Chapter 418 Wen Lier Eavesdrops

Cheng'en Mansion, Flower Hall.

In the flower hall with carved beams and painted buildings, incense is curling and pearls and jades are everywhere.

Wen Li'er raised her hand, gently rubbed her forehead with her slender fingers, and suddenly spoke:

"I am a little tired. Ladies and girls, please sit down and chat. I will go back to my room to rest for a while."

The Queen is about to leave, who dares to say anything?

Everyone in the hall immediately fell silent, held their breath, stood up, and bowed their heads to see him off respectfully.

"Farewell, Her Majesty."

Tiantian and Mumu, who were standing nearby, also stood up immediately and wanted to return with their mother.

Wen Li'er looked back, a gentle smile spreading across the corners of her lips. She glanced at a few officials' sons of similar age in the corner of the flower hall and said:

"There are many children your age here. You don't need to follow your mother. Go and play on your own. With Nanny Qin, Dieyi, and Diewu by your side, you can rest assured."

Tiantian has never liked being with people his own age, while Mumu prefers to be with books.

However, when they met their mother's smiling eyes, the two brothers looked at each other and finally nodded obediently.

Tiantian turned to look at Nanny Qin beside him, her face serious.

"Mammy, I'm sorry to trouble you, Mother."

Nanny Qin's face was full of kindness, and her smile was deep: "Don't worry, Third Prince, this old servant will take good care of the Empress."

When the door of the flower hall, which blocked out countless inquiring gazes, closed behind her, Wen Li'er breathed a long sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

The interweaving of those looks at the table just now, some of which were curious, some of which were sympathetic, and some of which were hesitant to speak, made her feel inexplicably upset and vaguely uneasy.

Humph! The whole family, including the children, are acting mysteriously. Are they trying to hide it from her?

Wen Li'er's eyes flickered, and a sly and clever smile crept up the corners of her lips.

After returning to her own yard, she softly ordered:

"I'm very tired and need to rest for a while."

Nanny Qin and the others did not dare to delay and hurried forward to help her take off the heavy phoenix crown and hairpins and wash off her makeup.

After Wen Li'er lay down on the brocade quilt, she waved gently to the people standing by the bed.

"You two should go and rest outside. For some reason today, I just want to be alone and quiet."

Nanny Qin looked at her deeply, and Dieyi and Diewu exchanged worried glances.

In the end, they didn't dare to disobey, and they retreated quietly and closed the door.

Wen Li'er held her breath and listened carefully to the noise outside the door.

After making sure the footsteps had faded away, she suddenly threw back the quilt and stepped barefoot onto the cold floor.

She walked around the Huanghuali wardrobe inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

It was naturally impossible to find a set of coarse cloth clothes for a maid.

She had no choice but to choose a moon-white skirt made of the plainest material and with the most inconspicuous pattern.

She quickly walked to the diamond-shaped mirror and wanted to tie a simple bun.

Her slender jade fingers picked up the ebony comb, but froze in mid-air.

Since the day she entered the palace, she has never combed her hair herself.

Normally, seeing Nanny Qin and the others move so smoothly, it seems like it's easy.

When it was my turn, my hair seemed to have its own ideas and was at a loss as to what to do.

The bun was so crooked that it was unbearable to look at.

Helplessly, she could only rely on her vague memory and reluctantly combed her hair into a bun like she usually did before she got married, and looked at herself left and right in front of the mirror.

Although it is a bit childish, it is clean and neat.

Then he tiptoed to the carved wooden window and carefully pushed it open a crack.

She brought a round stool to use as a footstool, held up her skirt with one hand, supported the window frame with the other, and nimbly climbed out.

You little brat, you still want to hide it from her?

She has her own way to find out what she wants to know!

Judging from the secretive attitude of the whole palace, it was obvious that something big had happened and everyone knew about it, except her, the Empress Dowager.

Then I thought about the children pretending to be calm, and the lingering worry in their family members' eyes...

Wen Li'er's heart skipped a beat, and a chill suddenly ran up her spine—

Could it be that this matter is related to Your Majesty?

She lowered her head, tucked a strand of unruly hair behind her ear, quickened her pace, and headed towards the most lively place in the mansion - the garden.

The servants in the mansion naturally recognized her, and the women in the flower hall had just seen her appearance.

As for the male guests in the front yard, it is even more inconvenient.

If you want to get information but don't want to alarm others, the only way is to find a corner where there is a lot of noise but not easy to be noticed, and act as a "wall ear".

After much thought, I decided that for such a huge Cheng'en Mansion, the most suitable place would be a garden with rockery and stones and lush flowers and trees.

Even if someone accidentally saw her, a simple excuse, "I was just strolling around enjoying the flowers," would be enough to evade her.

Wen Li'er blended into the garden silently.

She lowered her head slightly, imitating the guests who were enjoying the flowers and chatting in groups of three or four.

His eyes are fixed on the cobblestone path under his feet or the exotic flowers and plants beside him.

His footsteps moved unnoticed towards a hidden corner deep within the rockery complex.

Young boys and girls playing in the garden would occasionally catch a glimpse of this strange and beautiful plain figure.

But seeing that she had her head down and was walking hurriedly, with an expression that said she didn't want anyone to approach her, he gave up the idea of ​​going up to her and getting to know her.

Wen Li'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally successfully hiding behind the rugged rocks.

She stood on tiptoe and casually picked a branch of pear blossoms in full bloom.

Taking advantage of the cover of the branches, I concentrated, held my breath, and listened attentively.

Sure enough! From the other side of the rockery, deliberately subdued conversations could be heard intermittently.

Although she couldn't hear clearly because of the thick rocks, the words "Your Majesty" and "Your Majesty" were faintly heard by her.

It is indeed your Majesty!

Wen Li'er's heart tightened and she could no longer hold back.

She quickly poked half of her head out from behind the rockery and took a quick glance outside—

The people closest to her were four young gentlemen in gorgeous clothes and two ladies in exquisite clothes.

Wen Li'er immediately raised the pear blossom branch in her hand high, barely covering most of her face.

Avoiding the possible gazes of the two girls, he quickly walked to the edge of their small circle.

Without hesitation, he leaned forward, looking eager to share the secret.

Those people were obviously startled by the "uninvited guest" who suddenly approached.

But seeing that she was a young woman, he thought of her as a 'fellow traveler' and tacitly did not drive her away. Instead, he made way for her a little.

One of the girls, wearing a light yellow shirt and with bright eyes, lowered her voice, her tone full of resentment:

"...My heart is truly broken!"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, how could he do this!"

"When I heard the servants gossiping this morning, I didn't believe them and accused them of talking nonsense!"

"But just now..."

An older girl next to her, in a light green dress, quickly tugged at her sleeve.

The young man opposite her, whose features were somewhat similar to hers, heard this and said solemnly, half helplessly and half admonishingly:

"Sister Fen, what does the Heavenly Family's affairs have to do with us? Be careful with the word 'disappointment'! It could lead to disaster!"

The girl called Sister Fen is called Qiao Luofen, the youngest daughter of the Qiao family.

Seeing her brother scolding her, she pouted angrily and said:

"How is it unrelated? A few days ago, my mother said she wanted to find someone for me and asked me what kind of husband I would like."

"I also told my mother that if I were to marry, I would marry a great man like His Majesty, who is so deeply in love and loyal, and who would promise his wife 'to be together forever'!"

"Now... now I wish I could chew these words into pieces and swallow them back!"

"Men all over the world, as expected... Humph!" In the end, she did not dare to utter the last two words.

"My little aunt!"

Qiao Luojing, who was beside her, covered her mouth with his hand, sweat breaking out on his forehead in anxiety.

"Be careful with your words! Be careful with your words!"