"Is it really alright for us to make such a presumptuous visit? Is that princess easy to get along with?" Ziwei asked with a worried expression, her brows furrowed and her teeth biting her lower lip.
"Anke isn't as heartless as you imagine. On the contrary, she's a very righteous and lively girl. I think you should be able to get along with her," the Fifth Prince said with a smile, listing Anke's good qualities. Anke had visited the palace when she was very young, but she came with her uncle. Back then, she was small and soft, more lively than the princesses in the palace. After all, she grew up outside the palace and didn't pay as much attention to etiquette and rules. The first time she saw him, she affectionately called him Fifth Brother.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and go!" Little Swallow was even more confident after hearing this, and she left them behind, rushing towards the door.
"Little Swallow, wait for us!" Ziwei felt more confident after hearing the Fifth Prince's words, so she immediately chased after Little Swallow and went out.
"Miss, Little Swallow, slow down!" Jin Suo was naturally following Ziwei, and seeing Ziwei leave, she quickly put down her teacup.
"I think we should all go together!" Er Kang said with a smile as he looked at the three girls running ahead.
“Yes, why don’t we go take a look together? Otherwise, I bet those three girls will keep thinking about it.” Benjamin tried to smooth things over. He didn’t know much about Princess Yong’an. When he first came to China, An Ke had already gone back with Prince Rui. He wanted to go with her, but he was worried that something might happen to Xiao Yanzi.
“Then you all go, I’ll go too!” Ertai chimed in.
*
Side Hall of Cining Palace
"Mmm, I slept so well! So comfortable. Xingxing, what time is it now?" Anke climbed out of bed, rubbed her shoulders, and asked with her eyes half-open.
"It's just past 7 PM, are you hungry?" Qing'er slowly sat down beside An Ke's bed and asked.
"A little, I'm really a little hungry." Anke touched her stomach, afraid it would growl loudly at any moment.
"Shuangxi, bring up the bird's nest soup. You've only been awake for a short while, so you still need some nourishment. Although you've practiced martial arts since childhood, that fall was truly terrifying." Qing'er tucked the blanket around her, afraid that a cold draft would get in.
"Okay, okay," An Ke replied with a smile. It felt so good to be cared for. She affectionately took Qing'er's arm and rested her head on Qing'er's shoulder. "Qing'er, oh Qing'er, you're so good to me. What if I can't live without you?"
"Then I'll never leave you and just stay with the Empress Dowager. I'm just afraid that you'll run off to marry someone else." Qing'er pouted and said.
"The way you're talking makes it sound like you're not going to get married in the future." An Ke found a comfortable spot on Qing'er's shoulder and leaned against it.
"You! You're already discussing these things now. How shameless!" Qing'er blushed and poked An Ke's brow with her finger.
"Princess, bird's nest." Shuangxi walked in carrying a bowl of bird's nest on a tray.
At this moment, Xingxing also brought over a bowl of medicine on a tray. "Princess, please drink the medicine after you finish the bird's nest soup!"
"Ugh, who prescribed this medicine? It smells so bitter. Take it away, I'm not drinking it." An Ke wrinkled her delicate little nose. Her eyebrows also formed a knot.
"Good medicine tastes bitter. Besides, Xingxing spent an hour tending the medicine stove to brew it. Are you willing to waste Xingxing's efforts?" It has to be said that Qing'er really knows where An Ke's weakness lies.
Upon hearing that Xingxing had personally guarded the medicine for an hour, Anke became less resistant to it.
"Try this bird's nest first and see if it suits your taste?" Qing'er took the bird's nest from Shuangxi, stirred it gently with a spoon, and then handed it to Anke.
Anke pulled her hand out from under the covers, took the bowl of bird's nest soup, and gulped it down in no time.
"Looking at you like this, I'd think you were drinking alcohol! So unrestrained!" Qing'er teased An Ke.
"What?! I've been lying here all afternoon, I'm starving!" Seeing bird's nest, she was like a starving ghost.
"Good, good, good! Being able to eat is a blessing!" Qing'er pinched An Ke's cheek with satisfaction.
"Princess, drink this medicine while it's still warm!" Xingxing's big eyes were wet, clearly she had been crying.
"Okay~" The voice was still a little hoarse, but still audible.
Just as Anke was about to take the medicine bowl, she heard a sound outside the door.
"May the Fifth Prince be blessed, may Princess Huanzhu be blessed, may Master Fu and Second Master Fu be blessed, and may the painter Ban be blessed." The maid outside the door suddenly spoke up.
"You came all this way in such a hurry, it seems like everyone was worried about you!" Qing'er teased An Ke.
"Who knows?" Anke sighed.
"Princess, Princess. The Fifth Prince and Princess Huanzhu outside say they want to visit you." The maid Chun'er had no choice but to come in and announce their arrival.
"Let them in!" Anke felt too embarrassed to stay in bed any longer. So, she resignedly sat up and put on her shoes.
"Why don't you just lie in bed? Why get up?" Although Qing'er was puzzled, she still helped An Ke straighten her qipao.
“They’ve all come over, and I’m still lying in bed. That’s so improper! Besides, there’s a difference between men and women! We’re not kids anymore, we should know the proper boundaries between men and women.” At this moment, An Ke was incredibly clear-headed.
Qing'er agreed and nodded.
Xiao Yanzi was in a hurry to apologize, but when she saw An Ke sitting by the bed, she seemed to be speechless.
An Ke's face was a little pale; she was already fair-skinned, but now it was an unhealthy pallor. Her arched eyebrows were tightly furrowed, her large eyes blinked, and her small, rosy lips were pressed together. She only spoke when she saw them.
"Fifth Brother is here." An Ke's brows relaxed a little, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of her eyes.
"An'an, how are you?" This was the first time Yongqi had seen Anke so vulnerable. After all, she was his little sister whom he had cherished since childhood, and he felt a pang of heartache for her.
"Doctor Hu prescribed some medicine, saying that after a few doses I'll feel better." As soon as An Ke thought about what happened that morning, she immediately wiped the smile off her face and became the aloof Princess Yong'an once again.
After all, what happened this morning was so unpleasant. Although I knew it was inevitable and that they were there to plead for Xiao Yanzi, I still felt uncomfortable.
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