, “Your Highness, the current minister of Honglu Temple was once Prime Minister Han’s student.”
Therefore, whether they could stop the Eldest Prince from entering Honglu Temple depended on Prime Minister Han.
Worthy Consort Xu pinched her handkerchief thoughtfully. “Go to the Prime Minister Manor and say that the peony in my greenhouse has bloomed. I invited Miss Han to the palace to play.”
The eunuch did not dare to be negligent and immediately went to the Prime Minister Manor. Unexpectedly, he missed Han Jingshu.
In the Young Master Manor, Yu Wan looked at the girl sitting in the reception pavilion. “Miss Han, what a rare guest.”
