Gui Erlang, Qin Weixi casually remarked, "Later..."
It's a large, fleshy clay doll, nothing special, but it was quite popular in Beijing when she was young. Back then, many children loved Huishan clay figurines.
She held it in her hand, examining it for a moment before putting it back. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small, inconspicuous character under the clay doll. The character seemed to have been carved on later, and the writing was not very clear. She immediately touched it with her fingertip.
"What is this?" Liang Xi's eyes widened, and she exclaimed in surprise, her mind suddenly going blank.
She immediately put the clay doll back in its place, locked it, and then threw the key back on the ground, restoring everything to its original position.
Liang Xi didn't know how she got out of the princess's palace. She felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat. She leaned against the pillars outside the palace gate and bit her lower lip hard, feeling as if she was about to faint.
At this moment, the palace maids who had gone to look for the dog also returned one after another. The one in the lead, holding the hunting dog, saw her unusual condition and hurried over: "Miss Liang, are you alright?"
The hunting dog charged straight at her. She cried out again, quickly took a few steps back, and waved her hands, saying, "It's alright, I'm fine."
The palace maid who had gone to fetch her cool tea and candied fruit returned to her chambers. Upon seeing Liang Xi, she hurriedly said, "Miss Liang, your clothes are all wet. Quickly drink some cool tea to dispel the heat." As the palace maid spoke, her gaze followed Liang Xi's ear, her expression filled with envy.
Upon hearing this, Liang Xi looked down at her clothes and subconsciously said, "No, it's not necessary."
But she found herself dressed in a pale yellow silk robe, the very color that Qin Weixi, the daughter of the Qin family, loved most. Many people, when speaking of the two young ladies from the imperial Jiang family and the aristocratic Qin family, would praise them as the two beauties of the capital.
Those scions of noble families treated the Qin family daughters exceptionally well, and the princess treated her like a sister; the two were inseparable. When news of the Qin family's rebellion broke, Qin Weixi was in Jiangnan and had not yet returned to the capital. The princess, disregarding her own status as a noblewoman, knelt for her in the snowy night, and from then on, she wept every day, developing a leg ailment that has never fully healed to this day.
From then on, she consciously tried to emulate Qin Weixi's every smile and gesture. But no matter how hard she tried, she could never fit into their small circle, whether in childhood or adulthood.
The Chu, Qin, and Luo families are three great families that have contributed to the rise of the new emperor. But her Liang family has been by the emperor's side for a long time, and her father has devoted himself to the emperor. In what way is she inferior to them?
But now she can't see through it all.
Truth and falsehood are intertwined; what is real and what is fake?
Thinking of this, she hurriedly sought out a palace maid to take her to a place in the palace where she could change clothes. After the past events came vividly to her mind and her heart was calm for a long time, she put the pair of tourmaline earrings that were hanging from her ears into her purse before going to the Imperial Garden to find the princess.
Jiang Yuanfu said calmly, "Get up."
Liang Xi's lips trembled slightly, and when she looked up again, her face was deathly pale: "Your Highness, knowing that this earring belongs to a daughter of the Qin family, I dream of my second brother every day. My second brother from Penglai was brutally murdered here by bandits, and it's hard to say whether it wasn't a descendant of the Qin family seeking revenge. The Qin family harbors an unbearable hatred for the Liang family. It's pitiful that my second brother died young, and my parents' hair has turned gray prematurely. Your Highness, you once risked your own noble status to win the heart of a daughter of the Qin family, but will she truly appreciate it?"
She lowered her head and pushed the purse containing the earrings forward a little more: "These tourmaline earrings should have belonged to Your Highness back then, shouldn't they?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuanfu stood up abruptly.
The palace maids, who had originally danced at the sound of music, found the atmosphere in the Jueyuan Garden unusual, and the princess's attendant, Zishu, also looked extremely unwell. They all wisely withdrew.
She continued, "Over the years, I have accompanied Your Highness to Xiaguang Peak to watch you copy the calligraphy left by the late Emperor. Every time, I feel heartbroken. Back then, everyone said that the old Duke of Dingguo was heartless and ungrateful, and that in his later years he had a falling out with the old Marquis of Jingning, which also caused the late Emperor to be depressed..."
Before Liang Xi could finish speaking, Qin Weixi suddenly grabbed a wine glass and hurled it at her.
Wine spilled all over her face, and droplets of water trickled down her temples. Liang Xi stared at her wide-eyed in disbelief.
Qin Weixi looked at her coldly, feeling only amusement in her heart.
Compared to the lives of over a hundred members of the Qin family and the seventy thousand Qin soldiers who perished, Liang Xi was utterly insignificant. Yet, she had told Miao that she was no saint; she was not incapable of seeking revenge or redressing grievances, and she was not incapable of settling scores later.
However, Qin Weixi casually remarked, "This is a sacred place for the inner palace; don't spout nonsense!" Then she glanced at the so-called earring that Liang Xi was holding tightly in his palm.
She recalled Liang Lang's coming-of-age ceremony that day, and the pair of bright earrings that swayed on Liang Xi's earlobes.
During the reign of the late emperor, a pair of unique tourmaline earrings were brought to the palace from Japan. The late emperor immediately presented them to the late empress.
Those tourmaline earrings were quite meaningful; one was set in gold, and the other was set in gold, yet they were two pieces of one.
Empress Zhao once said that the un-gold-set one was worn by a woman when she came of age, while the gold-set one was worn by a woman when she got married, symbolizing a woman's complete life from girlhood to womanhood.
Strangely, when the gemstone earrings collided, they formed a colorful halo under the refraction of sunlight.
Such a unique and precious item was once the object of envy and covetousness among women of noble families. However, in the hands of a queen, no one dared to covet it, only admire it. After changing hands several times, it finally came into the hands of Qin Heng's daughter, Qin Weixi, a little over a month after the death of the old Duke of Qin.
One may enjoy the emperor's favor and the emperor's power and wealth, but one day the edifice will crumble and no single pillar can save it.
When the Qin family was raided, the tourmaline earrings that had been the envy and covetous possession of daughters of prominent families disappeared along with them.
Jiang Yuanfu stood up and said coldly, "Liang Xi, have you lost your mind?"
Liang Xi looked up in surprise.
Could she have misunderstood?
Qin Weixi also rose, standing beside Jiang Yuanfu and looking at Liang Xi with a half-smile: "The color of this purse... Miss Liang, how can someone as beautiful as you be worthy of such a vulgar item? Which woman in this garden today isn't from a noble family, and which man outside isn't a prince or nobleman? What is your purpose in using the fact that the princess of our Great Xia Kingdom suffers from a leg ailment as a topic of conversation?" She lowered her gaze to the purse in Liang Xi's hand and smiled: "Purses are usually carried on one's person. Is it a spur-of-the-moment thing for you to present this treasure at this crucial juncture, or is it intentional?"
Among the intelligent young ladies present, those from prominent families immediately discerned the hidden meaning in Qin Weixi's words.
This is blatantly saying that the Liang family girl is all show and no substance, and to put it bluntly, she's just a pretty face with no substance.
Compared to the intrigue and power struggles within the Imperial Garden, the real battleground was in the Eastern Palace.
After all the civil and military officials finished their audience with the Crown Prince, the annual ritual of singing, dancing, fine wine, and delicious food began. The officials flattered and fawned, each harboring their own ulterior motives.
Behind the clear pond outside the garden, Ping An, hiding behind a large tree, frowned upon hearing the commotion in the Imperial Garden and quickly tiptoed away.
He rushed to the East Palace and found Tao Qingyun, his face full of urgency: "Where is Cousin Chu? Where is Cousin Chu?" But no one noticed that he was unusually fluent now, unlike his usual slow pace.
He had met his cousin Chu at the Empress's palace today, and Chu had entrusted him with a very important matter. But now, looking up at all these people, he couldn't help but frown.
Only his cousins Tao and Luo, and the Crown Prince who was staring blankly at a pencil case, were people he was familiar with.
Tao Qingyun, having drunk several rounds, sobered up immediately after being involved with Ping An: "What's wrong? Why are you looking for him? When did you two become so close!"
Ping An immediately grabbed his sleeve with one hand and covered her nose with the other: "You, come with me!"
Inside the Eastern Palace, singing and dancing filled the air, wine was drunk and conversation flowed freely, the sounds of peace barely audible. Tao Qingyun craned her neck to listen: "What did you say!"
Ping An's little face turned red with anxiety. She stomped her foot and shouted, "Someone is bullying... Sister and Xiao Xing!" Ping An put in all her strength this time, and Liang Lang, who was sitting not far away with his brother at the banquet, and Jiang Yuanjun, who was staring blankly at a pen box, heard it clearly.
Tao Qingyun was taken aback. Ping An looked around but couldn't see Chu Yening, so she immediately left the garden.
On an old locust tree with a dense canopy, Chu Yening lay casually on the branch of the tree, one hand behind his head, a blade of grass in his mouth, his eyes closed.
Ping An searched the garden two or three times, sweating profusely with anxiety. It was Chu Yening who heard his panting and opened his eyes. Seeing it was Ping An, he immediately threw away the foxtail grass in his mouth, his expression hardening as he asked, "I'm here! What happened?"
Jiang Yuanjun, Tao Qingyun, and Liang Lang soon followed. Luo Ling had just seen the Crown Prince leave his seat and wanted to follow him, but was stopped by the ministers. Jiang Yuanjun said, "I'll be right back," and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Before Ping An could catch her breath and speak, everyone saw Chu Ye Ning immediately climb down the tree and run towards the outside of the East Palace as fast as lightning.
Ping An rubbed his eyes and asked Tao Qingyun, "Where's Cousin Chu?"
Inside the garden, a woman who had been on good terms with the Qin family's sisters-in-law, Zhu Ruo and Qin Weixi, immediately stood up and said, "Didn't Miss Liang wear these tourmaline earrings outside the palace today? And she was also dressed in a light yellow silk dress. I remember that Miss Qin always liked to wear light yellow."
Princess Jiang Rong of Yongtai, who was on good terms with Li Chuirong, suddenly spoke up: "So what? Who can guarantee that no one will wear the same clothes today?" She looked at Qin Weixi: "If others can't wear it, why can this Luo family girl?"
Pei Qing, who had been silent all day in the Imperial Garden, suddenly stood up and walked out, laughing, "What a coincidence, what a wonderful coincidence!"
Zhao Shuhan also stood up and looked coldly at Jiang Rong, saying, "Xiao Xing and Jiang Rong have been close friends since childhood, like sisters. How can you question them! Should I go to Xiaguang Peak right now and invite my great-aunt to judge this?"
I recall the Empress Dowager, who was observing a vegetarian feast at Xiaguang Peak, and how a single glance from her could command the solemnity of the entire court.
Everyone was speechless.
So what if she's the daughter of Prince Jing's heir? No matter how noble she is, can she be as noble as the Empress Dowager who resides on Xiaguang Peak? Besides, Zhao Shuhan is from the Empress Dowager's maternal family.
But Zhao Shuhan, who was usually quiet, clearly had no intention of stopping there. She bowed to Jiang Yuanfu and said, "The Qin family's daughter has been gone for many years, but the controversies have never stopped in the past ten years. Back then, whether it was her or Xiaoxing, who could escape the criticism? Are all descendants of meritorious officials wrong? If the late emperor were still alive, wouldn't you feel ashamed to see this?"
She swept her gaze across the crowd in the garden: "Women are confined to this world, spending their days vying for favor and jealousy, merely moving from one mansion to another, leading mediocre and uneventful lives!"
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