Chapter 30
Knowing that Song Yunlan was staring at her, Youyang found a rockery to hide in. She peeked through the gap at the pavilion like a thief, and only patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief after making sure that Song Yunlan was no longer looking at her.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I'll just say that my cheap brother still has feelings for you."
You Yang was frightened by the sudden sound and jumped up.
Song Yanting suddenly appeared behind her like a ghost, but she hadn't noticed it yet.
He leaned against the rockery with his arms folded, looking like someone who wanted to watch the fun and not mind getting into trouble.
Song Yan shook his head and sighed, "Women are indeed the cruelest. It's rare to see this kind of expression on my fifth brother's face. Are you really not moved at all?"
Yuan De, who was following behind him, was holding a dustpan and covered his mouth with his hands when he saw her funny look, and his shoulders were shaking with laughter.
"You're still laughing!" You Yang glared at Yuan De, "You're hurting my eyes."
Yuan De then restrained himself a little, "No, no, I dare not."
You Yang also glanced at Song Yanting and said, "I only saved his life. This shows that I have a heart like a bodhisattva. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."
"I'm saving someone, not getting married, let alone marrying him. Why should I be so moved?"
She muttered and cursed inwardly, "I hate it when saving someone has to involve some love-hate relationship or a promise-making plot."
"Saving people is about saving people. Can you be more pure?"
She is not the heroine in the storybook, and she is not at all interested in the overly upright male protagonist like Song Yunlan.
She didn't want to talk about the bad topic anymore. "Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask you last time, is that little girl still being raised in your house?"
Song Yanting waved his hand, "Why should I keep that little troublemaker around when I have nothing better to do? What if that fool Song Yunlan finds out about me because of her, and it adds to the trouble."
Yuan De, who was standing by, explained to You Yang, "His Highness has already arranged for someone to send her back to the Fifth Prince. She will be sent back to her family like the other four girls."
You Yang teased, "Sending her home is sending her home. It's a good thing. Why are you being so hypocritical and stubborn?"
Song Yanting felt an uncomfortable look flash across his face.
He suddenly approached Youyang, who was leaning against the rockery, and pressed closer.
"Won't you tell me if I'm tough just by trying it?"
——
The scene between You Yang and Song Yunlan on the water corridor was just seen by You Miaoyan and Liu Qianruo who came over after hearing the news from the palace maid.
Liu Qianruo has been in love with Song Yunlan for a long time. Seeing this scene, she wanted to go up and skin Youyang alive.
"I left her alone for a moment, and she actually started talking to the Fifth Prince. This vixen is quite cunning."
You Miaoyan's face looked bad, but before she could say anything, the Queen arrived with a group of people. The two of them had to suppress their hatred for the time being and went to welcome the Phoenix Carriage.
You Yang placed her hands on Song Yanting's chest and hid behind the rockery with him in an awkward posture. You Miaoyan took in everything they said.
Finally, it was the unique shrill voice of the palace eunuch that brought her back to her senses.
You Yang took the opportunity to squat down and slip out from under his arms, touching her hot cheeks with her hands, blending into the crowd and following him.
Several sedan chairs were parked outside Shoukang Palace.
The Empress was dressed in a bright yellow phoenix robe with wide sleeves, a tasseled hairpin with a phoenix pattern inlaid with rubies on her head, a large, fully bloomed peony flower behind her ear, and a pair of precious oriental pearl earrings hanging from her ears.
Concubine Rou was wearing a blue and white gradient cloud-shoulder casual dress with delicate embroidery of fish playing in the water on the wide sleeves. A light blue gauze shawl hung naturally. A jade crown comb was inserted in the center of her smooth black hair bun, and a pair of glazed flower hairpins matched her on the left and right, showing a gentle and tranquil feeling.
Compared to the gentleness and refinement of Concubine Rou, Concubine Liu's dress was more seductive. She wore a long blue gauze dress with a cross-neckline that revealed a large area of fair skin. She wore a silver-blue headpiece on her head and waved a fragrant round fan in her hand, looking charming and graceful.
Behind Concubine Liu was a proud young girl with her chin held high - the fifth princess Song Anyao.
Everyone knelt in unison, "Your servants greet Her Majesty the Queen, Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine, Her Majesty the Concubine Liu, and the Fifth Princess."
The Queen's brows held a sense of majesty. Her sharp gaze swept across the crowd. She curled her lip and said, "Stand up. Since you are all my guests, there is no need to be so reserved. Go and have fun."
Upon hearing this, Song Anyao, who was following behind Liu Fei, couldn't wait to pull Liu Fei's arm and act coquettishly with her.
"Mother, I'm going to play too."
Concubine Liu glanced at the Queen with a look of unintentional embarrassment and scolded her.
"The Queen is still here, An Yao must not be disrespectful."
Concubine Liu twisted her waist and walked to the Queen, smiling, "An Yao has been indulged by the emperor and has been lawless. I hope the Queen will forgive me for my disrespect."
A gleam flashed across the queen's eyes, and then she smiled kindly, "Girls of this age are a little playful, let her go."
"The Empress is so generous." Concubine Liu waved Song Anyao over, "I can't control you on weekdays. Now that the Empress has agreed, and your cousin is here today, go play with her."
Song Anyao smiled brightly, "Thank you, Queen, thank you, Mother. Anyao is leaving."
"The princess lives a more comfortable and carefree life than the prince." The queen said calmly as she watched Song Anyao's back as she jumped away.
She glanced at Concubine Liu meaningfully, "Noble Concubine, Concubine Liu, do you think what I said is correct?"
Concubine Liu's smile faltered, but she quickly regained her composure. "I don't expect her to achieve anything great. I just hope she can live a peaceful and happy life."
Imperial Concubine Rou smiled faintly, "It's a pity, I only have one son, so I don't really understand how Concubine Liu feels."
The Queen is the biological mother of the eldest prince, and Concubine Rou is the biological mother of the fifth prince. Only Concubine Liu has been in the palace for many years and has only one daughter.
The two of them ridiculed her openly and secretly, and she could only grit her teeth and swallow it in silence.
Madam Rong stood aside and listened carefully to what the three people said.
Seeing that the others had almost finished their conversation, she spoke up, "Ladies and gentlemen, the banquet is about to begin. The sun is too strong here. I would like to ask you to move to the back hall and wait."
"The Queen Mother will be out soon."
The Queen looked at Aunt Rong and said, "Then let's go."
After these words were spoken, a large group of palace maids and eunuchs dispersed to wait in various places, and the three ladies were only accompanied by their respective chief palace maids.
"My sister made it so hard for me to find her."
After hearing the Queen's signal, You Yang had just taken two steps when You Miaoyan came up to him like a ghost.
Following behind her was Liu Qianruo with an angry look in her eyes.
You Yang was at a loss, "Sister, do you have something to talk to me about?"
"What did you talk about with the Fifth Prince just now?" Liu Qianruo asked anxiously.
You Yang immediately became unhappy when he heard this. His expression turned cold. He glanced at her with a dark look and said with a smile, "What he said is none of your business. You will die quickly if you meddle in other people's business."
For some reason, Liu Qianruo's hair stood on end when she saw her cold gaze. At that moment, she felt the murderous intent.
She stiffened her neck and pretended to be calm. "I...I'm just asking you what you think. What can you do to me?"
"Heh." You Yang chuckled, put his hands on his waist, and touched nothing.
She then remembered that she would be searched upon entering the palace, and that weapons were forbidden. So her charming eyes shifted, and she said, "I won't do anything to you, but don't you want to know what the Fifth Prince just said to me?"
She said meaningfully, "It's not impossible for me to tell you. I think the bracelets on your two hands are pretty good..."
Liu Qianruo couldn't wait to know, and without hesitation took off the fine jade bracelet on her wrist, "If you want it, I'll give it to you. Tell me now."
You Yang turned to look at You Miao Yan, "If you don't want to hear it, get out of the way."
Liu Qianruo urged her, "It's just a broken bracelet, just give it to her, why are you being so hesitant?"
Forced to do something, You Miaoyan had no choice but to take off the bracelet and put it in You Yang's palm, "Speak."
"No returns once you get them." You Yang put the two bracelets away and then spoke.
"The Fifth Prince called me because he saw that I looked somewhat like my sister. Later, he realized he had made a mistake and let me go."
Both of them were shocked when they heard this.
You Miaoyan was excited in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face.
Liu Qianruo suddenly became unhappy.
She has liked Song Yunlan for a long time, and her father also supports her marrying him, so she does not bother to hide her love for Song Yunlan in front of You Miaoyan.
Now You Miaoyan has actually established a relationship with Song Yunlan behind his back. It seems that their relationship is quite close.
She clenched her hands tightly, unwilling to believe it, "What is the relationship between the Fifth Prince and her? Why is he suddenly asking her?"
You Yang took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, "I don't know either. Maybe he knows that my eldest sister is the most talented woman, and wants to take advantage of today's flower viewing party to get to know her."
After saying this, You Yang slipped away, leaving the two of them to review the situation.
You Miaoyan frowned, looking embarrassed as she took Liu Qianruo's hand and said, "Don't listen to her nonsense. What if she is lying to you?"
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that Youyang was a thoughtful person and what he said might not be true, so I couldn't trust him completely.
But she had just returned to Beijing. How did she know that Liu Qianruo was in love with Song Yunlan? Could it be that what she said was true?
"She's a scheming person, as we both know. She might have heard from somewhere that you're in love with the Fifth Prince, and she's deliberately trying to drive a wedge between us so we can break up."
Liu Qianruo felt that there was some truth in what she heard, and her expression became better.
But once the seeds of doubt are planted in your heart, they will take root and sprout, growing into a towering tree called estrangement.
In the back hall of Shoukang Palace, the three were waiting there specifically for the empress dowager to join the play. After waiting for just a quarter of an hour, Rong Mama supported the empress dowager out of the back hall.
The empress dowager's face was well maintained. She was about fifty years old, with protruding cheeks and wrinkled eyes that were slightly upturned. She had a sharp expression and a gleam in her eyes.
She wore a phoenix crown on her head and a black and gold phoenix robe. She looked graceful and elegant, and walked with a calm gait. As soon as she stood still, her sharp eyes swept over everyone present.
"Everyone, get up."
"How are the preparations going?" the Queen Mother asked the Queen.
The Queen smiled faintly: "Everything is ready, and the young ladies of each family are seated and waiting. Mother, you may go immediately."
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