Sheng Xiyan only picked the most blooming apricot blossoms, and said as she picked: "I saw that she kept her head down, her neck was stiff, and she would raise her shoulders unnaturally from time to time, so I guessed that she had neck pain. Whether it is dizziness, weakness, or blurred vision, tinnitus, or headache, they are actually caused by neck pain."
There was a faint smile on her lips as she picked flowers slowly. Her black hair fluttered in the wind and her skirt fluttered.
The beauty is like a painting, more charming than the blooming apricot blossoms.
Wen'er came over carrying a bamboo basket. Xigui took the initiative to go over, put all the apricot blossoms in his hands into the basket, and then took the basket from her hand and carried it himself.
Wen'er wanted to leave, but she hesitated and didn't dare to go. She simply took a few steps back and stood far away, feeling a little uneasy.
Sheng Xiyan made a rough estimate in her mind, picked a few more flowers, put them in the bamboo basket, and said to Xigui who was carrying the bamboo basket back: "My grandfather once said that many people in the world are afraid of illness and afraid of doctors. Anyone who is not strong enough in mind will be easily influenced by other people's gossip." She smiled slightly, "I predicted her discomfort, she must be suspicious."
She would definitely have these symptoms on a daily basis, but when the symptoms were mild, she probably wouldn't pay too much attention to them. But once someone mentioned them to her, coupled with Sheng Xiyan's words and actions that constantly tempted and pressured her, even the slightest discomfort would be magnified and become more obvious."
Xigui suddenly realized, recalled the girl's words and actions just now, and figured out the cause and effect.
Sheng Xiyan picked about forty or fifty flowers, and then selected them from the bamboo basket. She was quite satisfied, so she stopped.
She smiled and said, "Under this scorching sun, even if it was you, if you closed your eyes and stood for a while, you would most likely fall down, let alone her."
Wen'er's heartstrings were already tense. She had neck numbness to begin with, and it was hot and humid in the summer. It was normal for her to feel dizzy and unbearable when she stood with her eyes closed.
Sheng Xiyan patted the tiny pollen stains on her fingers and smiled faintly, "Let's go back."
Xigui responded and followed with a bamboo basket in hand.
Wen'er followed her hesitantly. Sheng Xiyan smiled, revealing her dimples on her cheeks, and said, "You can go now. I can go back by myself. I know the way."
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you brought me here." Her voice was soft and gentle, with a kind of tranquility that could soothe people's hearts.
Wen'er breathed a sigh of relief, looked at her with some awe, bowed, and left in a hurry.
Sheng Xiyan smiled and said, "Xigui, you see, as long as I tell her that I won't tell anyone, then the initiative is in my hands. She will only worry about whether I will tell anyone, instead of thinking about whether she wants to expose me."
"As long as no one else knows, to her it's just that I discovered the princess's intention and ran away secretly. Otherwise, if she brought me here personally, the crime would be serious."
There are some things that, if she hadn't lived her life again and decided to live differently from before, she wouldn't have been able to see them so clearly with her current experience of only fifteen years old.
Xigui's eyes became brighter.
In the past, she thought that the girl was not competitive, but now thinking back, she was not competitive at all, and it was obvious that she had great ambitions.
"Girl, are we going back to the waterfront pavilion?"
Sheng Xiyan nodded: "Let's go back."
"Will the princess play any more tricks?" Xigui asked worriedly, "Should we go back home first? Or, you stay here and I'll go find Princess Jingle?"
Xigui felt that Princess Jingle still liked her daughter very much and would definitely make the decision for her.
"No need." Sheng Xiyan sneered, "If you go back home now, wouldn't it be a waste for me to pick this basket of apricot blossoms?"
She walked forward briskly, without any fear.
At first, she really thought that Princess Jingle had fainted, because Princess Jingle did show signs of being extremely angry. If a person faints due to extreme anger, it could be very dangerous or even fatal if it causes chest pain.
The novel also mentioned that Princess Jingle was depressed by Chu Yuanchen's death and eventually died of chest pain.
However, the route Wen'er took her was obviously not right. Although she had never been to the princess's mansion, Wen'er clearly said that Princess Jingle fainted from chest tightness on the way from the Flower Pavilion to the Water Pavilion, and Wen'er took her in two unrelated directions.
The bluestone path was indeed a bit winding, but she was not so confused that she could not tell the east from the west. Even if she really couldn't tell the difference, there was still the sun above her head!
Her experience in her previous life taught her that it would never go wrong to be more cautious, so she deliberately tried it out, and Wen'er's reaction confirmed her suspicions.
She didn't know what the princess wanted to do, but it was obvious that she had no good intentions. And she could think of many ways that a woman could have bad intentions.
There is no use in forbearance.
A malicious person will never show mercy to himself because of his forbearance, but will only make more and more demands.
Sheng Xiyan's almond-shaped eyes sparkled, and her jade-like white and delicate face seemed to be glowing under the sunlight.
They quickly passed through the corridor and when they reached the bluestone path, they could hear the faint sounds of stringed instruments, the melodious and melodious sounds of pianos, and the clear voice of a singer.
On the Wenxin Lake, there were sounds of dancing and music. A group of dancers were waving their sleeves on the deck of a pleasure boat, which was very beautiful.
Cheng Chuyu, who had just returned from the bathroom after changing clothes, couldn't help but look at the lake a few more times, and said to her personal maid with a smile: "People in the capital city like these humming and whining, flashy things. Daddy said this is called, what is it called..." She pouted in distress, the word was on her throat, but she couldn't remember it.
Until her personal maid asked, "Miss, isn't that Princess Jingle?"
Cheng Chuyu was startled, and looked in the direction of the sound, his pupils shrank slightly.
Inside the pavilion, Princess Jingle was seen leaning nonchalantly against a beauty, not looking like she was watching the singing and dancing. People were talking to her from time to time, but she remained indifferent the whole time.
Cheng Chuyu's heart was filled with shock. Princess Yong'an was here fine, but where was Sheng Xiyan?
She grew up in the northern border, where the people are simple and honest. In addition, there are foreign enemies surrounding the area, so there is little internal strife. The military and civilians are very united, but this does not mean that she really knows nothing.
It was previously said that the maid who caused Princess Jingle to faint and call Sheng Xiyan away was obviously from the Princess's mansion. The Princess deliberately tricked Sheng Xiyan away, and her malicious intentions were obvious.
Cheng Chuyu's face darkened, as if he had used all his strength to calm down.
Following her gaze, in the waterfront pavilion corridor, besides Princess Jingle, the Emperor, Princess Yongan, Prince Zhao, etc. were all there.
The emperor sat in the position with the best view, with drinks and various snacks and fruits placed in front of him.
The others were sitting in various places in the pavilion in a reserved manner. Yong'an raised the corners of her rosy lips, pointed at the pleasure boat on the Wenxin Lake, and said coquettishly, "Brother, this is the recently arranged water colorful dance by the Jiaofangsi. I specially called them over."
King Zhao also said, "Brother, I have just watched Rou'er's "The Knight-errant". No matter how beautifully you dance the colorful clothes on the water, I am afraid it will not catch your eye." He looked at Zhao Yuanrou not far away, and the tenderness in his eyes seemed to drip water.
The emperor waved his folding fan, smiling with his thin lips, and was in a very good mood. His eyes fell on the singer on the pleasure boat. The singer was only about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a slender figure, covered with a veil, with a delicate face and a melodious voice.
Yong'an was a little tipsy. She gave King Zhao a look, telling him to stop so as not to be scolded again. Then she stood up and walked aside to get some fresh air.
King Zhao smiled and said, "Brother, this is the granddaughter of the Earl of Jian'an. She has a great voice."
His voice was not loud, but the people around him could still hear it. They looked at each other in confusion, and some even raised their cups to hide their expressions, but they could not help but glance at King Zhao.
Nowadays, people love beauties. There are at least 100 to 200 beauties in the harem, if not three thousand, including those of low status or those who have no status at all.
The mansion of Earl Jian'an was just raided by Dongchang, and it was said that the entire family, young and old, were imprisoned in Dongchang Prison. Prince Zhao now brought Earl Jian'an's adorable granddaughter to the emperor. His purpose was too obvious.
Since the matter involved the Dongchang, everyone remained silent, as if they had all become mute in an instant, and the beautiful singing and dancing became boring to their eyes.
If the emperor was not still here, giving them some confidence, they would not even dare to stay here now.
King Zhao seemed unaware of the sudden change in atmosphere and happily poured wine for the emperor.
His elder brother was good in every way and had the qualities of a wise ruler, except that he favored Dongchang too much and obeyed every word from Xiao Shuo, the eunuch. Dongchang also relied on his elder brother's favor to become more and more unscrupulous. He even dared to raid the mansion of Earl Jian'an. Everyone in the capital knew that Earl Jian'an's youngest son was his Prince Zhao's study partner. This simply showed that he did not take him seriously!
He had to let Xiao Shuo know that a slave is a slave and should not even think about climbing over his master's head.
The emperor folded his folding fan with a "snap" and tapped it lightly on the table to the beat, his eyes still fixed on the graceful figure in the middle of the lake.
How could he not see through King Zhao's little tricks?
However, relying on the fact that he is his younger brother, he dares to interfere in my decision. It seems that I have been too tolerant of him.
The emperor glanced at him, took the wine cup from his hand, and his eyes turned cold.
King Zhao was still unaware and continued to encourage him, "Brother, the Jian'an Marquis's Mansion has always been loyal to the emperor. You must not listen to the one-sided words of the treacherous people."
Others dared not say a word. Everyone in the court and the country was afraid of Xiao Shuo, who was like a tiger. Now the only one who dared to openly say that he was a traitor was probably King Zhao.
The emperor's expression turned even colder.
The timid ones moved aside as if nothing had happened, and no one noticed that Cheng Chuyu walked into the waterfront pavilion.
She walked directly to Princess Jingle and said politely, "Princess."
"It's Ayu." Princess Jingle smiled.
She knew Cheng Chuyu. Although she had never been to Northern Xinjiang, after the third branch of the Cheng family returned to Beijing, Mrs. Cheng would bring her daughter to pay her respects from time to time.
"Please sit down." Jingle gently motioned for her to sit next to him.
After Cheng Chuyu sat down, he quickly whispered in her ear: "Princess, Sister Yan has been called away."
Jingle's pupils shrank and her brows furrowed.
She waited for a long time but didn't see Sheng Xiyan, and she felt something was wrong. However, not everyone was in the pavilion. There were many people catching butterflies and feeding fish nearby. For a moment, she couldn't be sure where Sheng Xiyan had gone.
I didn't expect it to be...
Cheng Chuyu quickly recounted what had happened. Jingle patted the back of her hand. After she looked around, she picked up the wine cup, stood up and walked straight towards Yongan.
Yong'an was leaning against the side enjoying the breeze. When he saw Jingle walking towards him, he raised his eyebrows, thinking that she was there to toast him.
Jingle narrowed her peach blossom eyes, and a fierce look flashed in her eyes. She asked directly: "Your Highness, where is my daughter-in-law?"
Yong'an smiled with her charming eyes, and said lazily with a little drunkenness: "Jingle, this Shengda girl hasn't married yet, you are too impatient." She played with her hair with her hands and said, "Yes, the prince is old, and there are many children of his age in the capital. Jingle, I can understand your anxiety. The prince has been in the army for many years, and he should be well taken care of when he comes back this time. My brother is here too, why don't I go and beg for you?"
A sneer escaped Jingle's lips.
Yong'an wanted to ask the emperor to seize the territory and military power of the Zhenbei Palace and let Achen stay in the capital forever. Wasn't it enough to use her and her youngest son as hostages? Did he also want to cut off Achen's wings and let him be trapped in this place like a bird in a cage?
Her Ah Chen went to the Northern Frontier when he was just three years old and followed his father. He learned to use a bow just after he learned to walk. In his entire life, except for the period before he was three years old, he had only spent a total of one or two years in the capital.
The Chu family paid so much for the Qin family, but what did they get?!
Jingle's eyes became increasingly gloomy, and the joints of her fingers that were holding the wine cup bulged from the force.
Jingle was too disdainful to argue with her and just asked, "Where is my daughter-in-law?"
Yongan laughed even more happily, and said slowly: "Don't worry, maybe she went to the clean room. You see, I have invited so many people to this hairpin banquet, and I only have a pair of eyes, and I can't always watch it, right? If you are anxious, I will ask someone to look for it for you."
As she spoke, she casually instructed the maidservant beside her, "I don't know where the eldest daughter of the Sheng family has gone. Please ask someone to look for her. I don't know if she went to the clean room or..." She said meaningfully, "She got lost."
Yong'an curled up her red lips, a malicious smile spreading across her lips.
She certainly wouldn't let Sheng Xiyan embarrass herself in public right now. She could be of greater use to her.
But Sheng Xiyan is just as the queen mother said, too bold, too arrogant, and doesn't even take the royal family seriously. To deal with such a person, the only way is to break her wings so that she can't fly and trample her into the mud, then she will be obedient.
Yongan raised his eyebrows and looked at Jingle provocatively.
This is her princess's residence, how dare Jingle search for people? The emperor is still here, if Jingle dares to be presumptuous, she will definitely be charged with the crime of disobedience.
Yong'an was still holding on to the bad temper he had felt at the Huaxie.
She and Jingle are of similar age. She is a princess while Jingle is just the daughter of a vassal king. But since childhood, no matter what she does, Jingle can always surpass her. Even her father, in order to stabilize the King of Zhenbei, shows his love for Jingle, even more than her, the eldest daughter.
The Chu family will be wiped out sooner or later, what confidence does Jingle have to fight with me? !
It would have been fine if Jingle had just lowered her head obediently in the flower pavilion today, but she just didn't know how to raise her head.
Yongan sneered and said nonchalantly: "Jingle, wait here, maybe you can find it in a while, don't worry." When she said the three words "don't worry", there was a look of watching a good show on her face.
Jingle looked at her steadily, seeing the undisguised malice on her face, and her eyes almost burst into fire.
If it was her, she could bear it, but now...
Jingle raised her hand, and the amber wine in the cup splashed directly onto Yongan's face.
"ah!"
Yong'an let out a sharp scream. The wine slid down her forehead, leaving obvious marks on her makeup. Her eyes stung so much that she felt like she was going blind.
Yong'an covered her face in panic, the wine dripping from her fingertips and hair, staining her scarlet brocade robe.
There was a commotion, and many people came over following the sound. Everyone was shocked.
Cheng Chuyu covered her mouth, her eyes gleaming with wonder, thinking: Princess Jingle is so handsome! She is worthy of being the daughter of the prince! Ah, I want to scream, what should I do? !
Only Zhao Yuanrou frowned slightly, her face showing disapproval.
The noble ladies who had witnessed a confrontation at the flower pavilion were panicked, wondering why the two giant Buddhas were making trouble again. But more people didn't know what had happened, as their attention was all on the emperor and Prince Zhao.
"Jingle, you are so brave!"
Yong'an was so angry that he had forgotten the emperor's instructions. He raised his hand and slapped Jingle in the face.
Jingle had only learned archery and horse riding since childhood, so she didn't care about Yongan's fancy moves. She grabbed her wrist and threw her down heavily.
Yongan groaned and his body hit the table. Wine cups and fruit plates fell to the ground, making a series of noises.
Some of the older people present still remember how outspoken Jingle used to be, just like a rose with thorns, proud and noble. They thought that her temper had improved after she became a mother, but unexpectedly, she was no less ferocious than before when it came to fighting.
Jingle sneered and said, "It seems that Her Royal Highness the Princess doesn't mind me searching for it?"
Yongan covered his painful arm and said angrily, "Jingle, how dare you!?"
Jingle slowly wiped the non-existent dust off her fingertips with a handkerchief: "My daughter-in-law doesn't know the way. The Princess's residence is too big. I'm afraid she'll get lost. If she ends up somewhere bad, that would be troublesome. What do you think, Princess?"
"What happened?" The emperor also noticed the commotion here. He simply walked over, swept his fierce eyes around, fixed them on the ferocious Yong'an, and asked in an unhappy tone.
The others also stood up and bowed their heads in silence.
Several giant Buddhas were making noise, but they didn't dare to say a word, and each of them just acted as if they didn't exist.
"Brother." Yongan's delicate makeup was smudged by the wine, her hair was messy and stuck to her face, even the hairpin was crooked, and the wine was still dripping down. Yongan had long lost her former charm, and her arms and elbows hurt so much that she was about to cry.
The emperor found Yong'an's appearance quite unsightly.
Yongan pointed at Jingle and angrily complained: "She, she is so bold!"
The emperor frowned. He knew that his sister was willful in her behavior, but why did she start a quarrel with Jingle for no reason?
Chu Yuanchen is still in Northern Frontier. Even if I want to vent my anger, I have to wait for him to come back from Northern Frontier.
Yongan was so angry that he lost his mind and blurted out: "Zhenbei Palace deserves to die..."
"Shut up!" The emperor scolded her in a stern tone, with a cold light in his eyes. Yong'an was frightened by him, and it was as if a bucket of cold water was poured on his heart, so cool that it was even cooler than the wine poured on his face.
Everyone couldn't help but shrink back.