Xile and Kangle were still just two children who could only blow bubbles and play. Bai Wanqing found them even more boring. If she could choose a playmate to enter the palace, she would be very happy.

“You can choose several if you want!” Bai Qingyan said with a smile. “As long as our Little Eight is happy.”

“No, I’ll just pick one. If I choose too many and don’t happen to pick from the Qi family, I’m afraid those Qi family cousins will have resentful words toward Grandmother.” Bai Wanqing shook her head very sensibly, indicating she would only choose one.

Bai Wanqing had the willfulness of a favored daughter, but like Little Seven, she was also very precocious. Many things, even if adults didn’t explain them, she could see clearly.

“Eldest Sister, which family’s child should I pick so I won’t cause trouble for you?” Bai Wanqing asked crisply.

Perhaps because of Fifth Aunt Qi Shi’s influence, Bai Wanqing had known since childhood that her eldest sister worked very hard, so she didn’t want to add even the slightest worry to her eldest sister.

Looking at Bai Wanqing with her bright, sparkling black eyes, Bai Qingyan felt extremely sorry for her and said softly, “Little Eight can choose whoever she likes. It won’t cause trouble for Eldest Sister. Just follow your heart.”

Having received her eldest sister’s words, Bai Wanqing smiled with her eyes curving into little crescents and sweetly agreed.

Bai Qingyan touched the little girl’s bangs. Though Bai Wanqing was still young, children’s eyes were the most innocent. Who was flattering with ulterior motives, and who could truly play with her – she was quite clear about this in her heart.

Little Eight was still young and had lost the loving care of Fifth Uncle, her birth father. Bai Qingyan inevitably loved her even more.

She remembered before Fifth Uncle went to war, dressed in silver armor, his gentle jade-like features filled with warm smiles. He held Fifth Aunt’s hand, instructing her to take good care of herself and the child, saying that A’Qi had been overly steady since childhood, and he wanted Fifth Aunt to give birth to a lively, lovely daughter whom he would treasure like a jewel and teach all his literary knowledge.

Now the daughter Fifth Uncle had placed such high hopes on was born, but that man who had once been young… who had also been a figure of stunning talent, elegant and gentle with natural grace in the capital, could never return.

Thinking of Fifth Uncle, Bai Qingyan touched Bai Wanqing’s head again, inevitably recalling how Fifth Uncle used to guard that hundred-year-old ginkgo tree in the Bai residence while playing chess, just to protect the ginkgo tree from those mischievous Bai boys practicing swords beneath it. She also remembered when Fourth Uncle lost chess games to her and she disdained Fourth Uncle as a terrible chess player, refusing to play with him, so Fourth Uncle would come to play chess with Fifth Uncle under the ginkgo tree. Fifth Uncle would always smile warmly, even when Fourth Uncle took back moves, never getting annoyed.

Bai Qingyan’s expression softened with a smile as she said to Bai Wanqing, “After I finish with these busy affairs, when Eldest Sister has time… would it be good if I taught Little Eight to play chess?”

Hearing this, Bai Wanqing’s eyes immediately lit up: “Yes!”

She had long heard from her mother that her eldest sister was unmatched at chess…

·

Bai Wanqing was young, and hearing that the flower banquet would be lively, she had been looking forward to it for a long time. She had even cleverly prepared palace maid clothing similar to her size, planning to test tomorrow the character of those little girls who wanted to be her study companions.

The flower banquet was organized by Third Madam Li Shi and Fourth Madam Wang Shi of the Bai family, mainly led by Third Madam Li Shi, while Fourth Madam Wang Shi just gave orders.

But even so, having the reputation of organizing the palace’s first flower banquet, after the Wang family received the invitation, they immediately had Wang Liu Shi, who was now the family head, enter the palace to hint to Fourth Aunt. They wanted Fourth Aunt to find a way to invite Wang Liu Shi’s natal family’s several marriageable young ladies, as well as the birth sister of the adopted son under Fourth Aunt’s mother’s name and her daughter, into the palace as well.

Previously, Wang Liu Shi had wanted to marry her daughter to Bai Qingjue, saying that marrying cousins would strengthen family bonds. Bai Qingyan’s Fourth Aunt had always been weak, only saying that this matter was for Bai Qingyan to decide, since Bai Qingyan was now the sovereign.

But Wang Liu Shi felt that Bai Qingyan was famously respectful toward her aunts. Besides, Wang Shi’s old mother was in their couple’s hands, so controlling her would be easy. She considered her daughter already Bai Qingjue’s legitimate wife.

Even Wang Liu Shi’s daughter considered herself the legitimate wife of King Zhongguo Bai Qingjue, always putting on the airs of a princess and pointing fingers at others everywhere. At various banquets held by young ladies of families throughout the capital, though she couldn’t be called arrogant and tyrannical, she certainly didn’t regard others as worthy of notice.

Though Fourth Madam was the legitimate daughter of the Wang family, her weak character was formed while being raised by Old Madam Wang. In early years, when Old Madam Wang married into the Wang family, her maternal family declined and she was already not favored by her mother-in-law. Later, when she gave birth to a legitimate eldest daughter who was female, her mother-in-law was greatly displeased. For many years, she couldn’t conceive again, so she became accustomed to being submissive to her mother-in-law. Fourth Madam Wang Shi developed the habit of speaking softly and seeking compromise during that time, not wanting to make mistakes that would give her grandmother reason to scold and punish her mother.

Later, when Old Madam Wang finally gave birth to a legitimate son and life seemed to improve somewhat, that child was about to die young. Even later… under pressure from Wang Shi’s grandparents and clan members… Old Madam Wang was forced to register a favored concubine’s son under her name as the legitimate heir. That favored concubine became arrogant, making life even more difficult for the mother and daughter.

It wasn’t until later, when Old Madam Wang heard that Grand Princess was planning to arrange marriages for her sons when they returned from the frontier, that she moved with purpose. She straightforwardly appealed to Bai Qingyan’s grandmother, Grand Princess. Grand Princess also saw that Wang Shi was patient and had a non-competitive, non-grasping nature. Plus, her son later took a liking to the shy and reserved Wang Shi, so the matter was settled.

Now, as Bai Qingyan ascended the throne, Wang Shi’s status rose accordingly, and she even lived in the palace. But her mother was still controlled by that adopted son, so Wang Shi always worried that the adopted son wouldn’t be filial to her mother. She would help and support when she could, and over the years had rather spoiled this couple into being somewhat greedy and insatiable.

Thinking their daughter’s marriage to Bai Qingjue was a sure thing, the Wang family’s adopted son registered under the legitimate mother’s name began coveting Bai Qingyan’s other brothers, especially Bai Qingyan’s birth brother Bai Qingyu. He wanted to find a way to place his birth sister’s daughter there.

In this adopted son’s view, when the Bai family originally took Wang Shi to become the Bai family’s Fourth Madam, it was because the Bai family was already a top noble family in the capital at that time. Now that Bai Qingyan had ascended as emperor with great power in her hands, standing above all others, even to guard against her brothers usurping power, she wouldn’t find in-laws with great authority for her brothers. Small families like theirs had opportunities. Since that was the case, it was better to keep the benefits within the family.

Moreover, he heard that Bai Qingyan’s birth brother, King Zhenguo Bai Qingyu, was already disfigured. Even his sister’s daughter could be considered a suitable match. And if the young girls in the family were chosen by the Bai family’s Eighth Miss as study companions, that would also be a tremendous honor.

Hearing her husband’s wild fantasies, Wang Liu Shi thought privately that her husband was stupid, but on the surface she still respectfully agreed.