Inside the Chenggan Palace, the court ladies waited, their eyes glancing at the Gioro clan. A few days ago, the Ulanara residence was surrounded by soldiers of the Plain Yellow Banner, and they all wanted to get some gossip out of the Gioro clan.
Jue Luo felt resentful. If Qing Yan hadn't gone to war with the army, Fei Yanggu would have thought twice before acting. He wouldn't have abandoned the women in the old house.
"Lady Ulanara, His Majesty will no longer confine you to your quarters?" The wife of Prince An and the Jue Luo clan have never gotten along since childhood. During the imperial concubine selection, she was betrothed to Prince An, Yue Le, while the Jue Luo clan was betrothed to Fei Yanggu.
From then on, the gap between the two widened; one was a princess consort of the imperial family, while the other was merely the principal wife of a minister.
After Qingyan was born, Princess Consort An was quite envious. She was Prince An's third secondary consort. The previous two consorts had children. After their marriage, Yue Le secretly gave her a sterilization drug to prevent her from harming the heir apparent by giving birth to a prince.
Jue Luo tightly gripped her silk handkerchief. She secretly dispatched Zhu Ying, hoping she could control Qing Yan. Within the mansion, Zhu Ying held immense prestige among the concubine's daughters.
When Consort Tong and her entourage arrived outside the Chenggan Palace, a young palace maid went inside to inform the ladies of the palace and told them to welcome Consort Tong as soon as possible.
At this moment, Qingyan was extremely flustered, and with each step forward, her legs felt weak. Yin, who was beside her, noticed her abnormal state and held her in his arms.
"Little darling, pretend to be asleep." Qingyan was a person who dared to take responsibility, and Yin felt very sorry for her when he saw her trying to escape.
The Jue Luo clan was a knot in Qingyan's heart that no one could untie.
"Sisi, don't wake me up later!" Qingyan closed her eyes, preparing to escape everything before her.
Listening to her children's conversation behind her, Consort Tong couldn't help but sigh. Just how much had the Jue Luo clan done to hurt Qingyan that the little guy would disregard even the Jue Luo clan's reputation?
At this moment, Qingyan's soul retreated into the space, where she lay on the sofa and relaxed.
From the Imperial Garden to Chenggan Palace, she didn't have the mood to properly look at the Forbidden City, which is hundreds of years old, which is a loss for her.
On the screen, at the entrance of Chenggan Palace stood the imperial concubines and wives of officials dressed in court attire. She spotted Jueluo at a glance. Today, Jueluo was wearing a dark blue court dress befitting the wife of a first-rank minister, with her hair styled in a single bun, adorned with a gold hairpin made of top-grade blue diamonds newly produced by Meiai.
In fact, as soon as Lady Jue Luo entered Chenggan Palace, many court ladies greeted her with sarcasm, hoping to gain some benefits from her.
"Indeed, Mei'ai's jewelry is unmatched." Qingyan smiled as she munched on an apple. Among the wives of the imperial clan, many wore custom-made pieces, which looked rather lackluster compared to the headdress worn by the Jue Luo clan.
"This servant greets Her Highness the Noble Consort." Whether they were wives or ladies-in-waiting in public, before Noble Consort Tong, they were all servants. "Greetings to the Fourth Prince!"
They were somewhat dissatisfied. Yin held Qingyan in his arms, but the little one didn't move at all. Everyone's mocking eyes were directed at Jue Luo Shi. Qingyan was old enough to be taught by a foster mother, but Jue Luo Shi was unable to fulfill this responsibility.
"Qingyan, hurry down and pay your respects to the Fujin!" Jue Luo's tone was icy, and Yin frowned.
"Lady Ulanara, Father said that Xiaoguai was too tired from the journey, so he had the imperial physician administer medicine. Why are you shouting and yelling here?" Yin disapproved of Jueluo's behavior. The concubine's daughter was trying to please her, and the jewelry given to her by Xiaoguai became a reward.
Nowadays, apart from the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and Consort Tong, only Lady Jueluo can wear Mei'ai's exquisite jewelry for free.
As soon as she finished speaking, the Consort's lips curled up slightly. Jue Luo was also foolish to find fault with Qingyan in front of Yin.
In front of Yin, even when Kangxi was talking about Qingyan, he would repeat the words twice before daring to speak them.
"Fourth Prince, I am her mother, and I must be responsible for her every word and action." Jue Luo Shi did not think she was wrong. At this moment, she realized that Zhu Ying had not come with them.
Immediately, Jue Luo felt a sense of panic. Zhu Ying was extremely meticulous in her work, and the current situation severely damaged Jue Luo's confidence.
"Yin, sit down first while holding Xiao Guai." Consort Tong shook her head. When faced with Qingyan's problem, he acted like a child, unable to control his inner murderous intent.
The wives and ladies-in-waiting all bowed their heads, preparing to play the quail game in the hall. Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong were very fond of the Qing banquet, and some of them even hoped that their daughters could receive this honor.
Unfortunately, no matter how they tried to discipline their daughters, they could not compare to the clever and quick-witted Qingyan. Jue Luo was an oddball; her daughter was loved by both of them, so she should have cherished her even more, but she did the opposite.
Not only did they lose to Feyangu, but they also lost to Sacred Heart.
Qingyan leaned back on the sofa, looking at the situation on the screen. She felt increasingly uncertain. Several of the ladies-in-waiting around her were at odds with the Jueluo clan, and Qingyan had met some of them before.
After Fei Yanggu took her away from the old house, these ladies came to see her at the new mansion under various pretexts. They smiled kindly on the surface, but their eyes flashed with calculation. Every word they spoke was meant to sow discord between her and the Jue Luo mother and daughter.
"Little darling, wake up first." Yin patted Qingyan's back, preparing to help her regain her senses.
Looking at the verbal attacks from those around her, Jue Luo smiled bitterly, her pleading eyes constantly glancing at Qing Yan, who had just regained consciousness.
"Mother?!" Qingyan looked at Jueluo Shi with feigned surprise. She jumped off Yin's lap, slipped on her soft deerskin boots, and walked up to Jueluo Shi. "Greetings to Mother!"
A sweet smile graced Qingyan's lips, as if the mother and daughter had an extremely harmonious relationship. Yin was very pleased with Qingyan's actions. This demeanor, however, surprised the Fujin and the ladies of the Xijue Luo clan.
Are the rumors circulating outside inaccurate?!
"Get up." Jue Luo's mouth tasted bitter. Qing Yan's actions were exceptionally respectful, but her eyes were somewhat cold.
"Mother, you haven't come to see me! Today, I came back with Your Majesty. When we go back, let's have a meal together as a family of five." Paying respects restored Jue Luo's dignity. If Jue Luo's dignity were to be lost, her father and the children would surely be ridiculed as well.
In critical moments, Qingyan will never cause trouble for her family.
Jue Luo was shocked. When had Qing Yan become like this? She exuded an air of nobility and cunning; in front of everyone, every move she made resembled that of a princess consort straight out of the palace, completely out of character for her age. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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