The Flirtatious Prince and His Savage Concubine

It was only during the time that Lu Lingxi studied with Nanny Wei that he realized that the complexity of palace etiquette was truly unimaginable for ordinary people.

In this way, our previous impression was that the women in the deep palace had nothing to do all day long, but in fact, it takes them a lot of time just to learn these etiquettes.

It was during this period that Lu Lingxi realized that the hairpin with tassels, also known as the Buyao, was not only for looking good, but also to regulate women's behavior. Whether talking, walking, or doing anything else, the movements should not be too large, and the Buyao on the head should not shake violently. If it moved too violently, it would be considered rude.

It was also during this period that Lu Lingxi finally understood what "Three Kneels and Nine Bows" meant. In the past, I had read novels and thought that Three Kneels and Nine Bows meant kneeling three times and bowing nine times to show piety. Now I know that the nine bows are: Jishou, Dunshou, Kongshou, Zhendong, Jibai, Xiongbai, Qibai, Baobai, and Subai. These nine bows are the prescribed etiquette used by social members of different ranks and identities in different occasions.

When greeting, who should you say "Ben!" to and who should you say "Wanfu!" to? This is determined by the status of the other person. Lu Lingxi thought it was just a casual greeting, depending on your mood. Moreover, the rules of greeting are different for different ranks of concubines in the harem and different scenes.

Even the direction of the seats, east, west, south, north, left and right, are divided into noble and humble ones, and the directions are different in different scenes. When you take a seat, you must not sit randomly. In case you offend others, they may make trouble and cause trouble again.

When Lu Lingxi was walking back and forth slowly with a book on his head, or sitting still as requested by Nanny Wei, he felt really overwhelmed while listening to Nanny Wei's explanations.

The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, which was also the last day that Lu Lingxi studied with Nanny Wei, was the most relaxing. Although Nanny Wei would not tell Lu Lingxi the secrets of the palace, she would help Lu Lingxi figure out who the nobles in the palace were and which families they came from. She would also briefly talk about the famous ladies in the capital, who was friends with whom, and what titles they had won in various competitions at the banquet.

After Nanny Wei finished the etiquette lesson, her final advice to Lu Lingxi was that in the imperial palace or in the deep mansions full of intrigue, if one wanted to avoid mistakes, one should talk less, listen more, watch more, observe more, and think twice before making any action. No matter who one is dealing with, one must hit the target with one strike, and one cannot hesitate or drag one's feet.

Although Lu Lingxi understood all these words, she had only studied them for half a month, so it might be a little difficult to put them into practice. Besides, she was going to a banquet, not to compete for favor, so it shouldn't be that scary, and no one would really want to harm her.

Lu Lingxi couldn't help but sigh that this capital city was really full of celebrities. It would take a whole day to simply introduce the relationships between these people.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, because it was a dinner party and they might have to stay up all night, Lu Lingxi was catching up on his sleep in the afternoon, fearing that he would fall asleep and be laughed at again.

Lu Lingxi arrived at the palace neither too early nor too late. The main reason was that if she arrived too early, it would be boring to just wait there, and if she arrived too late, people would say she was being cunning and making others wait on purpose. So she chose a time that was neither too early nor too late so as not to attract anyone's attention.

However, when Lu Lingxi arrived, she immediately attracted the attention of one person, that is Liu Fufeng, who was already the concubine of the King of Qi. She was looking at Lu Lingxi with a very resentful look.

Liu Fufeng was filled with resentment. If he had not attended the birthday banquet at the Marquis Zhenguo's Mansion, such a thing would not have happened. He would not have been carried into the Prince of Qi's Mansion in such a shameless manner. Moreover, the pregnant concubine's daughter from the Prime Minister's Mansion also entered the palace on the same day.

Nowadays, the rumors in the capital are that Liu Fufeng is the same as the concubine raised by her aunt. They are both vixens who have lost their chastity before marriage and are good at seducing people. They have made it difficult for the sisters in the mansion to get married, and her father and mother also blame her. But Liu Fufeng knew that she had not done such a thing, and she was framed. She believed that it was Lu Lingxi's territory, and they had never gotten along. She was even more afraid that she would enter the prince's mansion with her in the future. She was not as talented as herself and could not compete with her for favor, so she set up a trick in advance to prevent herself from entering the prince's mansion and ruin her reputation.

Thinking of this, Liu Fufeng narrowed his eyes, looked at Lu Lingxi fiercely, and thought to himself: "Lu Lingxi, just wait, I will not let you have an easy time today."

Lu Lingxi seemed to sense something and looked in the direction of Liu Fufeng, but Liu Fufeng had already turned his eyes away and was no longer looking at her. Lu Lingxi tilted her head in confusion. Why did she suddenly feel a chill on her back?

When the time was almost up and the moon worship ceremony was about to begin, the Queen arrived with a group of concubines. Gu Yan'er walked beside the Queen and supported the Queen.

Today, Gu Yan'er was dressed more formally than usual. The hair accessories, earrings, and necklace she wore on her head were all given by the Queen herself. She looked noble and elegant, and was the most dazzling female guest in the audience except for the Queen.

Lu Lingxi looked at Gu Yan'er and felt that she was distant and out of reach. Maybe what his father said was right. Sister Gu and I are from different worlds, and he shouldn't force himself to be friends with her.

Gu Yan'er also glanced at Lu Lingxi lightly, feeling a little apologetic. Although she was forced by the situation last time, she was still sorry for knocking Lingxi unconscious, and she had never apologized to her in person. The main reason was that she didn't know how to face her now.

After Queen Gu arrived, everyone saluted the Queen, and then she exchanged a few words with several noble ladies, including Lu Lingxi.

Queen Gu looked at Lu Lingxi, who was wearing a light blue dress today, and said, "I haven't seen you for a while. Miss Lu has become more beautiful. The last time we met, Miss Lu was like a child, playing and joking around in my palace. Now she has grown into a calm and reserved lady. Miss Liu, who played with Miss Lu, has also moved into my son's mansion and become a concubine."

"I have to sigh that time flies so fast. The children have grown up in the blink of an eye." When saying this, Queen Gu patted Gu Yan'er's hand, as if she needed Gu Yan'er's approval. Gu Yan'er did not reply, but bowed her head and nodded respectfully to show her approval.

After hearing what the queen said, Lu Lingxi knew that she was talking about the fight with Liu Fufeng in the imperial garden. She quickly stepped forward to pay her respects and followed her words, saying, "I was young and ignorant before, and I offended the queen. Please forgive me. I apologize to the queen." She was about to kneel down. Lu Lingxi was also very depressed. It was really unlucky that he had to kneel down as soon as he arrived.

Seeing that Lu Lingxi's knees were about to fall to the ground, Queen Gu slowly said, "No need for that. Can I still get angry with a child?"

After hearing the Queen Mother say that they didn't need to kneel, Chunhong and Liulu stepped forward to help Lu Lingxi up. Lu Lingxi remained calm on the surface, but in his heart he was complaining, "It sounds good to say that you won't bother with the child, won't bother? It's been more than a year since this happened, and you're still bringing it up?"

Gu Yan'er reminded at the right time: "Aunt, the auspicious time for the moon festival is coming soon, let's go over there."

Queen Gu still said slowly: "Well, let's go."

The group then headed towards the moon-worshiping platform in a mighty procession.