When the Empress Dowager spoke, Consort De, who had just reprimanded Lady Zhangjia, lowered her eyes and dared not utter another word.
After all, he was a prince under her command. If she spoke up for that girl again, it would make her seem like she had no maternal heart. If she echoed Zhangjia's words, it would make her seem like she had no tolerance for others.
Consort De already knew the whole story. In the end, it was all caused by the thirteenth prince. She herself was blamed for not disciplining him properly. The fourth prince was the same. The thirteenth prince was young, but he, as the older brother, couldn't keep an eye on him. He had spoiled the thirteenth prince too much.
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, the Thirteenth Prince paused slightly, secretly glancing at Zhao Jia and Yue among the female relatives. A shadow fell over his face, he lowered his eyes, clenched his hands, and let out a soft hum.
The Tenth Prince was about to speak when the Ninth Prince grabbed him and shook his head. The Tenth Prince pursed his lips in resentment and glanced worriedly at He Yue, whose face remained calm.
"Eh? Consort Zhangjia, are you referring to the young princess from the Ministry of War's residence?" At this moment, the girl in the red Manchu dress, Guo Luoluo, exclaimed in surprise, drawing a slight glance from the Empress Dowager beside her: "Girl, do you know her?"
Guo Luoluo winked playfully and smiled, "Your Majesty, we only met once. I saw her just before entering the palace. She was arguing with someone and was even beaten. She looked quite pitiful. But I'm very curious, since she was so bold as to hit the Thirteenth Prince, how could she be bullied by a noble lady?"
"Oh? Who did you quarrel with? How dare someone in the palace act so recklessly?" The Empress Dowager was immediately diverted from the topic.
"Your Majesty, it's just a little squabble between a few young maids. Why bother with it?" Guo Luoluo glanced around and noticed Wanyan Mingshuang's pale face. She spoke these words slowly and deliberately.
The Empress Dowager tapped her and laughed, "You little rascal, you call them little girls, but aren't you a little girl too?" Her earlier displeasure vanished because of her words, and she didn't ask any further questions.
Guo Luoluo blushed, her face as delicate and beautiful as a crabapple blossom glistening with morning dew. She huffed in protest, "In my heart, they're just little girls. Otherwise, why would they start making a scene without regard for the occasion? I'm not as childish as them."
The Empress Dowager smiled again, her eyes crinkling, and turned to Kangxi: "Emperor, look, this girl is getting more and more eloquent."
Emperor Kangxi chuckled and said, "It's only because the Empress Dowager is willing to spoil her that she dares to act so recklessly in front of her."
"Speaking of which, Xiangyi is already engaged and will be getting married next year. She's certainly not a little girl anymore," the Empress Dowager sighed, quite moved.
He Yue suddenly looked up at Guo Luoluo, and for a moment her mind was filled with only the smiling girl in red. She could see nothing else and hear no other sounds around her.
Sister, is that you?
Or is it just someone with the same name as you?
She desperately wanted the girl to turn around and smile at her, to prove her guess, but the girl never looked at her.
No, she isn't. If she were my older sister, she wouldn't ignore me.
Heyue stared blankly, seemingly in a daze. Irgen Gioro noticed her unusual behavior, nudged her, and called out with a frown, "Xiaoqi, what's wrong?"
"Huh?" She snapped back to reality, blinked away the sting in her eyes, and gave a bright smile: "No, it's nothing." She then lowered her head to hide her emotions.
Irgen Gioro felt increasingly uneasy. Holding her small hand, she looked her up and down and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Heyue shook her head and looked at Guoluoshi again, her gaze unblinking. No, she wanted to ask her herself, but this was, after all, the Qianqing Palace. Guoluoshi was by the Empress Dowager's side; how difficult would it be for her to get close to her? It seemed that she could only go to her after the palace banquet was over.
After Guo Luoluo's words, the previous topic was circumvented. Consort Zhangjia in the crowd bit her lip unwillingly and had no choice but to swallow her anger for the time being.
One instance could be considered a coincidence or a whim, but two instances of assistance added a layer of doubt to He Yue's heart.
I have no relation to that Guo Luoluo woman, so why is she speaking up for me? If she really is my sister, why doesn't she look at me and acts as if she doesn't recognize me?
The wait felt exceptionally long. He Yue was distracted, glancing at Guo Luoluo every now and then, but she never turned around to look at her. Her disappointment deepened.
Could it be that I'm just overthinking things?
As the palace banquet came to an end, the Emperor and Empress Dowager left first, and everyone else dispersed one after another. Heyue watched as Guoluo was about to leave and took a step to chase after her, but her mother grabbed her arm: "Xiaoqi, where are you going?"
Heyue was extremely anxious and wanted to chase after her, but she didn't know how to explain to her mother, so she blurted out, "I...I'm going to change my clothes."
Seeing her anxious and flustered appearance, Irgen Gioro did not suspect anything, but she was worried about her running around alone, so she gestured to Yan Yue: "Xiao Liu, you stay with Xiao Qi and come back quickly."
Yan Yue readily agreed, smiling as she took He Yue's little hand: "Let's go."
Heyue was about to cry, but she had no other choice but to let her sixth sister lead her away.
After walking for a while, Heyue suddenly had a bright idea and grabbed her sixth sister's hand: "Oh right, we haven't thanked Princess Duoluo for helping us out of that predicament yet. Let's go find her."
Before Yan Yue could answer, He Yue pulled her along and chased after Guo Luoluo.
Fortunately, Lady Guoluo hadn't gone far. Soon, Heyue caught up with her, stopped panting, and called out, "Princess Duoluo, please wait!"
Guo Luoluo stopped in her tracks, turned around, and when she saw it was her, she raised an eyebrow in surprise: "What is it?"
At this moment, Guo Luoluo was once again indifferent and aloof, as if she wasn't the one who had just helped Heyue.
Heyue stood in front of her, smiling broadly, "Thank you for helping me out earlier, Princess Duoluo. I haven't thanked you yet."
Yan Yue caught up, panting, grabbed He Yue's hand, and complained, "Why are you running so fast? I can't keep up with you." She glanced at Guo Luoluo Shi, quickly stood up straight, and bowed, "Greetings, Princess Duoluo."
Guo Luoluo glanced at her casually, then turned to Heyue and smiled slightly: "Oh, that? It was just a small favor. Besides, I've never liked Wanyan Mingshuang, and it wasn't entirely for your sake."
What about the trouble caused by Consort Zhangjia just now? That had nothing to do with Lady Wanyan. Heyue wanted to ask, but she was afraid of upsetting her, so she didn't dare to ask any more questions. She smiled sweetly and said, "In the end, we still have to thank Princess Duoluo. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened to us sisters."
Guo Luoluo covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes darting around as she looked her up and down, her gaze filled with a strange light: "Even if I hadn't made a move just now, she wouldn't have been able to do anything to you. In the end, I was just making a pointless effort."
He Yue gave an awkward smile. Sure enough, she had seen through her. However, she still chose to help her, which made He Yue feel a little hopeful again: "Um, my name is He Yue, the He Yue of gentle and kind face."
She stared at her intently, not missing a single change in her expression.
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