Chapter 35 035 Lu Yunye, how dare you!
The eldest princess already had a grudge against Qingli, and seeing her being tormented and disliked, she sat to the side gloating. She beckoned to Feng Yuchan and spoke, her voice not exactly quiet, so Qingli naturally heard the sarcastic remarks.
This was like a feather brushing her face, causing her no emotional turmoil whatsoever. Her mind was preoccupied with a few ideas, and she sensed an obstacle ahead, yet she couldn't find a solution.
Suppressing the horrifying speculation in her heart, she became even bolder, wanting to climb the crest of the wave and see what storms were brewing behind it.
Tang Shuqing walked over with concern, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered to comfort her, "It's alright, it would be better if we went back to the manor. I've been so terrified these past two days, I haven't been able to eat or sleep properly."
Qingli raised the corners of her mouth to indicate that it was alright. She had thought so before, but now she had changed her mind. However, she could not tell Tang Shuqing. Suddenly, she heard a soft sob. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw An Shulan sitting to the side, shedding tears.
Feng Yuchan was engrossed in her conversation with the eldest princess and didn't hear the commotion at all. Chen Lihui and Chen Lie also turned to the side. It was really strange, as the four of them used to be inseparable.
Tang Shuqing whispered, "She's in an awkward position right now. When the imperial decree was announced, she was still the younger sister of the highly sought-after commander of the Imperial Guards. But in just two days, her brother was reprimanded by the emperor and I heard he was imprisoned. I don't know how he will be punished."
Qingli was taken aback. She had been busy with household affairs these days and hadn't inquired about news from the outside world.
Some people step down from high positions, while others rise to lower ones; no one knows who will be given the coveted position of serving the emperor closely.
However, it can't possibly be related to her.
Since the second, third, and fourth princesses had not yet arrived, the other young ladies quieted down and began to admire the rare sight of the greenhouse, where the boundaries of the seasons were blurred, and a hundred flowers bloomed in vibrant colors.
In the back garden, the second princess hurried along. She had been delayed by her mother for more than half an hour by being confined to the palace, and it was now quite late.
She was incredibly bored in the palace, and since her father had finally spoken, she had to choose someone who suited her taste.
Suddenly, a bouquet of flowers fell on her head, causing the red-gold butterfly hairpin she wore to tremble slightly and make a crisp sound.
The second princess, Ling Shuyao, quickly reached out and caught the jasmine bouquet. The white buds on it had not yet bloomed, but her fingertips were already tinged with a light fragrance. She looked up and, upon seeing who it was, could not contain her anger and shouted, "Lu Yunye, how dare you!"
On a tall, thick tree, Lu Yunye leaned against it, dressed in the dark silver armor of the Imperial Guard, his hair tied up in a high crown. With his handsome features, he was quite charming and devilish. However, he was looking down at his fingers with a hint of annoyance.
He flipped down from the tree and landed in front of Ling Shuyao. He saw a jasmine petal stuck in her elaborate hair bun and reached out to take it off. When Ling Shuyao saw that he was about to make another move, she raised her palm and struck him in the chest.
With a swift palm strike, Lu Yunye stepped back, straightened his body, put his hands behind his back, and circled around her. His slender eyebrows were slightly raised, with a playful and cunning look, as he looked at Ling Shuyao, who was dressed in fiery red, and snorted, "Who told you to walk under the tree?"
Ling Shuyao witnessed his shamelessness once again. Because of his sensitive status, she dared not offend him too much, so she gritted her teeth and said, "As a member of the Imperial Guard, if you are not on duty and are negligent, you will lose your head if something goes wrong."
He was simply acting recklessly because of his grandmother's status, without considering that the Great Jin Dynasty had been established for many years and was no longer what it used to be.
Lu Yunye seemed not to hear him and slowly said, "Right now, the Imperial Guards are leaderless. If we don't take advantage of this chaos, when will we?"
......
Ling Shuyao was speechless upon hearing this, and scolded, "You have no ambition."
"Being ambitious depends on the direction. Am I even ambitious enough? Are you confident that I can be ambitious?"
Ling Shuyao felt a headache coming on as she listened to his questions. Looking at the bunch of jasmine she was still holding, she angrily threw it on the ground, stomped heavily on it with her rouge-red embroidered butterfly shoes, and hurriedly fled this place of trouble, ignoring the tsk-tsks of regret behind her.
But he didn't hear the low sigh behind him, "Embroidered shoes crush the red dust, only to leave behind a body full of fragrance."
If Ling Shuyao heard those lewd words, she'd probably skin him alive.
A guard ran up from a short distance away, saying anxiously, "Sir, the new commander of the Imperial Guards has arrived and is inspecting the situation."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lu Yunye vanished like the wind.
The guard, lacking such skill, ran back, panting heavily.
When Ling Shuyao arrived, the scattered young ladies immediately surrounded her. The young ladies knew that the Empress and the Imperial Concubine had already made their plans for the people, but when it came time to make a decision, the princesses' thoughts would be taken into account. The eldest princess was on good terms with Feng Yuchan, and if they caught the eye of the second princess, no one could say anything.
Everyone knows that the Second Princess is straightforward and has won the Emperor's favor, but at this moment she has a hint of anger on her face. The young ladies hesitated for a moment, and in this hesitation, Ling Shuyao walked straight forward.
A camellia tree, about half its height, was growing in a large, celadon-glazed hexagonal flowerpot. The flowers were in full bloom, their vibrant red blossoms outshining Xiaoxia's beauty by a third, yet still unable to compare to the fiery passion of the Second Princess before her. Qingli was very grateful to the Second Princess for her help earlier, and upon learning that she was her aunt's daughter, the blood ties stirred up a sense of closeness in her heart.
Her heart was in turmoil, and she bent down to conceal her unusual behavior, saying, "Greetings to the Second Princess."
Ling Shuyao helped her up. She looked at her face, which was lightly powdered and reflected the flowers. Her eyes were misty and charming. She liked her very much. She said happily, "I was delayed by something. I thought I would never see you again."
"Princess, is something the matter?"
"It's nothing, it's just that since we parted last time, I've wanted to get to know you a little better."
The young ladies beside them exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with jealousy. What good fortune did this merchant's daughter have to befriend the princess? Yet they dared not question her, and could only smile and agree from the sidelines.
"This humble woman is terrified, as she has not yet expressed her gratitude to the princess for speaking up for her cause."
"I'm not here to ask for your thanks. I'm here because you're clever. If you continue to be so superficial, then I've only overestimated you."
Qingli smiled, thinking that the Second Princess was indeed of pure heart, "Then Qingli will not do that."
Qingli led Tang Shuqing behind her to her side and introduced her, "Princess, this is Tang Shuqing."
Tang Shuqing had never spoken to a princess like this before, and she was at a loss for words. Seeing Qing Li watching her gently, her nervousness subsided, and she slowly said, "My father is the Imperial Censor Tang Ce."
The three exchanged a smile, the faint, sweet fragrance of camellias lingering in the air, condensing and dissipating. Ling Shuyao invited the two to go sightseeing, and Qing Li and Tang Shuqing naturally agreed.
Ling Shuyao knew some beautiful places to avoid the nobles in the palace. The three of them walked to their hearts' content and chose a warm pavilion to rest. There was no one around, so she said, "If you could stay in the palace, that would be great. In about a month, Taiqing Lake will freeze over, and the palace will hold ice skating events, including slingshots, ball-slinging, and dragon-spinning ball shooting. It will be very lively."
Qingli was worried that she would be disappointed, so she told her what had just happened.
Ling Shuyao lowered her lips, feeling sad just thinking about it. Suddenly, she remembered something and promised, "Watch me, I guarantee you can stay."
Just as Qingli was about to speak, saying that this matter was not only the princess's preference, but might also be related to the imperial court and the harem, Ling Shuyao seemed to know what she meant and reassured her, "I know what's important."
Since that's been said, Qingli felt relieved. Although the pavilion was warm, the curtains around it were hanging down, so she couldn't see the outside. She lifted a crack and looked out, only to see a group of imperial guards walking out from around the corner of the artificial hill. She quickly withdrew her hand.
But just now, I caught a glimpse of him. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a sharp and imposing figure, and was clad in armor. Could it be Meng Qingshan? I reached out and lifted the curtain to look again, but I could no longer see him. I felt as if my vision was blurred.
Why did I even think of him?!
Qingli shook her head, banishing the familiar feeling from her mind. She chatted with the Second Princess for a long time before being allowed to return to her room.
Tang Shuqing leaned back in her armchair and sighed, "The Second Princess is indeed straightforward."
Qingli chuckled inwardly, thinking it would be better to just say that the Second Princess talked too much.
The weather changes very quickly in winter. At night, the wind starts to howl outside, making the doors and windows rattle and the house get cold.
Granny Hua Ying got up, opened the door a crack, exclaimed, and said, "Miss, the snow outside is already an inch thick."
Jiang Yue added more charcoal to the stove until the flames ignited, and the red and white ash mingled together. Then she got up and tucked the blanket around her.
There was a lot of snow this year, and we're hoping for a bumper harvest next year.
Inside Yingcui Palace, Ling Shuyao and her mother were huddled together on the bed. Looking at her mother's satin blue nightgown, she suddenly asked, "Mother, why do you prefer blue?"
Consort Mu paused, then said calmly, "It's just a personal preference, why bring that up?"
Ling Shuyao then recounted the events of the past few days and the daytime, finally stating, "Since Father is choosing a companion for the princess, shouldn't the princess's personal preferences be important? I've thought it over, and I want Qingli and Tang Shuqing."
Consort Mu remained silent, only saying, "It's good that you've thought it through."
......
That's an unconventional response.
Ling Shuyao found it difficult to deal with her mother's soft and unresponsive nature. After deliberating for a long time, she still wasn't sure, so she said directly, "Tang Shuqing is fine. After all, she is the legitimate daughter of a third-rank official in the Censorate, so there's no need to say more. However, Qingli's identity is not prominent, and she may not be able to stay if she only relies on Meng Qingshan's military achievements."
Ling Shuyao wanted to mention the Empress and others' cold attitude towards Qingli, but worried that her mother would have a bad impression of Qingli, so she stopped there.
"Since you understand the pros and cons, it's not something you can control."
Ling Shuyao sighed in defeat and said, "If I had known it would be this troublesome, I would have preferred not to have gone through all this trouble. After all the selection, I ended up with someone who involves vested interests and is not even worth the trouble."
Consort Mu pretended not to hear, and gave Ling Shuyao a light glance, which shut her up so she dared not say such arrogant words.
Ling Shuyao couldn't be as detached as her mother. She crossed her arms and swayed gently, pleading, "Mother, please tell the Empress to keep her for my sake."
Consort Mu pulled her arm away and turned to the side. The shadow cast by the candlelight fell on Ling Shuyao, making her feel lonely.
My mother is always like this, taciturn, with a solemn expression, like a tree devoured from within, a flower frozen in ice, looking lush and bright but having long lost its vitality.
Ling Shuyao felt as if her heart was being squeezed, a painful constraint that left her no choice but to remain silent.
Crying and questioning would only earn a cold glance from the mother.
She didn't know what her mother was like when she had feelings, or when she had emotional fluctuations.
Is she really that cold-hearted and heartless?
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