Meanwhile, the Empress with the excuse of having not seen Sun Yi Jia in a long time had Sun Yi Jia summoned into the palace.
Sun Yi Jia entered the palace and greeted the Empress. After she’d ruined her beauty, the Empress actually called her in once before, and seeing her current look, she was quite surprised and also quite gratified. In reality, Sun Yi Jia was very clear of the Empress’s purpose in meeting her, thus this makeup she just said it was drawn by Luo Jing Bo. Everything else, she all didn’t say a single word of.
The Empress praised Luo Jing Bo a few words, and afterwards, still had the conversation topic turned to Jing Wan.
When Sun Yi Jia was preparing to leave, the Empress expressed she wanted to meet Jing Wan.
Sun Yi Jia naturally wasn’t stupid. She faintly could feel, this Empress paternal aunt of hers seemingly wanted to let Kang Qinwang marry Jing Wan. As she left the palace, she just couldn’t help but clench her fist, her eyes filled with gloom. Others were easy to refuse, but was the Empress easy to refuse? Right now, she rather hope for Rui Qinwang and them to be able to hinder the Empress’s plans.
How would Sun Yi Jia know, the Empress’s intention was nothing more than ‘raising an old matter again’.
After returning to the Luo Manor, Sun Yi Jia went to find Luo Old Madam first thing, having the Empress’s words relayed to her one by one, and then explained her own conjecture.
“You’re a good child, just properly live out your days with Jing Bo. Everything else, no need to think too much about.” This was Luo Old Madam giving Sun Yi Jia reassurance.
Sun Yi Jia just felt sour inside, “Many thanks grandmother.”
Luo Old Madam smiled and didn’t say anymore towards this matter. “Since the Empress wants to meet Wan Wan, then tomorrow, just take her to the palace. Just act how one should act, everything else, we’ll naturally take care of.”
Towards entering the palace to meet the Empress, Jing Wan appeared relatively indifferent.
Towards this mentality of hers, Sun Yi Jia also truly admired. Aside from her, there really wasn’t anyone else of the same age that can compare. However, “Little sister Wan, what have you been working on lately? Why do I feel you’ve been really mysterious these last few days?”
“Nothing really.” Jing Wan smiled with a very harmless look.
It’d be strange for Sun Yi Jia to believe her.
The Empress met with Jing Wan, and didn’t say much either, just very much amicably expressed her fondness towards Jing Wan. That appearance was just one step short of directly calling Jing Wan ‘daughter-in-law’. Sun Yi Jia had her eyes to her nose and her nose to her chest, quietly listening to the side, once again admiring Jing Wan’s ability to still be able to skillfully smile and respond beautifully to the Empress at this time, not slipping up in the slightest.
Just then, Sun Yi Jia suddenly discovered, to be able to let little sister Wan ‘have a poisonous mouth’ was a happy and fortunate thing. Turns out, if little sister Wan really wants to deal with someone, she was also able to handle it very well.
The Empress didn’t keep Jing Wan for too long either, just when they were about to leave, she bestowed quite a few good things. Of course, Sun Yi Jia, as her niece, similarly wasn’t forgotten.
Jing Wan accepted them very calmly and didn’t even try to turn them down.
Just as they exited Kunyi Palace, they immediately encountered the people from Yucui Palace. Noble Consort Su seeks an audience.
Sun Yi Jia saw Jing Wan’s natural manner, then recalled Luo Old Madam’s words yesterday. Most likely everything was all within expectations.
Noble Consort Su although didn’t have a son to pull out for a political marriage, but her attitude towards Jing Wan was nevertheless very good, treating her the same as the younger generation from her own maiden family, exceptionally intimate. Moreover, she also didn’t neglect Sun Yi Jia either. Sun Yi Jia had long known that Noble Consort Su very much knew how to conduct herself. Today’s matter, once again confirmed this.
However, aside from these, Noble Consort Su also chatted with Jing Wan about skincare, really having this body of tender skin on Jing Wan praised through and through and further expressing her envy, not concealing in the slightest. She also mentioned the skincare recipe, asking when she can get the things. On this bit, Noble Consort Su was very straightforward and didn’t beat around the bush.
“The Rouge Pavilion has already produced the finish products. Presumably, in no time, they will be sent into the palace.” Jing Wan stated it as it is.
“Are these words true? Then that really great.”
Noble Consort Su can be said to have her harmlessness performed to the peak.
Ordinary young girls would very easily produce good feelings towards her. Unfortunately, Jing Wan was never an ordinary young girl to begin with.
Noble Consort Su similarly gave her bestowments, and moreover, not more not less, just roughly surpassing the Empress’s by a little.
The two sister-in-laws looked to one another. To say Noble Consort Su didn’t know what the Empress bestowed, they wouldn’t believe even if beaten to death. But, the things bestowed to the two of them were personally fetched by the older palace maid by the Empress’s side, and after accepting it, it was all securely placed inside boxes. Yet in this short amount of time, Noble Consort Su already found out.
As expected, the inner palace truly wasn’t a good place. Any trifling matter, all penetrated with the will to pit oneself against another, and also that all encompassing surveillance existing everywhere.
Originally they thought that they can leave the palace now, but what greeted them were the people of Ganlu Palace.
Even Jing Wan expressed surprise. Shu Consort Qin[1] has always been very low-key, how come she also wanted to join in today?
However, since invited, then they could only just go.
When Noble Consort Su heard that the two of them went to Ganlu Palace, she rather didn’t express anything. She was still recalling Jing Wan’s every word and action. “Really isn’t a simple girl.” Originally, to be able to let the most pampered Noble Consort Su of the imperial harem express envy, setting aside feeling pleased, one at least should feel somewhat smug, right? But, from beginning to end, she was all very easy-going.
Shu Consort Qin didn’t act that intimate, but in Jing Wan’s eyes, she was the easiest to get along with among the three. There was a kind of faint tranquility. However, in this inner palace, to be able to occupy a piece of territory under the circumstances of having no sons, and her position also stable and unshakable, she naturally wasn’t harmless.
However, Jing Wan felt, Shu Consort Qin’s gaze towards her wasn’t like wanting to rope her in, but further like a certain rather meaningful evaluation. After she finished, she seemingly even felt quite pleased, feeling somewhat bewildered.
Jing Wan simply wasn’t able to think of the reason behind Shu Consort Qin’s reaction. However, since she couldn’t think it through, she just gave up.
The things Shu Consort Qin bestowed in the end were also just slightly inferior than the Empress’s things.
Then, did this situation mean that Kunyi Palace was actually just like a sieve with leaks everywhere?
No, not possible, the Empress wasn’t foolish to this degree. Either it was her purposefully leaking out, or just her deliberately leaving the spies from the other palaces. Jing Wan felt, the latter’s possibility was higher. After all, other people’s spies, as long as one was aware inside, divulging some insignificant matters was completely indifferent, and at crucial times, perhaps it will bring about unexpected results.
Just, after the two left, Shu Consort Qin muttered something no one was able to hear——eyesight not bad.
When getting led out of the palace by the palace attendants, Jing Wan and Sun Yi Jia encountered someone.
Sun Yi Jia blanked, momentarily not knowing what kind of reaction she should have.
Jing Wan on the other hand didn’t shun away all that much, curtsying.
Sun Yi Lin returned the courtesy from far away. Afterwards, he just fixedly stared at Jing Wan just like that, and didn’t really have the intention of going forward. He’d just heard that she was called into the palace by his paternal aunt and was right outside the palace gates. He simply wasn’t able to meet her, but he wanted to know whether she was well or not, and whether or not she was troubled by the rumors recently. As a result, he found an excuse to come out. And now, it seems she was still pretty good. Then, he can finally relax. Ignoring the burst of sharp pain coming from his heart, Sun Yi Lin turned to leave.
Seeing her older brother that she was closest with like this, Sun Yi Jia was also exceptionally distressed. But some things were just helpless like this. She hoped that her fifth brother can walk out of this heartbreak sooner. She naturally didn’t know, Sun Yi Lin has already said to their mother ‘to never marry in this lifetime’.
As soon as they sent away Sun Yi Lin, they were met with an approaching Jin Qinwang, Li Hong Yuan.
Li Hong Yuan retracted his gaze from Sun Yi Lin’s departing figure, and looked to Jing Wan and them, or rather just Jing Wan, his gaze heavy, even carrying a bit of gloominess.
“Greetings wangye.”
After a long while, they finally heard the words ‘you’re excused’.
Sun Yi Jia’s heartbeat was somewhat rapid, purely because Li Hong Yuan’s gaze towards Sun Yi Lin just now kept making her feel as if her own older brother was being targeted by a beast. But, for what reason would Jin Qinwang target her older brother? Could it be that Jin Qinwang really has fallen for her older brother? Shouldn’t be, right? But if really so, wasn’t that gaze a little too fierce? But other than this, she wasn’t able to come up with another cause.
Jing Wan and them brushed past Li Hong Yuan.
Li Hong Yuan stood still in place. What he needed to do right now was to just dispose of Ruan Fang Fei. But, for the time being, he wasn’t able to find an appropriate opportunity. Looks like, he’ll have to make his own. Shifting his feet, he headed towards Yucui Palace.
[1] See historical notes page, under imperial harem ranking
