Not choking on their tea = abnormal people!
Choking on their tea = normal people!
Those who had choked on their tea immediately reacted: We weren't bewitched by the dancers! Stop making things up!
*[Oh my, Guagua, look at those slender waists, then look at those delicate fingers.*
*Wow, wow, wow! That dancer is seriously stacked. Just look at those waves rolling...]*
Song Yaoyao lowered her head to look at her own chest and sighed!
[Host, you're still young. Once you've developed, you'll look just like them.]
[Let's hope so!]
No one present knew what she meant by "waves rolling," but from the exchange between the two voices, it wasn't hard to guess!
What part of a woman's body would develop? Her chest, of course!
Quite a few of the ladies and young misses present blushed.
Some people who had no idea what was happening asked:
"Why are your faces so red?
Is it because the hall is too crowded and hot?"
The ladies being questioned could only murmur an evasive "Mm."
Everyone grew even more curious about the owner of that inner voice. Whose daughter was so bold that she dared to say anything?
Nearby, Assistant Minister Song, his wife, and their three other children flushed crimson as they listened to Song Yaoyao's thoughts.
That wretched girl! Her thoughts were usually ridiculous enough at home, but never had she been so utterly unrestrained as she was today!
Quite a few people present could hear her thoughts. This girl might never find a husband now!
Song Yaoyao had no idea that her family was already fretting over her marriage prospects!
At last, the song ended. Song Yaoyao was still waiting for the next performance when she heard the emperor say:
"My beloved subjects, on this Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for reunion, why don't all of us here offer a blessing or two, or compose a poem? What do you think?"
Everyone's eyes instantly lit up at the suggestion. What a splendid idea! Now they could find out who that inner voice belonged to!
The emperor had made the suggestion precisely because he, too, wanted to discover the owner of that voice.
Many ministers promptly voiced their support:
"An excellent suggestion. I agree."
"I second that."
Those who knew nothing about it couldn't understand what was going on.
Didn't the civil and military officials always clash? What had happened to them now?
Since when had these civil and military officials been so united in their opinions?
Assistant Minister Song and his family grew even more restless. It seemed their youngest daughter's secret would finally be exposed.
What would Yaoyao do once everyone learned that those had been her thoughts? And what would their household face?
Completely unaware of her family's worries, Song Yaoyao was busy thinking about what blessing she should offer when her turn came.
When it was Song Yaoyao's turn, she stood, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed. The moment she raised her head again, she began screaming inwardly.
[Guagua, isn't the emperor ridiculously handsome? He's a little old, but you can still tell how incredibly good-looking he must have been in his youth!]
The emperor touched his face. In his younger days, this face of his really had captivated quite a few young women.
Song Yaoyao then looked toward the Empress:
*[The Empress is so beautiful! Her face is like a peach blossom in early spring, fresh and radiant. Her eyes shine like stars, her nose is straight, and her lips are as lush and lovely as flower petals!*
What an incomparable beauty!
The Empress
*Guagua, the Empress smiled! That smile makes me feel the warmth of spring.]*
Hearing the praise from that inner voice, the Empress first froze, then smiled. That smile made her look all the more breathtaking!
Song Yaoyao then looked toward the Empress Dowager:
[So this is the Empress Dowager. Why does she look so kind and benevolent to me, just like a bodhisattva in a temple?]
The Empress Dowager was also taken aback by the voice, then smiled even more kindly.
[Host, everyone is waiting for you to offer your blessing. Could you stop swooning over them?]
*[Oh, all right.*
It's only because my mother reminded me over and over before we left that I wasn't allowed to look around once we entered the palace. Besides, I was too busy eating earlier to get a proper look at the emperor and the others!
Now that I'm so close, I couldn't help taking a few extra looks.
*Stop rushing me. I'll say my blessing now.]*
Then Song Yaoyao's clear voice rang out through the hall:
"As the bright moon hangs in the sky and spills its silvery light, may everyone's life be like this Mid-Autumn moon, full and fulfilled, radiant and bright."
When Song Yaoyao had first walked to the center of the hall and the inner voice had sounded again, everyone had already guessed that it might belong to the young girl before them.
Once Song Yaoyao finished her blessing, they were certain that the owner of the inner voice was indeed the person standing before them.
The inner voice sounded exactly like Song Yaoyao's speaking voice.
The emperor, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager all studied the young girl in the center of the hall. Everyone else present also looked at Song Yaoyao with curiosity.
Her face still retained a child's roundness, yet already showed the beginnings of a future beauty.
Her eyebrows were slender and long, like distant mountains shaded in ink, lending her a quiet, mysterious air. Her lips were rosy as flower petals, and when she smiled, two little pointed canine teeth showed.
Song Yaoyao herself
The emperor looked at the demure young girl before him, then thought back to the thoughts he had heard. Her appearance and her inner self were nothing alike!
"What is your name? Whose daughter are you? Why have I never seen you before?"
"Your Majesty, I am Song Yaoyao, the second daughter born to Assistant Minister Song's principal wife.
I have never left home before. Today is my first outing."
Everyone understood after hearing that.
With a mind as lively as hers, what family would dare let her out of the house?
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "I am very fond of this child. Reward her with a pair of Jade Bracelets!"
The unexpected good fortune caught Song Yaoyao completely off guard. She hastily knelt to give thanks!
The Empress said, "I am very fond of this child as well. Reward her with a Pearl and Ruby Hairpin!"
Song Yaoyao hurriedly knelt to thank the Empress.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress had heard Song Yaoyao's thoughts praising them, and the compliments had warmed their hearts. That was why they had bestowed those rewards.
Song Yaoyao still had no idea what was going on. Why had she suddenly received rewards?
Returning to her seat, Song Yaoyao placed the gifts before her mother:
"Mother, please keep these for me."
Madam Song forced a smile:
"All right."
Song Yaoyao continued chatting with Guagua:
*[Guagua, why did I get rewarded?*
Is it because I'm so cute that everyone likes me?
*Just as I thought! I'm the most charming little darling of all!]*
Guagua couldn't bear it any longer and said scornfully:
[Host, could you have a little self-awareness? You're still a little brat. Without looking at your face, anyone judging by your figure alone couldn't even tell your front from your back.]
[Guagua, you trash system...]