Today is the Changning Festival, which is also the Emperor's birthday.

Therefore, the celebratory activities in the palace were mainly concentrated on this day.

At this time, Yanshu had just finished discussing the Dongwo matter with the Empress Dowager when she heard a palace servant report that the female guests invited to the palace for the celebration had arrived.

The two of them then went out together to the Spring Harmony Pavilion where the female guests would be entertained today.

The Emperor's birthday was no ordinary occasion. In the Spring Harmony Pavilion today, besides the noble ladies of the Great Liang royal family and the wives of several high-ranking court officials, there were also the wives of envoys from various foreign countries. They were all dressed in their own national costumes, presenting a colorful and diverse sight that was quite lively.

Among them, the most imposing was undoubtedly the Gao Li Princess. She was seen wearing a characteristic Gao Li spring silk dress, with her hair styled in a grand Gao Li bun adorned with various gold, silver, pearl, and jade ornaments. The two maids by her side were also elaborately dressed, attracting much attention.

In fact, Yanshu had already met this Gao Li Princess at the grand banquet in Jiying Hall last night. She remembered that the princess's attire was already very splendid last night, but unexpectedly, after just one night, she had changed into a new outfit, once again becoming the focus of the entire gathering.

She thought to herself that this must be someone who loves beauty.

However, the journey from Gao Li to the capital was long, and for a beauty lover, it must have been quite challenging to bring so many accessories and clothes on such a long trip. The carriage must have been quite heavily loaded.

Of course, regardless of others, what made her happiest today was that she could see her mother again.

Well, after all, her mother Ms. Zhu was now a proper Marchioness with an official title, and naturally qualified to attend such banquets.

Moreover, Yanshu was now carrying the imperial heir, which meant a bright future ahead. During the banquet, many noble ladies took the initiative to chat with Ms. Zhu, taking turns to compliment her with flattering words, their intention to socialize quite obvious.

Today's celebratory activities would last all day. After lunch, various songs, dances, operas, and acrobatic performances began on the stage of the Spring Harmony Pavilion.

Yanshu deliberately sat with her mother and, taking advantage of the loud gongs and drums from the stage, quietly reminded her mother, "Those who were flattering you earlier, just listen to them but don't take it too seriously. Always be cautious and don't trust others too easily."

Her mother nodded and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I understand."

Yanshu said good, and then chatted with her mother for a while about the situation at home.

Not long after, a short opera on stage finished, and all the guests applauded in appreciation.

At this moment, the elaborately dressed Gao Li Princess said in not-so-fluent Chinese, "The songs and dances of Great Liang are very wonderful. To express our gratitude, I have also asked my maids to prepare a dance performance for everyone to enjoy."

Oh? Gao Li had also prepared a dance?

Everyone became curious upon hearing this.

The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "Then please, let us see it."

The Gao Li Princess nodded and signaled to her maids.

The two maids responded, prepared for a moment to the side, and then went up to the stage.

There was still a prop square table left on the stage from the earlier opera performance. The two maids lit a candle and placed it in the center of the table, then each picked up a long drum and began to sing and dance around the table.

Surprisingly, there was even someone playing music by the side of the stage, also a maid of the Gao Li Princess.

Seeing this scene, Yanshu couldn't help but sigh inwardly that this princess was someone who knew how to enjoy life! To bring not only plenty of clothes and accessories on such a long journey, but even a band?

Impressive!

Then she heard the system interject, [This is mainly because her husband loves to enjoy life. That Gao Li prince Li Taichu... is a notorious playboy. As his wife, in order not to be disliked by her husband, she can only try her best to dress up and come up with various ways to please him.]

Yanshu: "..."

So that's how it is.

Well, with such a husband, this Gao Li Princess doesn't have it easy either.

Just as she was thinking this, she saw the two maids on stage suddenly jump onto the square table and begin dancing around the candle they had lit earlier on the tabletop.

It's worth noting that the square table was only about two feet and eight inches on each side. These two maids stood on top of it, beating their drums and dancing, constantly changing their movements, occasionally spinning around, yet remaining remarkably stable, as if floating on clouds and flowing water, causing everyone to marvel.

Most importantly, the candle they had lit remained unextinguished throughout their performance, continuing to burn steadily even after they finished dancing and left the table.

As the dance ended, a round of applause erupted in the Spring Harmony Pavilion, with everyone praising and cheering, creating a very lively atmosphere.

The Empress Dowager couldn't help but nod and say, "The Gao Li dancers are highly skilled. It's truly eye-opening."

The guests all agreed.

After the applause died down, the Gao Li Princess expressed her thanks, and then said, "These two women were chosen by me after careful selection. I brought them to Great Liang this time intending to present them as a gift. If the Empress Dowager likes them, please keep them in the palace. They can play music and dance, and can accompany the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi."

As she said this, she nodded specifically towards Yanshu.

Yanshu: "..."

Hmm, she had just been thinking that this princess didn't have it easy, but now she's trying to send people to the imperial harem.

Could it be that she saw the Emperor refuse those two "beauties" from Dongwo last night, and knowing it would be difficult to approach the Emperor directly, she's now trying to get the Empress Dowager's approval?

Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly paused. Wait, these two maids wouldn't happen to be... some kind of... strange beings, would they?

Then she heard the system say, [No, they're not. Compared to Dongwo, the Gao Li royal family is slightly more normal. However, these two maids have already been touched by that Gao Li prince. Of course, it's not just these two. Among the women in the Gao Li court, as long as they have some beauty, that prince hasn't spared any of them.]

Yanshu: [...]

Well, he really is a playboy after all.

However, she still didn't quite understand, so she asked the system again, [Doesn't this Gao Li Princess know that the men in Great Liang value a woman's chastity very much?]

System: [Of course she knows. They value it in their country too.]

Yanshu was even more confused, [Then why does she still want to give maids who have been touched by her husband to the Emperor? Isn't she afraid of angering the Emperor of Great Liang?]

System: [That's exactly what she's planning.]

Yanshu: "???"

That's exactly what the Gao Li Princess is planning?

What kind of strategy is this?

The system didn't respond immediately, so she tried to think from the Gao Li Princess's perspective. Could it be that the prince's constant philandering has made his wife hate him deeply?

And then the wife plans to use this method to anger the Emperor of Great Liang, thereby causing Great Liang to be angry with the Gao Li royal family, and then have their royal family punish her husband?

System: [That's more or less it.]

Yanshu couldn't help but exclaim, [This method seems way too roundabout! Moreover, as Li Taichu's principal wife, if Li Taichu is punished, won't she also suffer the consequences?]

She still couldn't understand. Isn't this what they call killing 800 enemies but losing 1000 of your own?

Then she heard the system say, [He won't be severely punished. This Li Taichu is like the tallest among dwarfs, currently the most powerful prince in Gao Li. His maternal clan is also the largest clan in Gao Li, and no one else can touch him. This princess has always wanted to take revenge on him, but she has no other means within the country. Now that she's finally come to Great Liang, she can only use this method to teach him a lesson. She's not hoping for much, she just wants to make those ministers back home give her husband a good talking to, at least make this Li Taichu behave a bit better.]

Yanshu: [...]

It's really hard on this Gao Li Princess to go to such lengths just for this small goal.

Of course, regardless of what the Gao Li Princess's goal is now, the key is how the Empress Dowager plans to respond.

Yanshu tried to look towards her number one supporter.

With a bit of uncertainty in her heart.

She saw her number one supporter smile and say, "I am old now, and it would be a waste of these two young ladies' youth. Besides, with the great distance between our two countries, it would be unconscionable for me to keep them here, far from their homes. I appreciate the Princess's kind intention, but I must decline accepting these people. After all, they were born and raised by their parents, and it would be a sin to make them leave their homeland for no good reason."

Perhaps because this speech was a bit long, the Gao Li Princess had to wait for the interpreter to translate before she understood.

Afterwards, she could only say with obvious disappointment in her eyes, "Very well, thank you for the Empress Dowager's kind heart."

Little did they know that as soon as those words were spoken, the Empress Dowager addressed everyone, saying, "At present, Imperial Consort Yi is with child. This is His Majesty's first child and is of great importance to the Great Liang. I do not wish for anything to happen that might disturb her pregnancy."

Upon hearing this, all those present in the hall could only unanimously agree.

Inwardly, they couldn't help but marvel - the Empress Dowager's words were clearly meant to protect Imperial Consort Yi!

Tsk tsk, come to think of it, Imperial Consort Yi was indeed formidable! Despite being the daughter of a minor official from a small region, she had not only won the Emperor's exclusive favor but had also gained such care from the Empress Dowager!

What methods did she use to achieve this?

As for the Empress Dowager's intentions, how could Yanshu herself not understand?

So after everyone had finished agreeing, she immediately addressed the Empress Dowager, "This humble consort thanks Your Majesty for your concern."

The Empress Dowager merely nodded slightly and said in a mild tone, "Let's watch the play now, and speak no more of other matters."

As her words fell, a new act began on the stage, and everyone was soon immersed in it once again.

Only Yanshu remained moved in her heart—

Aww, her number one supporter was so good to her!

She decided that when she returned, she would write a story and read it to the Empress Dowager.

True to her word, when Yanshu returned to Ganlu Palace in the evening, she immediately began writing.

Although her efficiency wasn't as high as before her pregnancy, her spirits were much better than in recent days. By the time Yuwen Lan arrived in the evening, she had already written out the first half of the story.

Seeing her sitting at the desk, Yuwen Lan was surprised and asked, "What made you think of writing a story today?"

Yanshu replied, "Because this humble consort was struck with some inspiration today and felt it should be written down quickly. If I don't write for too long, I fear readers might forget about me completely."

—Hehe, it was mainly for her number one supporter! She remembered that the Empress Dowager had once mentioned liking strange tales, so this time she deliberately wrote it as a supernatural story.

Yuwen Lan listened silently, feeling a twinge of jealousy rising in his heart—

Why was her relationship with the Empress Dowager so good now?

After all, was he raised by the Empress Dowager, or was she?

Was she his beloved consort, or the Empress Dowager's?

...

After silently stewing in jealousy for a while, he finally couldn't help but ask, "So what kind of story did you write this time? Can you tell it to me first?"

Fortunately, she was quite generous. Upon hearing his request, she immediately nodded and began to tell him, "This humble consort wrote a supernatural story today. It tells of a country beyond the Eastern Sea, whose ruler was extravagant and licentious, never attending to proper affairs. Because of this, many corrupt officials emerged in his court, who spent their days thinking not of how to govern the country well, but of how to please this ruler to gain positions and wealth."

"One day, someone presented a peerlessly beautiful woman to this ruler. The ruler was overjoyed and immediately took her into his harem, rewarding the person who had brought her. From then on, he spent all his time entangled with this beauty, neglecting state affairs even more. However, soon the people around the ruler noticed that his complexion was worsening, and he gradually became thin and aged in appearance."

"After some investigation, people discovered that the beautiful woman was actually a demon, and the ruler's vital essence had already been consumed by her, leaving him on the brink of death. Frightened, people hurriedly sought out sorcerers to exorcise the demon, but the demon had already grown too powerful, and ordinary sorcerers were no match for her. In less than half a month, the demon had not only drained the ruler dry and killed the ministers, but had also begun to harm the common people."

Yuwen Lan: "..."

Isn't this talking about the ruler of Dongwo?

Hmm, that person deserves to die! It's quite satisfying to hear it like this.

So taking advantage of her pause, he quickly asked, "Then who finally subdues this demon?"

He saw her smile mysteriously and say, "Naturally, it's a mysterious female warrior from the Eastern Continent. This female warrior has unparalleled martial arts skills and knows all sorts of demon-slaying techniques. After battling the demon for seven days and seven nights, she finally subdues it."

Yuwen Lan: "???"

Female warrior?

...Could this be talking about herself again?

Sure enough, he immediately heard her add, "Oh right, Your Majesty, do you remember that story about the female warrior I told you about before? I plan to include this story in that book, making it into a long tale."

Hehe, after all, one must constantly innovate and surprise the readers!

"..."

Yuwen Lan could only nod and say, "Alright, do as you wish. What I want to know is, what does the female warrior do after defeating the demon?"

Yanshu thought as she spoke, "After slaying the demon, all the people there begged her to stay and govern the country, but the female warrior was free-spirited by nature and didn't agree. In a dawn that no one noticed, she quietly left again."

Hehe, this way she could lead into the next story!

Hmm, wonder which country will provide some bizarre news next.

Yuwen Lan: "..."

He wasn't interested in the bizarre news from those strange countries, he was just worried whether her body could handle it. So he said, "Write slowly, and don't tire yourself out."

Yanshu nodded.

Aliali: 67277ace7a33ae862b4e70d7

Then he added, "But no matter what, you still need to listen to the Four Books and Five Classics daily."

Yanshu: "..."

This man always knew how to dampen one's spirits at the right moment.

After finishing the story, it was already late. The two of them each went to wash up, and then went to bed.

Of course, as it happened to be Yuwen Lan's birthday, Yanshu didn't forget to sing him a birthday song at the bedside.

This warmed his heart, and he couldn't help but kiss her forehead twice before hugging her from behind as they fell asleep.

Who would have thought that in the middle of the night, they would suddenly hear Fu Hai's urgent report from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, the Court of State Ceremonial just reported that there was an assassination attempt at the envoy's residence tonight, and the Gao Li Prince has been wounded."

What?

Yuwen Lan's eyes snapped open.

 

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - I'd really like to see how far Leon goes and how far we can increase the number of chapters. Thanks~!

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