The painting had already been delivered, and Benjamin, seeing Princess Yong'an's expression, naturally understood her meaning. In any case, he didn't really want to help the two of them; he was just relaying a message for Fu Erkang out of consideration for their past brotherhood.
Benjamin felt much more relaxed after his burden was lifted, and he sat down in the chair opposite Anke, chatting and laughing with her. It wasn't until Qing'er walked over that Benjamin remembered he still had a few paintings to finish at Ruyi Gallery.
Just as he was about to take his leave, An Ke stopped him. "Qing'er is always cooped up in Cining Palace. I want to go out for a walk. Do you want to come with me?" Although she couldn't leave the palace, she could still go to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the snow.
Usually, the Empress Dowager would be watching over them, but this time she was nowhere to be seen. And then Benjamin happened to run into them, so they could use the excuse of going to the Ruyi Pavilion to go to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the snow.
Qing'er glanced back discreetly, and seeing that no one had noticed, quickly nodded. Qing'er also loved snowy days, but fearing that the Empress Dowager would worry, she had been suppressing her desire to play in the snow for the past few days.
Now that she had a perfectly legitimate reason to go play in the snow without worrying about the Empress Dowager finding out, Qing'er was overjoyed and couldn't wait to go out.
Benjamin was happy to be the reason, and the three of them left the Cining Palace. When they reached the Imperial Garden, they went their separate ways; Benjamin waved and walked in opposite directions.
"Looking at the Imperial Garden on a snowy day is truly a unique experience." Qing'er strolled in the snow, reaching out to touch the snow on the plum blossoms.
Anke stood not far away, quietly watching this scene.
Then the two of them started gathering a small pile of snow and began building a tiny snowman. They even had a competition to see who could make the prettier one.
When Hanxiang arrived at the Imperial Garden, she happened to see two pretty girls who were declaring that they wanted to compete to see whose snowman was more beautiful.
Jin and Yin Lingzi, who were beside Hanxiang, quickly stepped forward and bowed to the two. Anke waved her hand, exempting them from the bow. Indeed, it was only at this moment that Anke noticed that there were more people in the Imperial Garden.
There was no way to build a snowman anymore; after all, how could they leave Hanxiang standing there all alone? Besides, Qing'er had to maintain her dignity as a princess under the watchful eyes of others. Naturally, she refused to build a snowman there anymore.
"Why does Consort Xiang have time to come out today? The Imperial Garden is freezing cold and not very close to Baoyue Tower." An Ke said to Consort Xiang while standing and gesturing for Xingxing to hurry up and set up the pavilion in the Imperial Garden.
Looking at the snow in the Imperial Garden, Hanxiang smiled quietly, "It would be a pity not to come out and enjoy this snow scene. Staying cooped up in Baoyue Tower is just as boring as it is here, so I might as well come out for a walk." Hanxiang had already accepted her fate. Now she was the dignified Noble Lady Xiang, and she would never mention the past again. Her manners had also become better and better.
Sometimes, one could even hear the Empress Dowager praising Hanxiang, saying that Hanxiang had learned etiquette and manners very well, thanks to the hard work of Granny Fang in teaching her behind the scenes.
An Ke nodded. It was indeed stifling to be cooped up in the palace; it was much better to come out for a walk and breathe some fresh air. Seeing the stars in the distance nodding towards her, An Ke knew the pavilion was ready.
Anke smiled and said, "Meeting is fate. Since that's the case, why don't we go to the pavilion over there and rest for a while?" She pointed to the pavilion not far away.
Hanxiang had no objections, and Qing'er naturally had no objections either. The three of them walked through the snow towards the pavilion.
As soon as they reached the pavilion, a palace maid immediately pulled the curtains shut. After all, there was a brazier burning inside, and they couldn't let all the heat escape. It wouldn't be good if it disturbed someone of high status.
"Hanxiang still thanks the princess for the reminder." Hanxiang sat in the pavilion, feeling somewhat uneasy. She opened her mouth as if to say something but then swallowed it back. In the end, she decided to speak.
"No need to thank me, Consort Xiang is a smart person, she understands immediately." An Ke waved her hand, without agreeing.
"No, I should thank you. If it weren't for your repeated persuasion that day, I'm afraid our Hui people wouldn't even have survived this winter." Hanxiang frowned, feeling a pang of sorrow as she thought of the letter her father had sent her a few days ago.
If she had truly eloped with Meng Dan out of personal selfishness, she and Meng Dan would now be considered eternal sinners against the Hui people. Her father's letter clearly expressed his deep gratitude to the Qing Dynasty for its assistance to the Hui people.
Without the Qing Dynasty, they would probably be lacking food and clothing now, and suffering humiliation from small border countries. This winter, even more people would likely die or be injured, and her father would surely be worried day and night.
None of this has happened yet because of the Qing Dynasty. Hanxiang is not an ungrateful person.
“The reason none of that has happened is because you are still safe and sound in the palace. The Qing Dynasty will naturally keep its promises and will not go back on its word.” An Ke pointed out incisively, having already foreseen the future of the Hui people.
The two then talked for a long time, and Anke was able to help Hanxiang resolve her inner conflict. The three of them sat together, enjoying plum tea and having a wonderful time.
But just then a commotion broke out, as Prince Musa of Myanmar had arrived.
Looking at the pavilion that was once again surrounded by people, Musa could no longer suppress her curiosity and stepped forward to ask. Even after receiving confirmation from the palace maid, she wanted to go inside and enjoy the snow together. The maid naturally refused, and an argument ensued.
Anke went out first to see what was happening. "So it's Prince Musa from Myanmar." Anke waved her hand, signaling the maid to step aside to avoid her being caught in the crossfire.
"Oh, so you're Princess Yong'an, the one who rejected my brother that day?" Mu Sha squinted, giving her an unfriendly once-over. Her words were also quite unpleasant.
"It is I, Prince. Since you know this pavilion is for women, why did you force your way in?" Since she didn't say she was a princess, then it's natural that men and women shouldn't be in close contact. After all, the Qing Dynasty isn't as open-minded as Burma; men and women still shouldn't be in the same space.
"This prince is a bit cold. I heard there's a charcoal fire inside, so I'd like to go in and warm up. Besides, Princess Yong'an isn't the only one inside. The so-called 'men and women shouldn't touch each other' is completely disproven." Musa continued, still insisting on her point.
“That may be true, but what could the prince possibly have in common with us? Let alone enjoying the snow together.” Anke raised an eyebrow, indicating that they were not on the same wavelength and could not exchange a single word.
Musa was a little annoyed and was about to say something more when an elderly man with a white beard from the delegation came forward and whispered something in Musa's ear.
Musa forcibly suppressed the anger that was about to erupt, then coldly snorted and turned to leave. The old man smiled apologetically at Anke, bowed to her, and then turned to chase after Musa.
Although Qing'er and Hanxiang hadn't gone out, they still clearly heard what the people outside were talking about.
After Anke came in, Qing'er finally asked the question she had been wanting to ask earlier, "These Burmese people are so unreasonable. They said it's a place for women, but Prince Musa still insisted on barging in." Qing'er hadn't realized that Musa was actually a woman disguised as a man.
"Don't worry about her. It would be a huge loss if she ruined our good mood for enjoying the snow." Anke didn't take the recent incident to heart.
After all, this is the Qing Dynasty, not their Burma. They can't be allowed to run wild on someone else's territory.
A moment later, Shuangxi, Qing'er's maid, came in and said that the Empress Dowager was looking for Qing'er after she woke up. Qing'er had seen the snow and had just played in it, so she was already quite content.
After saying goodbye to Anke and Hanxiang, she returned to Cining Palace with Shuangxi. After Qing'er left, Hanxiang talked with Anke about some Hui people, and then made two small snowmen with Anke before stopping.
After watching Hanxiang leave, Anke instructed Xingxing to remove everything from the pavilion.
An Ke then took a small plate and placed the little snowman that she and Han Xiang had just made on it. Although Qing'er was a little disappointed that she hadn't made a snowman, she could give her own snowman to Qing'er.
Anke imagined how happy Qing'er would be to receive the little snowman, and walked back just as happily.
Unfortunately, they bumped right into Prince Mu Feng of Myanmar. An Ke muttered to herself, "What a coincidence, what's going on today?"
He didn't come out at all, but once he did, he ran into three people in a row. Anke had to admire his own luck.
An Ke smiled and nodded at the person opposite her, preparing to brush past Mu Feng. However, Mu Feng did not think so and raised his hand to stop An Ke from leaving.
"I wonder what the prince means by this?" An Ke glanced at the hand blocking her way, then at Mu Feng, who remained calm.
"I have a few words I'd like to say to the princess. Would the princess be so kind as to dismiss the servants?" Mu Feng spoke softly, adopting a humble posture.
“Dismiss those around me? That’s unlikely.” An Ke refused outright. “Your Highness knows how much trouble your marriage proposal caused me that day. Now that we’re together, how much gossip will it bring me?” An Ke said bluntly.
"There's no need to make them retreat. Just keep them a little further away so they can't hear our conversation." Mu Feng knew the Qing Dynasty's requirements for young ladies and didn't dare to force anything.
Anke also wanted to know what Mufeng wanted to say to her after stopping her, so she waved her hand, signaling Xingxing to step back 10 meters. A distance of 10 meters would allow Xingxing to see Anke and Mufeng, but would also prevent them from hearing their conversation.
"Alright, Prince, can you speak now?" An Ke glanced at Mu Feng lightly and said quite frankly.
Mu Feng gave a wry smile. "Why does the princess speak to me with such veiled barbs? Although I asked to marry her that day, I gave up when I learned that she already had someone she loved and someone she was betrothed to."
"So, what is it that the prince wants to say to me today? Do you expect me to thank you?" An Ke frowned, wondering what Mu Feng's purpose was in stopping her.
"No need, but Mu Feng just wants to know why the princess is so repressed in this palace. The Qing Dynasty is nothing like our Burma, which is so open and unrestrained. If the princess were to marry into our Burma, at least I wouldn't distrust her so much." Mu Feng said so frankly, catching An Ke off guard.
I was wondering what his purpose was, but it turns out he just wanted to find out.
“Your Highness need not test me, nor sow discord here,” An Ke said softly but with great strength. “Since I am a citizen of the Qing Dynasty, I will naturally not marry into Burma. Your Highness need not test me again and again.”
Mu Feng gave a helpless bitter smile. Was this the price he was paying for his actions? At the beginning, he thought it didn't matter whether he succeeded or not, but now he had acted like a petty person, trying to test the princess.
He can't even protect himself in Myanmar, yet he still dreams of marrying the princess? That's utterly delusional.
Mu Feng was about to take his leave when An Ke stopped him, saying, "I've heard about the prince's experiences in Myanmar. He must have had a very difficult time there." Since he could test her, why couldn't she retaliate?
It has to be said that these words struck a chord with Mu Feng. Mu Feng immediately turned around, but still kept his head down, making it impossible to see his expression. "There are many princes in the palace, so why would Father notice a child?" His words were full of sarcasm.
After all, although Meng Bai didn't care much about his sons, his favoritism was ingrained to the core. He had raised Mu Sha from a young age and took her with him on his campaigns.
Even when Musa first wrote, all of her martial arts skills were taught to her by her father. How could the other princes be at peace with this?
Yes, if everyone were treated equally, the princes wouldn't say anything. But one prince was favored above all others. How could those princes who were willing to accept equal treatment be content with that?
Especially Mu Feng, who was the eldest son of the King of Burma. Yet he was constantly being overshadowed by Mu Sha. How could he possibly swallow this insult?
Anke had seized upon this psychology of his, relentlessly provoking him. "If one day the prince really decides to rebel against the King of Burma, then this princess is not unwilling to lend the prince a hand and help him achieve his great cause," Anke said, half-seductively. "After all, the prince can distinguish between real power and mere title, can't he?"
Mu Feng stared at An Ke in shock, but after the initial shock came admiration. He hadn't expected that this woman, whom he had only met a few times, would be able to understand his thoughts so perfectly.
He wanted to rebel, but he had neither power nor troops, so no one would listen to him. However, if he received aid from the Qing Dynasty, then it would be a natural progression.
He truly admired the woman before him; she was beautiful, kind, and ambitious. Unfortunately, she wasn't meant for him.
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