The Kyoto Imperial Palace was built during the reign of the previous emperor, and the materials used were specially selected by the Imperial Household Department from the best warehouses at the emperor's behest. In addition, craftsmen were instructed to build the gardens within the palace according to the blueprints, making them comparable to the imperial gardens within the Forbidden City.
Especially in the center, various flowers are cultivated. Apart from the most noble peony, the colorful peonies bloom most beautifully in the sunlight.
The pattern on the silk robe Fu Yunning was wearing today was mainly peonies. The light silver-white silk robe was embroidered with light red peonies, and it was made of precious gold-threaded satin from the palace.
But there wasn't much joy on her face. Looking at the twin peonies, the palace maid behind her exclaimed in surprise, "I've only ever heard of twin lotus flowers, but there are twin peonies too!"
The palace maid had served her since childhood, which should have been a happy occasion, but when she looked at her mistress, she was startled by Fu Yunning's expression.
Fu Yunning reached out and snapped off the twin peony blossoms, her eyes devoid of warmth: "One bloom is enough; any extras shouldn't exist."
They'll only be an eyesore and cause trouble.
Surrounded by artificial hills, a quiet path paved with pebbles extends to a small bridge over the lake, beneath which a stream flows towards the distant lake.
“My cousin has really changed since she was made a county princess. Now she can accompany my aunt to see my eldest sister alone. On the contrary, we are all sisters, but we can’t accompany her.”
As the voice drew closer, Xu Lingwan placed her hands in front of her, holding a handkerchief in each. As she spoke, she occasionally raised her chin, and that spoiled and arrogant air returned.
She turned to look at Xu Lingzi beside her, her eyes darting around, her thoughts practically written all over her face: "Sixth Sister didn't go either. You and Eldest Sister are the real sisters, Eldest Sister is going too far, only seeing Cousin and not Sixth Sister."
These words were laced with provocation and sounded really harsh. Even Xu Lingqing on the other side turned her head to look at them: "Shi Niang, don't go too far with your words."
Xu Lingwan chuckled softly, not taking Xu Lingqing's reminder to heart. Just as she was about to say something, she met Xu Lingzi's gaze, which lacked its usual kindness. She even saw a resemblance to her second brother in that gaze.
Her lips moved, the words she wanted to say were awkward to say aloud, but swallowing them back was also awkward. Xu Lingwan's expression instantly became somewhat unnatural, and she felt that looking away would make her lose her composure, but when she thought of Xu Lingzi's cool gaze, she still felt that losing face was nothing.
"I think you've fallen back into your old ways." Xu Lingzi's smile faded, and her phoenix eyes, in particular, mimicked half of Xu Yunci's aloof demeanor.
This is in the palace, and there might be spies in some palace. Even if Xu Lingwan has done something wrong, now is not the time to deal with her.
If word gets out, it will only bring shame to the Xu family.
As expected, Fu Yunning appeared from the front with a smile on her face. Upon seeing the three Xu sisters, she feigned surprise: "Sixth Miss Xu, Ninth Miss Xu, Tenth Miss Xu."
"Miss Fu." Xu Lingzi smiled slightly, her frightening appearance from just now completely gone.
Fu Yunning, seeing all this, didn't mention that she had heard everything. She pretended to have just arrived and looked at the three of them casually: "Miss Yan Yan isn't here. I didn't have a chance to talk to her in Yun Guang Palace just now."
“Now that my cousin is a county princess, it’s natural that I should go and pay my respects to my elder sister.” Xu Lingqing looked at Fu Yunning. She seemed unintentional on the surface, but when she heard her mention “county princess”, her smile clearly became somewhat unnatural.
Xu Lingqing sneered inwardly. It seemed that Miss Fu wasn't as aloof as the rumors suggested. Of course, she wouldn't voice her true thoughts, and maintained her smile.
Xu Lingzi naturally noticed this as well, and smiled as she said, "Miss Fu, are you strolling around the garden by yourself? I heard this garden is newly built, why don't we take a walk together?"
Fu Yunning's smile was now completely genuine, and her fingers clenched tightly in her sleeves, keeping herself alert.
Everyone in the capital knew that her aunt, Consort Fu, had been asking the Emperor to bestow upon her the titles of County Princess and Township Lady, but several years had passed and the Emperor had not even nodded in approval.
But Li Shiyue was truly lucky; instead of suffering a fall from her horse, she was granted the title of county princess. And yet, the emperor didn't severely punish Princess Chunhui; such a generous reward made it seem as if the emperor was protecting his daughter and had to compensate her with such a large sum.
But she wasn't stupid. She had been in the Pixiang Palace for several years. Although Consort Fu came from the Changping Marquis's family, in the end, the title of Changping Marquis was obtained through Consort Fu.
As for Consort Fu, she was over fifty years old and only had one princess, yet she still enjoyed the Emperor's favor. Fortunately, she had a beautiful face that resembled the person the Emperor loved; otherwise, she would have long since perished in some side palace.
If she were a county princess, even if she returned home, the Marquis of Changping's household, including his stepmother, would have to consider her position. Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky. Ironically, it was she who instigated sowing discord among Princess Chunhui; wasn't she just shooting herself in the foot?
Moreover, on that day, she mustered up her courage and spoke the words she had kept in her heart for many years, but she did not receive a single word of response from him. He then followed Li Shiyue away.
He just left, right in front of her!
Fu Yunning suppressed her resentment, took two steps forward, and smiled as she agreed: "That would be great. I also heard from my aunt that this garden is nice, so I came to take a look."
"I was a bit too fond of the plum wine in Yunguang Palace earlier, and now I feel dizzy inside. I might as well come out and get some fresh air."
Of the three, Xu Lingzi was the eldest, and as the eldest daughter of the main branch, she was the first to speak, without any hesitation or awkwardness. Her demeanor was dignified and graceful, quite different from the playful Xu Liuniang in the mansion.
Passing through the artificial hill, the cobblestone path led to the small stone bridge. Walking side by side, Fu Yunning was known outside for her dignified and virtuous nature, but in Xu Lingwan's eyes, she seemed more like a hypocrite.
“Just like you, all flowery words and affected manners.” Xu Lingwan lowered her voice and spoke directly to Xu Lingqing beside her, but there was no response at all.
She turned her head to look over, and saw that Xu Lingqing was listening intently to the conversation between the two people in front of him, and hadn't heard what Xu Lingwan was saying at all.
Perhaps Xu Lingwan's gaze was too direct, because Xu Lingqing turned her head with a puzzled look: "What did you say?"
Xu Lingwan was a straightforward person by nature, and she didn't usually show much respect to her cousin, who was close in age to her. Taking advantage of the fact that Xu Lingzi and Fu Yunning were talking and not paying attention to them, she rolled her eyes at Xu Lingqing and said irritably, "Idiot!"
Xu Lingqing was confused and turned her attention back to the two people in front of her.
As Fu Yunning spoke, she veered towards Li Shiyue, but Xu Lingzi was not without brains. She easily realized that Fu Yunning was trying to elicit information from her and subtly shifted the topic away from the conversation, keeping her mouth shut.
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