The position of Crown Prince had not yet been decided, so among the princes, the First Prince held the highest status.
“Ahem. We were going to greet Mother anyway. Let’s stop by while we’re here,” the First Prince said as he took the lead.
Everyone who happened to pass by today wanted to interfere in the selection of the princesses’ study companions.
They simply had an unspoken agreement not to mention it.
…
“A sword’s edge comes from sharpening. The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from enduring the bitter winter.”
The Empress carefully repeated the verse.
“What a wonderful line! Who wrote it?”
Song Mei lowered her head, but she noticed several pairs of boots embroidered with dragon patterns walk past her.
Judging by the style, they belonged to young men.
Her eyes shifted slightly as an idea came to mind.
“It… it was written by my father.”
She answered hesitantly, making it sound as if she were unsure, without drawing too much attention to herself.
“Oh? So General Song has been hiding his talent all this time,” the Third Prince said with an amused smile.
Then he bowed to the Empress.
“Mother, I hope you don’t mind if we join the fun.”
The Third Prince was the Empress’s only son, so she naturally treated him warmly.
“It would be good if all of you helped me judge the candidates.”
The other princes also greeted the Empress, and the matter was dropped.
…
Song Li quietly stood to one side and patiently waited.
Once all the princes had taken their seats, she identified them in order from the First Prince to the Eighth Prince.
[The First Prince and Second Prince have limited ability. They’re just cannon fodder.]
[The Fourth Prince is extremely talented… but he’s infertile.]
[The Fifth Prince is clever and calculating, but his mother’s family keeps dragging him down.]
[The Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Princes are still too young to compete.]
[The Third Prince is the male lead of this story.]
[His romance with Song Mei is full of twists and turns.]
[First, Mother discovers that Song Mei has fallen for the Third Prince and secretly warns her. Then Mother is killed after being hit by the little villain.]
[Next, Elder Sister discovers that Song Mei is trying to steal her fiancé. Then the Elder Sister is falsely accused of having an affair, forcing the Song family to break her engagement with the Third Prince.]
[Second Brother believes the Third Prince is behind it. He starts doubting the prince’s character and tries to stop Song Mei from marrying him. Then he’s accused of working with the remaining supporters of the previous dynasty.]
[After getting rid of the Song family, the Emperor himself falls for Song Mei, so the heroine and the Third Prince sacrifice the Elder Sister again.]
[In the end, they step over the bodies of the Song family, and the scumbag hero and the shameless heroine finally live happily ever after.]
Song Li narrowed her eyes.
[But people are strange. If all those hardships that tested their love disappeared, and everyone supported their relationship from the beginning… would they still love each other so desperately?]
[If you ask me, although the Fourth Prince can’t have children, his mother’s family is much stronger than that flashy Third Prince’s.]
[Most importantly, he’s handsome! The Fourth Prince is really handsome! If he lived in the modern world, he’d become a superstar just because of his face.]
[And honestly, being unable to have children isn’t so bad! Giving birth is painful! I don’t want my Elder Sister to die during childbirth!]
The three men of the Song family silently agreed.
Yes, yes! Infertility is wonderful!
[I need to find a way to match the Elder Sister with the Fourth Prince.]
Song Yihuan’s cheeks turned slightly red.
A real younger sister is different.
She saved the most handsome one for me.
…
Song Li secretly looked around.
Seeing that everyone was focused on the selection, she quietly released a bright green butterfly from behind her.
“Go.”
“Find the one who smells like plum blossoms.”
For three straight days she had given Song Mei plum blossoms.
Her mother had gone even further by making Song Mei wear plum blossom incense.
There was no way the butterfly could mistake the scent.
The green butterfly gently flapped its beautiful wings and flew toward the young ladies waiting to be chosen.
The four people secretly watching from the wall fell silent.
…It really is a butterfly.
So we’re the ones with dirty minds.
Butterflies in early April were not merely rare.
They practically didn’t exist.
The moment it appeared, everyone’s attention was drawn to it.
The Fourth and Fifth Princesses had already chosen their study companions.
Now it was the Sixth Princess’s turn.
Seeing the butterfly, Sixth Princess Xiao lingxi proudly glanced at the other princesses before turning to the Empress.
“Mother, it’s still early spring, yet this tiny butterfly isn’t frozen. It even came while I was choosing my study companion.”
“It must be something extraordinary.”
“Why don’t we let it choose for me?”
Sixth Princess Xiao lingxi was the Empress’s own daughter, and the Empress adored her.
“If you’re being naughty, then so be it.”
“If it chooses badly, don’t come crying to me later.”
“Mother, don’t underestimate me! I won’t!”
The mother and daughter laughed together.
Meanwhile, the butterfly became attracted by the fragrance of the ladies’ makeup and perfume.
It circled gracefully above them for a long time, as if searching for the most beautiful flower.
Finally…
It found the one it liked.
It flew around Song Mei once before landing on the plum blossom hairpin in her hair.
At that very moment…
Song Mei’s beauty seemed to shine even brighter.
It was as if no one had ever truly looked at her before.
Now, under everyone’s gaze, she looked like a fairy stepping out of the morning light, surrounded by a soft glow.
Song Mei secretly rejoiced.
I really am Heaven’s chosen one!
Even little animals are drawn to my incredible luck!
Someone gasped.
Soon whispers spread through the crowd.
Some admired her.
Others were jealous.
The person most upset was the girl standing beside Song Mei.
Her name was Bai Yudie, the legitimate granddaughter of the Duke Protector of the Nation.
She wore the finest clothes at the gathering.
Her name even contained the word “Butterfly.”
Yet the butterfly had ignored her and landed on Song Mei instead.
She wished she could slap it to death.
How can this country girl be so lucky?
Even the butterfly chose her…
Then she suddenly thought of something.
Wait…
There shouldn’t even be butterflies this season.
Why did one suddenly appear and land directly on Song Mei?
She must have used some dirty trick!
“Your Majesty, this butterfly’s appearance is very suspicious…”
Before she could finish speaking, the butterfly left Song Mei’s hairpin.
After fluttering its wings twice…
It landed on Bai Yudie’s shoulder.
“…It is clearly a sign of good fortune.”
Bai Yudie immediately corrected herself with complete confidence.
Song Li was speechless.
[This butterfly really understands palace politics.]
[Bai Yudie is quite something too!]
[She was born with a large black birthmark on her buttocks, so she wasn’t allowed to marry into the imperial family. By the time the birthmark disappeared, the old emperor had already arranged marriages for all the princes.]
[As the highest-ranking noble daughter in the capital, Bai Yudie refused to accept that.]
[In the original story, she fell for the Fifth Prince and even ruined one of his marriage arrangements.]
[The Third Prince feared the Fifth Prince would become too powerful, so he secretly arranged for Bai Yudie to be sent to the Southern Barbarians as a political bride in place of the Sixth Princess.]
[But who would have guessed? Five years later, Bai Yudie became the woman ruling Southern Barbarians from behind the curtain!]
[From then on, she became the biggest villain in the story!]
[She spent all her time fighting against that shameless couple. She accomplished far more than the Song family ever did!]
Song Yannian stroked his beard.
Suddenly, a bold idea appeared in his mind.
Song Hailan’s eyes lit up.
Too bad he didn’t have an emperor for a father.
Otherwise Bai Yudie might have noticed him.
Song Haiming, however, was thinking about something else.
Why would I kill the Fifth Prince?
…
The Empress was extremely pleased with the butterfly’s choice.
She almost wanted to applaud.
The Third Prince also smiled.
Bai Yudie’s grandfather, Bai Zongtang, commanded the armies of the southwest.
Song Mei’s father, Song Yannian, commanded the armies of the northwest.
Now both girls had become Sixth Princess Xiao lingxi’s study companions because of a single butterfly.
Heaven truly favors me, the Third Prince thought.
The other princes were far less happy.
With nothing more than one butterfly, the Third Prince had gained the support of two powerful military families.
And they couldn’t even complain.
Even if they reported it to the Emperor, they would have no grounds to object.
The Fifth Prince’s expression darkened.
He had worked hard to meet Bai Yudie several times and had already left a good impression on her.
Yet a single butterfly had ruined everything.
“Since this is Heaven’s will,” the Empress announced, “Miss Bai and Miss Song, from today onward, you shall become Lingxi’s study companions.”
“Yes!” Song Mei answered happily.
Bai Yudie secretly glanced at the Fifth Prince.
Seeing that he kept his head lowered without looking at her, she hid her disappointment and also replied,
“Yes.”
Next came the selection of study companions for the Seventh Princess.
She was the Fifth Prince’s younger sister.
Since Bai Yudie had already been chosen, the Fifth Prince had to settle for the next best candidates.
He secretly signaled to his sister.
The Seventh Princess selected the granddaughter of the Minister of Revenue and his own fiancée, Yao Yunwan.
Yao Yunwan’s father, Yao Zhihe, was one of the Emperor’s favored officials.
Although he held little real power as the Chief Censor, he had influence in the Emperor’s court.
Those who were not selected left the palace.
The chosen girls stayed behind for tea with the princesses.
Several princes also remained to join them.
Whether by chance or on purpose…
The Third Prince sat beside Song Mei.
As a member of the imperial family, he naturally carried an air of nobility.
Even sitting quietly, he gave off an overwhelming presence.
Song Mei secretly glanced at his handsome profile.
She was so nervous that sweat formed on the tip of her nose.
“Hm.”
The Third Prince let out an amused sound.
“Was that poem really written by General Song?” he suddenly asked.
Song Mei looked up in panic, her eyes like a frightened deer.
“Well… I…”
“When I recite that verse to Father, he’ll certainly want to discuss it with General Song.”
“Your Highness, please don’t!”
Song Mei bit her lower lip.
She gently tugged on the corner of his sleeve.
Her eyes were misty, like a helpless kitten that made people want to tease her.
The Third Prince’s interest only grew stronger.
After eating rich delicacies for so long…
This fresh little dish suddenly seemed especially delicious.