Dominate the ancient academy

The eleventh prince saw Concubine De and asked, "Mother, I heard that the young lady from the general's mansion has returned to the capital."

He has too few people he can use, so it would be most appropriate to let his mother arrange this matter.

Concubine De looked at her well-maintained hands and said in a relaxed manner, "Well, you should prepare well. You can get to know Miss Shu at the Hundred Flowers Banquet in two days. She has just returned to Kyoto and must be unfamiliar with Kyoto. You should introduce Miss Shu to Kyoto's situation."

The Hundred Flowers Banquet is a banquet held annually under the leadership of the royal family. It is hosted by a highly respected princess in the capital. This year, it is hosted by Princess Cheng. All the noble ladies of marriageable age and sons of aristocratic families in Kyoto can attend. It is the only banquet that does not restrict legitimate and illegitimate children. Those who want to meet a wife will also come. It is a large blind date market, and many couples have met each other because of the Hundred Flowers Banquet.

With her son's status and looks, it would be easy for him to deal with a girl who grew up in the countryside. When the time comes, let Eleven take her around and she will surely fall in love with him. With her, unless the general's mansion drives their only daughter out of the house, she will be inseparable from them.

A girl comes of age at the age of fifteen, and it is not uncommon for her to want to marry a man when she is ten. Once the two have feelings for each other, it will take several years for them to get engaged and prepare for the wedding. These few years alone can increase the eldest prince's bargaining chips.

What Defei wants now is an engagement. No matter whether it is the general who is fighting outside or Shu Tingyu of the Dali Temple, they all hold real power in the General's Mansion. As long as Eleventh Prince gets engaged to the General's Mansion, the number of officials in the court who support the eldest prince will definitely increase.

The eldest prince can also stand out among the princes.

Just as the mother and son were imagining the wonderful things that would happen after they received help from the General's Mansion, a palace maid hurried in and reported, "Your Majesty, the young lady of the General's Mansion fainted not long after returning. Imperial Doctor Xiao Zhang diagnosed that the young lady of the General's Mansion is weak and needs to stay in bed to rest."

Concubine De and the Eleventh Prince's faces immediately turned ugly.

"I didn't expect this girl to be so useless. No wonder she has been staying in the countryside all the time." The plan was disrupted and Defei was a little angry. How could they take action against her since she has been bedridden all the time?

"Then mother..."

The General's Mansion will not easily take sides without reason, let alone wanting to use the General's Mansion to do something. No one will recognize it without an actual relationship.

Concubine De narrowed her eyes and said, "It seems that the General's Mansion is temporarily useless, but the girl is weak, which is both a disadvantage and an advantage. If you marry her, it will help your General's Mansion. Otherwise, it will be difficult to find a husband for her sickly girl. In this way, the General's Mansion will have to vigorously support your eldest brother."

Which mistress would want a weak daughter-in-law? Even ordinary families don't want to marry a sickly girl. If they can marry their sickly girl, the general's mansion will have to follow their orders.

"Eleven, forget about the banquet at the General's Mansion. You can spend more time with Prince Yun. I heard that the 'Snow Salt' that is selling well in Kyoto is also related to Prince Yun. Try to find out something from Prince Yun and help your elder brother."

Then he said earnestly: "If your elder brother is well, we will all be well too."

The eleventh prince lowered his eyebrows and replied: "Yes, I understand, mother."

What does it matter that the eldest brother is good? They are all good. They are all sons of the emperor and the queen. Why should the eldest brother be put first in everything? Is the eldest brother as smart as him?

After confirming the rumor that the young lady from the general's mansion was frail and bedridden, Shu Xiaoxiao had no time to lie in her room and rest.

After changing clothes, I prepared to go with my third brother to watch how they practiced dragon boat racing. I have seen many dragon boat racing scenes on TV, videos, and books before, but I have never seen people practicing dragon boats. Do they just row the boats all the time?

As a result, before I even left the house, I was summoned by my eldest brother.

In the study, besides the eldest brother, there was also a woman in her thirties who still had some charm. Even just standing there, the woman had a different kind of charm. When she saw Shu Xiaoxiao, her eyes lit up and she even threw a wink.

She said in a tender voice: "Young Master is so pretty!"

Shu Xiaoxiao blinked her eyes: This... is a bit exciting. Could this be eldest brother's lover? But that's not right. That serious eldest brother would bring his old lover to his sister.

Shu Tingfei looked at Shunniang and said, "Okay, let's get down to business. It's best not to make too many changes."

Shu Xiaoxiao was confused. What was going on?

Shunniang gave a sweet laugh: "Come on, little brother, let's put on some makeup."

Shu Xiaoxiao sat on the chair with a confused look on her face, watching Shunniang take out some stone ink from her body and apply it on her face.

It seems that this person is the one that the eldest brother was talking about who knows how to put on makeup. Shunniang stopped after a few minutes.

After Shunniang stopped, Shu Xiaoxiao immediately stood up and looked at Shu Tingyu with her head held high: "Brother, how is it?"

Shu Tingyu looked at his sister and said nothing. He just took out an exquisite little mirror and placed it in front of Shu Xiaoxiao.

Shu Xiaoxiao looked at herself in the mirror carefully. In fact, there were no major changes in her facial features. Only the contours were clearer, her nose was taller, and the whole person looked sharper. No one would doubt her identity.

Shu Xiaoxiao was a little surprised. It seemed that the Chinese face-changing technique had started in ancient times, and it was just being developed and promoted now.

Look at the makeup on her face, it’s so natural, without any traces of makeup at all.

Shu Xiaoxiao looked at Shunniang and said, "That's amazing. Can I learn from you? Just learn from the one on my face."

After learning this, people will not recognize her gender even if she is not with Su Shiche.

As for her identity, since the eldest brother called her here, there must be no problem with this person.

Shu Tingyu: "This needs to be done step by step, bit by bit. Let Shunniang teach you and you should know the limits."

Shunniang is the mother of Zangxiang Pavilion. She was recognized by Shu Tingyu because of her superb craftsmanship. She also helped the Dali Temple a lot, so they have some friendship.

This time I came to help, thinking that I was just here to teach people how to put on makeup. It's not that difficult, and I can also earn a favor from the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple for free. What a profitable deal, that's why I came here with great enthusiasm.

When she first saw the girl dressed as a boy, she thought it was simple, just to look more masculine. But it’s not that simple, it will only take a moment, right?

But when she really started teaching, she found something was wrong. What was wrong with the little girl's hands? She explained it very clearly, but the little girl's hands seemed to have ideas of their own. The more pretty the girl's face was, the more clumsy her hands were.

She had never seen a woman who couldn't even draw these few strokes well. It was really hard to earn the favor of the Shaoqing of Dali Temple. Looking at the little girl, she put on makeup as she pleased. She was using her own face as a drawing board. She really didn't want to do it anymore.

Seeing Shunniang taking a deep breath, Shu Tingyu once again helped her sister wipe the marks on her face and whispered, "Xiaoxiao, don't be nervous. We will learn slowly, slowly."

Then he made way for her: "Well, thank you for your hard work, Shunniang."

Shunniang:......