kvmb Chapter 453 The Princess's Precious Thing
Chapter 453 The Princess's Precious Thing
"Oh! Poor girl, it's heartbreaking."
As soon as the Empress finished speaking, all the women of the Wen family present, including the youngest Wen Qing, maintained their composure on the surface, but their hearts skipped a beat and their heartbeats quickened slightly.
After returning to Beijing, the Wen family did not publicly discuss Wenwen's condition, mainly because no one asked about it. So, this ambiguity led everyone to believe that Wenwen was still in the same state as before, with her condition fluctuating.
This may not necessarily be a bad thing.
Besides, Wenwen will be leaving soon. If anyone asks, just say she's sick and staying home to rest.
After the Empress finished her reflections, she took out a pair of safety buckle-shaped pearl flowers from her makeup box and gave them to Wenwen.
"Girl, in this life, peace and health are the greatest blessings. This pair of peace buckles is perfect for you."
"Your Majesty, I thank you!" Wenwen respectfully expressed her gratitude, but for some reason, her nose felt a little itchy and sore.
Next, the others also received rewards, each receiving pearl flowers and gold hairpins.
The Empress said, "This is to add to the dowry for the young ladies, and to wish them to find good husbands!"
The implication is that the royal family will not interfere in the marriages of these young women; the Wen family will make all the decisions.
The group had initially worried that the Empress would bestow marriages upon them, forcing them to remain in the capital for life and completely cut off from the northern desert. Now, thanks to the Empress's gift, the weight on their hearts finally lifted.
Finally, the Empress kept them for a while before letting them go out to wait for the banquet to begin.
As soon as the group left Kunning Palace and passed through a few gates, they encountered Granny Song waiting outside the covered bridge.
"Madam Wen, please wait a moment, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager requests your presence."
......
When Granny Song led the Wen family into Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was already sitting calmly in the hall.
After exchanging greetings, the Empress Dowager and the three sisters-in-law of the Ren family chatted casually, praising the Wen family's grandchildren, both men and women. The topic gradually shifted to the Wen family's sons being brave and skilled in battle, and being good men worthy of trust.
Just as the topic of Wen Chengjian and his brothers was about to come up, the sound of a wheelchair rolling over the bluestone bricks came from outside the door.
"Your Majesty, the Sixth Princess has arrived," a palace maid announced from outside the door.
Immediately afterwards, Yao Maimai and Yao Suisui pushed the Sixth Princess slowly into the hall from behind in a wheelchair.
The Wen family was not surprised when the Sixth Princess entered, but the appearance of the Yao sisters did surprise them.
Wenwen, in particular, caught a glimpse of Yao Maimai's gaze out of the corner of her eye, and her eyes widened instantly. If the occasion were right, Wenwen would have loved to shout, "Yao Maimai, where do you think you're going?"
As she drew closer to the Wen family, the Sixth Princess's face visibly flushed, a blush that seemed to be a mixture of shyness and excitement. In particular, her tightly clenched hands, hidden in her wide sleeves, began to tremble uncontrollably.
Only the Sixth Princess knew the reason for her emotions.
"Greetings, Mother!" The Sixth Princess kowtowed from her wheelchair.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" The Yao sisters knelt down and performed the grand salute.
"Get up quickly, Nan'er, come here to your mother."
The Empress Dowager's eyes were filled with a deep smile as she said, "Mai Mai and Sui Sui, you two sisters have finally come to the palace to see this old woman! Tell me, how long have you been back in the capital? I haven't seen you come to the palace since. If you don't come to the palace banquet soon, I guess Nan'er will have to leave the palace to look for you..."
Next, the Empress Dowager and the Ren family recounted many embarrassing stories about Mai Mai and the Sixth Princess from their childhood. Only then did everyone learn about the Sixth Princess's relationship with the Yao family.
Before she was six years old, Sister Mai Mai would go to the palace two or three times a month.
The Empress Dowager seemed lost in memories, and slowly said, "Every time I entered the palace to accompany Nan'er, those were the days when Nan'er smiled the most."
"As they grew older, the two of them went to the palace less often, but their friendship as young women did not diminish."
"How wonderful! To have one or two sisters to keep you company among young women is a blessing from a past life!"
"Madam Wen, my Nan'er is so envious of your family. With so many older sisters and younger sisters growing up with you, your home must be very lively, right?"
As the conversation deepened, a warning bell rang in Ren's mind, realizing that they were about to get to the main point!
Sure enough, the next second, the Empress Dowager suggested, "Nan'er, it's a rare occasion for the Wen sisters to come to the palace. Why don't you take a few of them for a stroll in the back garden, and then go over when the banquet starts!"
......
Royal palace, back garden.
This winter in Beijing has been mild; every day when the sun comes out, everyone can feel the warmth.
"Sixth Princess, Qinyuan Pavilion is ahead. Shall we turn there?" the palace maid asked.
"No, we want to go to the Climbing Pavilion, the highest one."
Yao Maimai promptly pushed the wheelchair to another path. She grinned at the Sixth Princess and said, "Sister Nan, don't worry, Sui Sui and I will carry you up. We're strong enough, so you can rest assured."
“Yes, I’m very strong.” Yao Suisui said, then struck a pose showing off her muscles.
Unfortunately, the sixth princess didn't understand; she just found it funny.
The Wen sisters understood, and each of them covered their mouths and chuckled.
"Sixth Princess, do you know what Cousin Sui Sui's gesture means?" Wen Qing asked, approaching the Sixth Princess with an air of familiarity.
“Little sister Qing, in private you can call me Sister Nan, you don’t have to call me Princess.”
The sixth princess turned to the Wen sisters beside her and said, "You two are the same. When there are no outsiders, you don't have to call me princess. Mai Mai sometimes calls me Nan Zhu Zi, Xiao Zhu Zi, and when she's angry, she calls me Po Zhu Zi."
"Hahaha."
A simple form of address can instantly bring two people closer.
"Then we'll call you Sister Nan in private."
"it is good."
The group chatted and laughed as they walked toward the Denggao Pavilion.
Perhaps because it was winter, everyone was worried about catching a cold while climbing, so they saw very few palace maids along the way.
"Wow, there are so many steps! The pavilion is so high!" Wenqing looked up.
"Sui Sui, let me do it!" Wen Xia took Yao Sui Sui's place and, together with Yao Maimai, lifted the wheelchair up the steps.
Once inside the pavilion, the Sixth Princess expressed her gratitude: "Thank you, Mai Mai and Sister Xia!"
"Don't mention it, we're like family!" Yao Maimai waved her hand and said.
"Don't mention it, I'm quite strong too!" Wenxia said with a smile.
The pavilion truly lives up to its reputation as the tallest pavilion in the back garden; looking out, one can take in the entire palace area, and the scenery is indeed quite beautiful.
A group of sisters chatted and enjoyed the scenery in the pavilion. Of course, the palace maids also prepared flower tea, snacks, and all kinds of treats.
The atmosphere gradually became more comfortable. Just then, the Sixth Princess suddenly dismissed all the palace maids, saying, "Step back and wait on the platform below."
Some palace maids hesitated, but under the unquestionable gaze of the Sixth Princess, they all obeyed and retreated to the platform.
Confused, the Yao sisters and the Wen sisters all looked at the Sixth Princess.
Only Wenwen calmly drank her tea with her head down, though she couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Sure enough, there was something fishy about what the Sixth Princess held in her hands.