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(A mindless feel-good story. Leave your brains here!)
Ahhh, I finally get to feast today!
"Host, calm down, calm down. Don't act like you've never seen the world."
Guagua, look! This Auspicious Dragon and Phoenix is full of abalone and all sorts of delicacies. My mouth's watering just looking at it.
And this Peony of Wealth and Honor actually uses peony petals as decoration. The jelly is made from rose petals and honey. I have to have a few extra bites of that.
The Immortal Fruits of the Jade Pool look good too. There are lychees, longans, and dragon fruit. I've been in this world for over a decade, and I've almost forgotten what those fruits taste like...
It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and a banquet was being held in the palace. The emperor had decreed that all court officials of the fourth rank or higher were to attend with their children aged twelve and above.
And so Assistant Minister Song and Madam Song had no choice but to bring their two sons and two daughters to the palace.
That was how Song Yaoyao entered the imperial palace for the first time.
The emperor had just taken his seat with the empress and his consorts. Once everyone had paid their respects, an array of delicacies was served.
The moment Song Yaoyao saw the food, she began squealing inwardly.
Her inner voice rang throughout the palace hall.
As they listened to her squeals, Assistant Minister Song, Madam Song, and the other three children of the Song Household remained seated, perfectly composed. After more than a decade of this, they were long accustomed to it.
Ever since Song Yaoyao was born, even when she was still a tiny infant, she had often chatted with a Gossip System.
Over the years, they had learned that this so-called Gossip System was exactly that: a system that knew a great many secrets others did not.
From what Assistant Minister Song and his wife had observed, the only people in the entire Song Residence who could hear Song Yaoyao's thoughts were the two of them and their other three children. The older serving women, maids, and manservants could not hear them.
Years of checking had confirmed that everything mentioned in those thoughts was true.
They wanted to warn Song Yaoyao not to gossip about others so freely in her mind, but the words caught in their throats. They could not say them at all.
Knowing so many people's private affairs was bound to get her killed.
For their daughter's safety, Assistant Minister Song and his wife had kept Song Yaoyao within the residence. For over a decade, they had never let her set foot outside its gates.
But this time, the emperor had issued a decree. As an official of the Principal Fourth Rank, Assistant Minister Song had no choice but to accompany his wife and bring Song Yaoyao, who had just turned twelve that year, to the palace with their other children.
The entire Song family had been worried sick for days, unsure whether this visit to the palace would bring fortune or disaster.
How many people in this palace hall had heard Song Yaoyao's squeals just now?
Assistant Minister Song, his wife, and their other three children raised their heads and cautiously studied everyone present.
At the head of the hall, the emperor, empress, and empress dowager were looking around in confusion, as though searching for something.
Among the officials, married ladies, and young ladies around them, some were looking around in exactly the same way, while others remained perfectly at ease.
It seemed some people could hear Song Yaoyao's thoughts, while others could not.
By now, the backs of Assistant Minister Song and his wife were soaked with sweat.
The other three Song children had also seen everyone's expressions, and they were terrified too.
All they could do was pray that Song Yaoyao would not say anything outrageously treasonous today!
Meanwhile, Song Yaoyao noticed none of what was happening around her. She sampled the delicacies while chatting with Guagua.
Guagua, these lychees, longans, and dragon fruit don't look all that fresh!
You're lucky to have any at all, yet you're still being picky.
Do you think this is still the modern world, where a plane can deliver them directly in a few hours?
True. Even to get them here in this condition, they had to rush them to the capital on horseback, traveling day and night!
You're right. I'm lucky to have any at all. I won't be picky!
With that, Song Yaoyao popped another piece of dragon fruit into her mouth!
Everyone thought, What is the modern world? What sort of time measurement is "a few hours"? And what is a plane? A chicken that can fly?
Someone actually finds fault with such precious, fresh fruit?
From her tone, she seems to have eaten fruit even fresher than this.
Everyone discreetly studied the others present.
The emperor scanned them one by one. Clearly, no one's mouth had moved just now. Where had that voice come from?
Could those be someone's thoughts?
By then, everyone had realized they were hearing another person's thoughts.
But they still had not discovered whose thoughts they were.
Judging by the voice, it had to be a young woman!
Just then, that inner voice rang out again.
Isn't a palace banquet supposed to have singing and dancing, and talent competitions between young ladies from aristocratic clans?
The feast has been going on for a while now. Why hasn't there been a single performance?
Surely they aren't going to make us just sit here staring at each other?
W-well, Guagua doesn't know either!
Everyone present snapped back to their senses.
They had been so busy searching for the source of the thoughts that they had forgotten all about the singing and dancing.
The emperor gave two awkward coughs and spoke to Wang Quan, the chief eunuch beside him.
"Let the banquet begin!"
Wang Quan announced, "The banquet officially begins."
As soon as Wang Quan finished speaking, a group of graceful dancers swept in, wearing exotic attire and gold and silver jewelry on their heads.
A long, lingering flute note sounded, and they began to sway...
The dancers' steps were light and nimble. Their arms moved to the rhythm of the music, as though summoning gods from afar...
Song Yaoyao watched the performance with bright, wide eyes, not even blinking.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, look at those little waists sway. If I were a man, they'd have stolen my soul! Just imagine what it would feel like to hold one of those little waists in my arms. Hehehe...
When Song Yaoyao's inner voice rang out again, several people below were caught completely off guard and choked on their tea, coughing.
Host, could you please stop laughing so lecherously?
Remember who you are. You're a young lady, and young ladies should show some restraint!
I know!
I'm only muttering to myself in my head! It's not like anyone can hear me!
But what could they do? Many of those present had heard her!
Everyone grew even more curious about the owner of that inner voice.
What sort of young lady could be so bold and unrestrained?
Huh? Why have they all started coughing at once?
Is there something wrong with the tea?
Song Yaoyao quickly picked up the tea from her table, brought it close, sniffed it, and examined it carefully.
Host, I've checked. There's nothing wrong with the tea.
Oh. If the tea's fine, why did they all choke on it at once?
Guagua thought for a moment before replying.
Maybe seeing those dancers gave them some naughty ideas too!
I knew it!
What normal man wouldn't be captivated by these dancers?
(Darlings, writing isn't easy. If you don't like what I write, you can simply leave. There are plenty of excellent books waiting for you on Tomato.
There's no need to chase me around hurling abuse, is there? You insult me in the comments, then follow me into the fan group to keep doing it. Some of you really are persistent.
If anyone insults me again, I curse you to transmigrate into this book of mine as cannon fodder and have Song Yaoyao expose your secrets every single day! She'll expose you until you don't even have your underwear left!
Hmph!!!)