"The flower viewing banquet is in the afternoon. Why go so early?" Ye Qianning got out of bed.
"When the palace holds a flower viewing banquet, you usually have to go early to greet the ladies first, and then enjoy the flowers." Nan Xiang said as she saw Ye Qianning opening the wardrobe to pick out clothes. Her eyes widened: "Why don't you hire a maid to serve you? Do you have to do everything yourself?"
"I don't like being waited on."
Ye Qianning took out the clothes that her aunt had sent her yesterday from the closet. It was a light pink dress with heavy embroidery on the cuffs, lapels and hem. The pattern was unique and low-key and luxurious.
It's her favorite style.
"...Then hurry up."
Ye Qianning took the clothes and walked to the window. Seeing that Nan Xiang didn't seem to want to go out, he reached out to untie her pajamas and curled his lips: "Want to see?"
Nan Xiang was stunned and her cheeks flushed: "I didn't."
After saying that, he turned around and ran out of the screen, his heart pounding. He reached out and touched his chest twice. Ye Qianning looked really good when he smiled.
Ye Qianning changed her clothes, sat in front of the bronze mirror, and took care of her hair.
She never wore complicated hair accessories, and of course she didn't know how to do that herself. She always kept it simple. After all, she was going to the palace today, so she tied her hair up nicely and chose some hair accessories to wear.
She chose white jade pendants for her earrings and also wore a white jade tassel ornament around her waist.
She looks insignificant overall, but any single look at her is worth a fortune, especially the hair accessories on her head, which are more valuable than the finest emeralds.
Ye Qianning finished packing and walked out from behind the screen.
Nan Xiang turned around and stood there in a daze. Ye Qianning usually didn't wear makeup, but today she used some powder and lipstick, which made her look even more beautiful.
"Have you had breakfast?"
Ye Qianning asked.
“…”
"have eaten."
"Then you wait for a while, I'll eat a few bites." Ye Qianning sat down at the table.
Nan Xiang immediately remembered that she still had to go to the palace: "You still want to eat?"
"Is there food in the palace?"
Nan Xiang nodded and shook her head. There was food, but the ladies didn't eat it. Which girl would dare to eat it?
Luo Xuan brought the food and placed it on the table one by one.
Nan Xiang stared at Luo Xuan almost in a trance. The tall and mighty man was serving tea and water... Tsk, it was a bit strange and enviable.
"Ye Qianning, is this the guard who always carried you around when you were little?"
Tsk, that doesn't sound right.
Luo Xuan walked to the door and his eyelids twitched.
"kindness."
Ye Qianning responded and drank the porridge.
"Look, I think they look alike." Nan Xiang turned around, reached out and took a bun and started eating. "They don't seem to have changed at all, but you have changed a lot."
"You've changed a lot too."
"Hehe, my mother said the same thing. My father said that I am becoming more and more like him when he was young."
Ye Qianning also thought so.
After finishing a bowl of porridge, Nan Xiang ate both buns.
"Didn't you eat?"
"Forehead……"
Nan Xiang paused and took the last bite of the bun. "I couldn't help it. I always feel like your family doesn't have enough food. Do you have any more of the porridge you just had?"
“…”
"Is there any more? Give me a bowl." Nan Xiang smelled it and thought it tasted good.
"Aren't you still anxious to enter the palace?"
"It's too late anyway."
It’s too late, so don’t be in a hurry.
"Qian Ning, you haven't left yet." Xiang Minghou walked in.
"Right away."
"Uncle Xiang." Nan Xiang stood up immediately.
Marquis Xiang Ming looked at Nan Xiang and nodded: "I feel relieved that the princess is with you."
Nan Xiang smiled happily when she heard this: "Don't worry, Uncle Xiang, I will make sure that no one can touch Aning."
"Haha, thank you, Princess."
"It should be."
Ye Qianning stood up with a smile: "Let's go."
Nan Xiang's smile froze on her face. She looked at the empty bowl in front of Ye Qianning, her meaning was obvious.
She didn't know why, but the simple buns tasted so good, and the aroma of a bowl of porridge was so tempting.
"Why."
Ye Qianning smiled and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Xiang Minghou noticed something was wrong.
"she……"
"Uncle Xiang, I haven't eaten yet." Nan Xiang said aggrievedly.
Ye Qianning: “…”
The little girl is quite pretentious.
Marquis Xiang Ming glanced outside the door and said, "It's still early. It won't be too late to go to the palace after dinner."
Nan Xiang nodded: "Yes."
"Breakfast at home is basically porridge and buns, and the princess may not be used to it. Qianning, you take the princess to eat on the way before entering the palace." Xiang Minghou instructed.
Ye Qianning suppressed his laughter: "Okay."
Nanxiang: "..."
"Bring Yingge with you."
"knew."
Ye Qianning and Nan Xiang walked out the door.
Nan Xiang pouted the whole way.
"It's just a bowl of porridge, do you want to eat it so much?" Ye Qianning spoke only after getting on the carriage.
Nan Xiang sat down. "It smells delicious, Aning. I'll have my cook come over tomorrow and learn how to cook from yours."
"The master craftsman's unique skills are probably not to be passed on to others."
It’s easy to learn, but the main ingredients are wrong.
It looks like a bowl of porridge, but a lot of things are added to it, and the same goes for the buns.
Nan Xiang's face wrinkled again: "I really want to poach your chef."
"Okay, don't be angry. I'll have someone prepare delicious food for you tomorrow."
"real?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
Nan Xiang smiled happily, stood up and sat with Ye Qianning, holding her arm with both hands: "A Ning is the best."
Ye Qianning lowered his eyes and there was a bit more doting in his eyes: "When you see my dad in the future, don't always say uncle, uncle."
"If I can't call you Uncle Xiang, I can't call you Brother Xiang."
“…”
"We are about the same age. If I call your dad brother, doesn't that make me a generation older than you?"
"As a princess, it's inappropriate for you to call him uncle or brother." Of course, Ye Qianning didn't want her to call him brother. Her father would probably get angry if he heard that.
"What's wrong with that? I just think calling him uncle is more intimate."
"That's for private use, not in front of outsiders."
Ye Qianning remembered that his father was a generation younger than Prince Changyang. When Prince Changyang heard Nan Xiang address him, he probably wanted to hit him.
"Yeah."
Nan Xiang nodded, not worried at all.
The carriage sped along, and from the bustling crowd came the sounds of crying and shouting.
Nan Xiang heard the noise, sat up straight and lifted the curtain to look outside.
Ye Qianning also turned his head to look. A group of people wearing white mourning clothes were walking on the street, with several coffins behind them. The ones crying the loudest were the family members of the guards who had demanded an explanation in front of the Earl's Mansion a few days ago.
The coffin being pulled from behind contained the body of the guard hanging at the city gate, who finally died today.
"Aning, the man hanging on the city gate is dead." Nan Xiang didn't even turn her head.
The streets were a little crowded because of the funeral procession, and many people stopped to watch. On the ninth day, the guard hanged on the city gate and died after hanging for nine days.
The weather was hot and he was beaten half to death. Even if an ordinary person was not hanging on, he would die in two or three days at most without medical treatment.
The guards of the Earl's Mansion had their skin peeled off several layers due to the scorching sun, but they managed to survive for nine days before they died. How strong a desire to survive must have been for them to last so many days?
No matter how strong his desire to survive was, no one from the Earl's Mansion showed up once.
If they had sent someone to pick him up, he wouldn't have died. God couldn't bear it, but the master was cruel.
For a time, many people admired the people who had held out for nine days and cursed the Earl's Mansion.
Nan Xiang watched for a moment and lowered the carriage curtain. "Jiutian, you're really tenacious! My father said it wasn't normal a few days ago, but I didn't expect you to hold on for a few more days."
"The resentment is too deep."
Nine days. Even if he was taken back to the Earl's Mansion the day before, he could still be saved. It was all his own fault.
"My father said that many guards with families in the capital have resigned, especially those in the Earl's Mansion. Now there are only a few guards left in the mansion." Nan Xiang gossiped.
"If you dare to do something but not take responsibility, the only option is to throw money at it."
Ye Qianning hanged a person on the city gate, and what he attacked was people's hearts.
"Except for the man who has been conferred the title of Yong'an Marquis, who else in the entire capital has money? Our palace's expenses are getting worse every year, and we have to tighten our belts this year. Sigh." Nan Xiang sighed and suddenly thought of something: "I heard that you and Guan Mengyan had a fight at the Gu family jewelry store a few days ago?"
"You already know this little thing?"
"How can you call it a small matter? I heard that the young ladies who went to the jewelry store with Guan Mengyan that day were all punished after returning to the mansion. Guan Mengyan also didn't pay back the money she borrowed. Two families came to ask for it back before the Guan family paid. This matter spread throughout the mansions. Guan Mengyan said that you deliberately set her up and bullied her by taking advantage of your power."
Ye Qianning listened indifferently. Information was transmitted quickly in the imperial palace, and even Nan Xiang knew about it. It was probably spread among the circles in the capital.
She hasn't even shown up yet, but she's already been labeled viciously.
But it just so happened that she didn't come here to enjoy the flowers and have tea today.
It was almost noon when the carriage arrived at the palace gate.
The palace gate was lined with carriages from various mansions on both sides.
Nan Xiang and Ye Qianning caused quite a commotion when they got off the car. First, people were surprised that a young lady from a certain family came to the palace so late, and second, they were shocked by Ye Qianning's appearance, as if they had never seen her in the capital.
The guards stopped them at the palace gate.
"Guards are not allowed to accompany you."
"Yingge is a girl, a maid." Nan Xiang remembered Xiang Minghou's instructions and immediately defended herself.
The soldier took a look and said, "The palace rules prohibit the escort of any kind."
Yingge held a long sword in her hand and stood steadily behind Ye Qianning.
"you……"
"Xiang'er, you go in. I'll go back first." Ye Qianning said.
Nanxiang: "..."
"Yingge, go back home."
Ye Qianning said this and turned to leave.
"Miss Xiang, wait a minute, Miss Xiang..." The eunuch hiding behind the archway came hurriedly in small steps.
Ye Qianning looked at him indifferently.
"Miss Xiang, the Queen and all the ladies are waiting for Miss Xiang and the princess. Miss Xiang, we'd better hurry." The eunuch came up and looked a little anxious.
"It's not that I don't want to go, but you won't let me in."
The young eunuch glanced at Yingge and said, "Miss Xiang, the palace has set a rule that guards, attendants, and maids are not allowed to enter the palace."
Ye Qianning smiled.
Yingge stepped forward and said, "You have palace rules, and my family also has rules. I cannot leave the young lady's side."
"Miss Xiang, palace rules cannot be reversed."
"The palace rules are what bind the people of Beili. I'm not from Beili, so I only follow the rules of my own family."
The eunuch was in trouble.
Ye Qianning said nothing more and turned to leave.
"Miss Xiang, Miss Xiang." The eunuch was anxious.
Ye Qianning turned a deaf ear and got into the car.
Nan Xiang was not stupid either. When she saw Ye Qianning leaving, she ran into the car.
The eunuch was completely anxious and rushed to the front of the carriage: "Miss Xiang, you can't leave."
"I said, I only follow the rules of my own home." A cold voice came from inside the car.
"Miss Xiang, wait a minute. I will report to the Empress right away." After the eunuch said this, he winked at the eunuchs inside the palace gate.
The eunuch inside the palace gate hurried to report.
The kneeling eunuchs did not dare to move aside, fearing that if they did, the carriage would leave.
Even if he had a hundred heads, he wouldn't be able to bear the blame from the Queen.
Ye Qianning leaned back in the carriage. The harem was a place of cannibalism, full of conspiracies and intrigues. The official's daughter entered the palace without an accompaniment, and right and wrong were all decided by her mouth. She had eaten so many people.
The Queen's flower-viewing banquet was just to leave her alone.
"Aning, do you think the Queen can really let Yingge accompany her into the palace?" Nan Xiang was familiar with the palace rules.
"It's just right that she doesn't allow me to do that. I don't like looking at flowers or plants."
"I don't like it either."
Ye Qianning glanced at him and said, "Aren't you afraid of the Queen's blame?"
"Tsk, what are you afraid of? It's not like I haven't provoked her before."
Ye Qianning looked at her fearless and even a little excited look, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was already cheerful, and it would be bad if he learned bad things from her.
About an incense stick of time passed, and at noon, the eunuch who had come to report came back hurriedly.
"The Empress has decreed that Miss Xiang is allowed to bring guards into the palace, but they are not allowed to carry weapons."
"It's really accurate." Nan Xiang was surprised.
Ye Qianning got out of the car.
Yingge handed over the sword in her hand and, under the guidance of the eunuch, stared at the sun and headed towards the harem.
Fengyi Palace.
The queen sat in the main seat, the ten concubines in the harem sat below, and behind them sat the young ladies of various families, a palace full of colorful jewels and precious stones.
"Miss Xiang is so extravagant that she even brings guards with her when entering the palace. Is she afraid that someone will treat her poorly?"
"That's right, young ladies from royal families, even princes, are not allowed to bring personal guards with them when entering the palace. How dare Ye Qianning be so arrogant?"
"That's not the case. Miss Xiang has lost her nationality after all, so some things are indeed difficult to deal with."
"Yes, I heard that Miss Xiang was weak and fell seriously ill upon entering the city. She was unconscious in the carriage, and no one dared to move her. It must be that she hasn't recovered from the sword she sustained as a child. It would be better to bring a guard with her to prevent her from falling ill in the palace and Marquis Xiang Ming from blaming the harem."
"Sister Yufei is right. I heard that the disease could kill you at any time. We have our own guards, so we can't blame anyone else if anything happens."
Ever since the eunuch came to report what happened at the city gate, the atmosphere in the palace has become strange.
The ones who were talking were the concubines, and the young ladies from the official families in the back were all very quiet.
Many people seemed to be very nervous. They had all entered the palace early in the morning and had been sitting upright for the entire morning. They did not dare to lose their composure in front of the Queen and the other ladies and could only sit upright.
Many people have deep resentment towards Ye Qianning, and anyone with a discerning eye knows why this flower viewing banquet is held.
The queen seemed a little tired as she pressed her head. Ever since Concubine Yuan left, no one in the harem dared to make her unhappy.
She didn't like Ye Qianning back then, and she dislikes him even more now.
"Empress, Miss Xiang and Princess Changyang have arrived." The eunuch's voice came from outside the door.
When everyone heard the sound, they all looked outside the hall.
The queen had wanted to make things difficult for her before, but after what happened at the city gate, she didn't dare to do so, for fear that the girl would turn around and leave again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
