Chapter 025: The Princess Filter

They had no idea that Su Shangyi had watched Shen Zhiyi grow up, but had never seen the princess smile so openly and with such relief. It was the evening after the Double Ninth Festival banquet, when she returned from outside the palace.

As usual, she went from the Shangyi Bureau to Mingfeng Palace at dusk to visit the princess.

When she entered, the palace attendants said the princess was inside. So she lifted the beaded curtain and saw the princess sitting in front of the dressing mirror, gently touching her own cheek.

Su Shangyi felt like she was dreaming.

Because all the attendants in Mingfeng Palace knew that the princess hated mirrors the most. Except for some grand festivals where she needed to be solemn and dignified, she would look in the mirror after the attendants dressed her up. Normally, she wouldn’t even glance at the mirror, relying entirely on the attendants’ eyes for her appearance, not caring much herself.

What had changed now?

Before she could recover from her shock, her heart pounding with worry about whether something had happened to the princess, the princess saw her in the mirror, stood up, turned around, and hugged her, smiling brightly: “Aunt, look at me!”

Only then did she see clearly.

The princess had changed her makeup, lightly tracing the scar left at the corner of her eye from childhood with cherry blossom pink, making it look like a petal on her beautiful face, erasing the original scar and adding a new touch of beauty.

More importantly, it was the princess’s demeanor.

Even when she was happy in the past, there was always a hint of melancholy in her brow, but today it was all gone. A radiant light burst from her eyes, calm and bright.

At that moment, she couldn’t hold back the sudden surge of emotion and sincerely praised: “So beautiful.”

But the princess didn’t say why she had suddenly changed.

Su Shangyi, of course, kept an eye out. When she left Mingfeng Palace, she inquired with the palace attendants who had accompanied the princess outside the palace that day. She learned that at the banquet at the Qingyuan Earl’s residence, the princess had met a very unique young lady, the second daughter of Minister Jiang, named Jiang Xuening.

At that time, she was just relieved that the princess had finally met a good friend.

She didn’t think much of it.

But not long after, she saw this Miss Jiang’s name on the list of the princess’s companions.

Although Su Shangyi didn’t dare to say she treated Shen Zhiyi as her own, she was genuinely fond of her and wished for the princess to be with someone who could make her happy. That’s why she showed unprecedented kindness to Jiang Xuening.

Everyone around was shocked, but she only looked at Jiang Xuening.

Seeing this Miss Jiang staring at her in a daze, seemingly not reacting, her brows furrowed almost instinctively. But then she remembered that this person would become a good friend of the princess and couldn’t be reprimanded casually, so she reminded her: “Miss Jiang?”

Jiang Xuening then seemed to wake up from a dream and hurriedly said, “Thank you, Lady Shangyi.”

Su Shangyi nodded, glanced around at everyone, and said, “Let’s begin.”

Initially, it was said that twelve people would be divided into three groups, but now it was clearly four groups: Xiao Shu, Chen Shuyi, and Yao Xi together; Fan Yilan, You Yue, Fang Miao, and Zhou Baoying together; Yao Rongrong with three others Jiang Xuening didn’t recognize; and Jiang Xuening alone, forming a group by herself.

The other three female officials taught the three groups;

Su Shangyi personally instructed Jiang Xuening.

The others were almost popping their eyes out: most of them had a subtle attitude towards Jiang Xuening from the start. Who knew she hadn’t even submitted her name but was chosen as a companion? Clearly, there were some unknown factors, and she held a very special position among the companions. Now, not only was her selection special, but even her etiquette lessons in the palace were given special treatment?

Even the strict Su Shangyi was kind to her! Some people felt quite unbalanced.

Leading this sentiment was You Yue.

She had a bit of a grudge against Jiang Xuening. Seeing Su Shangyi walking towards Jiang Xuening with a stern face, she thought Jiang Xuening was in big trouble. But before she could enjoy it for a moment, Su Shangyi’s attitude towards Jiang Xuening felt like a slap in her face, and the smile hadn’t even faded before she felt a sharp pain.

At this moment, she almost ground her teeth in hatred.

But soon, while learning etiquette from the female officials and secretly observing Su Shangyi and Jiang Xuening, everyone noticed: Jiang Xuening seemed quite clumsy!

The female officials from the Shangyi Bureau first taught how to stand.

Standing had to be done properly.

Su Shangyi explained very clearly: “Legs together, back straight, no slouching, but the neck should be slightly lowered, head down by three degrees. Hands loosely clasped at the waist, not tightly. Elbows should be raised, both sides at the same height, no laziness.”

However, looking at Jiang Xuening…

When her legs were together, her back wasn’t straight; when her back was straight, she slouched; when her back was straight, her neck was stiff; when her neck was lowered, her head was still raised; finally, when everything was correct, her hands were clasped incorrectly, and her elbows wobbled like a tumbler, unable to stay at the same height.

No one had ever seen someone so uncoordinated!

Jiang Xuening remained calm and composed, as if completely unaware of how poorly she was doing.

Su Shangyi was known for her strictness in the palace, being someone who couldn’t tolerate any sloppiness. She would coldly reprimand anyone who didn’t follow the rules, so she had quite a temper.

She originally thought that someone who could comfort the princess must be a clever and delicate person.

And looking at her, she didn’t seem stupid.

But who would have thought that teaching her was like dealing with a block of wood, and she had no sense of shame. If you pointed out a mistake, she would correct it, but if you didn’t, she would stand there motionless, completely unaware of what she was doing wrong. Where was that cleverness she showed on the surface?!

Su Shangyi’s fingers, clasped at her waist, tightened, and her knuckles turned slightly white. For a moment, she almost couldn’t suppress her anger.

But then she thought of Princess Leyang.

No.

It’s okay.

Being a bit slow is fine, it just means teaching will take longer.

Be patient, be patient.

After repeatedly reminding herself of this, Su Shangyi finally let out a soft sigh, suppressed her anger, and with a slightly stiff smile, said to Jiang Xuening, “It’s okay, take your time. Miss Jiang, you’ve already improved a bit from before.”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

Su Shangyi, since when did your standards become so low?!

Others: “…”

This is definitely not the Su Shangyi we know!

Fake! This must be fake!

Undoubtedly, Jiang Xuening had no intention of seriously learning any etiquette here.

She had learned it in her previous life.

Not to mention that she had lived in the palace for a while later on. Even though she became a bit lazy in her manners after becoming the empress, many things had become habits. She couldn’t possibly be worse than the other young ladies who had just entered the palace as companions.

But these noble young ladies worked hard to stay;

She, on the other hand, had made up her mind to leave, so why would she take it seriously or put in any effort?

Not only did she not want to take it seriously or put in any effort, but she also deliberately acted as if she couldn’t learn no matter what, making Su Shangyi think she was beyond help.

However, the plan did not go smoothly.

Jiang Xuening’s earlier ominous premonition came true: although Su Shangyi was still teaching her in this life, she was kind and extremely patient, completely different from the previous life where she would find fault in everything and criticize even the good. No matter how Jiang Xuening acted, Su Shangyi held her hand tightly, looking at her with encouraging eyes that said, “Try harder, I believe you can do it…”

It was too tricky.

Being looked at with such eyes by someone who had left a psychological shadow in her previous life made her break out in goosebumps.

Jiang Xuening felt terrible!

No, she had to stay calm.

She knew Su Shangyi’s temper.

Now, for some reason, Su Shangyi was being particularly tolerant of her, but everyone’s tolerance has limits. Once a certain limit is crossed, even a saint would lose their temper. The method of pretending to be clumsy and foolish wasn’t working for now, but she couldn’t give up.

Persistence is victory!

If she couldn’t anger Su Shangyi now, it must be because she hadn’t acted up enough or for long enough!

Jiang Xuening could see that Su Shangyi was enduring. She deliberately and casually let her previously raised arm drop, and after clearly seeing Su Shangyi’s eye twitch uncontrollably, she put on a shy and embarrassed smile, murmuring, “Thank you, Lady Shangyi. I’ve always been clumsy since I was a child, never good at learning anything. I’m sorry to trouble you…”

I don’t believe you can still endure this!

Su Shangyi indeed almost couldn’t hold back, wanting to sternly reprimand her for not just being clumsy but also lazy!

However, she swallowed her words.

Think of the princess.

Think of the princess.

She reflected that she might have been too harsh, making Miss Jiang nervous, and she herself needed to calm down. So she said, “It’s okay, Miss Jiang. You’ve practiced for a long time, you must be tired. Take a break and then continue.”

The others being strictly instructed by the other female officials: ???!!!

“Swish, swish, swish!”

It was as if they could hear the sound of sharp blades cutting through the air.

Jiang Xuening clearly felt dozens of sharp glares directed at her, as if they wanted to pierce her through!

You see, the others were different from her.

Su Shangyi was the head female official of the Shangyi Bureau, and the other three female officials who came with her were her subordinates. Now, teaching court etiquette under the strict eyes of Su Shangyi, who dared not to be on their best behavior?

Even those who had received some bribes to take care of others didn’t dare to slack off now.

If Su Shangyi saw any negligence, it would be a huge problem.

So these female officials were not only not slacking off but were stricter than usual, stern and unsmiling, like second, third, and fourth Su Shangyis!

However, Su Shangyi herself…

Was unusually lenient.

So the situation the others faced was completely different from what they had initially imagined.

They originally thought that with Jiang Xuening in Su Shangyi’s hands and being so clumsy, she would be tormented beyond recognition, and they could just watch the show. But now, Jiang Xuening was having an easy time with Su Shangyi, while they were being tortured by the ordinary female officials they thought wouldn’t be too strict!

When they couldn’t learn, the female officials would coldly reprimand them;

When Jiang Xuening couldn’t learn, Su Shangyi told her to sit down and rest!

For a moment, Jiang Xuening felt scared: she had already stood out by being selected as a companion without submitting her name, making her somewhat isolated. Now, with such special treatment in learning etiquette, if she really sat down, she would undoubtedly become the target of everyone’s resentment, the “enemy” of all!

However, it had already happened.

She realized that the more this happened, the more she needed to leave the palace with all her might, or else stay and be torn apart by the others?

No retreat.

Attack as defense.

Jiang Xuening immediately showed a moved and delighted expression, saying, “I’ve been tired for a while, Lady Shangyi, you are so considerate.”

Then she plopped down on the nearby chair.

Yes, she really “plopped.”

Casually, without any elegance or grace.

Su Shangyi almost couldn’t catch her breath, forcing herself to look away, silently chanting: “Namo Amitabha, out of sight, out of mind! Out of sight, out of mind! Since the princess favors her, this girl must have some extraordinary qualities that I haven’t discovered yet. Calm down and slowly find her beauty!”

After standing for more than half an hour, Jiang Xuening felt comfortable sitting down, except…

Her back felt a bit chilly.

Turning her eyes, she saw that everyone’s gaze was indeed on her, especially You Yue, whose face was ashen, almost furious.

Fang Miao was also looking at her.

At this moment, standing behind Fan Yilan, Fang Miao looked at Jiang Xuening’s comfortable posture and the comfortable chair, almost crying with envy, wishing she could punch her past self from half an hour ago.

Why bother!

Why change!

The first feeling was the most accurate!

Jiang Xuening was the one with “power,” why didn’t she have the courage to persist? Otherwise, she could be sitting there comfortably now…

Fortunately, she didn’t sit for too long.

After adjusting her mindset, Su Shangyi asked her to get up and continue learning the rules.

However, what she never expected was—

After resting for a while, Jiang Xuening not only showed no improvement but seemed even worse than before! It was as if she was sure of Su Shangyi’s patience with her, completely losing the demeanor of a noble lady, making people angry just by looking at her!

Su Shangyi felt like she was going to get sick from holding it in.

She could barely maintain the smile on her lips.

But she still tried to maintain it, even with a trembling voice, she said to Jiang Xuening, “It’s okay, it’s already better, Miss Jiang, try again.”

Little did she know, Jiang Xuening was also trembling inside.

She really wanted to grab Su Shangyi’s shoulders, shake her, and shout angrily: Su Shangyi! Wake up and show your true temper!

But she couldn’t.

Now it was a matter of who could hold their composure longer.

While the others were halfway through their etiquette lessons, Su Shangyi and Jiang Xuening had just managed to get through “standing.” Both the instructor and the student had beads of sweat on their foreheads.

Su Shangyi was angry;

Jiang Xuening was tired.

Even though Su Shangyi was kind to her, repeating those foolish actions over and over was a burden for her. She also had to be careful not to accidentally do it right and expose herself, which was quite exhausting.

During the second break, she looked at Su Shangyi’s expression, estimating that her patience was nearing its limit. Just a little more effort, and she could be reprimanded and sent home.

So when she stood up for the third time, Jiang Xuening was filled with hope.

Now they started learning “walking.”

She planned to continue her act, but unexpectedly, Princess Leyang, Shen Zhiyi, entered from outside.

With the announcement “The Princess has arrived,” everyone bowed to greet her.

Shen Zhiyi, in a light blue palace dress, with the scar under her left eye painted like a cherry blossom petal, looked stunning. As she walked in with a smile, she was as bright as the clear sky outside, dazzlingly beautiful.

As soon as she approached, her gaze fell on Jiang Xuening.

Jiang Xuening stiffened.

But the princess just waved her hand, sat down nearby, and said to everyone, “No need for formalities. I’m just here to watch, continue with what you’re doing.”

Everyone immediately responded in unison.

The female officials went back to teaching the others.

Su Shangyi continued teaching Jiang Xuening.

At this point, Jiang Xuening didn’t sense anything wrong. Although the princess’s arrival made her a bit uneasy, the princess only glanced at her without any extra actions, which slightly reassured her.

She composed herself and continued her act.

Su Shangyi said, “When walking in the palace, you must watch the road and not look around. The ideal step length for a lady is one foot, which is the length of this ruler at your feet…”

Jiang Xuening took a step.

Suddenly, with a “snap,” she “accidentally” stepped on the ruler.

The ruler broke.

Su Shangyi felt a vein in her temple tighten and throb, almost ready to snap.

However, at that moment, a voice came from the side.

It was Shen Zhiyi, resting her chin on her hand, smiling at Jiang Xuening with stars in her eyes. Without turning her head, she said to the maid beside her, “Look, she broke something in the palace, and her expression didn’t change at all. So calm and composed…”

Everyone else: “…”

Wait a minute, what is this tone that has no blame and even a hint of admiration and infatuation?!

Jiang Xuening: “…”

I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that. It’s okay, I can keep acting!

Hearing Shen Zhiyi’s words, Su Shangyi realized how much the princess liked this girl. Her original anger subsided, and she calmly asked for another ruler, saying to Jiang Xuening, “Please, Miss Jiang, try again.”

Jiang Xuening took another step.

This time, she didn’t step on the ruler, but her step was only half a foot, looking very casual and far from the “one foot” Su Shangyi had mentioned.

Seeing this, Shen Zhiyi sighed softly, cupping her face and praising, “Ancient poets described the graceful demeanor of beauties with phrases like ‘willow swaying in the wind’ and ‘lotus steps lightly moving.’ I didn’t believe it, thinking that small steps would look timid and not necessarily beautiful. But seeing Ningning, I now know that someone can take small steps and look so beautiful…”

Everyone else was completely confused by this situation!

What kind of gaze is this from the princess?!

This was clearly ignoring Su Shangyi’s words and being very lax, yet the princess praised her to the skies!

Hearing this, Jiang Xuening almost lost her balance and nearly slipped.

Shen Zhiyi clasped her hands in front of her chest, her crescent-moon eyes filled with soft and forgiving light, saying, “Look, even almost slipping, she remains composed. Beautiful people truly make everything they do pleasing to the eye!”

Jiang Xuening had just barely steadied herself, her heart trembling and her eyelids twitching. This time, she truly lost her balance, tripping over her own feet and falling to the ground!

Fortunately, she managed to break her fall with her hands, so it didn’t hurt too much.

Seeing this, Shen Zhiyi immediately got up from her seat and walked over to help her up, looking concerned: “How could you be so careless? Did you hurt yourself?”

Jiang Xuening stood up with shaky legs, feeling as if half her life had been drained away. Trembling, she said, “I grew up in the countryside and never learned the palace rules. I’m lazy and clumsy, and I really can’t learn the palace etiquette. I’m afraid I’ll disappoint the princess. Staying here would only embarrass myself. Please, Princess, allow me to leave the palace. I know my limitations and don’t dare to hope to be your companion.”

“Nonsense!”

Shen Zhiyi had already taken her hand, showing a natural intimacy.

“At the Double Ninth Festival banquet, you did my makeup with the falling cherry blossom look, and I loved it. Everyone in the palace has been imitating it. I like you so much. If you can’t learn the palace etiquette, it doesn’t matter. I’ll cover for you. Besides, you have no idea how much effort I put in to get you into the palace!”

Jiang Xuening’s eyelid twitched again, a familiar sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

Sure enough, Shen Zhiyi showed a slightly aggrieved expression, but leaned in, looking a bit pitiful, yet her words were full of the same credit-seeking tone as Yan Lin: “At first, Yan Lin asked me to add your name, and I did want you in the palace. But the selection of companions had to follow the rules set by the Ministry of Rites, and names not submitted initially couldn’t be companions. I had to persuade those old men at the Ministry of Rites for a long time before they agreed! How about that, I’m good to you, right? Are you happy?”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

So, you were also involved in getting me into the palace!

Jiang Xuening’s face was expressionless as she looked back at Shen Zhiyi’s bright face, slowly raising a smile and responding very appropriately: “The princess is too kind to me. I am truly very happy.”

Truly—

So, very, incredibly, happy!