Lin Qingwan raised her eyes, but her gaze was lowered.
Consort Ning was over thirty, but she looked much younger than her age. Her skin, both on her cheeks and hands, was fair and smooth, like that of a young lady in her boudoir.
The noble air of being second only to the emperor in the imperial harem cultivated her noble and dignified temperament. At this moment, she sat on the soft couch, leaning slightly against the soft pillows, and glanced at Lin Qingwan with a smile.
"She's a natural beauty, not as lively as others, but rather possessing a rare elegance and tranquility."
"No wonder Yan'er likes you. He protected you in public several times, causing quite a stir."
The second half of the sentence was spoken with such weight that Lin Qingwan felt the pressure of the gaze above her head.
Anyone else would be terrified and begging for the Imperial Concubine's forgiveness right now. But she was like a quiet cat, seemingly obedient and docile, yet deep down she exuded a wariness that could scratch you at any moment.
Consort Ning raised an eyebrow slightly. "Did Yan'er hurt you?"
Lin Qingwan then kowtowed again, saying, "Your Highness's words of advice are too kind to be considered an injury."
She knew perfectly well that Prince Jing's strange habit of using people as fertilizer had not spread, nor had he been punished. If she had cried out in front of Consort Ning, she feared she would not have been able to leave the palace alive today.
Consort Ning smiled. "Granny, please have a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Lin Qingwan got up, and as soon as her bottom touched the stool, she realized that one of her legs was loose, but she had no choice but to sit down.
She gritted her teeth, using her waist strength to support her body, maintaining a feigned sitting posture.
The old woman returned to the Consort's side and said, "It's all nonsense that people outside say Miss Qingwan doesn't know the rules."
Consort Ning smiled kindly, "Yan'er protects her, and others are jealous, so naturally they won't speak well of her."
"Serve tea."
Lin Qingwan's heart tightened.
"Try the Longjing tea before the rain," Consort Ning said, and Lin Qingwan had no choice but to drink it.
I touched the teacup first; thankfully, it wasn't scalding hot.
She took a small sip; everything seemed fine, and she finally felt somewhat relieved.
Consort Ning noticed her cautiousness and said, "Yan'er has been spoiled by me and His Majesty. Others would find it difficult to teach him."
"Is your injury any better?" Consort Ning suddenly softened her tone, which didn't feel friendly, but rather carried an indescribable tension.
Lin Qingwan said, "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
Consort Ning sighed, "Yan'er fell in love with a female official a few years ago, but unfortunately she had ulterior motives. After I discovered this, I dealt with her."
“Yan’er was sincere towards her, and afterwards she became somewhat distant from me and His Majesty, and her personality also became extreme.”
Lin Qingwan had no interest in learning about Prince Jing's past, but she had to spare some attention to maintain the pretense of sitting still, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond.
Moreover, she didn't feel qualified to comment on the prince.
Consort Ning waited a moment, and seeing that she didn't even dare to raise her head, she smiled slightly and said, "Yan'er hurt you, so I will reward you with a thousand taels of gold and silver, as well as ginseng and deer antler. Go back and take good care of yourself."
Lin Qingwan's legs trembled, and she finally had a reason to kneel down again, "Qingwan is unworthy of this."
"Wait. I haven't finished speaking yet."
Lin Qingwan was startled, sensing something was wrong.
Consort Ning said leisurely, "Compared to Jiang Yanwan, Yan'er prefers you. If you are willing, I can arrange for Yan'er to marry you."
"Don't worry, Yan'er won't hit people every day. You have such a good temperament, you'll gradually learn to take good care of him."
Lin Qingwan broke out in a cold sweat; this was going to kill her!
Another point is that she has a bad reputation, which Consort Ning must also know. The Emperor's favoritism towards Prince Jing is well-known, and even if Prince Jing has some unspeakable quirks, the Emperor would not agree to let a woman like Lin Qingwan become Prince Jing's consort.
What was Consort Ning's purpose in saying that? Was it because Prince Jing was unwilling to let her die, so he wanted to marry her back to the palace and torture her slowly to avenge the blood-stained hibiscus?
"Her Highness the Imperial Concubine's favor is due to your gentle and refined manner..."
She was interrupted by Consort Ning before she could finish speaking, "Go back and think it over carefully, there's no rush."
Emerging from Pingning Palace, Lin Qingwan was drenched in cold sweat. A gust of cold wind made her instinctively pull her fox fur coat tighter around her, but she still shivered from head to toe.
What made her tremble even more was the voice of Prince Jing behind her, "Lin Qingwan."
Almost instantly, her blood froze, the sound of blood dripping into the bowl echoed in her ears, and her vision blurred, everything she saw turned blood red.
The footsteps drew closer, and she couldn't move; her eyes welled up with tears.
She felt that Zhao Yan was holding a rattan whip and a dagger, and was about to hurt her again like a fish on a sticky board.
The palace maid who led her out turned and bowed, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Zhao Yan stood behind Lin Qingwan, watching her tense body tremble, his peach blossom eyes gleaming with excitement. That day, all the Blood Lotus he had raised for so long had died, and he wished he could skin Lin Qingwan alive.
But the Taoist priest said it was a good thing.
Blood Lotus is the only memento Jianqing left him. In recent years, the women he has taken to the flower garden have all been slender and beautiful, women who had lived a hard life, women with injuries, and women who are very stubborn.
As expected, their blood made the Blood Hibiscus grow very beautiful.
In truth, the woman he was most satisfied with was Lin Qingwan, because she was the daughter of the Prime Minister, and her bloodline was nobler than those lowly women. But she shattered his hopes.
But it doesn't matter, the Taoist priest said that Jianqing has returned, because Jianqing's blood back then would have caused all the flowers and plants to wither.
The Taoist priest said that Lin Qingwan was Jianqing, so he fell in love with her at first sight, unlike with others who he would just take to the flower garden as a favor. Because of this, Lin Qingwan didn't care about anything and was willing to go with him.
Zhao Yan was completely unaware that she had gone mad.
"Lin Qingwan." He reached out and touched her shoulder, only to see her trembling even more violently.
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