Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 328: Composing Poems and Writing Rhapsodies for the First Beauty

What surprised Gu Qingyue the most was that Madam Liu's attitude was unexpectedly 'kind and approachable'.

Upon meeting, he grabbed Gu Qingyue's hand, looked her up and down, and asked her about her well-being.

He even put a jade bracelet with excellent color and clarity on Gu Qingyue's wrist.

The title is: It perfectly complements Gu Qingyue's light blue dress today.

He even 'lovingly' touched Gu Qingyue's fair hand, making Gu Qingyue's skin crawl.

"Thank you, Auntie," Gu Qingyue said, sounding like a soulless talking machine.

Liu nodded, a sincere smile on her face, which gave Gu Qingyue even more goosebumps.

She barely managed to suppress her urges and not punch the woman in front of her.

"Thank you, sister-in-law, but a child shouldn't accept such nice things. You mustn't spoil her next time," Qin said calmly, seeing Liu's expression.

When Madam Liu saw Madam Qin respond, her eyes lit up, and she became even more amiable.

"Who can blame us when our little girl is the most precious and adorable in our family! Look at her cute face and her overall demeanor, she's so charming! I, as her sister-in-law, can't help but want to pamper Yue'er more."

Qin's lips twitched.

Gu Qingyue: ......

What a clever divisive tactic! Look, Gu Feiwen and Gu Feiyan, who were following behind, both had darkened faces.

Gu Qingyue sighed inwardly. This Liu family is acting so strangely today; they must have ill intentions and are about to cause trouble again.

Gu Qingyue thought to herself, "I must keep a close eye on Qin Shi, lest she be schemed against by Liu Shi again."

The group traveled in a grand procession in carriages towards the palace.

Upon arriving at the palace gate, Gu Qingyue lifted the carriage curtain and saw the majestic city walls once again.

To be honest, she had seen the outer perimeter of the imperial city many times, since the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was located in the inner city, not far from the imperial city, but she had never seen the inside of it.

She brushed the hem of her dress, recalling the imperial palaces and even many royal castles abroad that she had seen in her previous life, all of which were exquisite, luxurious, noble, and magnificent.

Seeing the city gate before her, Gu Qingyue had a strange feeling, as if she had stepped into a point where time and space intersected, which made her heart beat a little faster.

"Little sister, get off the carriage." Outside the carriage, Gu Yuanen sat high on his horse, bowing slightly as he approached the carriage.

"Hmm," Gu Qingyue said, taking Jiang Wan's hand as she got off the carriage.

As soon as she stopped, a fragrant breeze wafted into her nostrils, and she couldn't help but sneeze, followed by a fit of coughing.

"Little sister, are you alright?" Gu Yuanen immediately dismounted and rushed over, patting her back and looking at her with concern.

Gu Qingyue waved her hand, looked up, and tears rolled down her cheeks, making her look very delicate and frail.

"I'm fine, I just caught a whiff of the fumes," Gu Qingyue wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, looked around, and exclaimed, "Wow, did I really just wander into a film set?"

Exquisite, antique-style carriages of various colors, and well-dressed servants, were helping the ladies and young women down from the carriages.

Unlike the elegant blue gowns and long skirts, cloud-like hair and flower-adorned faces of the ladies at the Spring Festival banquet, today's noblewomen are mostly dressed in formal robes of various colors, dignified and elegant, with a graceful and dignified demeanor, and their faces are much more austere.

Today, Lady Qin wore the robes of a second-rank imperial consort, looking very solemn and dignified.

This made Gu Qingyue immediately restrain her usual laziness and casualness, and stand up straight and properly.

"Mother!" Gu Qingyue quickly went to greet Qin Shi as she got off the carriage.

"Is Yue'er feeling unwell?" Qin immediately grabbed Gu Qingyue's hand and carefully examined her expression. "I heard you were coughing quite badly just now, are you alright?"

"Mother, don't worry, she was just a little overwhelmed by the fragrance around her, she's fine," Gu Qingyue patted Qin Shi's hand and helped her walk towards the palace gate.

"Who do we have here? So delicate! It's Miss Gu the Third! I heard that Miss Gu the Third is now the most beautiful woman in the capital, extremely popular and admired by many!"

A voice that Gu Qingyue hated most rang out behind her.

Princess Chaoyue continued sarcastically, "Oh, by the way, I heard that yesterday several scholars were composing poems and essays for the most beautiful woman in Lanxiang Pavilion, and the whole thing was full of longing!"

Gu Qingyue turned her head, her cold gaze fixed on Princess Chaoyue and the young ladies behind her.

Sure enough, besides Princess Chaoyue, there were a few familiar faces: Lin Qinwei from the Ministry of Works, Zhao Lingyun from the Marquis of Jing'an's residence, and several of Princess Chaoyue's lackeys. Gu Qingyue couldn't recall their names, but she had seen them all before, and they were all looking at her with either mockery or resentment.

Looking at them, Gu Qingyue suddenly thought of Mu Wanqing at the Spring Festival banquet. It was said that she was already engaged to that illegitimate son of a marquis. Thinking of her fate, a mocking smile appeared on Gu Qingyue's lips.

"Your Highness is too kind. How could I possibly surpass you? Everyone in the capital knows that Your Highness's appearance and character are admired and cherished by millions. Please don't underestimate yourself. I have high hopes for you."

Seeing Princess Chaoyue feigning calmness while actually gritting her teeth in anger, Gu Qingyue suddenly stopped being angry and smiled back.

"You! Vixen! Humph!" Upon hearing this, Princess Chaoyue angrily flung her sleeves, and as expected, nothing nice came out of her mouth.

"Princess, please be careful with your words!" Qin stepped forward, gave a slight curtsy to Princess Chaoyue, and performed a half-bow.

Before the incident, Gu Changling was the General Who Conquers the South, a second-rank official. Qin Shi was also a second-rank imperial consort, the same rank as a princess. Normally, they would not need to bow to each other, but since she was the daughter of the eldest princess and considered half a member of the royal family, Qin Shi bowed slightly.

Even so, Gu Qingyue felt very sorry for Qin Shi.

She grabbed Qin Shi's arm, signaling her not to speak and to calm down.

"Look, as soon as Miss Gu returned from the countryside, Madam Gu's illness was cured immediately. The deep bond between mother and daughter is truly a cause for celebration!"

Princess Chaoyue glanced at Qin Shi with disdain. Wasn't this the daughter of a merchant who reeked of money?

She had heard rumors that this woman had used some unknown means to seduce the second young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion back in the capital, breaking the hearts of countless women. She must have used some seductive tricks to charm men; truly, like mother, like daughter. Thinking of this, she felt even more contempt.

Gu Qingyue saw the changes in her expression and her own expression darkened.

Princess Chaoyue turned her head and met Gu Qingyue's eyes, which were as cold as a deep pool. She was so frightened that she took two steps back. Suddenly feeling that she had lost face, she became even more jealous of Gu Qingyue.

"Thank you, Princess. But you should really take better care of the Eldest Princess's health. After all, as a child, it's only right that a mother feels deep love for her child!" The implication was clear: instead of meddling in other people's mothers' business, why don't you spend your time caring about your own mother?

Because of her recent conflict with Princess Chaoyue, she had already found out everything about the Princess's residence.

Princess Chaoyue and the Eldest Princess did not have a harmonious relationship.

Princess Chaoyue is selfish, arrogant and domineering. She even angered the eldest princess to the point of vomiting blood at a palace banquet. Many people know this. What right does such an unfilial and disrespectful person have to mock others?