The Imperial Noble Consort was sitting upright on a large Huanghuali armchair. She had just seen the Emperor off, and the smile on her beautiful face instantly disappeared.
The head maid Yi Qian quietly entered the palace, stepped forward to pay her respects, and reported: "Your Highness, the Emperor did not go to Fengyang Palace this time, but went directly back to Qinzheng Palace."
The Imperial Concubine's solemn expression finally softened. She raised her phoenix eyes, narrowed them, and ordered, "Bring Princess Jinyi here."
Yi Qian withdrew in response, leaving only the faint scent of incense rising and spreading from the magnificent palace. The silent atmosphere was broken only when Princess Jinyi entered to pay her respects. Princess Jinyi slowly walked to a place not far from the Imperial Concubine and stopped, "Your son pays his respects to your mother."
The Imperial Concubine had been smiling since Princess Jinyi entered. Seeing Princess Jinyi bow, she raised her hand and said, "Stop being so polite. There's no need to be polite in front of your mother. Come on, serve Princess Jinyi her favorite cheese."
Then he beckoned Princess Jinyi to come closer, then took her hand and asked with concern, "How is it? Have you been sleeping well these past two days? It's still hot in early autumn, but you can't be too greedy for coolness, understand?"
Princess Jinyi had a sweet smile on her face, her eyes full of admiration. She snuggled up to the Imperial Noble Consort's side, hugged her arm and said coquettishly, "Mother, I'm not a child anymore. I'm almost seven years old."
The Imperial Noble Consort gently tapped Princess Jinyi's nose and said affectionately, "Oh, Jinyi, you're almost seven years old. You're such a little kid, and you already dislike your mother's nagging."
Princess Jinyi covered her mouth and giggled, and the Imperial Noble Consort also laughed so hard that her body shook. Yiqing brought the cheese. Princess Jinyi took the green glazed bowl, scooped a spoonful and was about to feed it to the Imperial Noble Consort. The Imperial Noble Consort smiled and ate it. Princess Jinyi leaned against the Imperial Noble Consort and said, "Mother, can we share a bowl?"
The Imperial Noble Consort lowered her eyes and looked at Princess Jinyi, then nodded against her little face. Then the two of them talked while drinking a bowl of yogurt.
The two sat for a while, and then the Imperial Concubine led Princess Jinyi to the pavilion in the courtyard. They sat opposite each other, each holding a chess piece, and continued playing chess until dusk. Princess Jinyi naturally stayed for dinner. The emperor did not come at dinner, and the palace servants reported that he had gone to Concubine Li's place.
At night, Princess Jinyi came out of the Imperial Noble Consort's Changle Palace and slowly went to her own Yiyue Palace. The night was dark without a trace of moonlight, and the palace maids who were leading the way with lights in front could not see Princess Jinyi's expression clearly.
Princess Jinyi finally took advantage of the dark night to look in the direction of Fengyang Palace. She had only glanced at it a few times in the past few years, had never been to the palace gate, and had never mentioned Queen Jing'an in Fengyang Palace.
Everyone thought that she had forgotten her biological mother, and the Imperial Noble Concubine also thought that she didn't remember, so the Imperial Noble Concubine's treatment of her changed from being indifferent at the beginning to being intimate now.
But how could she forget? She had such a good mother. If it wasn't for protecting her, her mother wouldn't stay indoors and not see her.
Princess Jinyi took a look and then looked away. She originally wanted to take a sedan chair back to Yiyue Palace, but in order to take a look at Fengyang Palace, she ate an extra bowl of rice. She took the excuse of taking a walk to digest the food and was helped by the palace maids to walk back to Yiyue Palace.
After Princess Jinyi left, the Imperial Concubine sat at her dressing table, removing her pearl rings. She touched her face, and saw fine lines around her eyes. The bronze mirror didn't reflect clearly, but she could still see them. The Imperial Concubine picked up a box of rouge from the table and threw it to the ground, her face full of sternness.
All the palace maids who were attending the ceremony knelt down, and Yi Qian also knelt down with her head lowered, not daring to speak.
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