Fucha Mansion
Fucha Wanling skillfully used a silver needle to test the porridge sent from the main kitchen, wiped the silver needle with a handkerchief and stuck it on the top of her head. Then she poured out all the food, took out the crumbly pastries from under her pillow, gathered them up with her hands, and put them in her mouth.
Recently, her eldest brother's marriage has encountered some setbacks, which is a worry for her mother. Whenever such things happen, she is always the first to suffer. Having grown up smoothly, Fucha Wanling has a wealth of experience in dealing with adversaries and has long been on guard.
I remember when I was little, my mother smiled at me kindly and fed me some delicious snacks. I thought my mother finally liked me. But then I had a high fever for three days before I recovered.
Later, as Wanling grew up, she gradually realized her mother's malice towards her, so she suppressed her longing for maternal love and affection, and spent her days trying to protect herself.
As she got older, she thought that perhaps getting married would change her current situation, at least she wouldn't have to worry about food every day.
Now, she doesn't want to get married anymore, or rather, she doesn't want to marry anyone else; she has found her own hero in her heart.
But that person was too dazzling, and she, a poor little thing, could not even dream of him, so she kept her feelings to herself.
The eldest princess of the Fourth Prince's Mansion, now the Yong Prince's Mansion, is a very kind person. Sometimes she would send her invitations to visit the mansion or the countryside, and she had many nodding acquaintances with her because of this.
Wanling felt that her life had entered a different track from the night she was abducted and rescued. Now she both longed to have more contact with the Yong Prince's Mansion, but dared not disturb it too much.
She looked at the wooden carving on the table. It was a little swallow. The wood wasn't very finely made, and the swallow's wings were crooked, but Wanling liked it very much.
It was a gift from the eldest princess of Prince Yong's mansion. She said it was made by Prince Honghui for his younger brother, but his craftsmanship was poor and it turned out to be a mistake. He was originally going to throw it away, but Wanling inexplicably took it.
She imagined the joys of family life in other people's homes, a smile playing on her lips, yet tears involuntarily streamed down her face.
The next day, Wanling received the invitation she had been longing for. It said that the eldest princess of Prince Yong's mansion had invited her to play at the Yuanmingyuan Garden. The invitation also indicated that a carriage would be sent. Wanling was very envious of the eldest princess of Prince Yong's mansion's carefree life.
Lady Fucha naturally received the news as well. She snorted coldly, "This princess of the Prince's mansion is strange. She likes to hang out with that unlucky girl. Who knows if it's not Wanling who caused her to get hurt!"
"Madam, you can't say that!" The nanny quickly closed the door. "Prince Yong is currently favored by the Emperor. What if he hears this and causes trouble for our household again!"
"If you ask me, this is a good thing," the old woman suddenly said. "Think about it, since Princess Liru is staying at the mansion, why not let the eldest princess take her out for a walk? If she happens to run into Prince Honghui, that would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Lady Fucha listened attentively. Li Ru was her niece from her maternal family. Her parents had both passed away, and she was living in the Fucha mansion. Recently, she had been troubled by her niece's marriage.
She wasn't qualified for the imperial concubine selection, and marrying an orphan girl on her own wasn't an advantage either. If she could enter Prince Yong's mansion, even as a concubine, it wouldn't be a loss.
So, the next day when Wanling went to the main courtyard to pay her respects to her mother, she saw her cousin dressed in formal attire.
"Wanling, your cousin has been in the capital for a while now, but she hasn't seen much of the world yet. Take her with you today, and remember to take good care of her." Madam Fucha rarely gave Wanling a smile.
Wanling was in a dilemma. She knew she couldn't refuse, but bringing a stranger to the banquet was very impolite. She couldn't refuse, and she forced a smile. Perhaps after this, she would lose a friend who was truly good to her.
Thinking this, Wanling boarded the carriage of Prince Yong's residence, feeling somewhat down.
Liru was already used to her cousin's timid and hesitant manner: "Hey! Is Prince Honghui from the Yongqin Prince's Mansion handsome?"
Wanling hadn't expected her to have such thoughts, and her eyes reddened: "Cousin, be careful what you say. Royal family matters are not for us to gossip about."
"Why such a strong reaction?" Liru was somewhat surprised; this was the first time she had ever seen her cousin show such an angry expression. "You don't happen to like Prince Honghui too, do you?"
"How about this, once I get what I want, you can be my dowry, hahaha." Liru found it very amusing and went further and further than ever before.
Wanling turned her head away: "If you continue to be so rude, cousin, I'll tell the driver we're not going today."
"You!" Liru glared at her, then said nothing more.
The eldest princess was clearly aware of the unexpected guest, but she did not show any displeasure. She simply had someone add an extra chair and prepare a meal for one more person.
Wanling looked at the eldest princess apologetically, and the eldest princess patted her hand: "I was afraid you would feel uncomfortable, so I didn't invite anyone else today. Just the two of us have some fun together."
"This is Father's newly acquired garden, which is currently under renovation. Although it is still somewhat simple, it is enough for us to stroll around." The eldest princess liked a courtyard very much when she came here last time. She named it "Peony Pavilion" in her heart. The peonies here are in full bloom, clusters and bunches, very lush.
Smelling the fragrance of flowers and sipping a little wine is very pleasant.
Yes, the eldest princess also secretly took a few bottles of sweet wine from Yi Hua. They were all fruit-flavored, with low alcohol content, and were among the best-selling wines at the "Tea Yan Yue Se" bar.
Wanling found it very novel. Her life was confined to the square corner tower, but just sitting in the Peony Pavilion made her feel refreshed and relaxed.
When Liru saw the eldest princess, for some reason, she was looked up and down by her and didn't dare to say a word.
Unbeknownst to her, this was the demeanor that the eldest princess had cultivated over the years under the tutelage of Director Yihua. Now, even the head housekeeper of Prince Yong's mansion dared not underestimate the eldest princess. Once the eldest princess put on airs, she was truly formidable.
The three of them enjoyed the flowers, drank wine, and chatted, finding it a rare moment of relaxation and pleasure. Even Liru felt the joy and was able to say a few witty remarks.
Happy times are always short-lived, and before they knew it, dusk had fallen. Wanling reluctantly got up to say goodbye, and the eldest princess did not try to stop her. Once the Yuanmingyuan was ready for habitation, her mother could ask her to let Wanling stay for a while.
When the three girls came out, they ran into Honghui, who had been waiting for them for a while, at the gate.
He came specifically to take the eldest princess back to the mansion.
The group greeted each other, and Liru was already stunned; the man in front of her was even more handsome than her older cousin.
Honghui helped the eldest princess into the carriage, then turned back and smiled, "Why don't you two ladies travel together? I'll take you back first; it's on my way."
The eldest princess sat in the carriage, suppressing a laugh. It was indeed on the way, and she wanted to have something to eat first, as the round trip would take at least an hour.
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