After Xie Wanqing finished speaking, no one responded for a moment by the ditch.
A breeze blew across the canal, and the shadow of the red light flickered in the water, causing the warmth to dissipate somewhat.
Murong Xue pouted and pulled the hawthorn cake closer to herself.
"Fine," she said. "So, according to you, six of us aren't enough; we need to gather three thousand beauties?"
"Your emperors in the Central Plains really have a lot of women in their harems."
Lin Qingdai held her teacup, but didn't drink immediately. She first glanced at Murong Xue.
Are you planning to find him a few more?
"I don't care!"
Su Yao folded the roster that was spread out on the table back up and pressed the corners flat with her fingertips.
"I know you're not the petty type," she said, "But Ruyan is right. Right now, my husband has to deal with Tubo spies, informants from Anyang, the old guard of the Liu Clan, and the suspicions from the capital."
She paused, then tucked the abacus into her bosom.
"In the end, only when the prince is well can we have a good life."
I've said this more than once, and I'll say it one last time tonight.
Liu Ruyan lowered her eyes and didn't reply.
The copper coin was still in her palm, the scratches on her fingertips causing pain.
Shen Ling'er tied the medicine pouch tightly and, as she stood up, casually adjusted Xie Wanqing's cloak.
"It's getting late," Su Yao said. "What needed to be said has been said, and what needed to be remembered has been remembered."
The lantern beside the stone table swayed, and the red light in the ditch shattered and then gathered again.
Thousands of miles away, the snow fell earlier than usual in the capital.
The banquet held on the last day of the year was held in the warm pavilion of the palace. The charcoal braziers under the corridor burned brightly, and the warm pavilion was filled with the sweet aroma of pastries, the sour aroma of fruit wine, and a few wisps of the scent of perfumed clothes.
The Crown Princess, accompanied by her younger sister and the princess, retreated to one side of the Plum Garden. The maids slowly lowered the brocade curtains around them, keeping their voices out.
Gu Moli sat on the soft couch, holding a cup of warm tea in her hand.
As soon as Chen Qingyuan sat down, she picked up a piece of plum blossom cake, ate it with her mouth full, and spoke indistinctly.
"Princess, you don't know, Her Majesty the Empress has been summoning me to the palace gardens a lot these days, saying that I'm most comfortable accompanying the Fifth Prince while he studies."
She smacked her lips and reached for the second piece.
"The Fifth Prince always saves me a snack. Yesterday he left me a plate of walnut pastries, and today he gave me a little whistle he got from the study."
She spoke with great enthusiasm, completely oblivious to the changes in the expressions of the other two.
The old woman even chuckled and recited something like, "A woman three years older than her husband is like a gold brick."
Chen Qingyuan tilted her head and thought for a long time. "I didn't understand, but I think the palace maids all like to say auspicious things, so they were probably praising my good fortune."
Gu Moli held the teacup lid, not in a hurry to take it, and smiled at Chen Qinglan to the side.
She gently lifted the lid of the teapot a crack, letting the aroma of tea waft out, before speaking, her tone no different from casual conversation.
" Gu Nianli is only nine years old this year, isn't he?" she said. "He might not even have memorized all his homework yet, and the people around him are already planning for him to get this far?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Qingyuan's laughter and playfulness came to an abrupt halt.
Her chopsticks were still hanging in mid-air when she paused, startled. "Does the princess mean..."
Gu Moli didn't continue speaking. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then looked past the teacup at Chen Qinglan sitting opposite her.
Chen Qinglan sat there, the handkerchief in her hand already wrinkled from being gripped so tightly.
The teacup in front of me remained untouched.
She naturally understood the saying, "A woman three years older than her husband is like holding a gold brick."
They also understood that Gu Moli's question wasn't about the Fifth Prince's studies.
The Empress summoned her to the Palace of Phoenix Ceremony a few days ago, bestowed upon her a jade bracelet, and told her to endure it.
Not long after she turned her head, that hand reached out to her sister?
Now that the Crown Prince has lost power, the Empress sees the Chen Family as more than just relatives of the Eastern Palace.
Chen Qinglan gripped the handkerchief even tighter.
She wanted to speak, but then felt that she shouldn't say it here.
Before Chen Qingyuan could react, she lowered her head to pick out a third pastry, muttering to herself.
Why aren't you two sisters saying anything?
No one answered her.
The snow outside the window fell more heavily, and the charcoal brazier under the eaves popped with a "pop," sending a chill through the warm room.
Gu Moli put the lid back on the rim of the teacup, making a very soft sound.
"Eat your pastries," she said to Chen Qingyuan, her voice softening, "They won't taste good when they're cold."
Chen Qingyuan frowned, but she had a vague feeling that the princess today was different from usual.
Chen Qinglan held the handkerchief in her hand without letting go.
The study in the Eastern Palace was still sealed off, and the Empress immediately began to worry about the marriage of a nine-year-old prince.
It's no coincidence that they've set their sights on the Chen Family at this time.
What the Empress wanted was not an obedient Crown Princess, but a path that could be taken back to the throne.
If the Chen Family agrees, Chen Qingyuan will have to follow the path she once walked.
If the Chen Family does not agree, the Empress will have another piece of evidence that the Chen Family is unwilling to pledge allegiance.
Chen Qinglan didn't want her sister to take either of these two paths.
She watched Chen Qingyuan still looking down at the pastries, her thoughts weighing heavily on her.
I wanted to speak up and stop her, but I was afraid that if I said anything too harsh, my sister would overthink it.
She changed her mind and decided to try a different approach.
" Qingyuan," she said, her voice flat.
Chen Qingyuan looked up, still chewing on a pastry. "Sister?"
"I'll ask you a silly question," Chen Qinglan said. "If someone is born blind, and suddenly one day their eyesight improves and they can see again..."
What do you think the first thing she'll do is?
Chen Qingyuan thought for a moment and answered quickly, "Then it's definitely to go see, to go to places that can't be seen before."
"What's it like outside? How big is the old locust tree? How blue is the sky? How clear is the water? I have to see it all."
Chen Qinglan took a deep breath, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.
Gu Moli gently placed the tea lid back onto the cup, making a very soft sound.
If you let that silly girl Chen Qingyuan think about it, she might not be able to give a good answer in three years.
"In my opinion," she said, "The first thing a blind person should do to regain their sight is to throw away their cane."
"Now that your eyes are healed, you no longer need to keep that cane."
Chen Qingyuan froze, her chopsticks hovering in mid-air, not understanding why this was the answer.
Chen Qinglan's gaze fell on her younger sister's face, and she spoke slowly, word by word.
"Our Chen Family is that blind cane."
The warm room fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional spark from the charcoal brazier.
"The Fifth Prince is too young to stand steadily."
Our Chen Family is famous and powerful, and we're also related to the Eastern Palace by marriage. Now that the Crown Prince has lost power, I'm useless.
Therefore, the Empress needs you to replace me and continue to be tied to the prince she has chosen."
Chen Qinglan looked at her younger sister, lowering her voice even further.
"If you really marry into this family, you won't be there to enjoy a life of luxury. Look at how I've lived these past years, this stagnant pool of water."
She paused, as if reluctant to finish, but she did anyway.
"The prince is young, and the succession has not yet been decided. The faster we rush down this path, the more we are risking our lives."
"If the situation changes one day, you foolish girl, you won't even have the strength to protect yourself."