Seeing Xinrong's expression, Anke knew that Fifth Brother had gone too far. From now on, it would depend on whether Fifth Brother himself would come to his senses.
An Ke turned to look at Qing'er, and as she expected, Qing'er was indeed deep in thought. This was why An Ke hadn't asked any further questions and instead turned to Xin Rong.
If you want Qing'er to see something she likes, you should say it. Looking at Qing'er deep in thought, An Ke believes that Qing'er will sort out the worries in her heart.
"Alright, alright, it's getting late. Why don't you rest here or go back to your own quarters?" An Ke knew better than to keep Qing'er on her toes.
"I'll sleep here with you tonight, An'an," Xinrong said, her eyes sparkling. She wanted to know more about the Fifth Prince, and besides Consort Yu, who was close to him, Benjamin, and the Emperor, An'an was probably the only one in the palace who knew the most.
As a woman, she couldn't frequently visit Yonghe Palace, nor could she ask the Emperor for advice. Going to Ruyi Pavilion too often would also damage her reputation. After much thought, she realized that Anke was the only place she could safely inquire with.
An Ke nodded knowingly, then looked at Qing'er beside her, "And what about you, Qing'er?"
Qing'er was also greatly shocked when she saw Xinrong's appearance. Through spending time together, Qing'er realized that Xinrong, like herself, was a well-bred young lady who had been suppressed by rules and traditions.
But Qing'er didn't expect Xinrong to be much braver than her, at least when it came to love, Xinrong was brave enough to speak her mind.
Lost in thought for a moment, Anke's sudden call snapped him back to reality.
"Ah, then I'll stay at An'an's place too." Qing'er's mind was still a mess, and she wanted to talk to An'an again that night.
Anke nodded; she was happy to let anyone sleep at her place. Whether it was one person or two, it was all the same.
After the three girls finished washing and dressing, they lay neatly on the bed. Incense smoke wafted from the incense burner in the bedroom, and the quilt was as soft as could be.
After playing all day, Anke felt a little tired. None of them said a word, and Anke slowly closed her eyes, almost falling asleep.
"An'an, can I ask you something?" Xinrong asked quickly, seeing that An'an looked like she was about to fall asleep.
Anke yawned and asked lazily, "What is it? If I know, I'll definitely tell you, but if I don't know, then there's nothing I can do to help."
"Okay, An'an, I just wanted to ask some questions about the Fifth Prince." Xinrong stopped hesitating and asked directly.
Anke, who was still wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes due to exhaustion, immediately reached out and wiped them away upon hearing this, then stared wide-eyed at Xinrong.
Anke: If you say that, I won't be sleepy anymore.
"What do you want to know about Fifth Brother?" An Ke asked with a mischievous grin.
"Well, for example, what does the Fifth Prince usually like to do? Hmm, what can we talk about to find common ground?" Xinrong wanted to figure out these two most basic questions first, since people have to be pursued step by step.
"Just these two questions?" Anke was also a little shocked, thinking that Xinrong would ask a lot more.
Xinrong nodded obediently. "I just wanted to find some topics to talk about when I first started talking to the Fifth Prince, so he wouldn't think I was too boring. Later, I can ask him questions." When she said the last sentence, Xinrong's face turned red, which was rare for her.
"Oh, I see." Anke deliberately dragged out the last syllable, and Xinrong also shyly took out a handkerchief from the side and half-covered her cheek.
"Fifth Brother probably likes all sorts of military books, but it would be even better if you could find him some chess manuals as well." An Ke still remembered how Yongqi looked when he lost a chess game to her as a child, and how he was so unconvinced. He even boasted that he would beat her one day.
"Chess scores aren't difficult, but what kind of military strategy book would I want?" Xinrong replied after a moment's thought. After all, she also loved playing chess and had many chess scores at home. But she didn't know much about military strategy books. She was completely clueless in that area.
“Yes, that is indeed a problem.” Anke nodded. After all, how could the royal family not have ordinary military books? But if they wanted to find those rare ones, it would probably be very difficult. After all, people who love military books would treat those things as treasures, so how could they give them away?
This is like cutting a piece of flesh from someone's heart.
Seeing Xinrong's eager expression, Anke had no choice but to reluctantly part with her own book. "I do have a few books in my collection that Fifth Brother will definitely be very interested in. He's asked me for them a few times already. You can take them to Fifth Brother to see, but you can't let him borrow them from me."
As Anke spoke, she seemed to see her beloved book being held in the hands of the Fifth Prince, who then excitedly ran over to say he wanted the book. Just thinking about it made Anke's fists clench.
Xinrong naturally knew that it must have been difficult for Anke to collect these books, so she patted her chest and assured her, "Don't worry, An'an, I'm just taking them to Yonghe Palace for the Fifth Prince to read. If all else fails, I can copy them down."
"Alright, copying it down would take who knows how long." Anke pulled down the fingers that Xinrong had promised, which were standing next to her head. "Since you want it, I'll reluctantly give it to you first, as long as you don't get it dirty or Fifth Brother forcibly takes it away."
"As for what you talk to him about, whatever you do, don't talk to him about military strategy books. You can talk to him about the chess manuals you gave him." Anke gave Xinrong advice, also to prevent Xinrong from falling into a trap.
Xinrong looked completely bewildered, so Anke had to once again act as her emotional mentor, trying to enlighten her. "Fifth Brother grew up in this palace and knows all too well the ways people compete for his favor. You clearly have no interest in these military books, yet you still try to discuss them with him. He can see right away that you're catering to his preferences. Naturally, he won't answer your questions. But if it's something you're good at, then he'll do everything he can to surpass you."
“That way you’ll have something in common to talk about. Since he lost to you, he’ll do everything he can to get back at you, and you’ll have more opportunities to interact in the future.” Anke patted Xinrong on the shoulder and cheered her on, “Go Xinru, I’m confident you can beat Fifth Brother in one round.”
Xinrong blushed and felt a little embarrassed. She whispered, "I will try my best."
"By the way, try to be your true self in front of Fifth Brother. Don't put on airs in front of him. After all, you'll have a lot of time to spend together in the future, and you can't always be perfect in front of him. Everyone has flaws, and getting to know each other early on is part of a relationship." An Ke once again shared her experience.
Xinrong nodded happily, then excitedly hugged Anke. "Thank you, An'an, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do."
Anke patted Xinrong on the shoulder, signaling her to calm down. Anke turned to look at Qing'er beside her, only to find Qing'er listening attentively.
"Alright, it's getting late, let's go to sleep early," Anke said deliberately, even yawning as if she was very sleepy.
Sure enough, an anxious look appeared on Qing'er's face. An Ke patted Qing'er's right hand, "Alright, I know you have questions for me."
Qing'er was immediately moved, but still hesitated. However, seeing Xinrong cheering her on, Qing'er lowered her guard. "An'an, what kind of person do you think Ji Chu is? Have you already asked Ertai to investigate him?"
Qing'er naturally knew her position in An Ke's heart. An Ke would definitely worry about her and investigate Ji Chu thoroughly. At the same time, she also wanted to know some things about Ji Chu.
“That’s right. I noticed you two on that vast grassland back then, and I even had Ertai investigate it thoroughly.” An Ke admitted quite frankly, there was nothing wrong with saying it. “His family background is quite clean, he has no worries. As for his achievements, he earned them little by little. Ertai also said that Ji Chu should have seen you when he was very young. Qing’er, don’t you remember?”
To be honest, Anke was quite curious too. But it's also possible that childhood is just too far removed from the present, like how she actually met Ertai when she was little, which is quite unbelievable.
Xinrong also leaned over and stared eagerly, clearly wanting to know about the relationship between Qing'er and General Ji.
Qing'er thought about it carefully, but she really couldn't figure out when she had met Ji Chu.
Seeing Qing'er's furrowed brows, An Ke knew that Qing'er would definitely not be able to remember for a while, so she quickly said, "Alright, if you can't remember, don't think about it. Anyway, there's still a long time ahead. You can just ask Ji Chu."
Hearing An Ke's words, Qing'er stopped worrying. Sometimes, those involved are blinded, while bystanders see things clearly. She understood the situation between An Ke and Er Tai clearly, which meant that An An also understood it clearly.
After figuring things out, the two girls gradually drifted off to sleep. Xinrong had been propping her head up, ready to listen to a story, but since both her older sisters were asleep, she had no choice but to go to sleep as well.
The days passed uneventfully, and before they knew it, the day had come to say goodbye to the Guanbao family.
Xinrong was naturally reluctant to part with them, but she knew she could no longer stay with her father and mother. She could only stand at the palace gate, waving goodbye with a heavy heart.
These days, Xinrong would often go to Yonghe Palace to play chess with Yongqi, and there had been some changes in their relationship. Consort Yu was very pleased with this; ever since Xinrong performed her dance for the Empress Dowager, she had taken a liking to the young lady. Hey, she never expected her son to actually seduce the girl.
Yongqi: Am I your son? Why are you saying such awful things? What do you mean by seduction?
Seeing Xinrong's heartbroken state, Yongqi hesitated for a long time before deciding not to approach her. After all, there was no real relationship between them. Rushing in would only damage Xinrong's reputation.
Fortunately, Xinrong managed to calm herself down quickly and stopped crying immediately. Although her eyes were still a little red, her sadness had completely dissipated.
In the afternoon, when she was playing chess with Yongqi, Yongqi deliberately lost a few pieces to her. Xinrong immediately felt like an inflated balloon, and she became happy and elated again.
Qing'er and An Ke would often stroll around the palace, stopping to admire the scenery. They would either sit and chat with the Empress or go to the Ruyi Pavilion to paint.
Anyway, there were no unlucky people around them, and no bad luck to spoil their appetite. Life couldn't be more comfortable.
In contrast, the once bustling Shufangzhai in the palace seemed to have suddenly cooled down, with no more laughter and joy, and no more visitors.
This was the first time Xiao Yanzi had felt lonely in the palace. Although she had felt lonely before, at least Yongqi and Benjamin would be there to cheer her up. Now, even Yongqi and Benjamin no longer stepped into Shufangzhai, and the place suddenly seemed cold and desolate.
No one in the palace paid much attention to them anymore. They were only noticed before because they were so troublesome, daring to go against the Empress. Now, even the Empress was too lazy to bother with them, so there was no more drama to watch, and no one paid them much attention anymore.
Ziwei was able to calm down and hone her calligraphy and zither skills. She felt that there was still a big gap between her and the princesses in the palace. She didn't know this before, but now that she did, she could no longer be a frog in a well.
Ziwei was getting involved, and Xiaoyanzi was forced to get involved as well. Ziwei would also set aside an hour each day to teach Xiaoyanzi calligraphy. After all, Xiaoyanzi was no longer a princess, and she couldn't even go to the Imperial Study anymore, nor could she listen to Master Ji's lessons.
There was no other way but for Ziwei to act as Xiaoyanzi's teacher and teach her some knowledge.
Ziwei didn't need to go to school, since none of the older princesses and noblewomen in the palace went to school either. As the emperor's daughter, she had to follow the palace rules.
Although things are not entirely peaceful outside the palace, nothing major has happened yet. The Emperor intends to wipe them out in one fell swoop and doesn't mind waiting a little longer.
The sounds of slamming and smashing always came from the private rooms of Huibinlou. Liu Qing and Liu Hong were already used to it. However, every time a sound came from upstairs, Liu Hong would clench her fist a little tighter and roll her eyes as a bonus.
Xiao Jian also suffered greatly from Meng Dan's harassment. After all, Xiao Jian lived next door to Meng Dan, and he was the first victim of the sound of Meng Dan falling down every day.
But he needed to wait for the right opportunity and couldn't let this brute ruin his plans. So he let him be; after all, all this brute would do was smash things and shout for Hanxiang, and he wouldn't cause any real trouble.
Xiao Jian felt that the time was almost here.
The palace became busy again during this time, as it was said that Burma had sent an envoy and their prince to the Qing Dynasty.
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