Lian Hua leaned in for a closer look, and she found it quite appealing. The characters seemed to dance and flow like dragons and phoenixes, representing the highest realm of calligraphy, although she did not know why.
Noticing His Majesty's fond expression, she grew cautious and asked, "Your Majesty, is there something wrong?"
The Emperor spoke candidly, "Your calligraphy is still at a basic stage, worse than a five-year-old child. How can you study cursive script? Don't you realize there has been no progress despite the time you've spent? You must first master regular script; that's the best choice for beginners."
Lian Hua felt somewhat ashamed; it was true about her calligraphy.
As a child, she was greatly pampered by everyone in her family. At the beginning of her education, she found studying calligraphy too tiring and pointless. She thought it was enough to recognize characters, and it did not matter if one wrote well, especially since she wouldn't need it for the imperial examinations, so she refused to put in the effort.
Every day after lessons with her teacher, she would not stay indoors but run to the tea gardens to play, hole up in the kitchen, or climb trees and fish in the river in the garden, acting more like a restless monkey than a little girl. No one could control her.
Hearing His Majesty's fair assessment, Lian Hua started to doubt herself but couldn't help feeling a bit resentful, "Indeed, Your Majesty's guidance has enlightened me, but it was not easy for me to get these practice sheets..."
Her words implied that even if she had to switch to other scripts, her practice sheets shouldn't be taken away. Finishing her sentence, she blinked her round almond eyes at the Emperor.
The Emperor felt somewhat uneasy and coughed before asking, "How did you get it?"
Lian Hua's eyes flickered, and she hesitantly replied, "I... I found it under the leg of a desk in an old storeroom at Canglan Court..."
Wow, the former master of Canglan Court really used a treasure like Master Liu's authentic work as a desk shim. If Master Liu knew, he wouldn't rest easy in his grave.
The Emperor was speechless for a moment, then took the practice sheets and, seemingly with distaste, had Zhang Qing take them away, saying, "Alright, it's getting late. Let's stop here for tonight. Tomorrow, Zhang Qing will find you suitable practice sheets."
That settled it!
Lian Hua was confused, feeling that something was off but couldn't pinpoint what exactly. After pondering for a while without any conclusion, she saw His Majesty urging her to change and retire for the night, so she thought no more of it.
Under the dim palace lantern, a woman sat at the dressing table, combing her smooth long hair with a silver comb, dressed in a purple satin nightgown embroidered with subtle patterns, exuding an elegant and luxurious aura.
Behind her, an old nanny spoke in a low voice, "This old servant has made inquiries. It was under Noble Consort's name that His Majesty issued the decree."
The Noble Consort managed many affairs in the harem, and it was not uncommon for the Emperor to issue decrees using her name in the past. This was a sign of respect from the Emperor to the Noble Consort, as he rarely bypassed her to issue orders directly to avoid disrupting the order in the palace.
The woman paused her combing, puzzled, "Why would they suddenly need to re-educate Beauty Li on the rules?"
The nanny replied, "Perhaps Beauty Li has angered His Majesty. She has always been unruly and arrogant, quick to envy, and speaks without restraint. She bullies the weak and fears the strong in the harem. It's possible that one of the lower-ranking concubines complained, and His Majesty found out."
A figure flashed through the woman's mind; she chuckled at her own absurd thought. That foolish girl hardly ever sees His Majesty's face; how could she be involved with that stubborn mule!
"We needn't concern ourselves with this. If Beauty Li creates a fuss, just send her away," she said.
The nanny answered, "Yes," and was about to leave but hesitated, seeming to want to say something more but feeling it inappropriate, she remained silent.
Seeing that the old servant hadn't left, the woman impatiently asked, "Is there anything else?"
No longer hesitating, the nanny stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I have discovered that someone seems to be secretly investigating the corruption of the Salary Distributing Eunuch at the Bureau of Palace Attendants."
The woman was startled, nearly losing grip on her comb, "Why are you only reporting such an important matter now?"
The nanny appeared flustered, as she did not expect such a strong reaction from the Consort, and quickly knelt down, saying, "This servant only discovered it accidentally and wasn't sure, so I dared not report it."
After calming herself, she continued, "The other day, as usual, I went to collect your palace allowance, and on the way, I saw a Young Eunuch stop a palace maid of a lower-ranking concubine, asking about receiving palace allowances. They spoke in soft tones; I only faintly heard something about 'monthly silver' and 'insufficient'. When I tried to get closer to listen, the Young Eunuch noticed me. He and the palace maid dispersed, and just before leaving, the Young Eunuch looked at me and smiled."
The woman pressed, "Who is this eunuch?"
The nanny lowered her head and replied, "This old servant does not know for certain; he seemed familiar but I can't place where I've seen him. If I see him again, I will definitely recognize him!"
The woman narrowed her eyes, her voice slightly dark, "Find out who he is."
After a moment's thought, she changed her mind, "No need to look into that anymore. Cut off that connection."
The nanny looked up, her expression bewildered, and exclaimed, "Your Highness, the tribute from that side is quite substantial..."
That was a significant amount of silver each month; the nanny felt it was a pity.
With furrowed brows and a stern voice, the woman said, "Hold your tongue, let's settle this matter as it is, no further discussion. Without His Majesty's approval, who dares to investigate? Cut off that connection immediately. Also, stop looking into the Young Eunuch's background to avoid exposure."
With the woman's decisive words, the nanny realized the seriousness of the matter, breaking out in cold sweat, she repeatedly agreed and respectfully withdrew, hurriedly arranging to handle the matter.