Chen Guiyi and Qin Weixi nodded with a smile: "I see..."
Qin Weixi hurriedly came out of the bed curtains after seeing the pale yellow corner peeking out from under the jade pillow. He then saw a stack of finely stitched new undergarments on the flower table, each stitch made by Pu Niang.
Qin Weixi turned around and asked, "Did Pu Niang make me new clothes again?"
She sighed softly again: "Puniang, I can't wear all the clothes you made for me in all four seasons. I told you to rest whenever you have free time, and not to make any new clothes for the next year... no more than three years."
Qin Weixi's voice was soft, but her last sentence was filled with undeniable firmness, and she had completely forgotten about the "bellyband incident" from earlier.
Pu Niang walked over with a beaming smile, a smile that accentuated the wrinkles around her eyes that had been etched by time. But Qin Weixi thought Pu Niang's smile was the most beautiful she ever looked.
Seeing that Pu Niang did not respond, she did not pursue the matter further, but thought to herself that she just needed to make sure that all the knitwear was taken away.
She asked Pu Niang, "Brother, don't you have a day off today?"
Because on her days off, Luo Ling would come to Tingyuxuan's small dining room to dine with her.
Pu Niang said, "Young Master has been summoned to the palace and specifically instructed me that Miss doesn't need to wait for him."
"They've entered the palace?"
At this point, only the Emperor and Crown Prince Jiang Yuanjun could summon Luo Ling to the palace.
Reflecting on the events at Woxue Pavilion these past few days, the mysterious disappearance of Ma Lianren remains unsolved, and Master Fang of Woxue Pavilion has suddenly fallen ill and closed his doors. Whether it's Woxue Pavilion or the search of the Eastern Depot and other places for Ma Lianren, they all coincidentally choose not to inform Emperor Kang Le of this matter.
In the past, when the emperor was furious, Jiang Yuanjun witnessed the death of Eunuch Abao, who had been with him since childhood, in front of him. Others saw the tattered, blood-stained corpse and arrows piercing the night sky.
Without conclusive evidence to clear the Qin family's name, none of them would go to the palace to meet the emperor.
Qin Weixi pondered for a moment and said to Pu Niang, "Pu Niang, please tell Luo Yuan that when my brother is free after returning home, he should ask the Crown Prince to ask the Empress for some calming incense when he enters the palace tomorrow, on the grounds of having a nightmare."
Pu Niang left as instructed, but did not show any worry about the nightmare. Her willingness to ask Empress Tao for incense must be an excuse to enter the palace.
Qin Weixi thought that if Qingpai specially sent the incense over, then it wouldn't be a bad idea for her to enter the palace again under the pretext of expressing her gratitude.
Two days later, Empress Tao indeed summoned her to the palace.
As dawn broke, the first rays of sunlight illuminated the surrounding world, with its red walls and glazed tiles. Inside the Kunning Palace, with its myriad gates, Qingpai was peeling freshly presented fruits and eating them with Empress Tao, while Empress Tao frowned slightly and waved her hand.
"My eyelids have been twitching badly today."
Qingpai smiled: "Your Majesty, since Young Master Tao is so worried, he still goes out of his way to bring crickets and birds into the palace to please you. It's no wonder you dote on him."
Empress Tao, however, couldn't muster any enthusiasm and simply said, "My nephew is too clever for his own good."
Qingpai smiled and said, "Would you like to light some incense? This incense is calming. Back then, when the Empress couldn't sleep at night, His Majesty searched far and wide for talented people and experts to find this incense."
Upon hearing this, Empress Tao suddenly revealed a bitter smile.
Qingpai added, "I was a little surprised when His Highness the Crown Prince came to ask you for incense a couple of days ago, but then I thought that perhaps Miss Luo also found this incense effective."
Empress Tao raised her head and looked at Qingpai fiddling with the incense burner in the distance. After a while, she watched as a wisp of smoke rose from the burner and said softly, "They've been close friends since they were little. If things can continue like this, it would be good if they could forget about that little girl."
Qingpai paused in her fiddling with the incense burner, then said after a moment, "Your Majesty, time will allow His Highness the Crown Prince to forget everything."
"Is that so?" But Empress Tao didn't think so; no one knows a son better than his mother.
She then said, "My brother has written again. I was thinking that it would be better to send Qingyun to him. Although it is not as comfortable as in the capital, as Qingyun's uncle, my brother may have a way to make him feel at ease staying there."
"Qingpai, what do you think?"
Qingpai, puzzled, laughed and said, "Now that the young master is gone, who will keep the Empress company?"
Empress Tao shook her head: "Qingpai, you don't understand. Qingyun... he might be a variable for my Tao family." She said quietly, gazing at the caged bird on the mother-of-pearl inlaid table beside her.
Seeing her gazing intently at the creature in the cage, Qingpai was about to speak again when a figure in blue slowly approached from outside the hall.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Young master!"
Upon hearing this, Empress Tao snapped out of her reverie, turned to look at Tao Qingyun, and quickly smiled.
"Why are you here? How is Father? Is everything alright at home?"
As they were talking, Tao Qingyun straightened her robes and sat down on the daybed next to Empress Tao.
"I just went to my old... oh, my cousin's place."
Qingpai teased from the side, "It's just as I said, Her Majesty is thinking of you, young master!"
Empress Tao smiled upon hearing this, then pondered for a moment before saying to him, "I was just about to summon you to the palace. Qingyun, a letter has arrived from Yingtian Prefecture. You..."
However, before Empress Tao could finish speaking, Tao Qingyun already understood the situation upon hearing the name Yingtian Prefecture.
He laughed and said, "Is Aunt trying to get rid of me?"
Beneath the palace walls, Qin Weixi, carrying a heavy food box in one hand, slowly walked towards Kunning Palace, led by a palace maid. She then discovered that others besides herself had been summoned to the palace.
She stepped forward, bowed, and handed the food box to Qingpai, asking him to express his gratitude.
Qin Weixi quickly smiled and said, "You flatter me."
Empress Tao looked surprised and asked, "When did Miss Xing learn to make pastries?" Then, with a gentle look in her eyes, she asked, "Did your mother teach you?"
When Qiao Zheng was mentioned, Empress Tao's gaze softened as she spoke of Luo's mother, who lived in Jiangnan and was also her close friend.
Qin Weixi nodded and said generously, "A few days ago, I visited the Empress Dowager at Xiaguang Peak. I also brought her many snacks. Since I was thinking of coming to the palace to see Your Majesty, I must not show favoritism to her."
Empress Tao smiled with pursed lips, while Tao Qingyun waved her folding fan beside her, smiling but saying nothing. However, Qin Weixi felt that the atmosphere when she entered the hall was somewhat subtle, and Tao Qingyun's smile was not genuine.
Qingpai, who had just left, brought two more sweet cheeses with palace maids.
"Your Highness still remembers that the young lady used to love sweets!"
Qin Weixi stood up to thank her and accepted the gift with both hands, but Tao Qingyun ignored her and continued to slowly wave the folding fan in her hand.
Under the watchful eyes of Empress Tao and Qingpai, she picked up a spoon, scooped up a small spoonful, and put it in her mouth. Seemingly subconsciously, she said, "It tastes even better than almond tea."
Qingpai looked puzzled.
Upon seeing this, Qin Weixi quickly stood up from her chair: "It was on Xiaguang Peak that day that Aunt Baozhu made almond tea, but today Aunt Qingpai's sweet cheese tastes even better than that almond tea." As she spoke, a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face.
Empress Tao suddenly realized, nodded and smiled.
Qin Weixi then said to Qingpai, "Aunt, if you see Aunt Baozhu in the future, please don't tell her about this. If Aunt Baozhu finds out about this, she will definitely be angry and stop making almond tea for me."
Qingpai nodded repeatedly, a smile on his face: "I understand, Miss, don't worry."
Empress Tao looked at the two men with great kindness, then pulled Qin Weixi aside and asked him about the various aspects of Jiangnan. Qin Weixi told her everything truthfully. Empress Tao then invited the two men to have a meal in a side hall. After eating sweet cheese and the imperial decree, it was almost dusk when Empress Tao suddenly looked tired. Qingpai brought some calming incense, and Empress Tao said, "If you find it effective, have Qingpai send some more over in a few days."
He added, "I was hoping you could visit Afu, but unfortunately she's been sick these past few days."
"I will come to visit the princess again once she has fully recovered."
Qin Weixi thanked Tao Qingyun and left Kunning Palace together. As she turned around, she looked out of the wide-open palace gates at the magnificent palaces and golden glazed tiles in the distance. Yet, there was no warmth left in her clear and bright eyes.
Only after leaving Kunning did Qin Weixi say, "Third Brother, you seem to be in a bad mood today?"
Tao Qingyun shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips: "You little devil, who can influence your third brother?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Weixi stared at the corner of his mouth and, seeing that the mouth ulcer had disappeared, felt relieved.
Both of them walked silently toward the palace gate. After a while, she suddenly asked, "Third Brother, if it were back in the palace..."
Tao Qingyun turned around upon hearing the voice, intending to listen more closely, but then saw Qingpai walking briskly from behind. She said, "Her Majesty has prepared food for the old Earl Chengyi. Young Master Tao, you should go back to Kunning Palace and wait for a while."
Tao Qingyun suddenly nodded with an unhappy expression. Just as she was about to turn around and ask her, she remembered that there were other people present, and said, "Third Brother can't leave the palace with you. Walk slowly and don't fall."
Qin Weixi smiled when she heard his very caring tone.
Tao Qingyun felt quite at ease on the way after dismissing the palace maids who were leading the way. Besides, she had walked every path in the palace countless times since she was young. However, she hadn't gone far when she was disturbed by a little palace maid assigned by Qingpai, ruining her mood.
The young palace maid led the way quietly with her head bowed, and Qin Weixi followed in silence. When they reached a small garden with artificial hills, she was drawn to a pair of grey and white birds perched on a high rock, nestled together in flight.
She wondered to herself: Do birds also fly together?
She pursed her lips and chuckled inwardly, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a person standing far behind the flower bushes at the back of the artificial hill, dressed in a wide robe with a crimson flying fish design. A veil was also on their head.
Although they were far apart, Qin Weixi had excellent eyesight and recognized the man as Chen Guiyi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
She stopped abruptly.
Opposite Chen Guiyi stood a eunuch wearing a gauze hat, bowing respectfully. Chen Guiyi's expression was quite indifferent.
He stood ramrod straight, a whisk dangling from his arm, held in front of him with a hint of disdain. Then, for some unknown reason, Chen Guiyi slapped the eunuch across the face.
Qin Weixi turned to the young palace maid who was also looking at her with curiosity and asked, "Can you see clearly?"
The palace maid replied respectfully, "Yes, Miss, I can see clearly."
Qin Weixi said, "So it's Eunuch Chen. The other one..." She stopped there and just stared at the little palace maid.
The palace maid suddenly realized: "That's the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. We all call him Eunuch Feng."
Qin Weixi smiled and nodded: "I see. I've heard that Eunuch Chen is usually very peaceful and treats everyone very well. I don't know why he's so angry today."
The palace maid looked puzzled, and seeing that he had been summoned to the palace many times, gained the favor of the Empress, and had no intention of leaving, she waited quietly to the side.
Before long, the eunuch was seen leaving with his back bent, and a pure white dog suddenly appeared from somewhere in the distance. Then, Chen Guiyi bent down and hugged the dog in his arms, lovingly resting his head on the dog's body and gently stroking it with one hand.
Qin Weixi saw all of this and knew he couldn't stay any longer, so he prepared to leave. But then he saw the palace maid suddenly look panicked.
"What's wrong?"
The young palace maid said, "That dog must belong to Her Majesty's palace. Oh no, it must have been left unattended and escaped again."
Qin Weixi still smiled after hearing this: "Since we're almost at the palace gate, I'll just leave you here. You can go find the Empress's beloved dog."
The palace maid hesitated for a moment, and seeing that she was really going to leave on her own, she bowed and took her leave.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
