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CHAPTER 15 - AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER
Before the selection meeting for Erhu, Sango kept practicing hard.
Hongyu was absent. He went to register the raccoon dog as a pet in the inner palace.
So Sango practiced alone in the living room.
With Hongyu's guidance every night, Sango had been able to perform reasonably well.
For a while, she was too conscious of it and kept her distance, but now things were back to normal.
Hongyu was serious and there was no sign that she was being viewed as someone of the opposite sex.
As she got to know him more and more, she began to think seriously about his nightly activities without being shy.
The inner palace was the place where the concubine and the maid of honor would conceive a child. There was no point unless a boy that would become the emperor was born.
Hongyu was trying to fulfill his duty seriously.
As Sango learned more about his personality, she wanted to help him.
But before that, they had to pass the screening competition where they would be required to perform.
Thanks to Hongyu's guidance, Sango was improving his erhu performance day by day. On the other hand, Konkon was not getting any better.
“As expected, it’s not for me.”
"Konkon..."
Sango had already run out of words of encouragement.
She hugged Konkon's shoulders and patted her head as she lowered her eyes.
The atmosphere was somber, but suddenly the door to the room opened.
The person who came in was Hongyu. He was holding the raccoon dog under his arm. He had just returned from registering it as a pet.
“W-what are you guys doing there!?”
Hongyu's eyes were wide open as he watched Sango and Konkon snuggling together like lovers.
“Ah, no, Naiguan Wang, that’s not true!”
Konkon hastily made excuses, but Hongyu ordered her to leave the room.
He told her to take care of the raccoon dog and kicked her out.
He violently closed the door. When he looked back at Sango, his face was distorted with anger.
“Hongyu?”
“You are making out with a lady-in-waiting. Do you think you could afford to waste it.”
“If you get along too well, people will tell you that they have suspected you for a long time.”
Sango shook her head in denial. She excused herself by saying she was just encouraging her.
"Oh, it's a misunderstanding. Konkon was looking sad, so I just..."
“If you see someone who is depressed, do you hug them by the shoulders and encourage them to be kind?”
"No, that's..."
“Not everyone would do something like that.”
“I'm at a loss for words.”
In the first place, she wondered what he meant.
It wasn't that he was misleading Konkon. Hongyu simply interpreted it as if he was trying to say that she was slacking off at work.
“Hongyu, I'm sorry.”
"I'll be more careful from now on."
She knelt down on the floor, begging him.
"Don't forget your purpose"
After saying the word, Hongyu disappeared into his office.
The cold tone of his voice pierced deep into her chest.
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In the following days, he spent time practicing the erhu.
Morning, noon, and night, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work.
“Sango-sama!”
When Konkon called her name, she suddenly came back to her senses.
She had cut her fingertip on the string and was covered in blood.
"It's strange that it starts hurting after you notice the wound."
"I think you're putting your roots in, a little too tightly."
"Maybe so, maybe..."
She wondered what she was working so hard for and realized that she was pushing herself pointlessly.
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Seeing Konkon worried, she regretted not being able to see her surroundings.
“Peony Palace doesn't hold many elegant gatherings, but they do happen a few times a year. Even if it doesn't work this time, there's always another one.”
"Okay"
After being sentenced to the palace and placed in the inner palace, she wanted to achieve something.
Sango realizes that she wanted Hongyu to acknowledge him.
"It's wonderful to see Sango-sama working so hard."
"Thank you"
She wanted to hug Konkon, who said such brave things, but Hongyu scolded him not to get too friendly with her.
So she endured it.
She rested for a while and then resumed practicing.
There was a scale that she couldn't understand from the sheet music, so she asked Konkon.
Although the performance was somewhat unsatisfactory, the music score could be read accurately.
“This is the scale.”
Sango put her hand on her chin and started thinking.
She asked him to show her one more difficult scale.
She repeated that several times.
"Konkon, you're a good singer."
"That's the first time someone said that to me."
"Have you ever sung in front of other people?"
"No"
At this point, Sango had an idea.
"Konkon, would you please sing the song I'm playing during the screening?"
"Yeah"
“I'm sure I'll pass the exam because you can sing very well.''
Konkon's eyes widened at the sudden request.
"I've heard the singing voices of many people in my homeland, but yours is my favorite."
"I-I'm so scared to show off my singing voice..."
Sango said, “I don't think I can believe what I'm saying.”
"No, I trust Sango-sama. You're not used to being praised, so you're confused."
"You don't have confidence."
Konkon nodded. Sango looked at her with intense eyes.
"Konkon, let's do our best together. And then we will receive the Hanafuda."
"B-but..."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Konkon, please believe in me and become a singer."
She begged her fervently, but Konkon did not answer.
"No, I'm sorry for forcing you to invite me."
She decided to give up and head home for today.
A few days had passed.
Her fingers were covered in bandages. That was because she practiced the erhu too much.
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After that, she walked down the portico feeling depressed.
A soft white breath wafted in the air and disappeared in an instant. The season was winter, and the wind that was blowing felt like it was piercing her skin.
Since that day, the atmosphere with Hongyu had become tense.
They hardly ever had a conversation.
She thought she was used to dating younger people of the opposite sex, but things just weren't going well.
She gave up her status as a knight and became a court official, carrying an erhu instead of a sword. She had lived such a strange life.
She was imagining a terrible day, but in reality it was a calm and uneventful day.
There were kind-hearted ladies-in-waiting and a cute raccoon dog. Thanks to Shogibu's guidance, she was able to memorize some words.
Everything was arranged by Hongyu. She felt, once again, that she had to be grateful.
She passed through the chilly portico and proceeded to the west hallway.
Then, a woman came from the front with a group of people following her.
Sango avoided them by the wall.
Along the way, she realized who was coming.
Her black hair was as black as lacquer, shiny and bright.
A ring of hair was formed on the top of her head, and it was beautifully decorated with semi-pyroxene pins and a jade comb.
The most beautiful thing was the comb shaped like a dragon with gold tassels hanging down as her hairpin.
As the name suggested, it was a hair ornament that made a clear chirping sound every time she took a step.
That's what Konkon said before.
Only some women of high statuses and special statuses were allowed to have it inserted into their heads.
Shiny hair, gorgeous features, golden beautiful silk with silver and embroidery.
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There was only one person in Peony Palace who wore a golden hairpin and luxurious clothes like that.
She was Princess Hoshi.
Sango panicked and threw her hands on top of her head to greet her
She had always expected to meet her at the party, so she was shaken by this unexpected encounter.
Her heart beat violently in her chest.
The words Hongyu said before came back to her.
“Be careful of how you interact with her. It's going to be a big deal.”
Cutting of the genitals was one of the punishments that the Four Women could inflict.
He said it was the worst punishment after death, but what kind of punishment was it exactly? She hadn't listened in detail, she remembered now.
Sweat beaded down her forehead from nervousness as she was worried that she might displease the Princess.
She wanted her to pass like that.
She was hoping so, but she stopped right in front of her.
“My lord is-”
She was surprised to hear someone call out to her.
She was told to look up, and she slowly straightened up.
“Are you the foreign palace official that was talked about?”
"Yes"
"What's your name?"
“Sango”
Queen Star narrowed her eyes and looked at him all over.
“The female officers were making a lot of noise, but you are not such a big deal.''
"I heard he was a former military officer, but I think he's in poor shape. I'm disappointed."
She laughed through her nose and walked out on Sango.
She remained motionless until she could no longer hear the sound of the hairpin.
Princess Hoshi was beautiful, she was somehow cold, and she had a look that made people look at her.
If someone offended her, they would be immediately put to death.
She had to be careful from now on.
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