Flower viewing

It’s the day of the chrysanthemum appreciation party.

Because he tossed and turned in bed and couldn't sleep, and was overthinking, the dark circles under Qi Qinghe's eyes were particularly noticeable, and his burned left hand was wrapped tightly.

Ever since she accidentally got burned that night, Xiao Junbai came to Mingcheng Palace every day. He still didn't say much, but just watched the maid apply medicine and bandage her.

"Your Majesty, how about this?" Yun Xing took out a lotus root pink palace dress. The light color was beautiful and not eye-catching.

Her thoughts drifted back to, "Then let's go with this one."

It took only a quarter of an hour to leave the East Palace and go to the Imperial Garden.

The garden is golden and filled with fragrance. Walking along the winding bluestone path to the depths of the garden, in the octagonal pavilion by the water, several beautiful girls are gathered together, pointing at the water with a faint smile.

Several people looked at Qi Qinghe approaching and saluted.

Fu Jingyuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, why are you here so early? My aunt and the others haven't arrived yet. We are just lazing around here. Why don't you come and sit with us?"

"How dare I neglect the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen?" Qi Qinghe sighed and walked to sit beside Xiao Junluo.

"What's wrong with the emperor's sister-in-law's hand? Is it serious?" Xiao Junluo's eyes fell on the emperor's sister-in-law's tightly wrapped hand.

"It's nothing, just a burn." Hearing this, Qi Qinghe recalled what happened that day and felt a little uncomfortable. "I heard from His Highness that the imperial sister has made great progress in her studies these past few days..."

“…I was just praised a few times by the master, not as highly as what my second brother said.” Xiao Junluo blushed when he was praised by his brother and sister-in-law for such a small matter, and silently looked away.

"Tsk, such a small matter is worth talking about." Xiao Juntang, who was standing beside her, heard everything she said. "Sister Fu, let's go over there and stay away from them."

These words hit the mark for Fu Jingyuan. She smiled and nodded, then left with Xiao Juntang and headed east.

"The Third Imperial Sister..." Xiao Junluo hesitated as she watched the two of them leave, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent. "The Third Imperial Sister is still young, so please don't argue with her."

"What's the fun in just sitting here?" Qi Qinghe replied, gently pulling the imperial sister up, "Let's go find something fun."

The huge imperial garden, with rugged rocks and soft breeze, is indeed a great place to enjoy the scenery.

The two sisters-in-law strolled around for a while when a palace maid came to report that the Empress was not feeling well and would not be coming today. They asked everyone to make their own way.

"Why is this so, Empress Dowager, then we..." Xiao Junluo looked at the Empress Dowager, his face showing hesitation.

"If my sister has something urgent, you may go first." Qi Qinghe understood and smiled.

"Excuse me today. If you want to appreciate flowers again in the future, please come to me." Xiao Junluo bowed. She had just been praised by her teacher yesterday. Since the Empress was not coming today, she should not be arrogant and proud. She should be more diligent.

Qi Qinghe smiled. Seeing Xiao Junluo getting into the sedan chair and walking away, the smile on her lips gradually faded. "Go and find out where Miss Fu is now?"

Yun Xing took the order and left.

Her right eye was twitching, and she was overwhelmed by bad thoughts. Her steps became heavier and heavier, and she returned to Mingcheng Palace with the other palace maids.

Since he was awake, there was nothing else to do anyway, so Qi Qinghe ordered the palace maids to call Chengxi, intending to take this opportunity to look through the account book.

But before the palace servants could leave the hall, Cheng Xi came in hurriedly, his face ashen, "Oh, your Majesty, why are you still reading this? Something terrible has happened!"

Qi Qinghe stood up suddenly and the account book in his hand fell.

…

It is rare for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's elegant residence to be so lively.

Princess Shaoyue Xiao Juntang, Fu Jingyuan who is temporarily staying in the palace, the prince's good friend Fu Jingxuan, and the empress who appears here despite being clearly unwell.

"Although it's just an inconspicuous safety lock, it was also requested by my mother personally for me." Fu Jingyuan's eyes were red, and tears as big as beans rolled down her cheeks. Her voice was trembling. "I don't want to think about the Crown Princess like this, but there was no one else around at the time..."

Without waiting for Fu Jingyuan to finish, Xiao Juntang, who was always eager to watch the fun, continued, "Who else could it be but her? She comes from a humble background, how could she be so presentable? Seeing such a good thing, she would definitely not let it go."

Xiao Juntang didn't like Qi Qinghe in the first place, so it was natural for him not to add insult to injury.

Unexpectedly, as soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Junbai, who had been keeping his eyes down and not saying a word, suddenly raised his head and stared at Xiao Juntang.

Xiao Juntang shuddered at his gaze, and said stubbornly, "Then I'm not wrong. Who else could it be but her?"

"Well, this has happened, and you still think it's not shameful enough." The Queen said coldly with a sullen face, "Since this concerns the Crown Princess, Jingyuan is as close to you as a brother, why don't you give us a word and see how this matter can be resolved."

This is clearly a matter of the harem, why does it have to be brought to the East Palace?

Xiao Junbai was puzzled, but he didn't show it on his face. "Go and invite the Crown Princess."

The palace maids who were kneeling around and dared not raise their heads hurriedly ran away.

Soon, Qi Qinghe stood anxiously in front of Qingyaju, took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Facing a room full of people, she forced herself to remain calm, a faint smile on her lips as she greeted them one by one, "I wonder why Your Highness called me."

Xiao Junbai carefully examined his wife. Her lotus-pink palace dress highlighted her slender figure, and her bright almond-shaped eyes glanced around anxiously like a frightened young animal.

His heart sank suddenly and a trace of doubt came to his mind.

Fu Jingyuan shed tears sadly, Fu Jingxuan said nothing, and the queen looked at her coldly.

No one in the room spoke.

Xiao Juntang looked left and right, and seeing that no one had spoken, he took the initiative to attack, "Sister Fu lost her personal safety chain today. Have you seen it? If you took it, return it as soon as possible. Second Brother and Sister Fu will forgive you."

Just a few simple sentences, clear and concise.

Qi Qinghe understood and subconsciously looked at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Xiao Junbai avoided her gaze and said calmly, "Whether it is true or not, the Crown Princess will know after you tell her."

The prince thought his words were fair and impartial, but to Qi Qinghe's ears, they were like a bolt from the blue.

She shuddered suddenly, as if she had fallen into an ice cave, shaking with cold, and looked at the prince in disbelief. The prince's deep eyebrows and eyes were as black as ink, without a trace of emotion, and his whole body was cold, which made her vaguely remember the day when she first entered the palace to choose a concubine. Her mouth trembled and she didn't speak for a while.

"It's just a small thing. Your Majesty, why don't you return it to me?" Fu Jingyuan's eyes were full of water and she spoke softly.

Xiao Junbai saw that the Crown Princess was standing there without moving, her fingers curled up and clenched, her eyes tightly closed, and she said nothing.

"The Crown Princess didn't say anything, but did she admit it?" The Queen said coldly, "Will you hand it over yourself, or will I send someone to search for it?"

Qi Qinghe raised her eyes to look at the Queen. The light in her round almond-shaped eyes disappeared in an instant, leaving only a hint of stubbornness. She bit her lip with her pearly teeth, and her usually lively voice was flat and calm. "Miss Fu has a clever tongue. She can turn black into white. You said your chain is missing."

"There were so many people coming and going in the Imperial Garden today. How can Miss Fu be so sure that I took it?" Qi Qinghe glanced at everyone in the room with resentment. "You say I took it, but did anyone see it? Did anyone see it? You think you can pin this on me without any evidence?"

"It's true that I come from a humble family, but I was also raised in a clean and honest family. How could I not know propriety, righteousness, and shame? How could I allow you to treat me with such disrespect?"

"Your Highness, you are the mistress of the Imperial Palace. You know perfectly well what should be done when a noble loses something. How can you make such a hasty decision? Search me." Her eyes fell on the unhappy frown of the Empress, and she sneered, "If you wish to search, then go ahead."

"In this way, I can be cleared of all charges." After saying that, Qi Qinghe knelt down and saluted, then retreated to the door, nodded slightly, lowered his head and said nothing.

The room was silent for a moment, some were shocked, some were guilty, and some were furious.

Xiao Junbai looked at her in surprise, and then his tense nerves suddenly relaxed. He breathed a sigh of relief and spoke first, "If you lost something, go find it. Why are you just standing there?"

"What a sharp tongue you have! I am speechless." The Queen sneered, "Since the Crown Prince has spoken, I shall not say much. Crown Princess, please take care of yourself."

After saying this, the queen turned away.

Fu Jingyuan's tears stopped and were about to fall from the corners of her eyes. She and Xiao Juntang, who was touching his nose, followed the queen and left together.

This farce finally came to an end.

Qi Qinghe patted his chest lightly, and his heart finally settled down.

She didn't have to rejoice that she had escaped, because when she looked up, she saw the nanny beside the Queen raised her hand and reached directly to Fu Jingyuan.

Qi Qinghe stood there in a daze, his eyes wide open in confusion, his mouth open but unable to utter a word.

Don’t these aunt and niece have a very good relationship?

Before she could think, she heard footsteps approaching from behind. She turned around and saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince three steps away from her. She drooped her head in a daze. "Thank you for your help, Your Highness. I am deeply grateful. Your Highness is busy with government affairs, so I will not disturb you."

After saying that, she turned around and ran very fast.

Xiao Junbai had a lot of things stuck in his heart, and he couldn't say them out, which was very unbearable.

Fu Jingxuan, who was last in line, chuckled, "I never thought His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would end up like this."

Xiao Junbai was speechless. He raised his head slightly and glanced at him, his face full of impatience.

"Okay, okay, I'll get out of here." Fu Jingxuan smiled and walked away. "If Your Highness doesn't know how to coax people, feel free to come find me."

The room that was noisy just now was now filled with only the prince. He held his forehead and sighed, then continued to sit at the desk and write.

The sudden wind made the leaves rustle.

"What? There is such a thing. I have always seen Miss Fu, who is knowledgeable, sensible and generous. Who would have thought that she would be such a person." Yun Xing cried out in indignation for the Empress.

Yun Tao retorted to her and signaled her to say less.

Since the empress came back, she sat alone and said nothing except telling them what happened that day.

Qi Qinghe stared blankly at herself in the mirror.

After the chaos of the day, her fine makeup had already faded, and her slightly plain facial features were not very noticeable, with only her almond-shaped eyes showing a hint of liveliness.

But when these eyes were also lifeless, what else did she have left, not to mention that she had completely offended the Queen today.

It would be even harder to stay in such a huge palace. I wonder which would be easier to leave, a letter of divorce from His Highness or something like that.

Qi Qinghe sneered. With her muddled mind, she actually wanted to stay in the palace. It was truly a pipe dream.

As she was secretly laughing at herself, the voice of a palace maid outside the palace suddenly brought her back to her senses, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Is the Crown Prince here?