Free Web NovelChapter 378: Chapter 323: Your Majesty Already Has a Candidate for Prince Consort in Mind?
The Imperial Garden of the Royal Palace of Qin.
Past a winding pebble path and a sea of multicolored flowers.
In the pavilion at its very center.
A young woman sat with perfect posture upon a stone stool.
She wore a long, pale pink silk dress that shimmered with a pearl-like luster. Its hem, as light as a wisp of cloud, trailed gracefully on the ground.
The impeccably tailored dress cinched at a waist so slender one could encircle it with a single hand. From there, it hinted at the graceful curves that swept down to form a perfect arc at her hips.
Her swan-like neck emerged from a standing collar adorned with delicate lace, making her skin appear even more translucent and white as jade.
Beneath two crescent-moon eyebrows, her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. When her eyes moved, they seemed to hold a clear spring, and the natural blush at their corners looked as if it had been painted with the juice of spring peach blossoms.
Her thick, dark hair was loosely coiled into a cloud-like bun, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears, revealing the pearl earrings dangling from her delicate lobes.
Sunlight skimmed across her creamy skin. Even the slender fingers holding the embroidery needle were translucently pale, her nails shimmering with the faint pink luster of a seashell’s interior.
She was no longer the lively, adorable child she once was.
At sixteen years of age, the maiden had blossomed, the very picture of a young lady in her prime.
After finishing the very last stitch on her embroidery frame, the young woman leaned forward slightly, her cherry-like lips parting to reveal pearly teeth as she gently bit off the thread.
"Sister Hua Sheng, what do you think of my embroidery?"
The young woman asked her maid, her eyes curving into crescents.
Maid Hua Sheng stepped forward with a smile and offered her praise. "Princess, you are truly gifted. You learn everything faster than anyone, and as long as you apply yourself, you can master anything."
"I think so too,"
Qin Siyao said cheerfully.
"Sister Hua Sheng, go get my calligraphy and paintings from my room. This time, I’d like to see how Mother and Father can possibly find fault with me! What other excuses can they possibly come up with!"
As she spoke, Qin Siyao pouted, her expression filled with resentment.
"Yes, Princess."
Maid Hua Sheng gave a soft smile and entered the Princess’s room. She brought out the calligraphy and paintings the Princess had painstakingly created over the past month, then followed her to the Imperial Study.
Two and a half years ago, Qin Siyao had secretly followed her second brother to the Iron Tiger Army’s barracks, wanting to see her childhood friend.
But as it turned out, Qin Siyao was discovered upon her return to the palace.
Her second brother, Qin Siyuan, was put in confinement for three days.
And Qin Siyao was barred from visiting the Iron Tiger Army barracks ever again.
However, Qin Siyao refused to give up. She continued to defy the Sovereign and the Empress, concocting new escape plans every day.
But, of course, every attempt ended in failure.
Ultimately, the Sovereign of Qin decided this couldn’t go on and discussed the matter with the Empress.
’First of all, we absolutely cannot let our daughter go to the Iron Tiger Army barracks again.’
’She could be willful as a child, but she is growing up. It’s improper for a young lady to be seeking someone out so frequently—especially when that person is in a restricted military encampment.’
’Second, we have to give our daughter a glimmer of hope—a path by which she can achieve her goal.’
’Otherwise, with her constantly scheming to run away, the situation will become unmanageable.’
And so, the Sovereign of Qin and his daughter finally came to an agreement.
She had to study music, chess, calligraphy, and painting every day, and reach the level of a "Master" before she turned seventeen. If his daughter could do it, the Sovereign of Qin would allow her to leave the palace and establish her own residence.
In the Sovereign of Qin’s mind, his plan was perfect.
He believed his daughter was merely a bit too fond of play, and since Xiao Mo was her first and only friend her age, it was natural for Siyao to be so attached to him.
Studying the four arts would slowly temper the girl’s wild spirit.
As she grew older, she would mature and naturally come to understand the proprieties between men and women. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
By then, she would naturally stop being so fixated on finding Xiao Mo.
She might even come to feel embarrassed that, as a child, she had been so insistent on playing with a young boy.
But what the Sovereign of Qin never expected was that his daughter was far more persistent than he had ever imagined.
It seemed that going to see Xiao Mo was no longer just about "going to see Xiao Mo"; it had become an obsession lodged deep in his daughter’s heart.
Therefore, Qin Siyao studied diligently. Possessing a great deal of natural talent, she learned everything quickly. Her skills in the four arts progressed by leaps and bounds, and she truly began to show the makings of a master.
Fortunately for them, the Sovereign of Qin and the Empress constantly found fault, demanding she receive official recognition from established masters.
Furthermore, they required Qin Siyao to cultivate until she reached the Foundation Establishment realm.
Siyao might have seemed a little dense at times, but she wasn’t stupid.
She knew, of course, that her father and mother were deliberately making things difficult for her.
But this only served to ignite Qin Siyao’s stubborn streak.
’The more my father and mother challenge me,’ she thought, ’the more determined I am to succeed!’
And so, that brought things to the present day.
Soon, Qin Siyao arrived at the Imperial Study.
After Qin Siyao explained the reason for her visit, the Sovereign of Qin summoned Empress Shi. He then called for the palace’s most renowned Musician and Painter, as well as the current Prime Minister. This was Prime Minister Li, who had once been hailed as the Chess Saint of the Qin Kingdom.
As for calligraphy, the Sovereign of Qin would, of course, assess it himself.
The Sovereign of Qin relocated the proceedings to the Sacred Heart Garden. He ordered food and wine to be prepared, intending to conduct the assessment while enjoying the spring scenery and the gentle spring breeze.
