"Greetings, Your Highness." Chen Siqing bowed respectfully to Xingxing.
Xingxing reached out to help her up, smiling as she said, "Qing-mei, you don't need to be so polite. Just call me cousin from now on. You can stay by my side at the palace banquet later. Come visit me at the palace often when you have time."
Madam Chen was overjoyed. The eldest princess was deeply favored by the emperor and had an extraordinary and noble status. It was a good thing that her little daughter could win the princess's favor. The two were cousins, and if they got along well, they would be closer and Qing'er would be able to find a better husband in the future.
Chen Siqing will turn 18 next April, but she has not yet found a suitable family to be engaged to. The young girl herself is still very childlike and does not want to get engaged or married too soon. Her elders started looking for a suitable match two years ago, but they have not found one who suits their taste.
This dragged on until she was almost of marriageable age and still hadn't been engaged. Madam Chen was getting a little anxious. Nowadays, girls usually got married after reaching marriageable age, and it was rare for a girl to be engaged by the age of twelve or thirteen. It was extremely rare for a girl to be unmarried by the age of fifteen.
Madam Chen's mind raced. Seeing her youngest daughter still staring blankly at her, not knowing to reply to the princess, she quickly spoke up to help, "Princess, please be understanding. Qing'er is introverted and not good with words. Please don't dislike her for being dull."
"How could that be? Qing-mei is so cute and lovable, I like her so much, I would never dislike her." Xingxing said as she reached out to rub the little girl's round face.
Hmm, it feels just as good as I imagined. The skin is smooth and delicate, and the soft, bouncy texture is really nice to squeeze. However, with my mother and aunt present, I couldn't keep pinching their faces. I gently rubbed them a couple of times and then let go.
Chen Siqing felt a cool touch on her face and stared blankly at her beautiful princess cousin. When she met Xingxing's gentle smile, she chuckled along, looking even more adorable and innocent.
"Come on, let's go play together." Xingxing grabbed Chen Siqing's hand and ran outside.
"Long'er, don't run too far. The palace banquet is about to begin. Don't be late." The Emperor, the ministers, and their families are all present. It's not good to be absent or negligent, as it will leave a bad impression on everyone.
As Madam Chen watched her youngest son being dragged away by the princess, she felt inexplicably worried. Her youngest son had always been honest and kind, never bullying anyone or competing with anyone. Even when the illegitimate sons and daughters in the mansion bullied her in private, she would endure it without complaining.
Although many families dislike good-for-nothings, Qing'er is pleasing to the eye and has a blessed look, so the elders in the family love her very much. Madam Chen especially protects her like the apple of her eye, afraid that she will be wronged or bullied when no one is watching.
Therefore, Madam Chen has kept her youngest daughter by her side since she was a child, protecting her wholeheartedly. Otherwise, given their family's status, how could they have been unable to find a suitable husband for their youngest daughter? It was because they were afraid that their youngest daughter would be bullied after marriage, and they felt uneasy no matter which family she married into.
Now that the quirky eldest princess has taken the youngest son away, Madam Chen is worried because she can't follow her. She's afraid the princess will find the youngest son too dull and boring and won't like him. She's even more worried that the youngest son won't know how to please people and will suffer grievances. She's really heartbroken.
Little did Xingxing know how complicated her aunt's inner thoughts were. She held her little cousin's soft, chubby little hand with great affection, as if she had received a very beloved little toy.
Pshaw, how could she treat her little cousin like a toy?
This isn't good. My little cousin is a living, breathing person. This girl is so adorable; she really adores her. She's decided that after the palace banquet, she'll ask her aunt for her, and after the New Year, she'll let her little cousin come to live in the palace. That way, she can play with her little cousin every day.
Chen Siqing opened her almond-shaped eyes in a daze. If you look closely, her eyebrows and eyes are somewhat similar to Xingxing's. She has curved willow-leaf eyebrows and big, round, clear black and white eyes. However, Chen Siqing's nose is a little flatter. Combined with her chubby face and baby fat, she looks particularly easy to bully and in need of protection.
Xingxing inherited the emperor's high nose bridge, which is both soft and shrewd. Fortunately, her small, delicate nose softens the sharpness of the nose. If she had the emperor's hooked nose, she would definitely look difficult to get along with, too cold and unapproachable.
Everyone says that the third young lady of the Chen family's eldest branch is simple-minded. Mr. and Mrs. Chen are afraid that their youngest daughter will be bullied if she goes out, so they always protect her tightly and don't even let her go out. Chen Siqing will be fifteen years old after the New Year, but she has never participated in any poetry gatherings or flower appreciation banquets and is always confined to the home.
Although none of the noble ladies had ever met Chen Siqing, it didn't stop them from knowing that such a person existed. This was largely thanks to Chen Siqing's cousins. Madam Chen had two sons and one daughter, and Chen Siqing was her only daughter, with two older brothers.
She has many cousins and half-sisters, probably more than a dozen in total, but none of them are genuinely close to her. When she goes out to attend various banquets, people intentionally or unintentionally mention her and don't say many nice things about her.
At first glance, there were no derogatory words, but upon closer inspection, one could discern a different meaning. Those noble ladies were all shrewd and quickly guessed that Chen Siqing was simple-minded, dared not fight back when bullied by servants, and was not fluent in speech, a clumsy beauty like a block of wood.
In fact, Chen Siqing is naturally simple-minded and tolerant of everyone. She can tell right from wrong in many things and people, but as long as it's not too outrageous, she will tolerate it.
In modern terms, she's a pure "white lotus," too kind, so kind that she seems like a saint. Of course, nowadays the word "saint" has a derogatory connotation, and nobody likes that title.
Although Xingxing also had a playful side, Chen Siqing could sense the kindness from her cousin, Princess, and that the princess genuinely liked her, so she also liked the princess.
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