The Beloved in the Palm

Chapter 105 Important Events in the Palace

Xue Qingyin got up early.

Last night, King Xuan was busy with affairs and returned home very late, so he stayed alone again.

At 9:00 p.m., King Xuan calculated the time and thought that Xue Qingyin should get up by now, so he came to Changqiu Pavilion.

When the maid saw King Xuan coming, she was dumbfounded and said, "The concubine has already entered the palace."

King Xuan suddenly realized why Xue Qingyin sent a message to the fourth princess in his name.

Yesterday, she said that she would go to the palace with him to pay respect to the prince again.

Today, she went to find the fourth princess by herself.

King Xuan lowered his eyes.

Seeing that King Xuan was silent, the maid's voice trembled, and she whispered, "Your Highness..."

King Xuan suddenly said, "Let's move the concubine's things back to Cunxin Palace."

The maid was stunned and quickly responded, "Yes...Yes!"

The fourth princess is still living with Concubine Wan.

Xue Qingyin wanted to see her, so she naturally came to the main hall of Concubine Wan.

Liu Yuerong had just greeted Concubine Wan and came out.

A wife should serve her mother-in-law. Even the daughter-in-law of the royal family cannot avoid it.

"Xue Qingyin?" Liu Yuerong saw the familiar figure before she walked far.

"Why is she here? She is alone?" Liu Yuerong frowned imperceptibly.

The fourth princess, who came out of Concubine Wan's palace with her, lifted her skirt and said happily: "She came to see me."

Liu Yuerong then remembered that Concubine Wan seemed to have chosen a companion for the fourth princess.

She chose Xue Qingyin and Xie Yiyi, the daughter of the Imperial College.

But at that time, Xie Yiyi said privately that it was because Concubine Wan didn't like Xue Qingyin, and deliberately let the fourth princess torture her to dispel the King of Wei's fantasy.

So no one envied Xue Qingyin for having such a situation at that time, and they were all waiting to see the joke in private.

How come now...

Liu Yuerong looked puzzled, turned around to look at the fourth princess, and then looked at Xue Qingyin who was not far away.

"Why is the concubine of King Xuan sitting in the palace on a small sedan chair?" The nanny beside Liu Yuerong exclaimed.

Liu Yuerong then noticed...

"Yes, how dare she ride a sedan chair in the palace? Now most of the affairs in the palace are managed by my mother, right? Without my mother's nod, how dare she order those strong men around? Just because King Xuan dotes on her, she even ignores the palace rules?" Liu Yuerong frowned.

At this time, she was ready to turn around and complain to Concubine Wan.

The fourth princess was also surprised.

But she didn't say anything, just walked up quickly, and then leaned on the small sedan chair and talked to Xue Qingyin.

Liu Yuerong watched from a distance, frowning even more tightly: "One is sitting on the sedan chair, and the other is standing under it. If you don't know, you might think that she, Xue Qingyin, is a princess."

The nanny beside her nodded and said: "It's a bit of a mess of rules, and the fourth princess doesn't look like a princess."

As she said that, the nanny turned around and went in.

At this time, the fourth princess turned back.

The fourth princess raised her chin, with a hint of contempt in her eyes: "Are you going to complain to the imperial concubine?"

The nanny frowned: "What are you talking about, the fourth princess? That's not complaining, but if there is something against the rules in the palace, it should be reported..."

Before the nanny finished speaking, the fourth princess said impatiently: "Okay, if you really go, you will make the imperial concubine a joke. To tell you the truth, this is a royal gift. Do you understand?"

The nanny was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "...Is it the favor of His Majesty?"

The fourth princess ignored the two of them and walked briskly back to Xue Qingyin.

Liu Yuerong said: "Follow her."

"What?" The nanny was still in a huge shock.

Liu Yuerong couldn't hold back and caught up with Xue Qingyin.

"I haven't seen you for many days. I wonder if the concubine of King Xuan is doing well?" Liu Yuerong said indifferently.

"It turned out to be the Princess of Wei." Xue Qingyin leaned on the armrest and responded.

Liu Yuerong was unhappy, she said: "Won't the concubine of King Xuan come down to talk?"

Xue Qingyin said: "No, it's troublesome to go up and down."

Liu Yuerong sarcastically said: "Your Majesty gave you a sedan chair just to let you be so arrogant in front of us?"

Xue Qingyin immediately said: "You said this, not me."

Liu Yuerong: "..."

Liu Yuerong said coldly: "The concubine of King Xuan is really weak."

Xue Qingyin nodded: "If the concubine of King Wei is as weak as me, you can also ask Your Majesty to give her a sedan chair."

This hit Liu Yuerong's sore spot.

The illness before her marriage made Concubine Wan dissatisfied with her. She knew that they were all afraid that she would not be able to give birth to a child. She was actually afraid too.

"I am already in good health, so I don't need these." Liu Yuerong said coldly.

Xue Qingyin smacked her lips: "Oh, then I will be the only one to enjoy it."

The fourth princess listened and felt that Xue Qingyin was too weak. She couldn't help asking, "Isn't my second brother good enough to you? Why don't you invite a few more imperial doctors to see you? It's not good to get sick all the time."

Liu Yuerong immediately pricked up her ears.

Prince Xuan is not good enough to her?

Xue Qingyin looked at the fourth princess.

Okay, you really worry about me?

She said, "You have to ask your second brother."

The fourth princess opened her mouth, but finally turned into a low whisper: "I have to dare to ask this too."

Liu Yuerong could only hide her disappointment.

Xue Qingyin's words were really watertight...

Liu Yuerong looked at Xue Qingyin's face again. Her face was ruddy against the backdrop of her jewels. She remembered that she looked in the bronze mirror when she entered the palace this morning...but her face was haggard.

How could Xue Qingyin look like a sick person?

I'm afraid that King Xuan treats her badly, I'm afraid...

Liu Yuerong didn't want to think about it anymore, so she left in a hurry with her nanny and personal maid.

After leaving the palace, Liu Yuerong was already out of breath. She quickly grabbed the arm of the nanny and said sadly: "Xue Qingyin, a concubine, seems to live a more comfortable life than me."

The nanny said sternly: "How can the princess say that? The princess is in charge of the power in the palace, and she is too busy with all the affairs. The princess is also a filial and polite person. She has to go to the palace to pay respects to the imperial concubine every day. Does the princess envy the laziness of the concubine of King Xuan? I'm afraid she is not qualified to be as busy as the princess."

"What the nanny said is right." Liu Yuerong smiled again, but she still felt like a stone was pressing on her heart.

On the other side

Without waiting for the Fourth Princess to lead Xue Qingyin to the side hall where she lived, Xue Qingyin asked, "How is the relationship between the Fourth Princess and the Crown Prince?"

The Fourth Princess didn't understand, but still answered, "Not good, very bad. The Crown Prince's temper... is very strange. I haven't seen him for a long time. And... have you seen him? He looks a lot like my second brother. Every time I see him, I feel like I've seen my second brother."

Speaking of this, the Fourth Princess shuddered uncontrollably.

Xue Qingyin thought that the relationship was not good.

It doesn't matter.

"Then go visit His Royal Highness the Crown Prince later." Xue Qingyin said.

"What? Let me visit him? I... I won't go." The Fourth Princess refused without thinking.

Xue Qingyin was not in a hurry at all, and said, "Do you know what a smart person should be like?"

"What kind?" the Fourth Princess asked.

Xue Qingyin didn't speak.

The fourth princess pondered for a moment: "...like the second brother? And Concubine Wan?"

"It can be seen that smart people will not easily show their likes and dislikes." Xue Qingyin stood under the shade of the tree with the fourth princess. She patted the fourth princess on the shoulder and said: "This is the time to train you. The more you dislike and fear someone, the more you should interact with him. After so many times, you will be able to develop a strong mentality and will not be dragged down by personal emotions to make wrong decisions."

The fourth princess thought it made sense.

She was moved and said: "Sure enough, only you would say these words to me."

The fourth princess immediately decided to go to the East Palace.

Xue Qingyin grabbed her: "Don't you want to prepare some gifts?"

The fourth princess looked reluctant, but still ordered someone to get it.

"Remember to prepare some women's jewelry." Xue Qingyin said again.

"Why?"

"Go and see the Crown Princess on the way."

"The Crown Princess...I met her once two years ago. She doesn't like me, and I'm afraid she doesn't want to see me." The fourth princess said angrily.

"Two years ago?" Xue Qingyin looked surprised. "Doesn't the Crown Princess come out to pay respects to His Majesty and the Queen Mother on weekdays?"

"Since the Crown Prince fell ill, her health has not been good either. She said that she always chanted sutras and prayed for the Crown Prince in the East Palace."

Xue Qingyin asked her again: "Did anything big happen in the palace two years ago?"

The Fourth Princess was not stupid enough to be outrageous. She reacted immediately and whispered: "Are you suspicious that there is something wrong with the Crown Princess?"

Xue Qingyin did not answer her, but only praised: "Always being motivated to think and knowing how to ask questions is a very good learning ability. Keep it up."

Although there were a few words in Xue Qingyin's words that the Fourth Princess did not quite understand.

But she knew that this was a compliment to her!

The Fourth Princess responded in a daze: "Oh, oh."

At this time, the palace servants also came back with something.

Xue Qingyin called: "Let's go."

The Fourth Princess ran to her sedan chair.

Xue Qingyin looked at it and felt that it seemed a bit inappropriate. She then moved her butt to make some space and asked the fourth princess: "Princess, will you sit with me?"

The fourth princess hesitated and said: "This is the gift given to you by His Majesty alone..."

Xue Qingyin said: "Well, so it's mine, and I have the final say."

The fourth princess felt that what Xue Qingyin said always made sense. She pursed her lips, looked up at Xue Qingyin sitting on the sedan chair, and then carefully followed and sat on it.

The fourth princess had never been so close to anyone before, and she leaned against the back of the chair.

Several strong men carried them forward.

The wind blew in her face, making her a little absent-minded.

Although she seemed to be a princess, she had never had any friends. Her playmates were all found for her by Concubine Wan.

Those people...she didn't like them very much.

Originally, Xue Qingyin should have been one of them.

"Two years ago, there was nothing wrong in the palace, but there was a big thing in the court." Blown by the wind, the fourth princess felt that her mind was much clearer.

Xue Qingyin asked curiously, "What happened?"

"That year, there were disasters in several places, and His Majesty ordered the palace to tighten its belt. Also... an army defected from the border, and their whereabouts have not been found to this day."

"Defection?"

"Yes. That incident... was a big deal. Even bigger than the disaster." The fourth princess lowered her voice and could only whisper to Xue Qingyin, "Do you know Qinggui? They are the personal army of Prince Zhang. It is said that they are brave and resolute, and appear and disappear at will."