As the younger sister of the Suzhou textile commissioner, the original owner of this body was not as skilled in needlework as a master embroiderer like An Lingrong, but she was still quite accomplished.
However, skills are like anything else; if you don't practice for a day, you'll become rusty. She hadn't touched it since she transmigrated, and when she first started, she did get pricked by needles quite a few times.
Fortunately, An Lingrong took the initiative to come and help her; otherwise, she would never have been able to embroider those four thousand characters.
For this reason alone, Sun Miaoqing was grateful to her. After all, the other concubines treated her like a sister on the surface, but apart from verbal support, they didn't take any action.
Sun Miaoqing instructed Liuli, "Go and prepare some snacks, and also bring over the milk tea that Sister An likes, brewed with pre-rain Longjing tea."
Liuli said, "This servant understands."
Turning her head, Sun Miaoqing complained to An Lingrong, "There are still a thousand characters to embroider, and just looking at them gives me a headache. I really don't know what I did to offend him, that he would come up with such a way to punish me."
An Lingrong said, "How could it be a punishment? The Emperor is a Buddhist and values you, so he eagerly asked you for it."
"The other concubines were extremely envious and wished they could take her place."
Sun Miaoqing's expression became exaggerated, and she raised her voice, "I couldn't be happier! When Consort Hua made people copy the Precepts for Women, they didn't think it was an honor at all. Why is it an honor when it's the Emperor?"
"Look at my hands, look what they've become after just one month."
An Lingrong took a look and saw that her fingers were indeed not as fair and tender as before, and there was a thin layer of calluses on them, which must have been from practicing archery.
The favor she craved but could not obtain was a hardship that others would avoid at all costs.
Although she knew it was wrong of her to think this way, she had suffered a lot of cold treatment these days. After being in the palace for several months, the Emperor didn't even pay attention to her, and she couldn't even receive her full monthly allowance.
At home, despite being the eldest daughter of the principal wife, she lived a life worse than even a favored servant. Knowing she had been chosen to enter the palace, she initially thought she could finally hold her head high. But ultimately, not all ladies were the same.
An Lingrong recalled Sun Miaoqing's heartfelt words: she was trapped by herself, which led to her tragic end.
But how can she avoid trapping herself?
When Sun Miaoqing noticed that An Lingrong was not responding, she looked up and saw the vulnerability on her face, which immediately set off alarm bells.
[How could I forget? An Xiaoniao is very sensitive. Those words just now probably made her think of other things again.]
[Please don't get me wrong, I really didn't think that way. It's true, getting close to men makes you unhappy; that fat orange cat is really my downfall!]
Before Sun Miaoqing could finish her thought, An Lingrong snapped out of it and said, “Sister Sun, don’t worry. I know of a fragrant balm that can make your hands soft and smooth after using it for half a month.”
"I'll get back and prepare it, then I'll bring it to my sister to try. I guarantee it will restore her hands to their original state."
Sun Miaoqing nodded; she had always trusted An Lingrong's abilities.
[An Xiaoniao seems to be getting more and more depressed. And rightly so, with such a troublesome father, how can she possibly feel comfortable?]
[It seems to be next summer, during a military campaign in the Northwest. An Bihai and Jiang Wenqing, the magistrate of Songyang County, were escorting military supplies when they encountered a mutinous enemy, resulting in the supplies being robbed. Jiang Wenqing deserted and was captured. Shen Zishan was tasked with handling the case.]
An Bihai was cautious and did not desert his post. Although the matter sounded serious, it wasn't actually very risky. An Xiaoniao, however, was blinded by concern and the Empress seized the opportunity to sow discord, leading her to believe that Mei Jie's feelings for her were insincere, and the three gradually drifted apart.
[Ambiya was not involved and was merely a minor official; killing him would be pointless. It would only damage the royal family's reputation and make the emperor appear cold-blooded and ruthless towards the concubines' families.]
Therefore, to thrive in the palace, besides being intimately familiar with the chubby orange cat's preferences, one must also understand court politics and, more importantly, know how to cultivate a persona.
[But how am I supposed to tell An Xiaoniao about this? Should I tell her that her father will have an accident, but it won't be fatal, and that she shouldn't believe the Empress's instigation? Will she misunderstand and think I'm playing a trick on her?]
[Or I could have her read more history books in her spare time, but wouldn't she think I'm looking down on her?]
In the blink of an eye, Sun Miaoqing had already thought of so much, and her gaze towards An Lingrong was filled with some conflict.
Unaware at all, An Lingrong's hand holding the silk handkerchief loosened and tightened repeatedly, almost twisting the handkerchief into a pretzel.
When An Lingrong heard that her cold-hearted father was going to get into trouble, she became very nervous.
Departing from the front lines while transporting military supplies was a crime she never even dared to consider.
She didn't really care about An Bihai's life, but since they were father and daughter, they were indeed related by blood.
If Anbihai were to get into trouble, regardless of what would happen to her in the palace, her mother would certainly not have a good time.
However, upon hearing the rest, she realized it was just a false alarm, and An Lingrong felt relieved. So her sincere efforts to please her these past few days hadn't been in vain; at least her sister Sun genuinely intended to help her.
History books?
She didn't understand these things. For her, being able to recognize a few words was already a remarkable achievement. Her father's thoughts never lingered on her and her mother.
However, she is still young, and it's not too late for her to start learning now.
An Lingrong hesitated before saying, "I have a favor to ask of you, Sister Sun. I wonder if you would be willing to grant it?"
Sun Miaoqing became curious. This was the first time An Lingrong had asked her for help. However, she always disliked people making empty promises, so she was unwilling to do so without ulterior motives. Therefore, she didn't agree immediately but wanted to hear what An Lingrong actually wanted first.
“Sister An, just tell me what you need. If it’s something I can do, I will definitely do my best.”
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