"..."
Yuanchun froze when she saw this, then quickly understood.
So she steadied herself, sighed softly, and discreetly waved the few fairies and female officials standing in attendance inside the hall away.
"It's getting late."
"You may all withdraw."
The fairies and female officials gladly obeyed, filing out one after another. Then the pearl curtain outside slowly dropped, separating the inside from the outside.
Before long!
The vast hall was left with only Yuanchun on the jade throne, Jia Zheng seated not far beyond the curtain to avoid impropriety, Daiyu sitting with her head bowed and hands folded at her sides on the jade throne, and the two trusted fairies Yuanchun had brought from the palace—for a total of five.
"Lin, lift your head and let me have a good look at you."
"Come here. Your big sister won't eat you."
Once they were alone, Yuanchun continued to hold Daiyu's hand. Her tone and gestures were even more affectionate than before, and she gazed steadily at Daiyu's face, just like sisters from an ordinary family sitting down to chat and tease each other.
"..."
Since the Noble Consort before her was also her cousin, Daiyu naturally wouldn't dare disobey her. So, somewhat bashfully, she lifted her head.
"!!"
After looking for a while, Yuanchun, still holding Daiyu's hand, couldn't help exclaiming again:
"What a beauty!"
"Just look at you!"
"You're like a celestial maiden..."
As Yuanchun studied Daiyu's face closely, she felt that from her brows and eyes to her nose and lips, from her hairdo and clothes to her expression and bearing, Daiyu surpassed all the other girls in the family.
She couldn't help wanting to grow even closer to her, especially knowing that Daiyu was also a gifted woman of letters.
"..."
Outside the curtain, Jia Zheng watched