Sunlight streamed into the room. Qingyan opened her swollen eyes and looked around. Yin had left. If they wanted to meet again, they would have to wait until the imperial concubine selection a few years later.
At that time, he must have had the gentle Li and Song women by his side, right?
She turned away, wanting to play ostrich, at least to prevent their lifelong dream of being together from shattering so soon. A letter written by Yin was placed beside her pillow. She quickly got up and took out the letter. Yin was indeed afraid she would cry. If that happened, he would choose to stay regardless of everything. Even if they couldn't be together as they used to be, they could still contact each other after dinner using the video mirror in their spatial dimension.
Qingyan spent a lot of gold coins to buy them from the Space Supermarket. With these two treasures, she was no longer worried that Yin would forget her.
Su Lan stood at the door and, hearing the commotion inside, quickly came in from outside.
This morning, Fei Yangguge instructed her to pay close attention to the princess's mood, as the fourth prince had quietly left and the princess might throw a tantrum.
"Princess, you're awake?" Su Lan lifted the curtain and looked at Qing Yan's swollen eyes. She could only sigh.
His Majesty issued an imperial edict separating the Fourth Prince from Qingyan. Fortunately, the Fourth Prince obediently chose to leave; otherwise, the Third Prince's fate would have been a source of great sorrow for them.
"Sulan, help me wash up first. Is the nanny coming over soon?" Qingyan remembered that from today onwards, she had to work hard to learn the rules of the palace. At the very least, she couldn't embarrass her father and the others.
Su Lan nodded. The nannies were already waiting at the door. Before leaving, the Fourth Prince repeatedly instructed the nannies that Qing Yan must be allowed to sleep until she naturally woke up before training for the next two years. She must not be woken up in advance. On the one hand, Yin did not want Qing Yan to be too tired. On the other hand, he did not want Qing Yan to suffer the harshness of the palace at such a young age.
In truth, Yin preferred staying at the Ulanara residence. In just a few short years, his daily routine had become much more regular. The purse he carried contained delicacies that Qingyan often prepared. That small purse was perfect for storing food; time seemed to stand still inside, and whenever it was taken out, it always looked exceptionally fresh.
Yin was used to the three meals a day at the Ulanara residence. Qingyan was worried that he would not be used to it when he returned to the palace, so she secretly prepared a lot of Yin's favorite foods and filled the lotus bag to the brim.
When she came to her senses, Sulan had already helped her with her hair and makeup. Apart from going to the palace to pay her respects, she lived a simple and elegant life. Unlike the Manchu noble ladies in the capital, who meticulously dressed themselves every day after the age of six, afraid of making even the slightest mistake.
"This servant greets the princess." In front of Qingyan, the two old women from the palace did not dare to be arrogant. This princess was carefully protected by several princes and was different from others.
Qingyan sized up the two old women. They were tutors specially sent by Emperor Kangxi. They were in their thirties, dressed in light purple palace attire, their hair neatly combed and held in place by only a silver hairpin.
"How shall I address you two?" Qingyan asked with a faint smile. The man on the left had a serious expression and a pair of bright phoenix eyes on his oval face. He was not particularly handsome. The man on the right had an average face.
In the deep palace, these two women were definitely not considered average in appearance. They probably only rose to the rank of nanny by spending a long time by Consort Tong's side.
"My surname is Liao, you can call me Granny Liao. This is Granny Yan. We two became nannies ourselves." Granny Liao had been in the palace longer than Granny Yan. When the two were together, Granny Liao acted as the spokesperson, reporting on the Qingyan issue.
"Granny, His Majesty has told you about my affairs." Qingyan's mouth was bitter. She had to go through the imperial concubine selection to get to be by Yin's side. In the past few years, how many people outside were planning to harm her? "The Ulanara Mansion will take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days."
Qingyan overheard Fei Yanggu mentioning that those who came out to work as governesses basically did so because they didn't want to face discrimination at home, which is why they left the palace for this job. The governesses beside her were to be made into servants by her father, and both of her nieces were about to get married. They were only around thirty years old, and they could continue to be used when her nieces grew up.
Granny Liao and Granny Yan exchanged a glance. After leaving the palace, they also had no good future. Their families even wanted to sell them to earn dowry money. Rather than suffering in their husbands' families, they might as well use their skills to gain a foothold in the Ulanara mansion.
They were obliged to raise the Fourth Prince's wife according to the imperial decree. Fortunately, His Majesty had issued the decree in advance; otherwise, they would not have been able to leave the house after returning home.
"Thank you for your kindness, Princess." The two nannies quickly kowtowed in gratitude, finally able to relax.
"Princess, is one of us maids accompanying you as part of your dowry?" Granny Liao needed to clarify this, as there was no mistress in the Ulanara mansion, and this young princess before her was the one to make the decision.
A while ago, Jue Luo's behavior made the nannies even more determined to follow this little princess.
Several of the palace ladies were particularly concerned about her performance. They had already adjusted their mindset, and many of the sisters who had left the palace with them had gone to various households to become governesses. They, however, maintained a very high and mighty demeanor.
“Granny, Father hopes you will become the nannies serving in the mansion. However, if you, Granny Liao, could be my dowry nanny, that would be even better.” Qingyan’s wet nurse was personally selected by Jueluo Shi. Fei Yanggu was worried that the woman would be unruly, so he sent her away early. “Granny Liao, my personal maids Sulan and Suxin are also needed. Please train them as well.”
At this moment, Granny Yan didn't care. Granny Liao came from a prestigious family in the Imperial Household Department. If her biological mother hadn't passed away, she probably wouldn't have chosen the path of a governess.
"Princess, this servant needs to know, are these two intended for the Fourth Master? Or are they to be paired with servants, or are they to become capable nannies by the master's side?" Granny Liao asked Qingyan, but her eyes were fixed on Sulan and Suxin.
Both of them were extremely beautiful, and they would understand if the princess intended to give them to the fourth prince.
This question made Qingyan feel a pang of sadness. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Sulan and Suxin. The two women were two years older than her and were very well-matched with Yin. She would never find a woman for Yin; she knew she couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart.
"We servants can comb our own hair!" Su Lan and Su Xin were rescued by Qing Yan. Their families had died during the famine. Moreover, the two of them had been trained by the Phoenix Guard and placed by Qing Yan's side to protect her with Yin's consent.
They cannot harbor any extravagant hopes, otherwise... the rules of the Phoenix Guard will not spare them.
"Sulan, have you thought this through?" Qingyan was surprised; these two had actually given up such a good opportunity. (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.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
