After taking a bath and changing clothes, waiting for her thick hair to dry, and then doing her makeup, Qu Qingxi estimated that the whole process had taken about two hours.
"Alright, let's go now. If we don't go now, Princess Mingxiu will get angry." Qu Qingxi smiled and led Qingdai toward the front hall.
Ren Nuanyun was patient at first, but she didn't expect that this damned Qu Qingxi would make her wait so long. She wanted to find a reason to throw a tantrum, but unfortunately, tea and pastries were all available.
She couldn't find any fault with her at all; she was simply left standing there. When she asked the maids in the mansion, they only said that the princess was feeling unwell, had just taken medicine, and was resting.
Zhang Xueliu has recovered and started serving Qu Qingxi today. However, Qu Qingxi was not there this morning. Although she was curious about where Qu Qingxi had gone, she did not dare to ask.
After all, she had just arrived and didn't know the specifics of the situation. If she accidentally offended someone, she might be secretly dealt with without even knowing it. Especially that Qingdai, who dared to sleep until noon, relying on being Qu Qingxi's personal princess.
She asked Qu Qingxi where she was, but Qu Qingxi wouldn't tell her, showing no respect whatsoever. Once she figured out Qu Qingxi's temper, got Qu Qingxi under her thumb, and took over Qingdai's position as the first maid, she would definitely deal with Qingdai first.
With Qu Qingxi not around and nothing to do, she was bored when she heard that Lady Nuanyun, the head of Mingxiu County, had come to the Prince's Mansion to look for Qu Qingxi. Although she had been at the Prince's Mansion all this time, she had heard some news from outside.
This Princess Mingxiu, although she was just a concubine's daughter at the beginning, somehow won the favor of the Crown Prince. The Emperor not only bestowed upon her the title of Princess Mingxiu, but also gave her to the Crown Prince to be his principal wife.
It was as if a sparrow that had flown to the top of a tree had suddenly turned into a phoenix. Zhang Xueliu felt both envious and jealous.
So when she heard that Ren Nuanyun was sitting in the front hall, she quickly made an excuse to come to the front yard and secretly observed this Mingxiu Princess. When she saw Ren Nuanyun's face, Zhang Xueliu was full of disdain.
She wasn't exactly a beauty. She thought that to catch the Crown Prince's eye, she must be a very beautiful woman. Now it seems that Princess Mingxiu isn't even as pretty as herself.
I don't know what dirty tricks she used, but she managed to seduce the Crown Prince into publicly begging the Emperor to grant her a marriage.
Zhang Xueliu was filled with disdain, but she still looked over there curiously.
Although she felt disdain, she was also aware that Ren Nuanyun's current status was not simple. The title of Princess Mingxiu and the future Crown Princess made her stand out from the crowd.
When Qu Qingxi brought Qingdai over, she saw Zhang Xueliu hiding there furtively, looking in Ren Nuanyun's direction. Qu Qingxi and Qingdai exchanged a glance, then continued walking in that direction. Qingdai coughed lightly, which was also a reminder to Zhang Xueliu.
Hearing the dry cough, Zhang Xueliu instantly snapped back to reality and saw Qu Qingxi and Qingdai walking towards them.
Calming herself down, Zhang Xueliu quickly found an excuse for herself, "Your Highness, I just heard from others that Princess Mingxiu came here. I was just curious, so I peeked here. I hope Your Highness will not be angry."
"It's alright, come with me to take a look." Qu Qingxi nodded nonchalantly.
When Qu Qingxi finally arrived, Ren Nuanyun almost lost her temper, but she held back because she remembered that the Crown Prince's people were with her.
Today, Qu Qingxi treated me lightly, making me wait here for so long. The Crown Prince's people will definitely report this to him. The Crown Prince will hold a grudge and wait for him to make his move. Qu Qingxi is just a minor princess, how could she possibly escape the Crown Prince's schemes?
Even if He Liufeng wanted to help his princess, could a prince really be more powerful than the crown prince? The two were even uncle and nephew by blood. She didn't believe that the Prince of Nanqing would turn against the crown prince for the sake of a woman.
"I didn't know Princess Mingxiu would suddenly come to the Prince's residence. I apologize for any neglect you may have caused." Qu Qingxi said with a smile as soon as she entered the room, seeing Ren Nuanyun who was restless and unable to sit still.
Ren Nuanyun was furious. She understood what Qu Qingxi meant by "suddenly." Here, if you wanted to pay respects to people from other prefectures, you had to send a visiting card two days in advance.
Today, Ren Nuanyun suddenly showed up at the door. Qu Qingxi ignored her, making excuses that she was busy today and did not expect Ren Nuanyun to come, which caused the delay. No one could say anything, so Ren Nuanyun could only swallow her anger.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Although Ren Nuanyun was unwilling, she still had to obediently bow. After all, the Crown Prince's men were with her, and if she did not bow properly, she would inevitably displease the Crown Prince.
Last time, because of the incident at Yanyu Tower, although the Crown Prince said he didn't blame me and even covered for me, he was still blaming me in his heart.
After returning from Guiyun Tower that day, the system reminded her that the Crown Prince's favorability towards her had decreased by 5%. Ren Nuanyun was extremely annoyed, but she also understood that it was understandable for the Crown Prince to blame her.
After all, the power he built was destroyed by her. However, Ren Nuanyun did not feel that she had done anything wrong. If it weren't for the madam of Yanyu Tower insisting on a price of ten thousand taels of silver...
How could she have gone so far as to set the building on fire? It was all Rong's mother's fault.
Later, she inquired and learned that Rong Mama had died in the fire, her body charred black. If it weren't for the fact that she was the fattest person in Yanyu Tower, she probably wouldn't have been able to tell Rong Mama's body apart.
An Yi, who led her to set the fire, was also summoned back by the Crown Prince and executed. In the end, if it weren't for An Yi's help, Ren Nuanyun wouldn't have been able to set fire to Yanyu Tower even if she wanted to. An Yi was essentially made a scapegoat and died in Ren Nuanyun's place.
"Princess, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down." Qu Qingxi smiled as she watched Ren Nuanyun perform a full set of courtesies before speaking slowly.
Seeing Ren Nuanyun's somewhat awkward bow, Qu Qingxi didn't find anything wrong with it. After all, making Ren Nuanyun, who always wanted to kill her, obediently bow to her was already a slap in the face.
"I wonder what brings the Princess here today?" Qingdai was about to pour tea for Qu Qingxi as was her habit, but Zhang Xueliu beat her to it.
Qu Qingxi glanced at Zhang Xueliu with appreciation, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then looked at Ren Nuanyun.
Seeing Qu Qingxi looking at her with approval, Zhang Xueliu instantly felt valued by Qu Qingxi. Just by pouring her a cup of tea, Qu Qingxi's attitude towards her had changed. It seemed that Qu Qingxi was indeed easy to manipulate.
"I heard before that the Princess Consort is exceptionally talented and beautiful, and her musical skills are also superb, so I wanted to learn from her and discuss things with her," Ren Nuanyun said with a gentle smile.
"Talented and beautiful? I wonder where the princess heard that?" Qu Qingxi asked, feigning surprise.
Ren Nuanyun choked. These words sounded like polite formalities. Who would she have heard them from?
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