In the following days, the Crown Prince became even busier.
Even the Crown Princess rarely saw him.
Only at Song Xibai's place would the Crown Prince stay for half an hour to an hour every day without fail.
Time flies, and a month has passed since Song Xibai arrived at the East Palace.
She treated everyone the same, never flattering the powerful and belittling the weak, nor ever bullying others because of her high position. In fact, she got along well with everyone.
At least on the surface, that's the case.
The rumors that were initially unfavorable to her quickly disappeared after the Crown Prince intervened.
It happened almost overnight.
The Crown Prince ordered Feng Jia to conduct a secret search, but he was unable to find anyone, and the matter was eventually dropped.
Song Xibai herself didn't care, but the palace maids around her didn't think so.
Especially Fu Liu, who secretly pointed towards the direction of the rear hall and said decisively.
"It must have been Consort Zhu who did it! In the entire Eastern Palace, she's the only one who dislikes our master and has targeted him repeatedly."
Not only her, but all the other palace maids thought so too.
Wei Hong never meddled in the palace maids' gossip; she stayed close to Song Xibai every day, never leaving his side.
Song Xibai was reading a letter when he heard the whispers outside. He turned to ask Wei Hong.
Do you think so too?
Wei Hong shook her head: "This servant does not know, but Your Highness will definitely find out."
Song Xibai disagreed.
Many days have passed and there's still no result. Clearly, the person behind this rumor is far more capable and resourceful than Zhu Liangyuan.
It wasn't that she was too confident, but rather that Zhu Liangyuan was simply incompetent and lacked any real ability or skill. Her arrogance was merely due to the Empress Dowager's influence.
Speaking of this, Song Xibai turned her gaze towards the central hall.
Only a few days after the Empress Dowager returned from her Buddhist pilgrimage, the Crown Princess went to pay her respects every day. Her attentiveness was so great that Song Xibai couldn't help but take a second look.
Just as I was pondering this, Juqing's voice came from the outer room.
"Master, Du Chenghui and Cao Chenghui have arrived."
Song Xibai quickly put the letter away, clapped his hands, and walked out with Wei Hong.
Du Chenghui and Cao Chenghui stepped into the hall together and curtsied to Song Xibai.
"I have met Consort Xi."
Song Xibai waved his hand: "You two are too kind. What brings you here today?"
Du Chenghui glanced at her cautiously and gave her a fawning smile.
"We heard that the plum blossoms in the back are in bloom. The weather has been nice these past few days, so we would like to invite Xi Liangdi to go and admire the plum blossoms together."
Du Chenghui was quite beautiful, possessing the gentle and graceful temperament of a woman from the Jiangnan water towns, but Song Xibai, observing her coldly, sensed that she seemed somewhat nervous today.
Do I look scary?
Song Xibai pursed her lips and thought for a moment, feeling that she was clearly very approachable!
That's Du Chenghui's own problem.
Song Xibai didn't respond, and Du Chenghui stood there awkwardly, having no choice but to ask Cao Chenghui for help.
Cao Chenghui had an ordinary appearance, but possessed a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes that gave her a shrewd look. She chuckled twice and took the initiative to continue the conversation.
“Our Eastern Palace is small, and everyone usually just stays in their rooms embroidering and reading. With the long winter, it’s rare to have the chance to go out. Consort Xi has been in the palace for a month now, hasn’t she? I’m sure she hasn’t seen any of the scenery here yet!”
Once she starts talking, she goes on and on, but it never gets boring.
"When I was a palace maid, I often traveled between different palaces. The red plum blossoms in Renshou Palace, the peonies in Yanxi Palace, the chrysanthemums in Shoukang Palace, and the bamboo grove in Jingyang Palace all had their own unique scenery!"
These words aroused a sense of longing in everyone, both inside and outside the hall.
Song Xibai thought that she had indeed been a bit bored lately, and since she had nothing better to do, going out for a stroll to change her mood would be nice, so she smiled and agreed.
Then, Song Xibai changed her clothes, put on a thick cloak, and went out with Wei Hong.
The group, accompanied by eight or nine palace maids and old women, walked out of the main gate of the East Palace and turned north along the western path.
The plum grove that Du Chenghui mentioned was located between Renshou Palace and the East Palace.
The Empress Dowager loved plum blossoms, so when the Emperor ascended the throne, she did not move to the Cining Palace, which was originally the Empress Dowager's residence, but instead moved to the Renshou Palace in the east.
Although it's called a plum grove, it wasn't originally that big; it was just two rows of trees planted on both sides of the road.
After the Empress Dowager moved in, she had many changes made to the front of Renshou Palace, and dozens of plum trees were planted one after another.
Not only that, but they also specially diverted water from outside the palace to create an artificial river with nine bends and eighteen turns among the plum trees.
Although it's called a river, it's actually only three meters wide and two meters deep. Inside the palace, it's known as the Plum Blossom Canal.
Wooden bridges were built at both the east and west ends of the Plum Blossom Canal.
Song Xibai was standing on the wooden bridge to the west, and his eyes lit up as he looked at the bright red plum blossoms in front of him.
"Isn't the view nice?"
Cao Chenghui stood behind her and asked with a smile.
Song Xibai nodded: "There is no trace of artificial craftsmanship in this ditch. It seems to have been formed naturally, and it is very natural. The plum blossoms have a wonderful fragrance that is intoxicating."
Cao Chenghui laughed out loud: "Xi Liangdi is also a lover of flowers!"
The two chatted idly, while Du Chenghui on the other side remained unusually silent.
It was a bit cold standing on the bridge, so Song Xibai only stayed for a short while before crossing to the other side.
Cao Chenghui took a step to catch up, but after only two steps, he suddenly exclaimed, "Ouch!"
"My handkerchief..."
Her shout drew everyone's attention.
As soon as Song Xibai turned around, she saw her standing on tiptoe and looking into the water: "Quickly help me retrieve the handkerchief!"
The accompanying palace maids and servants instinctively looked towards the water.
Song Xibai frowned slightly, about to speak, when suddenly something unexpected happened!
A figure bumped into her from behind.
Song Xibai didn't have time to dodge, but Wei Hong reacted immediately, stepping aside to block Song Xibai.
The young palace maid did not flinch at all and charged straight at Wei Hong.
At the same time, another figure pounced on Song Xibai from the side.
Du Chenghui!
Song Xibai's expression turned cold, and she raised her hand to push him away.
But when Du Chenghui lunged at her, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his body abruptly halting its forward momentum, and instead fell backward.
Song Xibai's heart skipped a beat.
There's a water channel behind it!
It just snowed, and it's so cold. What would happen if someone fell into the water?
She instinctively reached out, wanting to grab Du Chenghui.
Du Chenghui, who had been resolute, was stunned when he saw Song Xibai suddenly reach out his hand.
In that moment of distraction, she missed Song Xibai's help and fell straight backward.
Then, with a splash, he fell into the water, creating a large spray of water.
Song Xibai was both angry and anxious. She lifted her skirt and was about to jump into the water, but Wei Hong held her tightly.
"Master! It's freezing cold, you mustn't catch a chill! Let me go!"
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