695 Dating (4)
Out of curiosity, Shen Miao called Cong Yang softly. In the blink of an eye, a young man in black appeared in front of her.
Shen Miao felt a headache coming on. Did Xie Jingxing put someone in her room? Would she be watched when she was sleeping? She asked, “Do you stay in the room all day?”
Cong Yang said, “I live on a tree out the door. I heard Young Madam call my name. I’m a martial arts practitioner, so I can hear you even if you whisper.”
Shen Miao looked at him in shock. “What did you call me?”
Cong Yang bowed to her and said respectfully, “Young Madam.”
Shen Miao said, “Don’t call me Young Madam.”
“Yes, Young Madam.”
Shen Miao was speechless. After a while, she waved her hand and said with a sigh, “Forget it. Let me ask you, what is Xie Jingxing going to do?” Xie Jingxing left in a hurry, looking like he had something important to do. Because of what happened during the day, Shen Miao felt uneasy, thinking that Xie Jingxing must have gone to kill Su Mingfeng.
Cong Yang said, “I don’t know.”
Shen Miao took a deep breath. Apparently, Cong Yang was only instructed to monitor her. She sized up this person called Cong Yang. He looked young and strong. Tomorrow, she would send him to chop firewood with the kitchen staff!
Xie Jingxing left the Shen mansion and instructed Tie Yi, “In the future, tell Ji Yushu to keep his eyes off Cong Yang’s letter.”
Ji Yushu was a person who liked to join in the fun. Xie Jingxing really wanted to kick him back to Daliang.
Tie Yi nodded. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, “Your Highness, Master Guan Zhen, who is roaming around the world, has arrived at Putuo Temple. His Majesty asked you to go and see him. This time, he happens to be in Ming Qi. When do you plan to go?”
Xie Jingxing thought for a moment and said, “Tomorrow.”
…
The next day, the weather was extremely good.
Luo Tan had been obsessed with paper-cutting recently. Thinking that it was the end of the year and that she could cut some nice patterns and paste them on the window to decorate, she carried a large stack of red paper and scissors over, wanting to do paper-cutting with Shen Miao.
As Shen Miao cut the paper, she thought of something.
In her previous life, when she was in the State of Qin, those princesses and princes deliberately teased her and asked her to cut the paper and do needlework. Over time, it damaged her eyesight, causing her to not be able to see things clearly at night. There was also a thick layer of calluses on her hands.
Later, after she returned to the palace, even if she tried to shave off the layer of callus, she could not. At that time, it was Fu Xiuyi’s birthday, and all the beauties in the harem had to give him a birthday gift to make him happy. Consort Mei’s konghou performance was outstanding, and the way her slender fingers danced on it stunned everyone.
When it was her turn, Shen Miao gave Fu Xiuyu a painting of mountains and rivers. She was the empress, so it wasn’t suitable for her to dance and sing. The painting was very grand. Fu Xiuyi clearly liked it very much, and the officials praised it. However, Consort Mei wanted to make Shen Miao embarrassed and insisted that Shen Miao play a song on the konghou as well.
Shen Miao was unwilling. She looked at Fu Xiuyi pleadingly, but Fu Xiuyi said casually, “Since Consort Mei is in the mood to hear a song, Empress, play a song for me. I haven’t seen you play the Konghou for many years.”
Forced to a corner, Shen Miao had no choice but to play.
Shen Miao knew how to play the Konghou. She had actually learned a lot to please Fu Xiuyi. Although the song she played was not as moving as Consort Mei’s, it was still pleasant to the ear. However, it still caused the officials to criticize her, the palace concubines to laugh at her, and the people to point a finger at her.
Why? It was because the hands that were playing the Konghou were too ugly. The joints were thick because Shen Miao did work all year round, and thick calluses could be seen between the fingers. The entire hand was big and rough. It did not look like the hand of the empress of a country, but the hand of a peasant woman.
