Daming: Dad, you are really not good at governing the country

In the deep courtyard of Prince Jin's Mansion with red walls, green tiles, carved beams and painted buildings, Xu Miaoyun is like a tenacious orchid. She has not forgotten her love for zither playing and painting because of the complex environment of this solemn mansion.

She carefully created a peaceful space in her own home.

On the sandalwood table in the room was placed Xu Miaoyun's beloved Zhongheqin.

The body of the piano has a soft luster, as if telling the long years of the past.

The painting tools are neatly arranged on the side, and the rice paper exudes a faint scent of ink, as if waiting for the owner to give them new life.

Whenever she has free time, Xu Miaoyun will quietly step into this little world of her own.

She rolled up her sleeves, stroked the strings of the zither, or splashed ink, temporarily leaving the palace's complicated spider web-like chaos.

However, the ever-changing situation in the palace and the invisible pressure quietly seeped into Xu Miaoyun's understanding of the art of playing the zither and painting like a spring breeze.

In the past, Xu Miaoyun played the piano purely to express her inner feelings, just like a mountain spring flowing naturally and without any restraint.

Painting is just to record those beautiful moments that touch the soul. The flowers, birds, fish and insects in his paintings are full of agility and vitality.

But after experiencing many twists and turns, both obvious and hidden, in the Prince Jin's Mansion, her piano music was infused with more thoughts about life.

When Xu Miaoyun's fingertips lightly touch the strings, a hint of forbearance is inadvertently mixed into the passionate melody, which is the self-restraint after going through the ups and downs in the palace.

The melodious tune seems to hide a deep worry, as if expressing confusion and determination about the future.

The sound of the piano was like a silent confidant, telling all her experiences in the palace, all the unspeakable grievances and expectations.

Xu Miaoyun's painting style also gradually underwent subtle changes.

The picture is no longer just a simple depiction of flowers and birds, but incorporates metaphors of life in the royal palace through delicate brushstrokes.

The birds in her paintings are sometimes depicted in delicate but small cages.

It seems comfortable, but in fact it reveals helplessness and restraint.

The look in the bird's eyes seemed to be a reflection of Xu Miaoyun herself in the palace.

Although it seems that you are in a prosperous situation, you also feel melancholy because you can't control yourself.

These interests and hobbies, like the magic wand of wisdom in Xu Miaoyun's hand, brought her many unexpected inspirations in handling the affairs of the palace.

Qin Yi taught Xu Miaoyun to keep a calm mind when facing complex matters.

Just like when playing music, you need to be calm and focused in order to play a beautiful melody.

When dealing with conflicts and disputes in the palace, she learned to control the rhythm of development of things like controlling the rhythm of piano music.

Don't rush for success, respond with a calm attitude, and gradually resolve conflicts.

Painting has enabled Xu Miaoyun to have a more acute ability of observation.

When observing flowers and birds in the past, Xu Miaoyun paid attention to every detail.

The texture of the petals and the color of the bird's feathers could not escape her eyes.

This meticulous observation habit is now also skillfully applied by Xu Miaoyun to the affairs of the palace.

She was able to keenly perceive the emotional changes of servants or subtle loopholes in the management of the palace, and take measures to resolve them in advance.

That day, when Xu Miaoyun was checking the kitchen purchasing accounts, she found that although the accounts appeared correct on the surface, the quality of the ingredients had declined.

With the observation skills she developed from painting, she suddenly began to have doubts.

After an in-depth investigation, it was discovered that the purchasing staff and suppliers were secretly colluding for personal gain.

Xu Miaoyun calmly and cleverly planned things, successfully uncovered this hidden danger and ensured the normal operation of Prince Jin's Mansion.

On this day, the palace held a grand spring banquet.

The garden is full of colorful flowers, as gorgeous and dazzling as the colorful clouds in the sky.

Colorful butterflies dance among the flowers, as if adding a bit of agility to this feast.

Zhu Gang invited many dignitaries and their families, and for a while the palace was bustling with people and traffic.

Xu Miaoyun prepared carefully and wore a light pink silk dress, which was a very popular clothing style in the Ming Dynasty at that time.

The hem of her skirt was embroidered with delicate crabapple flowers, which were delicate and lifelike. As she walked, the crabapple flowers seemed to sway gently in the breeze, like a fairy from the flower world descending to earth.

Zhu Gang was wearing a gorgeous brocade robe and a black gauze hat.

He had a jade belt around his waist, looking like an elegant gentleman.

He and Xu Miaoyun stood hand in hand at the gate of the palace to welcome the guests.

During the banquet, Zhu Gang also arranged a rather elegant activity of poetry relay.

Poetry was extremely popular in the Ming Dynasty. Both court nobles and literati were keen on writing and appreciating poetry.

When it was Xu Miaoyun's turn, she lowered her head slightly and thought for a moment.

After a moment, Xu Miaoyun opened her red lips.

"The shadows of flowers are lush and the fragrance fills the path, and the spring breeze carries the rhyme into the poem."

Her voice is clear and pleasant, like pearls falling on a jade plate.

As soon as this sentence was uttered, everyone cheered and praised it one after another.

Zhu Gang looked at Xu Miaoyun, his eyes full of admiration and love.

It seemed that at this moment, the whole world was left with only her figure.

However, during the organization of the banquet, the two had disagreements.

The servant in charge of arranging the venue was careless and placed a carefully designed landscape in the wrong place.

Zhu Gang frowned slightly, feeling that such a mistake should not have been made.

It should be corrected immediately to avoid being laughed at.

Xu Miaoyun looked around and saw that the guests had arrived one after another, and she had a plan in mind.

She gently pulled Zhu Gan's sleeve and said softly, "My husband, if you change it now, it may disturb the guests and ruin the atmosphere of this spring banquet.

Let’s just leave it at that for now, I have my own way.”

Zhu Gang looked at Xu Miaoyun's determined eyes. Although he was a little hesitant in his heart, he still chose to believe her.

He nodded slightly and said, "In that case, let's do as Madam says, but don't let the guests see the flaws."

Another time, Xu Miaoyun accidentally learned that several concubines in Prince Jin's mansion had secretly united.

In order to compete for Zhu Gang's favor, they formed cliques in the mansion and excluded other concubines.

These concubines even suppressed some servants, causing panic within the palace.

It's like a huge rock is thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

Xu Miaoyun knew very well that if this behavior was not stopped, it would seriously affect the harmony and stability of the Prince Jin's Mansion.

So she decided to mediate in her own way.

Xu Miaoyun found an opportunity and invited these concubines to a quiet garden pavilion.

She smiled and said with gentle eyes: "Sisters, we are all one family in this palace.

The peace and harmony in this city need our joint efforts to maintain.

Don't let your momentary anger hurt each other's feelings."

The concubine sneered and said, "Sister, that's easy for you to say. How can we survive in this palace without His Highness's favor?
My sister certainly does not lack the care of His Highness, so how can she understand our difficulties?"

Although Xu Miaoyun felt a pain in her heart, she still said patiently: “Sisters, love is important, but the stability of this palace is the foundation.

How can His Highness be at ease if the whole palace is in turmoil due to the competition for favor?

If we can work together, we can keep the palace in good order.

The husband will naturally see it and keep it in mind." (End of this chapter)