Granny Wang was also surprised. She hadn't seen those things appear just now, but suddenly they appeared. It must be the incubation period. Yes, she thought that the young lady had contracted it, but she didn't expect that she had contracted it herself!
"Someone, quick! Take her back to the Marquis's residence! Quickly, have someone report this to the Marquis's household! We have no idea how she got this smallpox; we need to take good care of her!" Granny Wang shouted. "Let the doctor take a look first."
Ji Yinxue exclaimed in surprise, "No, no, I didn't, I didn't get smallpox, it wasn't me, it wasn't! It was my elder sister, it was my elder sister who got smallpox!" But no matter how fiercely she acted, whether she was unwilling or not, she was still dragged away by several nimble palace maids.
Ji Wushang seemed to be still in shock, wiping away his cold sweat. "I didn't expect that it was Fourth Sister who contracted smallpox, but how could you say that I contracted smallpox?"
"Alright, everyone disperse and prepare for today's competition. Today, the Empress will personally come to the main hall to see how your embroidery is doing." Granny Wang glanced at Ji Wushang, then looked at everyone else, before leaving.
Ji Wushang and the other young ladies bowed and saw Wang Mama off. The young ladies dispersed and returned to their rooms, but Shangguan Feiyan was still there. Ji Wushang looked at her and asked curiously, "Miss Shangguan, why don't you go back and prepare?"
"I have a question." Shangguan Feiyan's eyes were full of doubt. "You had a high fever last night, and your whole body was burning hot. How did you get better so quickly? Were those medicines really that effective?"
"Yes, if medicine doesn't work, then what will? I also have a question in my mind: did Fourth Sister come to see me last night?"
"Yes, that's right," Shangguan Feiyan said. "She said she came to see you this morning, but I didn't know that."
"Oh." Ji Wushang nodded. "You'd better hurry up and prepare for the competition, otherwise you'll fall behind."
"I've never been good at needlework, and neither my father nor mother have forced me to bring back any top three prizes, so it doesn't matter whether I prepare or not." Shangguan Feiyan's thoughts were diverted, and she stopped dwelling on what had just happened.
Ji Wushang chatted for a few minutes and then sent her out. Just because she wasn't preparing didn't mean he wasn't. Besides, he needed to get some rest; he was really tired and wanted to make the most of the time.
Chenshi (7-9 AM) arrived quickly, and Ji Wushang, along with the group of young ladies, entered the main hall from the previous day. Ji Wushang was assigned to sit next to Shangguan Feiyan, and the two sat together.
Before long, the examiner immediately had the palace maids distribute a batch of long cloths, and then gave them a task: to have everyone embroider a pair of mandarin ducks, leaving the background to their own imagination. After saying this, the timed sprint began.
The results from yesterday haven't been scored yet. The embroidered pieces have all been sent to the palace's embroidery workshop so that the embroiderers can help evaluate the quality of the work.
Ji Wushang smiled, surprised that someone had actually commissioned her to embroider mandarin ducks! The surrounding young ladies all stole sneer glances. "I've heard that Miss Ji's best embroidery skill is mandarin ducks!"
"That's right, they embroidered mandarin ducks as two ducks!"
"Ha ha……"
...The young ladies were laughing softly, but Ji Wushang ignored them. Seeing this, the examiner immediately stepped forward and shouted, "What are you ladies arguing about? If you keep arguing, you'll have to leave."
Those people immediately lowered their heads, not daring to speak again. Ji Wushang glanced at them out of the corner of his eye. Weren't these the same people who had mocked him yesterday? Since they liked to laugh so much, then let them all go and sell their smiles!
Ji Wushang snorted coldly and continued what he was doing, threading the needle in one go, without any trouble.
About halfway through the hourglass time, Ji Wushang heard some commotion outside and wondered if the Empress had brought people to check.
Outside the main hall, a noblewoman slowly approached. She wore a phoenix crown, adorned with several golden phoenix hairpins. Her hair was jet black, her features delicate and refined, her eyes sparkling, and her lips a vibrant red. She wore a bright red peony palace gown, its wide skirt trailing behind her, giving her an air of elegance and nobility. Behind her followed a group of palace maids and matrons.
Accompanying them were the Second Prince Huangfu Ting and the Sixth Prince Huangfu Yu. Both were dressed in gorgeous clothes; the Sixth Prince had a touch of playfulness, while the Second Prince radiated sunshine and possessed a gentle beauty.
Upon seeing that it was the Empress, the guards standing in the main hall immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Second Prince, Your Highness the Sixth Prince."
"Get up, all of you!" The Empress raised her phoenix eyes slightly and waved her hand, and the guards immediately stood on the left and right sides.
The Empress glanced at Huangfu Ting behind her, then looked at Huangfu Yu. "Later, if you follow me into the palace, you must not make a sound. Even when you walk, you must be careful for me."
"Yes, thank you, Mother." Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ting nodded and bowed.
At this moment, the chief examiner and Granny Wang hurriedly came out from inside, and immediately knelt down when they saw the Empress and the two princes, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty; Greetings, Second Prince and Sixth Prince."
"Rise, all of you." The Empress glanced at them. "Inside the palace, are the young ladies taking the competition seriously?"
"Your Majesty, it is true, the young ladies are very serious," the examiner replied.
"Alright, I'll go in and take a look." The Empress nodded to the two princes and then went inside. Huangfu Yu was so eager to see if Ji Wushang had caught a cold that he was almost rushing in. If Huangfu Ting hadn't stopped him, he would have definitely rushed to the Empress.
Huangfu Ting walked in gracefully and stood next to Huangfu Yu. One looked like a gentle and mature man, while the Sixth Prince looked at most like a big boy.
Hearing the noise, the people around couldn't help but turn to look. When they saw the Empress and two handsome young men dressed in embroidered dragon robes, they knew they were princes and were immediately excited.
One by one, they put down their embroidery, intending to pay their respects, but Ji Wushang remained completely focused on her embroidery, paying no attention to those around her. What about the Empress? What about the Second Prince? Hmph, they're all doing shady things! In her past life, although she was tortured to the point of collapsing on the ground, barely breathing, she would never forget Ji Meiyuan's suggestion to send Nan Jinxue to curry favor with the Empress and the Second Prince at her own expense!
Now, they've just changed their appearance and act all high and mighty, but they're still just wolves and tigers!
The Empress's gaze was sharp as she looked at the young ladies around her without saying a word. Seeing this, no one dared to say anything either. The young ladies looked at each other, hesitating whether or not to kneel down and pay their respects.
At this moment, the Empress noticed Ji Wushang's slender figure. This girl... was a little different. Did she not know that the Empress had arrived? Did she not care about her? She didn't even turn her head to look at her?
Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ting also saw Ji Wushang's figure at this moment. Compared to Huangfu Yu's surprise, Huangfu Ting's eyes were more profound, because Ji Yinxue's figure could no longer be seen on the field!
Could it be that she did it again?
Huangfu Ting's eyes were deep and unfathomable.
Huangfu Yu looked at Ji Wushang and was secretly delighted. She hadn't expected that she was really alright!
The Empress smiled, as if she had seen something. The examiner and Granny Wang were at a loss for what to do. After exchanging glances, they finally decided to have all the young ladies bow, since they were looking at the two of them and hoping for instructions.
The examiner stepped forward, intending to tell everyone to stop their embroidery and bow, but the Empress waved her hand, signaling them not to be disturbed. The examiner and Granny Wang were momentarily taken aback, but quickly waved for everyone to continue their work.
At this moment, the Empress was already walking outside. Huangfu Yu almost shouted out loud, but Huangfu Ting covered his mouth. "Why did you leave so quickly?"
I can only keep these words to myself.
Seeing this, Granny Wang immediately followed.
Huangfu Ting practically dragged him out. In the whole world, only Huangfu Ting would dare to treat Huangfu Yu like this, and only Huangfu Ting could handle Huangfu Yu.
As they left the hall, the Empress turned to look at the two of them struggling and said, "Pulling and pulling at each other like this, what kind of behavior is this? You are princes! How can you set a good example?"
"Mother, I don't want to set an example!" Huangfu Yu said directly.
"You child," the Empress said, seemingly with a sense of exasperation, "Fine, you can't change your temperament."
"Hmm." Huangfuyu nodded in agreement.
Huangfu Ting looked at him, annoyed, "Please forgive my sixth brother, Mother."
"That's enough. You've all grown up, and I can't interfere so much. However, you should know how to restrain yourselves in front of His Majesty, otherwise, His Majesty might reprimand you."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand." Huangfu Ting nodded, then cupped his hands in greeting. Huangfu Yu muttered, "Yes."
The empress nodded, and then left with her entourage.
At this moment, Granny Wang was serving the Empress. Sure enough, after walking only a few steps, the Empress asked, "Granny Wang, which family's young lady is that girl in the light yellow floral dress?"
"Your Majesty, that is the eldest daughter of General Ji's family, her given name is Ji Wushang," Wang Mama replied humbly, bowing low.
The Empress nodded. She recognized the name. "Wasn't he recently betrothed by His Majesty to the Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Jinnan?"
"Exactly."
"Well then, tell me her story. Tell me everything you know!" The Empress seemed very interested.
Upon hearing this, Granny Wang recounted everything that had happened yesterday and this morning, portraying Ji Wushang as intelligent and patient.
The Empress nodded as she listened, her face expressionless. Wang Mama's smile froze, wondering if she had said something wrong.
"It's getting late, why don't you go down and check on the competition?" the Empress said.
Granny Wang breathed a sigh of relief, quickly knelt down to bid farewell, and then returned to the main hall.
Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ting were walking together when they sat down on the stone bench under the tree.
"Sixth brother, I'm not trying to be mean, but you need to think carefully about what you're doing and what you can't do." Huangfu Ting seemed a little angry as he looked at him. "Your mother is doing this for your own good."
"I know, I'm trying to change, aren't I? But, as you know, old habits die hard, I'll be more careful in the future." Huangfuyu smiled. "I saw her, she's fine, and it seems like the embroidery she made was very beautiful."
Huangfu Ting rolled his eyes at him. "She's someone else's wife. No matter how beautiful her embroidery is, it belongs to someone else, not you."
"Second brother, don't be so serious." Huangfu Yu smiled. "She's not married to him yet, is she? Things aren't settled yet!"
"What hasn't been decided yet? The imperial decree has been issued, the date has been set, what else hasn't been decided yet?" Huangfu Ting sneered.
Huangfu Yu shook his head. Huangfu Ting looked at him with a questioning gaze, followed by an immediate understanding. "What do you mean?"
"I won't hurt her," Huangfuyu said. "Forget it, I was just curious about her back then. Maybe in a few days, I'll be curious about something else. Heh, she, you said, is someone else's wife. What use is she to me?"
Looking at his unpredictable expression, Huangfu Ting shook his head, "Whatever you say."
Ji Wushang continued his work in the main hall. He looked up and saw that there was still some time left in the funnel. His embroidery was almost finished, with only a few small embellishments to complete.
Looking to the side, Shangguan Feiyan was indeed embroidering two ducks. Ji Wushang almost burst out laughing, but he held back because Shangguan Feiyan was very serious. She was staring at the embroidery and didn't even look up to rest for a moment.
After carefully putting away the last needle, Ji Wushang looked up, her hand still in a feigned gesture, but she had already taken a bottle of medicine from her sleeve. This was given to her by Nan Xuzong, who was afraid that she would do something wrong. He gave her the laughing medicine that would make her laugh for two hours, saying that if anyone bullied her, she should laugh for two hours, and after two hours, she would probably only cry.
Ji Wushang smiled as he thought of his words. He figured only he could come up with this idea, but if those people burst into laughter and Wang Mama saw it, she would definitely think they had gone mad!
At this moment, the time was up, and several young ladies dejectedly put down their embroidery. Ji Wushang also put down his mandarin duck embroidery and waited for the palace maids to collect it.
Only after the examiner said they could leave did Ji Wushang and Shangguan Feiyan go out. At this moment, several young ladies who boasted of their perfect embroidery approached. One of them sneered, "Miss Ji, how well did you embroider your mandarin ducks?"
"Isn't she prettier than a duck?" a young lady immediately exclaimed.
Ji Wushang looked at the two of them. One was Yuan Meian, the beautiful daughter of a Grand Scholar. Her aunt was Consort Yuan, who gave birth to the Third Prince Huangfu Xuan. At this time, Huangfu Xuan was favored by the Emperor. How could he not take advantage of this relationship to ridicule Ji Wushang?
The other person was Yao Jinhan, who was tall and had a somewhat long face. She was the daughter of General Yao and her aunt was the Empress. Naturally, she seemed more arrogant and domineering than Ji Wushang!
Ji Wushang smiled at them, "I've only been learning for a few days, and I'm not very good at embroidery. Ladies, please don't tease me."
"Is that so?" Yao Jinhan smiled and stepped forward. "I've heard that Miss Ji is quite formidable!"
"Hehe, not that impressive. Miss Yao is far more skilled than Wu Shang. Her needlework is superb. Her Majesty the Empress has always hoped that you would win the championship!" Ji Wu Shang smiled.
Yao Jinhan listened, feeling incredibly proud. Having the Empress as her aunt was truly something else! She was certain to win the championship this time!
The ladies around Yao Jinhan looked at her smug expression with utter contempt, but they couldn't say anything, just pursed their lips.
Yuan Meian looked at the woman who had stepped forward and said, "That's right, Miss Yao will definitely win!" But in her heart she thought, "Win? Does she even deserve it?"
Yao Jinhan glanced at Yuan Meian. She knew Yuan Meian had Consort Yuan as her backer, but didn't she have the Empress herself? The Empress was the highest authority in the harem, so what was she?
Ji Wushang stepped forward and said with a smile, "My two sisters, why don't we sit outside for a while?" As he spoke, he tried to pull the two of them up, but Yao Jinhan and Yuan Meian would never let Ji Wushang touch them.
The two women pushed Ji Wushang away at once. Ji Wushang stumbled, and just as well, she reached forward and grabbed, smearing the powder from her fingernails all over their bodies. But the next second, she lost her grip and fell. Fortunately, Shangguan Feiyan was leaning against her, and she immediately caught Ji Wushang, calling out, "Sister Wushang!"
"I, I'm fine." Ji Wushang seemed to be still in shock as he stood up. People around him pointed and whispered about Yao Jinhan and Yuan Meian, which, though quiet, definitely caused a stir.
Granny Wang was walking back from a distance when she saw Ji Wushang being pushed to the ground by Yao Jinhan and Yuan Meian. She immediately ran over and asked, "What happened?"
"Granny, you've come at the right time! It was those two who actually pushed Sister Wushang down!" Shangguan Feiyan said as she looked on, not afraid of anyone coming after the Shangguan family.
"Feiyan, stop talking." Ji Wushang straightened her clothes, looking somewhat aggrieved, but stubborn. She looked at Granny Wang and bowed, saying, "It's Wushang's fault. I didn't know that the two sisters didn't like to sit and chat outside, so I offended them. It's Wushang's fault, and I can't blame the two sisters." Ji Wushang lowered her head.
Shangguan Feiyan pouted, "Sister Wushang, I clearly saw them push you to the ground."
“Yes, what Miss Ji said is true. I... I didn’t mean to. I didn’t expect her to be so unsteady!” Yao Jinhan said, then looked at Yuan Meian, who nodded in agreement.
Listening to everyone's words and observing their expressions, Wang Mama got the gist of it. But since Ji Wushang had already said it was her own fault, and these two young ladies had the Empress and Consort Yuan backing them up, she decided to turn a blind eye.
"Alright, alright, go back now! Let's just forget about it." Granny Wang nodded. "Miss Wushang, do you feel there's anything amiss?"