Fulu really wanted to help, so she asked, “Then what birthmarks does your niece have, like a mole or something? The world is so big. To find a person is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Why not announce it to the whole world and promise to give a heavy reward if anyone can find your niece for you.”


  Qian Yin sighed and said, “I did, and many girls came to me, claiming to be my niece, but it turned out that they were all fakes, so doing that is only a waste of time.

  “She does have birthmarks. There is a peach flower imprint on her wrist, a red mole between her eyebrows, and a scar on the back of her neck from playing when she was a child.”


  Fulu said, “Since she has so many birthmarks, you will definitely be able to find her, Uncle Qian.”


  Qian Yin said in a low voice, “I hope so.”


  Luoyang had more literati than Chang’an, and several famous academies were all located in Luoyang.

  The grand Academy Conference was held in Luoyang, inviting schools from all over the world to exchange study or teaching experiences.

  The Academy Conference this time also invited court officials and Emperor Huilin, and Emperor Huilin ordered Lu Chen to attend the conference too, so Qiao Jinniang could rarely see Lu Chen in the daytime these days.

  In Luoyang, for a time, there arose a trend for poetry among the dignitaries and nobles.

  Whenever there was a banquet, people would play a game of poem making, and this trend even spread to the imperial palace.

  Various poetry meetings were held one after another, and Qiao Jinniang heard that in the poetry meetings, Zhou Shihui and Zhou Qinghe showed their great talent in poetry.

  Several of Zhou Qinghe’s poems were unprecedentedly good and instantly went viral. For a time, so many people rushed to copy her poems that it even caused a shortage of paper in Luoyang.

  Qiao Jinniang ordered Hongling to transcribe a few of her poems and read one of them.

  “Last night the wind blew hard and the rain was fine, and a sound sleep hasn’t ease my hangover yet.

  “When I asked the maid who was rolling up the curtains, she answered, “The crab-apple blossoms look the same.”


  “I cried, “Can’t you see? Can’t you see?

  “The green leaves are fresh but the red flowers are fading!”


  This wasn’t a neat eight-line poem that was popular today, but it was still a very good poem, and the beauty of rhythm amazed Qiao Jinniang.

  Even the most famous scholars of the time might not be able to make such a masterpiece.

  Three days before the Qixi Festival, Qiao Jinniang was called by the Empress to Xuanzheng Palace.

  Empress Zhou said to Qiao Jinniang, “The Qixi Festival is coming. This year, you can follow me and learn how to hold the ceremony for the Qixi Festival. Qixi is a festival for girls, so even the imperial maids are looking forward to it.

  “In the Shanggong Bureau, there will be competitions among the imperial maids to thread needles, carve melons and fruits, and make Clever Fruits.

  “There will also be such competitions outside the imperial palace. You can select the winners in my place and then give them some awards.”


  Qiao Jinniang nodded happily. It was great that she could go out of the imperial palace to have some fun.

  Empress Zhou said, “This year, many girls in Luoyang will come to compete, so you should maintain the balance between the girls from Chang’an and those from Luoyang when you’re choosing the winners.”


  Qiao Jinniang pursed her lips and said, “Won’t it be fraud?”


  Empress Zhou smiled and said, “If the difference is obvious, you should be fair. But if the difference is not obvious and it’s difficult to choose, remember to maintain the balance.”


  Qiao Jinniang nodded.

  When she was discussing how to hold the Qixi Festival competitions with Empress Zhou, Consort Huai Li Lingling came over to visit the Empress.

  Empress Zhou didn’t like Li Lingling, but as her titular mother-in-law, she could not drive Li Lingling away, so she told the servants to let her in.

  Li Lingling walked up to Empress Zhou and saluted. “Mother, please uphold justice for me!”


  Empress Zhou asked, “What happened?”


  Noticing the gloating smile on Li Lingling’s face, Qiao Jinniang knew this was definitely not Li Lingling’s real purpose. If she was really wronged, she should go to the Empress Dowager, not the Empress.

  Li Lingling said, “County Mistress Yuquan is really arrogant at the poetry meetings in Luoyang these days. Today I met her at the Haitang Poetry Meeting, but she made a poem to scold me. I’m Consort Huai. How dare she disrespect me like that…”


  Empress Zhou said to Li Lingling, “Why are you bothering me with this trivial matter? If she disrespects you, just punish her.”


  Li Lingling said, “But County Mistress Yuquan is quite favored by Father. Rumor has it that County Mistress Yuquan is Father’s illegitimate daughter… How dare I punish her…”


  Empress Zhou frowned and said, “Who is spreading this rumor? Consort Huai, you’re a prince’s consort and the daughter of Earl Cheng’en. Why do you believe some gossip you heard?!”


  Li Lingling secretly smiled smugly. She came to complain to the Empress on purpose. Although everyone said that Zhou Shihui was His Majesty’s illegitimate daughter, no one in the imperial palace dared to talk about it in front of the Empress.

  The Crown Prince was favored by the Emperor solely because the Empress was favored by the Emperor. If the Emperor no longer liked the Empress, Lu Chen would definitely lose the position of the Crown Prince.

  Besides, the Emperor had a daughter with the Empress’ own sister! How could Empress Zhou stand such an insult?

  So the more harshly Empress Zhou reprimanded her, the happier Li Lingling was. This meant that this rumor was true!

  “Mother, calm down, I heard it from others.”


  “But others are not consorts. I will punish you for copying the Book of Rites a hundred times. You have to copy it yourself. You can’t leave the Prince Huai Mansion until you finish copying it!”


  “Mother!”


  Li Lingling looked at Empress Zhou aggrievedly. Copy the Book of Rites a hundred times with her own hands?! How long would it take her?!

  Empress Zhou said, “You can leave now.”


  “Yes, Mother.”


  Li Lingling left unwillingly. Fine, she would be waiting to see when the Empress would enter the cold palace!

  After Li Lingling left, Empress Zhou taught Qiao Jinniang how to award the winners of the competitions.

  Seeing that Empress Zhou’s mood was not affected at all, Qiao Jinniang couldn’t help but wonder. “Mother, they are all saying Zhou Shihui is Father’s illegitimate daughter. Aren’t you angry?”


  Empress Zhou chuckled. “So you want to copy the Book of Rites?”


  Qiao Jinniang hurriedly shook her head and shut up.

  Empress Zhou said, “I just found out who Zhou Shihui’s father is. It concerns the reputation of an old friend of mine and my sister, so I can’t speak out, but I can tell you she is not His Majesty’s illegitimate daughter.”


  Qiao Jinniang still wanted to ask who that old friend was, but seeing that the Empress didn’t want to talk about it, she cleverly shut up.

  When she returned to the East Palace, Lu Chen, Lin Mo, and Junior Duke Rong happened to return from outside.

  Lu Chen walked over and asked Qiao Jinniang, “Didn’t you complain it’s too hot? Why did you go out today?”


  Qiao Jinniang replied. “Mother asked me to select the winners of the three major competitions of the Qixi Festival. Why did you come back so early today?”


  Lu Chen took Qiao Jinniang’s hand and said, “The Academy Conference is over today, so we could come back earlier.”


  Junior Duke Rong walked up to Qiao Jinniang and said, “What delicious food did you make today, Sister-in-Law? Myriad Taste hasn’t opened yet, and my taste buds are dying.”


  Lu Chen said, “It’s very hot in the kitchen in summer. If you want to eat delicious food, ask your cook to make it.”


  Junior Duke Rong snorted. “If I can eat what they make, why do I have to come to beg Sister-in-Law? Besides, my parents are in a cold war because of Zhou Qinghe these days. Alas, I don’t understand why my father is so stupid. He’s already so old, but he still can’t forget his old romance!”


  Lin Mo said, “With Zhou Qinghe’s talent, if she were twenty years younger, which literati in the world wouldn’t be tempted by her? Tong Yingying was like a joke compared to Zhou Qinghe. No wonder Duke Rong is tempted by her.”