Chapter 294 A word of enlightenment, the sky clears after the rain
The rain had not stopped yet, and it was dripping like beads that had broken off the string, hitting the glazed tiles in the east courtyard, making a rustling sound.
Xiaoyanzi sat on a pearwood chair by the window, unconsciously stroking a jade pendant in her hand—a gift from Yongqi, which she had tossed into her makeup box last night and, for some mysterious reason, had dug out again this morning. The jade pendant was warm from her body heat, but her heart remained cold.
The crabapple tree outside the window, washed by the rain, looked even greener, but the petals had fallen all over the ground, like a layer of broken rouge, shocking. She thought of Yongqi's bewildered look in the rain last night, and his pale words, "I will give you an explanation," and a hint of bitterness could not help but appear at the corner of her mouth.
Explain? Perhaps the most difficult thing in this world is explaining.
"Princess, Princess!"
Xiao Dengzi's hurried voice came from outside the yard, with a bit of surprise.
The little swallow looked up, a little bewildered. Who would come in this rainy day?
With a creaky sound, the door was pushed open, and Mingyue and Caixia, both covered in damp clothes, walked in. Both were wearing the turquoise palace dresses of Shufangzhai, and their hair and shoulders were wet, obviously having come in the rain.
"Why are you back?" Xiaoyanzi stood up, a little surprised. They had just left the mansion and returned to the palace this morning, so why were they back now?
"Princess," Mingyue panted, still holding a food box in her hand, "We servants were really worried about you, so we asked for leave from Chief Steward Li and came back to see you."
Caixia also nodded, her eyes red: "We are very restless in the palace, always feeling that something bad will happen if you keep it to yourself."
Xiaoyanzi looked at their dusty appearance and felt a warm feeling in her heart, but she said angrily, "Why are you running around? What could happen to me?"
"You said you were fine!" Caixia stepped forward and took Xiaoyanzi's hand. Her hand was cold, still carrying the chill of rain. "Look at your face, it's colder than the rain outside! Are you still thinking about the West Courtyard?"
Xiaoyanzi lowered her head and said nothing.
Mingyue placed the food box on the table and opened it. Inside were several exquisite snacks and a small pot of warm ginger tea. "Princess Ziwei asked the kitchen to make this. She said you got caught in the rain last night, so a bowl of ginger tea would warm you up." She poured a bowl for Xiaoyanzi and handed it to her. "Drink it while it's hot."
Xiaoyanzi took the ginger tea, the warmth spreading from her fingertips to her heart, dispelling some of the chill. She took a sip, the spicy warmth sliding down her throat, causing her to cough twice.
"Princess," Caixia finally couldn't help but speak urgently when she saw that her emotions had calmed down a little. "We discussed this on the way. There are some things we must make clear to you."
Xiaoyanzi looked up at her and motioned her to continue.
"That Chen Zhihua," Caixia said in a low voice, her eyes filled with indignation, "she did it on purpose! She deliberately drugged the wedding wine, deliberately let the maid leak the news, and deliberately caused trouble between you and the prince!"
Mingyue nodded repeatedly at the side: "That's right! She just can't stand you and the prince being so close, and wants to take this opportunity to sow discord between you so that the prince will visit her west courtyard more often!"
Xiaoyanzi's grip on the teacup tightened, her fingertips turning white. She understood all this, didn't she? But while the logic was the truth, the hurdle in her heart wasn't so easy to overcome.
"I know," she whispered, a hint of fatigue in her voice.
"You know you're still stuck in a dead end!" Caixia stamped her feet anxiously. "Princess, you can't fall for her tricks!" She leaned close to Xiaoyanzi and said earnestly, "She's deliberately trying to ruin your relationship with the prince, but you won't! You must get along well with the prince, so well that she'll be jealous and helpless!"
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Xiaoyanzi's ears.
She suddenly looked up at Caixia. Caixia's face flushed with excitement, but her eyes shone with sincerity. Mingyue nodded vigorously beside her, "Caixia is right! The more miserable you are, the more proud she will be. You have to be happy and live a good life with the prince. That's the best way to fight back against her!"
Xiaoyanzi stared at them blankly, feeling as if something had hit her heart.
Yeah, why didn’t she figure it out?
Chen Zhihua had put so much thought into this, wasn't it just to see her and Yongqi become enemies, wasn't it just to take advantage of the opportunity to gain power? If she really kept dwelling on this, and kept the cold war with Yongqi, wouldn't that be playing into her hands?
Her past life experiences taught her that retreating and wallowing in pain were the most useless things. If you want to protect something, you have to fight for it, grab it, and hold it firmly in your hands.
She looked at the rain outside the window. The rain seemed to be a little lighter, and there was even a faint ray of light from the sky between the dark clouds.
"You're right." Xiaoyanzi took a deep breath, her eyes gradually brightening, like stars washed by rain. "I can't let her get away with it."
She put down the ginger tea in her hand and stood up. Her moon-white dress was a little wrinkled from sitting for a long time, but her upright posture showed a renewed energy.
"When has my little swallow ever suffered such a loss?" A familiar, slightly cunning smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "She wants to play, so I'll play with her. Let's see who wins and who loses in the end!"
Mingyue and Caixia breathed a sigh of relief and smiled when they saw that she had figured it out.
"This is the princess we know!" Mingyue said with a smile.
"That's right!" Caixia also said, "Don't worry, we in the palace will also help you keep an eye on the activities in the West Courtyard. If anything happens, we will let you know immediately."
Xiaoyanzi looked at them and felt warm in her heart. It was great to have these people around to support her no matter what happened.
"Alright, hurry back to the palace, lest you get discovered and cause more trouble," Xiaoyanzi urged. "Thank Ziwei for me. I'll accept the snacks."
"Okay, okay." Mingyue and Caixia knew that they should not stay for long, so they packed up the food boxes, gave a few more instructions, and then left reluctantly.
After they left, Xiaoyanzi walked to the window and opened it. The air after the rain was especially fresh, carrying the fragrance of earth and crabapple blossoms. The dark clouds had dispersed considerably, revealing a clear blue sky. There was even a faint rainbow hanging over Prince Rong's mansion.
She took a deep breath, as if to expel all the depression in her chest.
"Little Dengzi!" she shouted.
"Hey! I'm here!" Little Dengzi hurried over from the corridor, holding an oil-paper umbrella in his hand.
"Go to the west courtyard and see if the prince is here." Xiaoyanzi ordered, her tone calm but with an unquestionable power.
Little Dengzi was stunned for a moment, then he reacted and his eyes lit up: "Yes! I'll go right away!" He ran away happily, his steps much lighter than usual.
Xiaoyanzi looked at his back and the smile on her lips deepened.
Yongqi, it's time to settle our accounts. But it's not a cold war, it's... we need a different approach.
She turned back to her room, walked to the dressing table, opened the makeup box, and took out the jade pendant she had thrown in. The jade pendant was warm and smooth, with a small "Qi" character engraved on it.
She picked up the jade pendant, tied it again with the red string, and gently put it around her neck, close to her chest.
A warm touch came, like Yongqi's body temperature.
In this life, she would never let anyone destroy her happiness again. Not even Chen Zhihua or any other evildoers.
Under the crabapple tree in the east courtyard, a bright ray of skylight was reflected in the small puddle formed by rainwater.
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