This matter requires "long - term consideration".
"During the ice - hockey game later, you must go and call Kun'er for me."
Every year during the snow - viewing event, there are some small games for everyone to enjoy, and the ice - hockey game is the most popular one. The rewards are also the most generous.
Chen Leran has won for several consecutive years. The playboys in the capital city all call Chen Leran "boss". It's not that she covets the rewards, but mainly because she doesn't want Jiang Qiong to take the first place.
Yao Yao frowned, "Look at her attitude. Do you think I can call her over?"
"Why not? Kun'er just adores the Empress Dowager, and she also likes playing ice hockey. If you go and ask, maybe she'll come." Chen Leran scooped up a handful of snow and covered it on the snowball, pressing it tightly, trying to make the snowball bigger so that she could outshine everyone. Maybe the ladies would be happy to see it and reward her with some nice things. She happened to be short of pocket money recently.
Jiang Qiong and Xie Lan were squatting in the snow, digging the snow with their little hands turning red from the cold. They were chatting idly.
"Where's your younger sister? Why didn't she come?" Xie Lan asked teasingly.
"The Empress Dowager invited us female relatives. As a concubine - born daughter, she naturally couldn't come."
"I thought she would cry and make a fuss to come."
"She did make a fuss, but in such matters, how could her crying and fussing be useful? Fortunately, Father still has some sense and wasn't completely deceived by her and her mother, so he didn't let her come."
Xie Lan shook her head. A few years ago, Jiang Qiong would turn pale at the mention of this, but now she could talk about it calmly.
Xie Lan couldn't help complaining, "Why don't we just order the servants to build the snowman and we can just direct them from the side? I'm freezing to death. If I get chilblains on my hands like Miss Liu, I'll look so ugly." As she said, she stuffed her hands into her sleeves.
"If you really get them, shall I invite a doctor for you?" Jiang Qiong smiled.
"Who wants you to invite a doctor for me? What's the use of building it yourself?" Xie Lan glanced at the two girls who had just run out of the octagonal pavilion and smacked her lips, "Don't tell me you want to compete with that butcher's daughter?"
Jiang Qiong didn't understand what she meant at first. She looked back along Xie Lan's line of sight and happened to meet Chen Leran's eyes. Chen Leran rolled her eyes and turned away.
Jiang Qiong held back her anger and turned back, "It's fun. If we play with snow through others' hands, how can it be called playing with snow?"
"Why weren't you like this before?" Xie Lan wondered. In previous years, Jiang Qiong didn't even leave the octagonal pavilion and just had someone build the snowman for her.
"I recently read an ancient book with many interesting sentences about playing with snow. So I wanted to try it."
Jiang Qiong forced a smile on her face.
If she hadn't made such a fool of herself at the plum - viewing banquet, she wouldn't have to stay in this freezing cold to try to regain a good impression from everyone.
"Is it really that interesting? Tell me about it!"
The girls nearby were also attracted by their conversation and wanted to know what was written in such a good ancient book.
"It's nothing special. If you're interested, you can read the book named *Listening to the Snow*." Jiang Qiong tucked the loose hair behind her ears and smiled sweetly.
"Isn't this book written by the State Preceptor?" a girl exclaimed.
"Back then, the State Preceptor was still a child. One winter, he wanted to play with snow, but his teacher asked him to write a hundred poems about snow before allowing him to go out. Unfortunately, by the time he finished writing the hundred poems, the sun had already set, and he still didn't get to play with snow in the end." The girl told them what she knew in detail.
"Is this true?"
"Was the State Preceptor so pitiful when he was a child?"
"No wonder he's the State Preceptor. He was so smart even when he was a child."
...
The little girls chattered and asked a lot of questions.
"How do you know this?" a girl asked.
"Of course I heard it from my ancestor. If you don't believe me, you can go back and ask."
"I really didn't expect that the book I accidentally found was written by the State Preceptor." Jiang Qiong timely drew everyone's attention back to herself. But she was really happy in her heart. She just said it casually, and it seemed that she and the State Preceptor were really destined!
Shi Muwan, who was about to go out to play, happened to hear this. She never thought that Huo Qizhou, who looked so cold and heartless, had suffered such injustice when he was a child.
Sure enough, humans are the cutest only when they are cubs.
As soon as the little girls saw her coming out, they saluted her in unison.
The noble ladies in the octagonal pavilion couldn't sit still when they saw her go out to look at the snowmen built by the little girls. They lined up and followed Shi Muwan. Everyone commented on the cute little snowmen and didn't forget to ask for Shi Muwan's opinion.
Several imperial concubines walked beside Shi Muwan. When they walked past Jiang Qiong and Xie Lan, Concubine Rui suddenly pointed at the small snowman and said, "It looks so cute, being so small."
However, the snowman was only palm - sized, with just a round body and nothing else.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your praise." Jiang Qiong and Xie Lan looked at each other innocently, smiled, and said in unison, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your praise."
Concubine Rui rewarded them with several pairs of jade bracelets with a beaming smile. Naturally, the other concubines nearby couldn't just sit back and do nothing. They all started to give out rewards.
Shi Muwan didn't really want to follow this trend, but under everyone's gazes, she still took out something as a reward.
She became more energetic when she walked up to Yao Yao.
Although the snowman wasn't finished yet, it already had facial features made of twigs. And it was big enough, a normal - sized snowman.
Shi Muwan openly and generously rewarded silver coins without any hesitation, looking like a different person from before.
Many ladies immediately understood the Empress Dowager's preference. The expression on Lady Jiang's face was quite interesting.
"Your Majesty, this might be a bit partial," Concubine Rui stepped forward and said.
"What's wrong with that? I just like this one better. Everyone has their own preferences. If we really want to be fair and just, all the girls here should be rewarded. Sister, don't you think so?" Shi Muwan "accused first like a villain".
Concubine Rui forced a smile to try to resolve the awkwardness, "It's my fault, sister."
"It's okay. It's a good thing to admit your mistake." Shi Muwan lifted the corner of her mouth triumphantly.
At noon, everyone had lunch in the palace. This was the warmest time of the day, and the weather was nice today. The winter sun was shining brightly. The girls excitedly changed their clothes and went to the ice - hockey field.
A girl in red came late. She casually carried an ice - hockey stick and walked to the middle of the field.
Shi Muwan thought she looked unfamiliar. It seemed that this girl wasn't among those in the morning.