Yin Qingyi only brought Chunlan with her. Chunlan led Yin Qingyi around several courtyards, which were probably the residences of other princesses and concubines, before stopping in front of a square and grand courtyard.
"This humble servant has come to pay her respects to the Princess Consort. Please inform her, Granny." Yin Qingyi stopped at the door, bowed slightly, and spoke respectfully.
"Please wait a moment, Lady Yin. This old servant will go in and report." The old woman looked down at Yin Qingyi, gave a not-so-standard bow, and then turned and went inside.
Yin Qingyi remained calm, showing no anger at being slighted. Chunlan, seeing this, dared not say anything more. She vaguely felt that her princess was not just beautiful without any cunning, so following the princess would surely be the right thing to do.
"Please come in, Lady Yin." The old nanny came out shortly afterward. She didn't make things difficult for Lady Yin. After all, what was there for the mistress to make things difficult for a young lady who had just entered the manor? Unlike Lady Li, who had already given birth to several children and was still favored by the master.
Yin Qingyi quietly followed her inside. The room was quiet because today was not a formal day for paying respects. The princess consort followed the example of the palace and only paid respects on the fifth day of each month. Today happened to be an exception, so only Yin Qingyi was there.
"This humble servant, Yin, greets the Fujin." Yin Qingyi had already mentally prepared herself, so she knelt down without any reluctance and performed a grand salute to the Fujin.
"Sister, please get up. Now that you've entered the manor, we're all sisters. There's no need for such a grand ceremony. You should just focus on bearing children for our master." The Fujin's voice was very gentle. If Yin Qingyi hadn't known the Fujin's temperament well, she probably would have believed that the Fujin was a gentle person.
"Yes, Your Highness, I will obey your words." Yin Qingyi replied respectfully.
"Raise your head and let this princess consort see you." The princess consort looked at Consort Yin, who kept her head down and could only see the top of her black head. She thought of the news from the palace that Consort Yin was a stunning beauty. She wanted to see just how stunning she was and whether she could outshine Consort Li.
Yin Qingyi slowly raised her head. While the Fujin was looking her over, she also glanced at the Fujin out of the corner of her eye. Hmm, she was indeed a dignified-looking woman. To put it bluntly, she was plain-looking with no special features. She was the kind of woman who would be easily lost in a crowd.
The Fujin looked at Consort Yin, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Although she was a beauty, she wasn't as exaggerated as the rumors in the palace. Compared to Consort Li, she seemed somewhat inferior. Disappointment flashed across her eyes. It seemed that it was impossible to use Consort Yin to overthrow Consort Li. However, Consort Yin had the advantage of youth. Consort Li was almost thirty (Consort Li: You're only thirty! I'm only twenty-four!), while Consort Yin was only sixteen. If she grew up in a couple more years, she might be able to squeeze Consort Li out of the top.
"Hmm, she is indeed a beauty in the making." The princess consort withdrew her gaze, her tone still gentle.
"You flatter me, Your Highness," Yin Qingyi replied, feigning shyness.
"You arrived late yesterday. Is there anything you're dissatisfied with about Luoxue Pavilion? Or is there anything you're lacking? Just tell me," the Fujin asked, looking down at Yin Qingyi.
"Replying to Your Highness, this concubine is quite comfortable here and has not lacked anything." Even if Yin Qingyi was really not comfortable here, she would not actually say so. Your Highness was just asking according to etiquette. If you were to give a detailed account, wouldn't that be foolish?
"Alright, I'm tired too. You can go back now. If you need anything, just tell Granny Li." Seeing this, the Fujin didn't want to say anything more. She had already met the person, so she decided to leave.
"Yes, this concubine will take her leave." Yin Qingyi rose and withdrew.
After returning to Luoxue Pavilion with Chunlan, she quickly asked Qiuju to fetch the meal. She hadn't eaten much last night and had been starving since she went to pay her respects to the Fujin early this morning.
"Princess, have a couple of pastries to tide you over. I'll go get your meal right away." Qiuju took out the pastries and placed them on the table, then immediately went to get the meal. The princess hadn't eaten much last night, so she was finally ready to eat today.
No one dared to make things difficult for Qiuju when she went to fetch the meal. After all, this Lady Yin had just entered the mansion, and no one knew whether she would gain favor or not. Naturally, they wouldn't deduct anything from Lady Yin's things so quickly, so Qiuju returned soon.
After Qiuju returned and cleaned up the mess, Yin Qingyi sat at the table and ate happily the four dishes and one soup: braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, steamed fish, and chicken soup. When you're hungry, everything tastes delicious, especially since these dishes were indeed tasty. Although Yin Qingyi ate very quickly, she did not behave in any way.
"Let's get ready, I'm going to rest for a while." After eating and drinking her fill, Yin Qingyi felt a little sleepy. It was still early, around eight or nine in the morning. According to her 21st-century sleep schedule, she would still be dreaming.
Time flowed by like water. In the first few days after entering the manor, Yin Qingyi was somewhat nervous, but a month passed, and the manor was peaceful. Yin Qingyi gradually relaxed, perhaps because the source of unrest hadn't returned. Every time Yin Qingyi went to pay her respects, she disguised herself in an inconspicuous way. Even so, she still received a few sarcastic remarks from Li Shi. If they weren't both concubines, Yin Qingyi would likely have been punished. At these times, Yin Qingyi was incredibly grateful that she had entered the manor early; if she had been two or three years later, Li Shi would already be a secondary consort, and she wouldn't have the good life she had now. However, this good life ended today, because that source of unrest had returned…
"Princess, get up quickly! The Prince is back today. The other princesses got up early to get ready. You should get up too, the Prince will be here soon." Over the past month, Chunlan had discovered that her princess was easy to get along with and wouldn't easily lose her temper with the servants or punish them at the drop of a hat. As a result, she had become bolder. At this moment, she grabbed Yin Qingyi and pulled her straight out of bed.
"Oh dear Chunlan, even if the Prince comes back, he won't come to me. What's the use of dressing up so beautifully?" Yin Qingyi hugged Chunlan and held her hand, her eyes closed, clearly not wanting to get up.
"Even so, you should dress up nicely so that the Prince can see you. That way, after the Prince goes to the Princess Consort's place, he might come to you tomorrow." Chunlan knew that Yin Qingyi was right. She didn't dare to hope that the Prince would come to her mistress's place tonight. If the Prince really came, she would be afraid, after all, it would be a loss of face for the Princess Consort!
"Chunlan, I'm not bragging, but with my face, I don't need any makeup to stand there and I'm the most eye-catching person. If you dress me up again, what will the others do?" Yin Qingyi was not modest at all when she was bragging, after all, she had been looking at this face for a month and still often lost in thought.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
