Women didn’t need to learn as much as men, and not all books were deemed suitable for them. Having mastered the Four Books for Women, they might read some of the Book of Songs, but that was commonly the extent of their learning. They were typically taught needlework, embroidery, and arts like playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Without the heavy workload of modern education, girls would often complete their schooling at a women’s academy in two or three years.
Lin Qianqing and Xie Qinyun had met at a women’s academy, where they studied the Four Books for Women and the Book of Songs from the age of ten to thirteen.
To say that they went out to play meant, for the Princess, nothing more than strolling through the Imperial Garden.
In the summer, the lotus flowers in the ponds blossomed with vibrant beauty. Many early-bloomers had already formed seed pods; this was likely the last round of blooming.
"Ninth Princess, you love painting. Do you like to paint these lotuses in the pond?"
Since Gu Youyou had interacted with the Ninth Princess and Cui Yingying, she had discovered that Cui Yingying was seriously studying medical skills, comprehending even complex medical principles. The Princess wanted to learn medicine, perhaps out of hope and concern from seeing her mother ill during her childhood. But what she truly loved was painting, which was why Gu Youyou decided to cater to her interests, teaching them separately and focusing on instructing the Princess in painting.
The Ninth Princess leaned on the railing by the lotus pond, scrutinizing the beauty before her. After a moment, she turned back to Gu Youyou and said, "These aren’t the most beautiful lotuses in the Imperial Palace. I’ve seen a kind that’s as red as fire. In that pond, they bloom like sparks, incredibly stunning. If I were to paint lotuses, I’d paint those."
Hearing this, Gu Youyou was delighted. She guessed that the Ninth Princess was referring to the Fire Lotuses in the Flame Pool.
It was said that this was a treasure of the Imperial Palace. Once tended by the Zhuzhao Pearl, the flowers hadn’t been as red since its disappearance.
"Is there such a lotus? How come I’ve only seen white and pink lotuses?" inquired Cui Yingying on the side.
The Ninth Princess patted her chest confidently, "Of course, I’ve seen them. If you don’t believe me, I can take you there to see!"
This was indeed a delightful prospect for Gu Youyou.
However, at that moment, a concubine approached them from afar. Judging by her attire, her rank seemed quite high.
Many of the concubines had already been seen by Gu Youyou, but this one, appearing to be in her mid-thirties to forties, and of only average beauty among the concubines—a simply graceful woman—was someone Gu Youyou was seeing for the first time.
Upon seeing her, the Ninth Princess and Cui Yingying quickly paid their respects: "We greet the Noble Consort."
She was actually the Noble Consort?
Gu Youyou remembered what Lin Qianqing had told her: in the palace, aside from the Empress, there was only one Noble Consort bold enough to rival her status—the mother of the Second Prince, Noble Consort Sheng.
This woman had started as a personal maid to the former Crown Princess Consort. After the Crown Princess Consort’s death, the then Crown Prince, who later became Emperor, upgraded her first to a room concubine and then to a secondary consort, eventually granting her the highly esteemed title of Noble Consort, just one rank below the Empress.
She was plain-looking, with no influential family backing her; it could be said she came from no significant background. It was widely rumored that the Emperor favored her largely because of the Empress Dowager.
Upon reflection, Noble Consort Sheng’s situation was rather similar to the Empress Dowager’s in the past, wasn’t it? Loyally protecting her mistress’s child after her demise. The Eldest Princess had been spoiled in her care.
But her luck was better than that of the Empress Dowager at the time. She had safeguarded her former mistress’s Princess, yet bore a son herself, and the Emperor truly doted on her; she had never suffered in the presence of the Empress.