Chapter 103 Coincidentally
On the carriage that day, Yuying did not say whether she agreed or not, but she and Kangxi finally resumed their old way of getting along.
Kangxi was not in a hurry, as they still had plenty of time.
After the busy and grand Dragon Boat Festival family dinner, the team going to negotiate with Tsarist Russia prepared to set off.
Although the time was different, the location of the negotiations remained the same, still in Nerchinsk. However, this time, Nerchinsk belonged to the Qing Dynasty instead of Tsarist Russia.
The team was to set out from the Qianqing Gate of the Forbidden City. For this matter, Kangxi even rushed back to the Forbidden City from Changchun Garden overnight.
The weather was getting warmer, and it was a rare day that Kangxi was not away.
Yuying led a group of people who were bored in Qingxi Book House to stroll in the garden, but they never expected that they walked so far away.
It was past noon, the sun was high in the sky, emitting blazing rays. Lu Chen looked up at the sky, then turned to look at Yu Ying beside him. A thin layer of sweat had seeped out of Yu Ying's white forehead, which looked particularly crystal clear under the sunlight.
Seeing this, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel distressed, so she suggested: "Your Highness, please go to the front and rest for a while. I will go back to Qingxi Book House to bring the meal for you. Your Highness, please go to the Hongrui Pavilion in front and wait for me for a while?"
It was probably after 1 o'clock according to modern time, and it was indeed time for dinner, so Yuying nodded, agreeing to Lu Chen's proposal. She also reminded Lu Chen to remember to eat first, and also asked Qingtao and others who had not gone home to bring their meals over.
Lu Chen said that once the food arrived, she and Qing Tao would eat it together.
Upon hearing this, Yuying did not try to persuade them further and let them do as they pleased.
So, Lu Chen turned back.
Yuying led the rest of the people and continued to move forward.
Hongrui Pavilion is built against the lake and is named after a group of lotus flowers planted in the lake. Therefore, Hongrui Pavilion is the best place to appreciate lotus in summer.
Unfortunately, they were not able to enjoy the scenery of "the endless green lotus leaves reaching the sky" last year. But this year they still had time, as the lotus flowers in the lake had just sprouted and there were only a few buds. If they wanted to wait until the whole pond was in full bloom, they would have to wait a while.
Therefore, Yuying did not expect that she would meet an unexpected person here. It was Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia who was also sitting in the Hongrui Pavilion with the 48th Prince.
Logically speaking, Yuying shouldn't be surprised. After all, Tong Jia lived not far from here, so her appearance here was a surprise.
But she had clearly heard that Tong Jia's health was not good and she was bedridden all day. She even skipped the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month when the concubines were supposed to pay their respects, so the rumor spread like wildfire.
But she saw that Tong Jia looked fine.
The rumors turned out to be unreliable.
Tong Jia drank tea and looked at the mirror-like calm lake.
Occasionally a breeze blew, and ripples appeared on the lake water under the caress of the breeze. Zichang beside her stepped forward and raised her cloak, as if to persuade Tong Jia to put it on. Tong Jia did not turn around, but just shook her head, not noticing Yuying in the distance.
Not far from her, Yinzhen was teasing Yinsi with something in his hand, and Yinsi cooperated by reaching out to grab it.
Yuying was still hesitating whether she should go forward to greet them. After all, the palace maids around Tong Jia, the eunuchs of the Fourth Prince, and the maids who took care of the Eighth Prince, a large group of people, surrounded the Hongrui Pavilion.
Tong Jia suddenly spoke up with an impatient tone, "How long are you going to watch over there? Have you forgotten the palace rules you copied last time?"
Yuying felt a surge of embarrassment and awkwardness. When did Tong Jia find out about her? She was still hoping to sneak away while Tong Jia didn't notice her.
Now it seems that this idea has been shattered.
Yuying glanced to the side and saw Wei Zhu was still there, she was relieved. After all, Kangxi's people were still there, Tong Jia couldn't make things difficult for her.
Yuying led her people over, and the two groups met and greeted each other.
"Jinpin is really arrogant now. The people serving her are almost as tall as me. I looked at her from a distance and thought she was some other lady."
Tong Jia started talking with sour words.
She looked at what Yuying was wearing and what she was wearing on her head. They all exceeded the standards for a concubine and none of them were in accordance with the rules. Her cousin actually allowed her to wear them like this and flaunt them in public.
Yuying had no idea what Tong Jia was mumbling in her heart. All the things she used were prepared by Kangxi. She thought that since Kangxi gave them to her, she should wear them in different ways. She couldn't just keep them in the storehouse and let them gather dust, right?
As for whether she had jumped the level or not, she really didn't know. She only had a vague understanding of these rules. What's more, the people around her were not talkative people. Like her, they thought that since the emperor gave it to her, she could naturally use it.
So Yuying really thought that Tong Jia was unhappy to see so many people around her, so she explained: "Your Majesty, you misunderstood. I just saw that the weather was good today, so I brought everyone out to relax."
Tong Jia wanted to make a few more sarcastic remarks, but she saw Wei Zhu standing behind Yuying at some point, with a completely humble attitude.
She couldn't help but grit her teeth, restrained herself, and finally didn't say anything else.
She looked at Yuying who chose a seat farthest from her at the round table and sat down, and couldn't help but sneer. She couldn't do anything to her now, and he was afraid of eating her by staying so far away from her.
She is so petty, and I don’t know what my cousin likes about her. Even when he is not around, she still lets the servants around her look after her.
It is clear that she is not even as good as Concubine Yi. After all, when Concubine Yi was in favor, she was so arrogant that everyone in the palace had to avoid her.
Tong Jia clan is also contradictory.
She got angry when Concubine Yi challenged her, and she was also unhappy when Yuying avoided her.
In the final analysis, she hated everyone favored by Kangxi.
Thinking of Kangxi, Tong Jia's eyes became lonely. Why was her cousin willing to favor so many people but not her?
"Cousin, you are the person I trust the most, please don't let me down."
Because of this sentence, she was willing to take care of his harem, year after year.
Yuying watched Tong Jia's expression change again and again. Sometimes she looked at her with gritted teeth, wishing she could rush up and tear her to pieces; sometimes she became dejected.
Yuying sat there cautiously, even drinking tea carefully, for fear of disturbing Tong Jia who was immersed in her own world.
She thought of Kangxi's nonchalant attitude when he said that Tong Jia was the only one in the harem who truly loved him. She felt sorry for Tong Jia. She could have liked anyone else, but Kangxi.
She was also shocked to realize that the 27th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign was already halfway through, and that it was less than a year before Tong Jia's death. Her eyes were inevitably tinged with a hint of regret.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
