Chapter 32
Song Qingyuan smiled. She stood up and walked over to Huamei herself, her tone warm and grateful: "Thank you for making this trip, sister. I appreciate your kindness, sister Princess. But..."
She looked embarrassed as she gently stroked the gorgeous palace dress. "This dress is too expensive. My sister is not blessed enough to contain its elegance. If I offend the nobles in the palace, wouldn't I be betraying my sister's love and care?"
The smile on Huamei's face froze, and she was about to say something like "It's a gift from the princess, how can I not wear it?"
Song Qingyuan didn't give her a chance. She took Huamei's hand and stuffed a heavy purse into her hand. She lowered her voice with a hint of just the right amount of fear and dependence: "My dear sister, you are the closest person to the princess. Please help me talk to the princess. Tell her that I am timid and afraid to meet the emperor for the first time.
I will accept this dress first, thank you for your kindness. When I am brave enough in the future, I will wear it for my sister, the princess, to see.
Today, please allow me to dress more modestly and follow behind my sister, so as not to bring shame to the palace."
Her words were flawless, saving the princess's face while keeping a very low profile, portraying herself as a timid and ignorant newcomer who was completely dependent on the princess.
Huamei weighed the heavy purse in her hand, then looked at Song Qingyuan's frightened face.
For a moment, he couldn't think of a reason to refute. They're terrified, and you can't force them to wear this outfit and "die," right? If word gets out, it'll seem like the princess is deliberately making things difficult for them, with sinister intentions.
"Since Consort Wang says so..." Huamei could only smile dryly and agreed, "Then I will go back and report the truth to Her Majesty the Princess."
"Thank you for your understanding, sister." Song Qingyuan personally escorted her out the door.
Watching Huamei and her group walk away, Tingzhu breathed a sigh of relief and said with lingering fear, "Your Majesty, you really scared me to death. Your Majesty, your mind is too vicious!"
"There will be many more things like this in the future." Song Qingyuan turned around and walked back to the mirror, his expression calm. "Take out that set of rain-stained sky-blue casual clothes, and use the pair of mutton-fat jade pendants given by Concubine Bai as your headwear, and add a few plain silver hairpins."
The sky turns blue after the rain, which is a very elegant color. Paired with the warm white jade, it neither loses its status nor is it ostentatious. Among the colorful palace costumes, it appears particularly fresh and refined.
This was her strategy: the enemy wanted me to advance, I would retreat. Cui Jingyue wanted to make her a shining target, but she chose to be an inconspicuous background.
After everything was packed up, Song Qingyuan took Tingzhu to the main gate of the palace to meet the princess.
The carriage had already been prepared. It was an eight-treasure glazed carriage custom-made by the prince, and it was spacious and magnificent.
When she arrived, Concubine Bai Jiaojiao had already arrived and was standing quietly beside the car.
She was wearing a moon-white dress with a few sparse black bamboos embroidered on the hem. She looked like an elegant ink painting, with a cool and elegant temperament.
When she saw Song Qingyuan, she just nodded slightly as a greeting.
Song Qingyuan also returned the greeting.
The two were standing quietly when Princess Cui Jingyue arrived late, surrounded by a group of maids and servants.
She was dressed in her finest attire today, a bright red palace gown with a phoenix-tail peony pattern embroidered with gold, and a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin with pearls on her head. Her golden brilliance was so regal that she overwhelmed everything around her the moment she appeared.
"I'm sorry to have kept you two sisters waiting for a long time." Cui Jingyue had a warm smile on her face. When her eyes fell on Song Qingyuan, a hint of imperceptible disappointment and coldness flashed in her eyes.
But then it turned into concern, "Oh, Sister Yuan, why are you dressed so plainly? Didn't Huamei convey my thoughts?"
Song Qingyuan hurried forward, bowed, and said apologetically: "It's my fault. It's just that this is my first time entering the palace, and I was really timid. I was afraid that I would offend the nobles by dressing too well. I hope you will forgive me."
"Silly sister, what are you talking about?" Cui Jingyue took her hand affectionately and patted the back of her hand, looking like an older sister loving her. "With me here, what are you afraid of? But it's better this way. It's more plain, inconspicuous, and safe. Hurry up and get in the car, don't miss the time."
She said that she was safe, but she did not hide the contempt in her tone and the implication that "he really comes from a poor family and is not presentable."
The three of them boarded the carriage one after another. The princess sat in the middle, with Song Qingyuan and Bai Ruoyun sitting on either side.
The carriage was filled with precious ambergris, but the atmosphere was a little stagnant.
Cui Jingyue obviously had no intention of letting her go. She pulled Song Qingyuan aside and began to "teach" her in detail: "Sister Yuan, when you get to the palace later and meet the ladies, you must remember to perform formalities.
Especially the Empress, she values rules the most. Also, Princess Anyang, she is the Empress's niece and my cousin. When you meet her, you must be more respectful than you would be to me..."
She kept nagging, saying it was advice but actually it was pressure. Every sentence she said implied that Song Qingyuan was of low status and should keep a low profile.
Song Qingyuan kept her eyes down and responded respectfully, "Yes, thank you for your teachings, sister. I've taken note of them."
Bai Ruoyun, who was standing by, had been reading a book since she got on the bus, as if the outside world had nothing to do with her. But Song Qingyuan caught a glimpse of her, and when Cui Jingyue mentioned "Princess Anyang", Bai Ruoyun's fingertips paused slightly as she turned the pages of the book.
The carriage moved very steadily and soon arrived at the palace gate.
After getting off the car, they changed to a sedan chair in the palace and traveled all the way to the "Hall of Supreme Harmony" where the banquet was held.
Suddenly, the view opened up to a vast expanse of white marble, golden glazed tiles gleaming in the sun, and towering palaces, majestic and imposing.
The ladies of high rank, dressed in gorgeous clothes of various colors, gathered in twos and threes, talking and laughing, with their elegant clothes and graceful hair, forming a flowing picture of wealth and splendor.
The arrival of the group from Prince Yu's Mansion immediately attracted everyone's attention.
In other words, it attracted everyone's attention to Song Qingyuan.
"Is that Prince Jing'an's new concubine?"
"She does look pretty, but her clothes are a little too plain. She doesn't look like someone who is favored."
"What do you know? This is called playing hard to get. I heard that the prince stood in the imperial study for an entire afternoon just for her!"
"The princess is so generous, she even held her hand affectionately..."
All kinds of discussions, mixed with inquiring, jealous, and contemptuous looks, were like countless fine needles piercing Song Qingyuan.
Cui Jingyue seemed to have not heard the discussions. She still held Song Qingyuan's arm affectionately and introduced the noble ladies who were walking towards her with a smile: "Sister Yuan, this is the wife of the Minister of Personnel. This is the Crown Prince's Consort of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion..."
Song Qingyuan smiled and greeted each one of them, her manners proper and neither humble nor overbearing. Her eyes swept calmly over each person, matching their faces with the information in the "Family Tree" in her mind.
At this moment, a cute yet somewhat arrogant voice came from not far away.
"sister in law!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young girl in a pink palace dress and a gorgeous bun walking quickly towards them. She was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a bright face, but there was a pampered and arrogant air in her eyebrows and eyes.
It was Princess Anyang, Li Xinrui.
"Princess." Cui Jingyue immediately let go of Song Qingyuan and walked over to her with a friendly smile on her face.
Li Xinrui held Cui Jingyue's arm affectionately, but her eyes were like ice-hardened knives, shooting straight at Song Qingyuan, looking him up and down without any hesitation.
That look was full of naked scrutiny and contempt, as if he was looking at a worthless commodity.
"Sister-in-law, is this the new concubine Song who was brought into your palace?" She deliberately dragged out the last word, and she didn't even bother to hide the contempt in her tone.
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
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