The sun was shining brightly. Li Shiyue stood there, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she looked in the direction Xu Lingwan had left. Little did she know that her appearance was being observed by others.
Xu Yunci stood with his hands behind his back, remaining silent until Li Shiyue noticed him. He then finally stepped forward and walked up to her. He didn't mention what he had just said: "I've come to fetch you so you can pay your respects to the Empress."
“Grandmother has difficulty walking, and Mother has many things to do. Eldest sister said you should come with me.”
Entering the palace, Li Shiyue subconsciously glanced at her clothes. Fortunately, it was the Lantern Festival today, so she wasn't dressed too casually.
Upon entering the imperial city, in the Chonghua Palace, a man in a magnificent yellow brocade robe sat beside Crown Princess Xu Lingyu. He looked serious and seemed to be talking to her, his eyes overflowing with tenderness. It was as if no one else could be accommodated between them.
This must be the Crown Prince Qin Zhao, wearing a pure gold crown. He immediately spotted Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue, who were being led in by a maid. After receiving their greetings, he looked at Li Shiyue, his eyes no longer showing the tenderness he usually showed his wife, and said with a polite smile, "This must be my cousin Yan Yan. I was held up by some business last time, please forgive me."
Who would dare blame the Crown Prince? Besides, when she left Chonghua Palace that time, her Chengyu Pavilion was almost overflowing with gifts from the Crown Princess, leaving no room to even step.
Li Shiyue quickly curtsied and replied respectfully, "Your Highness is too kind. I dare not presume."
"Don't scare Yan Yan, she's a big, burly guy. Let the men catch up while we sisters have a private chat."
The Crown Princess smiled playfully at the Crown Prince, who understood and rose to leave the study with Xu Yun. After dismissing the others, the Crown Princess took Li Shiyue's hand and said, "You look better than when you last entered the palace."
Li Shiyue touched her cheek shyly: "I've gained some weight. My aunt has been sending me different kinds of food every day, and I've definitely been indulging myself these past few days."
“That’s good, otherwise you’re too thin. I heard from Erlang that you caught a cold when you first arrived in the capital. It took you so long to get here. If you don’t take good care of yourself, what will happen if you develop a chronic illness?”
A maidservant approached with two bowls of glutinous rice balls. The Crown Princess glanced at them and asked, "Have you sent any to His Highness and the Heir Apparent?"
The maid replied, "Your Majesty, it has already been sent."
The Crown Princess took one of the bowls and handed it to Li Shiyue. Li Shiyue was so startled that she tried to get up, but the Crown Princess pressed her back down: "Don't be afraid. We're just the two of us sisters. We don't need to be so formal in private."
"Hurry up and try it. These glutinous rice balls were cooked with someone watching the time, just in case you and Erlang didn't get to eat them hot."
Li Shiyue accepted it shyly. In front of her cousin, the Crown Princess, she was like a docile cat. She didn't need to worry about anything; she just needed to snuggle up next to her, which made her feel so at ease.
Just as one was used, a maidservant with her head bowed walked in from behind the golden curtain: "Your Majesty, someone from Pixiang Palace has come to invite Miss Biao, saying that the Imperial Concubine wishes to see Miss Biao."
The Crown Princess's smile gradually faded as she glanced at the maid who had delivered the message: "Did she say anything else?"
The maid shook her head.
The Crown Princess remained silent for a while: "Since it was the Imperial Concubine who sent someone to invite you, you can't very well refuse."
He reached out and summoned his trusted maid: "Qing Suo, you go with Yan Yan. It will be inconvenient if you enter the palace without a maid by your side and something happens."
Qing Suo was one of the Crown Princess's maids who accompanied her to the palace. Receiving a glance from the Crown Princess, she quickly walked up to Li Shiyue and said, "Don't worry, Miss, I'll be with you."
Li Shiyue was naturally moved. Although the Imperial Concubine was the Emperor's concubine, she was still a concubine. The Crown Princess, on the other hand, was the Crown Prince's principal wife and the future Empress. There was no reason for her to pay her respects to a concubine.
However, the Crown Princess did not leave her alone. Instead, she summoned her trusted confidante to accompany her, also out of concern that something might happen to her in front of the Consort.
She stood up and said, "Don't worry, cousin. With Aunt Qing Suo here, I'll be right back."
Chonghua Palace is located in the outer city, while Consort Fu's Pixiang Palace is in the inner city, which is a long way from there.
After passing through countless palace gates, winding through countless long streets, and gazing upon countless endless vermilion palace walls, the three large characters "Pixiang Hall" finally came into view.
Knowing that Qing Suo was a trusted confidante of the Crown Princess, even Consort Fu, who sat at the head of the table in the Pixiang Palace, was momentarily surprised.
Consort Fu, who had served the emperor for many years, only gave birth to Princess Chunhui, yet she still rose to the rank of First-Rank Consort. Her face was a delicate oval shape, with a beauty mark under her almond-shaped eyes, and her curved eyebrows added a touch of charm.
Beside her stood a pretty young woman, dressed in a lake-blue jacket, her hair styled in a double-looped bun, with the rest falling loose behind her head. The tassels on either side were short, and the pearl necklaces hung down to her ears. Her eyes had not left Li Shiyue since she entered.
Fu Yunning finally met the Xu family cousin mentioned by Princess Chunhui, and carefully examined Li Shiyue from head to toe.
"Your humble servant Li Shiyue greets Your Highness the Imperial Concubine. May Your Highness live a thousand years and be blessed with good fortune."
Li Shiyue lowered her eyes, knelt down and respectfully bowed to pay her respects, her manners impeccable.
She seemed well-behaved and obedient, completely different from the vixen Chunhui had described. Consort Fu smiled and quickly had someone help Li Shiyue up: "I've long heard of Miss Li's name, and today I finally get to meet you in person."
Fu Yunning stepped forward, disregarding whether the two were meeting for the first time, and grasped Li Shiyue's forearm with a smile: "The Crown Princess is famous throughout the capital, and Miss Li is the Crown Princess's own cousin, so naturally she won't be any less impressive."
“My surname is Fu, my given name is Yun Ning, and I am the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Changping. I am seventeen years old this year.”
Li Shiyue subtly avoided the question, smiling slightly: "So it's Miss Fu."
Consort Fu, maintaining her dignity, would not rise just because of Li Shiyue, a mere girl. Sitting on her chaise longue, she smiled and said, "Yun Ning is my niece. I only have Chun Hui. She and her sister keep me company in the Pixiang Palace."
"You two are about the same age, so you'll probably get along well. I've heard you're from Yunzhong County, and Yun Ning happens to be quite curious about it. If you have time, why don't you make an appointment?"
Such enthusiasm upon first meeting—as the saying goes, something unusual must be amiss. Li Shiyue smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She dared not relax her guard over Consort Fu's words, fearing she might cause trouble for Chonghua Palace or for herself.
However, it seemed that Consort Fu invited her here just to see her, as she kept talking to Fu Yunning, as if she wanted to get closer to the two of them.
When Li Shiyue left Pixiang Palace, she was filled with doubts, but she could not confide in anyone at this time.
Fu Yunning glanced at the palace entrance, her guard up. As she chatted and laughed with Consort Fu, her eyes lit up when she saw Princess Chunhui storming in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com