Qingxue was delighted upon hearing this and quickly accepted the order. She returned shortly afterward and reported to Qian Shengyan, "Master, everything has been given out."
"Hmm, let Ji An guard Chengqian Palace again tonight," Qian Shengyan said slowly, resting her chin on her hand. "Let's see how far things have progressed between the two of them."
"Yes!" Qingxue readily agreed and happily went off.
Having solved one problem, there was still one left. After a moment's thought, Qian Shengyan decided to go straight for the point.
She went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to request an audience with Yinzhen.
"Why did you come here today?" Yinzhen looked at her with a smile. "You've always been so lazy, always waiting for me to come see you."
"Your Majesty..." Qian Shengyan walked slowly to his side, lay down on his back, rested her head on his shoulder, and said in a voice that was hard to detect as she felt aggrieved and angry, "It's nothing, I just missed Your Majesty."
"Hmm?" Yinzhen put down the vermilion brush in his hand, raised his hand and touched her face. "What's wrong? Is there anyone in the entire palace who can make my Consort Xi suffer?"
One sentence made Qian Shengyan burst into laughter through her tears, but she quickly suppressed her laughter.
She paused for a moment, then sighed, "Your Majesty, I... am getting old..."
“Nonsense. I see you now, and you are no different from when you first entered the palace,” Yinzhen said.
Qian Shengyan smiled slightly, but dared not actually agree to it.
When she first arrived, she was only seventeen or eighteen years old, the most youthful and tender time of her life. But this year, she has turned thirty.
Perhaps in the era she transmigrated to, thirty was the prime of a woman's life, but in the Qing Dynasty, thirty was almost considered advanced age. If a woman had children early, many would become grandmothers in their thirties.
She sighed again: "When I see those young and fresh girls, I feel so envious..."
There's a deeper meaning behind those words.
Yinzhen took her hand and pulled her from his back to his side. Then he pushed aside the documents in front of him, got up and sat with her on the small couch next to him, and asked with a smile, "Tell me, which family's niece did you see today?"
"Not a niece, but a palace maid." Qian Shengyan didn't hide anything. "Today I went to Zhongcui Palace to congratulate Consort Qi and saw that she had two new personal maids. They are such beautiful young women, and I took a liking to them at first sight..."
"What palace maids do you need to be so concerned about?" Yinzhen became interested, but not very interested. He chuckled twice. "Alright, if you like young girls, you can call any that catch your eye to the palace for a chat. After the mourning period, it's time to choose a consort for Hongli."
Qian Shengyan: ...
Oh no! Although she says she's getting old, she's really not ready to be a mother-in-law yet!
She's still young! She'll never admit she's getting old!
But while she didn't hope for it, others did. Yinzhen said, "Consort Yu has already submitted several memorials, showing her concern for Hongzhou's marriage. You too, you still think Hongli is a child, you should also be concerned about his marriage."
Qian Shengyan: ...
She doesn't need to worry. Fucha is only twelve years old this year. Fuerguochun is still a little girl at that age. Why should she be in such a hurry?
The topic quickly veered off course, and the two chatted for a long time until Su Peisheng reported that a minister was requesting an audience, at which point Qian Shengyan left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
But after she left, she suddenly remembered that she had come to complain! But after talking for so long, she didn't seem to have gotten to the point about that palace maid, Li...
Qian Shengyan glanced back at the door of the Hall of Mental Cultivation with a sigh, and thought, "Fine, let's do it another day."
Who knew that she could wait, but others couldn't?
The next morning, Qian Shengyan heard that Hongshi had gone to Li Shi's place and didn't come out for a long time. Moreover, when he went there, he was accompanied by two eunuchs, Jinzhong and Jinbao, but when he came out, he was followed by three eunuchs.
"Master, you said..." Qingxue admired the Third Prince. Last time he was recognized as a palace maid, so this time he dressed up as a little eunuch!
Qian Shengyan nodded, then shook her head with a helpless and amused expression: "The Third Prince is really..."
They are incredibly audacious, acting so recklessly!
“Master, Ji An came this morning, but you haven’t gotten up yet. I told him he would come again this afternoon,” Qingxue said.
Qian Shengyan was quite interested in watching the drama unfold, so she stood up and said, "There's no need to wait until the afternoon. Let Xiao Shunzi quietly call the person to the Imperial Garden, and we'll go there too."
"Yes," Qingxue replied.
A short while later, Qian Shengyan met Ji An in the Imperial Garden. She had someone take Hong Shan to play, while she led Qing Xue and Ji An to a spacious pavilion to talk.
The pavilion was surrounded by grass with no obstructions, so it was easy to see if anyone was around. Qian Shengyan told Qingxue to keep an eye on the surroundings and asked Ji An about the situation last night.
"Your Majesty is truly amazing! That little eunuch did indeed go to see Consort Hua again last night, but this time, it seems the two of them had a fight!"
Ji An said admiringly, "This servant waited for a short while, and then the little eunuch arrived, half an hour earlier than last time! This servant also peeked through the crack in the window and saw the little eunuch say something, but Consort Hua kept shaking her head and did not agree. The little eunuch got anxious and actually, directly..."
He couldn't say it, but Qian Shengyan understood somewhat and simply asked, "And then?"
"Then Consort Hua started crying, and the little eunuch walked away angrily," Ji An said honestly.
Qian Shengyan smiled and nodded, then gestured in Hongshan's direction: "That's the Seventh Prince, go and play with him for a while."
"Yes! Yes! This servant kowtows to thank Consort Xi for her great kindness and virtue. This servant will always be loyal to the Seventh Prince!" Ji An was overjoyed and knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Qian Shengyan repeatedly. Qian Shengyan had no choice but to have Qingxue help him up and gave him a purse as a reward: "This matter is over. You should keep it to yourself and not tell anyone. Serve the Seventh Prince well from now on, and I will not forget your loyalty."
"Yes, yes, this servant will definitely serve the Seventh Prince well!" Ji An said excitedly.
Qian Shengyan watched him run off quickly, trying his best to make Hongshan happy in various ways, and couldn't help but think that this arrangement was quite good.
Qingxue leaned closer and asked, "Master, what's wrong with the Third Prince...?"
"The Third Prince can't wait any longer, but unfortunately he can't get the real one, so he can only find a substitute to satisfy himself for now," Qian Shengyan said casually, then chuckled. "I'm sure Consort Hua would also like to know about this."
Qingxue immediately understood and replied, "Yes, this servant understands!"
Qian Shengyan smiled and exchanged a glance with her, feeling that this matter was becoming more and more interesting.
Seeing that Shan Xiu has truly fallen in love, yet still dares not take a step forward, what if Ruo Hongshi makes other moves? Can Shan Xiu just stand by and watch the man she loves pamper a substitute for her?
"How interesting..." Qian Shengyan muttered to herself. Li Shi was really a great wingman for her.
However, Qian Shengyan never expected that her helpful ally, Lady Li, would bring the palace maid who resembled her that very afternoon and make a grand entrance to deliver soup to Yinzhen at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
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