The Guzheng of The Moon

XI

Yue coiled up by hugging his blanket. He refused to get up even though the sun was high. He also did not care about the ladies who knocked on the door of his room. Lazily Yue finally got up and leaned his back on the head of his bed.

"Come in," said Yue.

Immediately after getting permission from Yue, several maids burst into the room. In their hands they carry all sorts of things. Starting from jewelry, silk clothes and breakfast.

"You should be even more careful, Miss," said one elderly lady.

"I'm sorry, Auntie."

Yue had indeed deliberately woken up slower than his usual days. Because she knows her training as empress starts today for the next three weeks. He did tell the Emperor that he would be the greatest empress of all time, but his guts immediately shrank when faced with Princess Xiaoli.

A few maids helped Yue to clean herself up as well as dress her up. Today he was wearing a pastel-colored silk cloth. After he was ready and finished breakfast, the ladies escorted him to the training ground.

He's been scared all night. Yue could only sleep at dawn. It was better to face the drunken bandits in his shop than to undergo empress training.

"Er, what am I going to do?" asked Yue at the head of the lady.

"You just have to show your best. Be yourself, Miss."

Not helping. Not helping at all, Inner Yue. The door of the training booth was already in front of him. Yue felt his breathing become shorter as well as his heart pounding faster.

Yue was welcome to enter after a lady-in-waiting opened the door. He walked slowly and looked at the whole room. Princess Xiaoli was already sitting gracefully on one of the chairs. In front of him sat a middle-aged woman with a sinister face according to Yue.

"I'm sorry, I'm late" Yue said.

The middle-aged woman did not glance at Yue at all and was still straddling the fabric of the phoenix embroidery.

"Good, Princess. You are very good at embroidery," said the middle-aged woman.

"You're too complimentary, Aunt Fu."

Aware of being ignored by them, Yue chose a seat beside Xiaoli. He was annoyed and he would make the middle-aged woman want to look at him.

"So, what should I do?" asked Yue innocently.

"It shouldn't be that you're late," jawan Aunt Fu who still didn't look at Yue.

"All this makes me nervous, so I can't sleep." Yue did not need to explain further the reason. Because he was sure Aunt Fu was not interested at all.

Sure enough, Aunt Fu did not care at all. Looks reluctant even. So too with the indifferent Xiaoli. Very different from the Princess he saw last night. Friendly and full of smiles in front of everyone at the party.

"All right, let's get started" Auntie Fu said.

Moments later, four girls entered in pairs while holding a table full of books. He placed the table next to Auntie Fu and disappeared behind the door.

"First of all the rules of the palace and everything related to the palace" said Aunt Fu.

"I'm sure Princess Xiaoli has memorized it out of her head. So the task this time only applies to you, Miss Yue."

Subconsciously Yue gawked at hearing it. Looking at Aunt Fu and the pile of books in turn.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to memorize all that," said Yue.

"of course. I spent an entire year when I was thirteen" Xiaoli said.

Yue felt that ridicule was too excessive. His fear became real. Yue was not at all afraid of the lessons he would receive. He just couldn't stand being teased like he was just now. Yue had some pride, however. Although a commoner, he was quite respected among the surrounding citizens and bandits in his area. Strange, but that's the truth.

"When there is not much time left before the ceremony of the queen's welcome" Fu Bao lamented. "It's clear who will be elected."

Yue flicked her lips, a bad habit that Ah Mei banned last night. This palace, it is not good to behave like the bandits who regularly visit his shop.

"One week. After that let the fate be decisive," said Aunt Fu.

Yue nodded obediently. He decided to memorize all the books in a week. He would show these nobles that commoners could also do what they did.

Nothing is meaningful from that brief training. Yue chose to leave the training booth and find a place to read. Leaving Xiaoli who was still together with Fu Bao. Yue was not interested in what they were talking about. He only needed a quiet and quiet place.Suddenly he remembered the pavilion belonging to the Emperor.

If Yue was lucky, he would look for a hidden corner near the lake without the Emperor's knowledge.

Behind her. The four dayers who were carrying the table containing the books stopped as Yue stopped his steps. He took three books from there.

"Some, can you take her to my room. I will be very grateful," Yue said with a sweet smile.

"Okay" they answered simultaneously.

There were no escorts, it meant that Yue was free to sneak. To hell with the palace, the breakup.

Rushing towards the Emperor's pavilion, Yue did not expect that someone would appear on the corner of the street until he bounced from hitting that person.

"Oh," Yue Yang groaned down with his butt first.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect there to be anyone at all" said the heavy voice.

Yue looked up and saw a man who was no less beautiful than the Emperor. By cleaning his clothes, Yue tried to get up.

Yue did not accept the man's helping hand. It is impolite to accept the hands of a man whom he does not yet know.

"You all right?"

"Yes. I hope, I can still walk," Yue replied.

"Is that so bad?"

Yue shakes. "It's not a problem, sir."

Yue immediately withdrew after making sure her dress was clean from the dust. He still had important things to do rather than fuss over small things.

"Hopefully he wasn't there."

*****

"A funny girl" muttered Fang Wei.

"One of the future empresses" said the man from behind the pillar.

"So dear, poor girl."

Tbc....