The carriage swayed slightly, Xia Tong leaned against the wall, slowly turned her head and stopped talking, but her ears were slightly red. Men always say nice things, but she doesn't believe them.
As the carriage gradually became quiet, she secretly went with him to look at the bamboo slips, which were nothing more than some boring geographical curiosities. As she read, she closed her eyes and took a rest.
The Regent Palace was only a quarter of an hour away from the Xiahou Palace. Soon, as the carriage slowly stopped, Qing'er's voice came from outside, "Master, it's cold outside. You are just fine, but you must be careful."
At this time, the man had already warmed her hand. Before she put it down, the man next to her frowned and looked at her, "Does your head still hurt?"
Shaking her head, Xia Tong obediently stopped talking. Gu Qin looked at her for a second before walking away first.
Xia Tong followed closely behind. As she stepped out of the carriage, a gust of cold wind blew in her face. However, the surrounding area was bustling with people. There were also many carriages parked outside the mansion. People coming in and out of the door were all coming to congratulate. After all, the Xiahou Mansion was not only related to the Duke's Mansion by marriage, but her father had also been promoted to the Secretariat. Naturally, no one in the court would refuse to give her this face.
The people who greeted the guests at the door were her uncle Xia Lin and housekeeper Zhou. When the people around saw the carriage of the Prince Regent's Palace, they all made way and stepped aside. The people at the door also came forward immediately, bowing respectfully and saying, "Your Excellency, the Prince Regent has come. If I have not entertained you well, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
The ministers who were coming in and out also stopped and bowed, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The man had a cold expression, as if he didn't want to say a word. There was a gloomy aura surrounding him at all times, which made people feel daunted. Those who had been shrouded in his shadow for a long time didn't even dare to raise their heads.
Xia Tong smiled and said, "Uncle, what are you talking about? How could the prince be the kind of person who is so particular about small matters?"
She felt guilty about what she said, but her uncle immediately agreed with a smile, stepped back a few steps very respectfully and invited the guest in, not caring about the other guests.
"This Fourth Miss Xia seems to be quite favored. The Prince Regent even came along to save face for the old lady."
As they watched the man walk away, some ministers behind him began to discuss in groups of three or four.
"If not for this, how do you think the prince would snatch the person that the queen has chosen?" a minister with a goatee sighed.
Several people around him also echoed, "Xia Zhongshu's promotion was so smooth this time, I'm afraid it was the Regent's contribution."
"It's good that everyone knows it clearly. It's because he has a good daughter." A group of people laughed awkwardly and walked together in twos and threes.
Before the banquet started, Xia Tong went to the female relatives' area, but saw Gu Qin disappear while chatting with several generals. When she arrived at the main hall for receiving female relatives, it was already full of people, who smiled and joked that it was very lively.
But when they saw her come in, everyone was stunned for a moment, and then bowed and saluted, "Greetings, Princess."
The woman still looked elegant and refined, wearing a floor-length dress made of water-blue satin with cloud-like embroidery, which made her look graceful and charming. The outside world only heard that the regent was cruel, but looking at the princess, she seemed to be living a good life.
An acquaintance was sitting in the upper seat. Unlike her usual noisy self, she was now much more dignified and steady. She looked calm and dignified in a gorgeous golden robe with a phoenix-shaped pattern. The playfulness and immaturity in her expression had also faded a lot. She was like a completely different person from before.
"Your servant greets the Crown Princess." Xia Tong bowed slightly. She was half a level lower than the other party.
Looking at the girl, the person sitting in the upper seat quickly stood up and helped her up, suddenly smiling, "Sister Tong, why are you so reserved?"
After that, he held her hand tightly and said softly, "It's been a long time since we last met. Sister Tong, would you like to walk with me?"
Looking at the refreshed woman in front of her, Xia Tong smiled slightly, then followed her and slowly walked out of the main hall.
The cold wind outside was blowing so hard that it hurt people's faces. At this moment, there were only a few kinds of flowers in the garden blooming beautifully. The mansion was extremely busy today. The servants passed by in a hurry, and when they saw the two of them, they stopped to greet them.
Looking at the delicate flowers trembling in the cold wind, Lin Qin's brows were filled with worry, and she suddenly sighed, "If it weren't for the Guanglu Temple incident, Sister Tong would have been my sister-in-law by now."
Looking at this much more mature fake sister, Xia Tong just smiled faintly, "Why do you say that, Crown Princess? Everything in the world is destined, and it is not something that mortals like us can change."
It seems that this plastic sister is not happy to get the Crown Princess she had always dreamed of. Perhaps this position is not as good as she imagined, but since it is her own choice, who can she blame?
"I know Sister Tong is still blaming me, and I am blaming myself too. If I could do it again, many things would be different." Lin Qin suddenly turned around. Even though she pretended to be mature, the impatience between her brows could not be concealed.
The servants behind him retreated several feet and followed him. They looked at each other and saw the regret on each other's faces. Xia Tong couldn't help but chuckle, "Why do you say that, Crown Princess? Isn't this exactly what you want?"
After that, she walked straight ahead again and said indifferently: "Some roads you have walked cannot be turned back. I thought the Crown Princess should be very happy. Finally, no one is competing with you anymore."
Looking at the indifferent figure in front of her, Lin Qin's palms tightened, and she suddenly followed, her face full of apology: "I know I have done many wrong things in the past, I just hope Sister Tong can forgive me, I really want to go back to the time when I was with Sister Tong."
Glancing at her arm being held by the other party, Xia Tong struggled slightly, her expression cold, "When the Crown Princess was plotting against me?"
Lin Qin's expression changed and she looked stunned.
"I have always known who pushed me into this situation in the Grand Tutor's Mansion. Now that you have obtained the position you wanted, why do you have to pretend to be nice here? I have nothing you can plot against. You should think about how to gain the favor of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince instead of pretending to get back together with me. This is meaningless."
After saying that, Xia Tong glanced at her coldly and wanted to go back.
Lin Qin, who had been stunned, suddenly grabbed her arm, with a look of guilt in her eyes, "I know I have done many things that are sorry to Sister Tong, but before I came to the Grand Tutor's Mansion, I had always been sincere to Sister Tong, so I hoped that Sister Tong could marry me. Now I say this not because I hope you can forgive me, but I suddenly remembered that there is no one around me who I can confide my inner thoughts to. Maybe it's retribution. I am sorry to Sister Tong, and you should blame me."
Seeing that the other party had returned to her previous little girl appearance, Xia Tong felt very complicated. Everything has two sides. The other party may have treated her sincerely in the past, but was vulnerable in the face of interests. Now she might want to seek something again, but Xia Tong no longer wanted to continue to pretend to be nice to her, and there was no point in saying these things anymore.
"Crown Princess, please take care of yourself." She said this and turned to leave.
Lin Qin was left standing there alone, staring at the departing figure with obscure eyes.
She also thought that becoming a Crown Princess would bring honor to her mother's family, but now she finds out that some things are not what she imagined at all. The Queen supports Concubine Dong, that woman, who has been suppressing her. His Highness is also not interested in the backyard. Even if he occasionally stays in her room, he always asks about Xia Tong, probably because he thinks that he used to be good friends with her.
Lin Qin didn't understand why everyone liked this woman's appearance. Her brother was like this, the Regent was like this, and even His Highness was like this. She couldn't accept it!
"Master, it's cold outside, you'd better go back first." The maid came forward and said with concern.
She retracted her gaze, glanced at the palace maid, raised her hand to tighten her cloak, and asked casually, "Where is His Highness?"
As soon as the words fell, the palace maid immediately replied respectfully: "His Highness is discussing matters with the Xia Lords in the front hall."
Hearing this, Lin Qin said nothing, but straightened her face and walked back with the help of the palace maid in a serious manner. No matter what, she was the Crown Princess!
Meanwhile, Xia Tong ran into her second aunt before she returned to the main hall. Perhaps it was because she didn't see her second aunt when she came to ask her for help before, so she looked even more weird now. Xia Tong ignored her and went to look for her mother instead.
I don’t know if it’s because the mansion is too small, but before she found her mother, she met the heroine who was being ridiculed.
"Look at her headdress, it was out of fashion last year. How dare a legitimate daughter come to the Xiahou Mansion when she is so shabby?"
"That's right. Look at how much powder and makeup you have on you. That's what the vulgar women are talking about."
In the pavilion, several unmarried girls from aristocratic families were mocking each other. The girl not far away was dressed modestly, had a thin figure, and had a lot of makeup on her face. It seemed that she didn't take the ridicule of some people to heart.
It's only been a few days and I didn't expect the heroine to recover so quickly. However, it can be vaguely seen that she is not in a very good spirit. She put on so much makeup probably to cover up the haggardness on her face. Seeing her, Xia Tong didn't want to go over, for fear of being asked about the evidence by the other party, but the other party was very sharp-eyed and saw her at a glance.
"Your humble servant greets the princess." Chen Xin suddenly came over and stopped in front of her, bowing and saluting.
The other ladies from the noble families all hurried over to pay their respects. Seeing that the Regent Prince had a rosy complexion, it seemed that the rumors that the Regent Prince was cruel were just rumours, or the princess was particularly favoured.
Unexpectedly, she was discovered by the other party. Xia Tong sighed and said calmly, "No need to be polite."
As soon as he finished speaking, several girls from noble families immediately gathered around him and said with a smile, "Princess, your dress is really beautiful, especially on you. We servants can't even compare to you."
Having a headache because of these people, Xia Tong quickly waved her hands, "It's cold outside, be careful not to catch a cold."
After saying that, she walked straight ahead. The others also thanked the princess for her concern and walked towards the main hall together.
Shen Xin, who was behind, naturally followed. Her steps were a little unsteady and she was trying hard to hold on despite her injuries. If it weren't for the things, she wouldn't have come here.
Knowing that the heroine was following behind, Xia Tong could only walk towards her former boudoir. Some things should not be heard by others.
Even though she was already married, someone was still cleaning the house. After they went in, Fangyu and the others stood outside the house vigilantly to prevent anyone from getting close.
The room was silent. Xia Tong still had some sequelae of the fever. She rubbed her dizzy head and glanced at the heroine opposite her. "How is Sister Shen's injury?"
After coughing, Shen Xin looked at the calm and easy-going woman opposite him and smiled softly, "Thanks to you for feeding me medicine in prison that day, otherwise I would not be alive today."
In fact, Xia Tong is in a very complicated mood now. The villain and the heroine are at loggerheads with each other, and they will fight to the death. In the end, one of them will definitely die. However, she will definitely help whoever treats her well. But no matter what, this is not the scene she wants to see.
"Sister Shen is in serious condition. It's fine as long as you're okay. But since your injury hasn't healed yet, you should find an excuse not to go out today." She looked concerned.
Their eyes met, and Shen Xin stared at her for a long time. She probably understood what the other party meant, and for a moment she could only frown and say, "Are you really determined to help that traitor?"
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy, and neither of them spoke. In fact, some things did not need to be explained clearly, as they understood each other.
Xia Tong looked away, paused, and slowly rubbed the jade bracelet on her wrist, with a complicated look on her face, "I have seen those things. In fact, maybe Sister Shen is just prejudiced against the prince. There is no absolute distinction between good and bad people in this world, and how many people in this court dare to have a clear conscience?"
After that, she said seriously: "In fact, the prince only did some seemingly bad things on the surface, but some people appear to be righteous on the surface, but they may do more sneaky things in secret. Why does Sister Shen always go against the prince? I can save you once, but I can't save you a second time. Do you understand?"
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