Princess Xun, frustrated at Ling Shuang's, returned to Princess Wen to watch her play cards, but they never had a chance to exchange intimate words. Finally, when it was time for snacks, Princess Wen was once again surrounded by a group of visiting elderly ladies, all of whom were talking to Lou Qingyun, asking about Jiangnan affairs. She could only sulk in solitude.

The snacks at Princess Wen's residence were quite good, but the tea was a bit inferior. It was customary in Beijing to drink black tea all winter until the new tea arrived, believed to be the best for dispelling cold, clearing the lungs, and relieving coughs. The Lou family, however, drank green tea behind closed doors, believing that the strong charcoal smell from roasting fires was best for moistening the lungs and clearing it.

Ling Shuang was watching Xianyue using her golden hairpin to manipulate the tea leaves in her cup, forming them into various shapes. Both were utterly bored.

Then a richly dressed daughter-in-law came up to Princess Wen and announced something. Everyone suddenly became nervous, some leaving the table to touch up their makeup, and even Princess Wen fiddled with her hairpin.

"Wow, you're all so relaxed, gathering here to eat alone, and you didn't even call me."

A cheerful voice came from behind the screen. A woman in a black fox-tail cloak appeared. She looked to be in her thirties, incredibly beautiful, with black hair, fair skin, lips as red as vermilion, and a pair of naturally beautiful peach blossom eyes, exuding an indescribable charm and grace.

She was of high rank, and many noble ladies rose to greet her. Even Princess Wen rose to greet her. She held a small whip in her hand, tossing it along with her cloak to her accompanying wife. She smiled and held Princess Wen's arm, saying, "Auntie, you're so polite again."

"Who is she?"

Ling Shuang stood up with the other girls, then sat down and asked Xianyue.

Xianyue couldn't help herself.

"You're so lucky to ask that," she said, her tone still bitter. "If you don't even recognize her, your trip to the capital is a waste."

Ling Shuang smiled.

"I don't understand anyway, and you won't teach me. Do you think I should ask Mother?"

She pretended to ask Second Madam Lou, but Xianyue said, "Sit down. Don't bother me. I'll just tell you."

"Madam Yun, have you heard of her?"

"I remember her," Lingshuang teased. "Is it the princess who chanted Buddhist scriptures?"

"That's Princess Qinghe of the Qin family. What's your memory?" Xianyue took the bait and whispered everything: "Madam Yun is the one who was famous for her beauty even back then. She married into the family of Marquis He. The Yun family wasn't a well-off family, but they were native to the capital. She was incredibly beautiful and had a distinguished personality, so her sisters all married well too: one into a wealthy family, the other into the imperial palace.

But she had a different fate. Although she married a marquis, her husband was much older than her and died a few years ago. She's been a widow for six or seven years, yet she's still so beautiful. She's almost forty, can't you tell?"

"It's hard to tell. Judging by her attire, she doesn't seem to be too conventional, which is quite interesting."

"Yes, she follows her husband's generational line and holds a high status.

Like the Zhao family, the He family is divided into two branches: the Great He and the Small He. The Great He is the branch she married into, with a marquisate inherited by He Nanzhen. The Small He is the branch of Princess Wen. Actually, she and Princess Wen are actually aunt and niece. Look how polite Princess Wen is to her. She was the host at Jingzhe's Peach Blossom Banquet."

Not only Princess Wen, but even the other noble ladies were polite to her. After all, she was the wife of a legitimate marquis. It's said that her husband was a formidable figure when he was alive, with a ruthless hand, and he significantly expanded the He family fortune under his leadership.

Thus, she was highly respected in the He family. Although a widow, she was flamboyant and lively, without any airs.

Madam Yun was clearly a playful person. She sat down and chatted for a while before saying, "I'm here to scout ahead. I heard there are some very lovely girls this year. My Peach Blossom Banquet won't be held for another month, and I can't wait, so I came to take a look today."

Everyone joined in the fun, pushing Qingyun, Liu Zichan, and others up for her to see. Madam Yun looked at them, praising them. She then pulled Princess Xun over to look at them, even Yuzhu and Bizhu. She smiled and said, "We can't get tired of the old and fall in love with the new. Miss Xun is getting old now. If you have a banquet you'd like, tell me and I'll personally accompany you."

Princess Xun blushed immediately. Madam Yun then praised Yuzhu and Bizhu, saying she liked lively girls, which immediately delighted Madam Lou San.

"I think Madam Yun's taste isn't very good," Ling Shuang said.

"That's called blending in with the world. What do you know?" Xianyue said lazily.

Ling Shuang felt that Madam Yun's eyes were as bright and clever as swallows darting across the sky. Just as she had said something bad about her, she glanced over at her from afar, a hint of a smile on her face. This startled Ling Shuang, but she seemed merely to be sizing up the girls and quickly looked away.

"I'm here on a mission today," Madam Yun said. Just as she began, she heard the sound of a gong outside, signaling the arrival of a distinguished guest. Everyone jumped to their feet as a plump old woman in a tan dress entered, followed by two skinny maids. The ladies all stood up again.

Princess Wen even offered her a seat, but the old woman refused. Instead, she had an embroidered cushion brought in and sat down beside Princess Wen's couch, acting very cautiously.

"I really don't recognize this person," Xianyue frowned. "But looking at her dress, it looks like a palace style, more than ten years later than outside."

As expected, she finally understood what she was talking about. This was Wei Ma, the old maidservant who served the old empress dowager. The old empress dowager was a concubine of the previous emperor. She had a son, a prince, who died young, but she served as a concubine for a while, so she was released from prison and spent the year cultivating at Yunya Temple. Madam Yun's Dahe family was related to the old empress dowager, and they went to pay New Year's greetings to her, bringing a message: "The old empress dowager suggested hosting a banquet this year. She said it's a rare year with good weather and a good year, and she wanted to join in the fun with the young people."

"That's great," Princess Wen said enthusiastically. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? It would have been great if my Spring Festival Banquet could have been hosted by the Empress."

"I wanted to give her the Peach Blossom Banquet, but she thought it was too early. She said it was cold at Yunya Temple in early February and the flowers hadn't even bloomed yet." Madam Yun also smiled.

"If the Peach Blossom Feast during the Waking of Insects doesn't work, there are also the Deutzia and the Chinese Rose. During the Spring Equinox, there are the Begonia, Pear, and Magnolia. During the Qingming Festival, there are the Tung, Wheat, and Willow blossoms. During the Grain Rain, there are the Peony, the Camellia, and the Chinaberry. It all depends on whichever the Old Concubine likes." Princess Wen was quite casual.

She was being generous, but many of the visiting ladies had already reserved a banquet, and they were all immediately nervous.

After all, there were only eighteen banquets after the New Year, and securing one was incredibly difficult. One needed both skill and status. Hosting one was not only a year's honor, but also an opportunity to build closer relationships with the other ladies. The situation was more murky than in the court. While she would openly and willingly give the Old Concubine a seat, she was probably heartbroken and unable to sleep.

"I'll report this to the Old Concubine. She'll be delighted. I'll notify you once the selection is made. Don't miss out," said Madam Wei cheerfully.

"Of course," said Madam Yun.

She and Princess Wen sang in unison, coaxing Madam Wei into a beaming smile. She relaxed on the small embroidery cushion and began to get to know the girls. This time, Princess Wen took matters into her own hands, placing Princess Xun's hand in hers. Madam Wei, knowing their connection, naturally praised Princess Xun profusely, saying, "It's not that I'm being presumptuous, but this young lady, Zhenzhen, is truly exceptional in both appearance and character, even in the palace.

Madam Wen's teaching is truly excellent. How could one be so immediately attracted to her..."

She pulled Princess Xun aside to talk, asking her about needlework. Madam Yun chimed in, saying, "Madam Wei was in charge of the needlework department in the palace. She knew every silk and embroidery technique in the world. Princess Xun is so compatible with them. It's only right that she asks Madam for advice. Normally, she's unwilling to teach us."

Nanny Wei was overjoyed by the praise and said modestly, "No, Madam, you're flattering me again. No one knows everything. I only know a few things."

For example, I recognize some of the stitching on Miss Xun's dress. It's embroidered with split gold thread. The splitting technique has been lost, as the thread quality is poorer nowadays. The silk thread from Jiangnan is getting worse year by year. Back then, the gold thread could be split into twelve strands, and the stitches produced were finer than spider silk. The colors used for embroidery looked natural, as soft as clouds and mist. That's why the splitting technique was also called Yunlan embroidery, which has also been lost.

This dress, young lady, must have been made from material gifted from the inner treasury. These days, there are only a few of these dresses left..."

"Grandma made it for me using old material," Xun Wenqi replied sweetly. "That's all she made. Nanny is amazing. She recognized it so easily."

Ling Shuang heard Xian Yue sneer beside her, then taunt her in a voice only Ling Shuang could hear: "It's not something from the previous dynasty. It's probably lost because it's been discarded. New and better things have replaced it, and the old ones are naturally discarded. How can splitting thread catch up with twisted thread embroidery? This Nanny is just being old-fashioned."

But before she could finish her words, Nanny Wei showed her power.

It was actually Princess Xun who started the conversation.

They gathered together and chatted for a while, praising Nanny Wei to the skies as all-knowing and all-encompassing. Princess Xun suddenly said, "By the way, I do have something to ask Madam Wei. You must know about folded-branch embroidery, right? They say it's quite impressive."

The four Lou family members, mother and daughter, pricked up their ears. Madam Wei's eyes flickered, and she said, "It's just a new trick from Jiangnan. What's so novel about it?"

Ling Shuang knew she was probably right鈥擬adam Wei didn't know about folded-branch embroidery. After all, it was a relatively new thing in Jiangnan and hadn't spread to the capital yet. Xian Yue, perceptive and perceptive, immediately whispered, "Not good."

The old woman was already hostile to new things, and after being caught off guard like this, she naturally denied it to appear authoritative.

Sure enough, Xun Wenqi took the handkerchief from Yuzhu, handed it over, and said with a smile, "But I see they're talking big, saying it's going to be a tribute."

Yuzhu seems to have stumbled upon a handkerchief, embroidered with broken branches. Mammy, take a look..."

From such a distance, Lingshuang couldn't see clearly. She only saw Mammy Wei take it, examine it, and scoff disdainfully, "I thought it was just some literati painting of broken branches with flowers and birds embroidered on silk. They dare call something like this a tribute? Not only is the craftsmanship flawless, but even its meaning is flawed."

"Oh, tribute also needs meaning?" Yuzhu asked.

"I can tell you're just inexperienced young girls. The rules of the palace are as strict as the heavens.

Not to mention the clothes the masters wear, even the footstools, spittoons, and even the floor tiles must have auspicious designs and beautiful meanings." Nanny Wei opened up, discussing, "Do you think there are more flower and bird paintings than in the palace?

Our emperor maintains an entire imperial painting academy. How could broken branches of flowers and birds be better than those in the palace?

Why don't our needlework artists come up with new designs? Why are they doing broken branches embroidery? It's because they symbolize something inauspicious.

Broken branches of flowers and birds are rootless, like a flower cut from a tree. Those birds aren't considered auspicious. According to our palace rules, we only have a few auspicious birds and animals, such as magpies, cranes, sika deer, bats, and even the prolific katydid. How can we use just any bird in our patterns?

Back to the meaning of the broken branch, when have you ever seen a dress embroidered with flowers plucked from a branch? Whether it's plum blossoms or peonies, they're all round flowers, perfect for embroidering flowers and birds in a round shape. Take, for example, the endless swastika-shaped longevity pattern on Princess Wen's dress. That's the auspicious symbol of continuity, a symbol of eternity..."

Princess Xun looked surprised and enthusiastic.

"So, according to you, old lady, you shouldn't wear this embroidered branch?"

"Of course." Madam Wei took her hand and said, "My dear girl, listen to Madam's advice. You are young and don't understand taboos. You only care about novelty and beauty, but you don't know the seriousness of this.

You are already weak, and it's a crucial time for the flower viewing banquet. How can you wear something with such a symbolic meaning? How can you remain calm?

Even if you want to wear it, you should wait until you find a perfect husband, have seven sons and eight sons-in-law, and become a well-off, elderly lady like Princess Wen. You won't have to fear anything, and only then can you wear such bizarre embroidered branches!"

Princess Xun suddenly felt shy and pulled her hand away, saying, "You are making fun of me!" She covered her face and hid behind Princess Wen.

The ladies in the room listened to Madam Wei's comments, and many blushed.

Nanny Wei smiled and said, "This is quite amusing. I'll tell the Dowager Consort about it when I get back. I'm sure she'll find it funny, too."

Amid the bustle, Ling Shuang exchanged glances with Qing Yun, who was standing behind Nanny Wei, and noticed that her expression mirrored her mother's.