Lin Shi said in a concentrated voice, “This is your true purpose for seeing those two?”

Yunyi knelt down, “I just now concealed this from Your Ladyship. Please forgive me.”

Lin Shi stared at her, “They would never voluntarily reveal their own identities, and though I hold the rank of First Grade, I cannot interrogate them without cause. You should understand this.”

Yunyi lowered her eyes, “Yes, I understand, so I merely wish to probe them with a few questions.”

“That’s good.” After saying these three words, Zhaoqing Palace fell into silence. After a while, Lady Yin and Lady Zhang walked in with Ji Chun.

Lady Yin and Lady Zhang, exactly as the rumors described, possessed stunning beauty that was dazzling to behold, especially the woman on the right, whose features were as exquisite as a painting—one couldn’t find a single flaw. She was comparable to Yunyi in beauty and was presumably the more favored Talented Lady Yin.

The two women entered the hall, knelt, and said in unison, “We servants greet Consort Shu. May Your Ladyship have ten thousand blessings.”

“Rise.” After they straightened, Yunyi slightly curtseyed and said with lowered eyes, “I greet Talented Lady Yin and Lady Zhang.”

Lady Yin looked at Lin Shi in confusion, “Your Ladyship, this is…”

“This is Lady Yang, the side consort of the Prince of Qin.” Upon hearing this, Lady Yin showed sudden understanding, “Could this be Princess Jinyang of the former Sui?”

“You flatter me, Talented Lady Yin.” Before Yunyi finished speaking, Lady Yin had already stepped forward to warmly grasp her hands, examining her carefully, “I’ve long heard the name of Princess Jinyang but never had the chance to meet. Today I finally see you—Princess, you’re truly beautiful.”

“I am merely of willow-like appearance. How dare I accept such praise from the Talented Lady.” Hearing this, Lady Zhang laughed softly, “If the Princess has willow-like appearance, then wouldn’t we two be too ugly to be seen?”

“Lady Zhang’s words truly make me feel ashamed.” As she spoke, Yunyi had already imperceptibly freed her hands from Lady Yin’s grasp.

Lady Yin’s gaze swept over the row of narcissus flowers and said in surprise, “I know Your Ladyship loves the elegant beauty of narcissus, so some days ago I specially went to the flower house, thinking to select a few well-bloomed narcissus to present to Your Ladyship. But when I arrived, I discovered that the palace servants had been neglectful in their care, so that not a single narcissus in the flower house had bloomed. It was truly infuriating.”

Lady Zhang continued, “Sister was so angry she scolded them thoroughly. Fortunately it was so, otherwise these narcissus might still not have bloomed.”

Liuxia stared at her hypocritical face, forcibly suppressing her anger, “Lady Zhang misunderstands. These narcissus were sent by Imperial Consort Yang. The narcissus in our palace still haven’t bloomed a single stem.”

“They are actually so negligent.” Lady Yin said, then addressed Lin Shi, “Your Ladyship, rest assured, I’ll go to the flower house again later and properly scold those careless creatures.”

Lin Shi said indifferently, “Since Imperial Consort Yang has already sent narcissus, whether the flower house sends them or not doesn’t matter. Let them concentrate on cultivating various rare flowers and exotic plants for Talented Lady Yin and Lady Zhang.”

Upon hearing this, both Lady Yin and Lady Zhang immediately knelt down, their faces full of panic, “We servants deserve death. Please punish us, Your Ladyship.”

A trace of coldness flashed through Lin Shi’s eyes, but her tone remained as indifferent as always, “I was merely speaking casually. Why should you request punishment? Rise.”

“Thank you for Your Ladyship’s grace in not punishing us.” After rising and taking their seats, Lady Zhang examined the narcissus pots and smiled, “Looking at how well these narcissus have bloomed, it seems the gardeners at the Prince of Qin’s residence are quite skilled.”

Yunyi lowered her eyes, “They’re just rough people who know a little about flower and plant cultivation. How could they compare to the palace gardeners in terms of ability?”

Lady Zhang shook her head, “The palace gardeners are nothing special. Last time I had them cultivate some peonies in the greenhouse, but the flowers withered before they even bloomed, leaving only bare branches. They kept insisting it was because this year’s weather was particularly cold. It’s infuriating to think about.”

Yunyi smiled, “Lady Zhang, please calm your anger. In just over a month, spring will arrive. Then these peonies will naturally bloom without needing greenhouses. If Lady Zhang likes them, I’ll find some good specimens to send to you then.”

“Imperial Consort Yang is too kind.” Yunyi’s attitude greatly satisfied Lady Zhang. Don’t be fooled by how respectful Lady Zhang and her companion were being to Lin Shi—they actually didn’t regard Lin Shi, who they saw as aged and faded, at all. It was merely surface politeness. Lin Shi also understood this point, so even though she was very unhappy, she didn’t dare to make things too difficult for them.

After the pleasantries, Lin Shi said slowly, “Ever since I heard Talented Lady Yin play the flute in Shanglin Garden, I’ve been unable to forget it. I just mentioned it to Imperial Consort Yang, and she also said she’d very much like to hear it. I wonder if Talented Lady Yin would be willing to play a piece for Imperial Consort Yang and me?”

Lady Yin stood up, “Since Your Ladyship and Imperial Consort Yang have such refined interest, how could I dare refuse? However, I only have a crude understanding of music. If I play poorly anywhere, please forgive me, Your Ladyship.”

Lin Shi laughed softly, “I’ve personally heard Talented Lady Yin’s flute music. To say it lingers for three days would not be an exaggeration. How could it be poor?” As she spoke, she had someone bring a six-hole jade flute.

Lady Yin accepted the jade flute, tested its sound, then asked, “What piece would Your Ladyship like to hear?”

Lin Shi turned her gaze to Yunyi, “What piece would Imperial Consort Yang like to hear?”

Yunyi thought for a moment, “How about that piece ‘Green Ravine Flowing Spring’ that Your Ladyship heard before?” The melody and tune of this piece wasn’t difficult, but the difficulty lay in using the flute sound to express that ethereal, joyful artistic conception. Without more than ten years of dedicated practice, one couldn’t achieve it. It was perfect for testing Lady Yin’s musical accomplishments.

“Good.” Lin Shi agreed and looked at Lady Yin, “What does Talented Lady Yin think?”

“I shall embarrass myself.” Saying this, Lady Yin placed the flute before her vermillion lips. As her breath flowed in, clear and melodious flute music resonated through the hall.

With the sometimes gentle, sometimes winding flute music, everyone seemed to be transported among clear springs and bright moon, strange peaks and unusual stones, as if they could hear the sound of babbling water.

It wasn’t until long after the flute music stopped that everyone came back to their senses. Lady Zhang was first to speak, “It’s been a while since I’ve heard Sister Yin’s flute. You’ve improved considerably from before.”

A trace of pride flashed through Lady Yin’s eyes, but she said modestly, “That’s not the case at all. Don’t tease me.”

Before Lady Zhang could respond, Lin Shi had already said, “It’s not teasing at all. I also think you played better this time than before.” As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Yunyi, “What does Imperial Consort Yang think?”

Yunyi leaned forward slightly in her chair, “This is the first time I’ve had the honor of hearing Talented Lady Yin play the flute, so I cannot compare. However, I once learned the flute myself and specially invited a flute master quite renowned in Luoyang to teach me. In comparison, I believe Talented Lady Yin’s flute skills surpass those of my former teacher.” Speaking to this point, she suddenly changed direction, “I wonder how many years Talented Lady Yin has been practicing the flute?”

Lady Yin suspected nothing and answered truthfully, “I’ve been practicing flute since I was six years old—it’s been about ten years now.”