"My lady, the Third Prince kept that girl in his room again last night. I have checked carefully and found that she is the daughter of a merchant. She comes from a small family and will never achieve anything great."
The chaise longue by the window was covered with foreign fur. On the left hand was a pair of high tables, on which were placed various cups, chopsticks, and wine utensils. The screen was open, and the floor was covered with brocade.
A three-legged incense burner with blue and white coiled branches was burning with lily palace incense. The queen lay on the chaise longue, her beautiful eyes slightly closed. She rubbed her brows with one hand and listened to the maid kneeling below her answering.
The day before yesterday, Shen Yan brought people back to the palace and dealt with the green apricots she sent with great fanfare. The Queen was angry, but also afraid that the woman's identity was suspicious, so she asked people to investigate it carefully.
“… Can’t accomplish anything big?”
The queen raised her beautiful eyes and sneered, "I heard that the girl's surname is Song. The Song family in Jiangnan is not a small family."
Everyone in the world knows that the Song family in Jiangnan is as rich as a country, and Song Hanyuan loves his daughter as if she were his life. If Shen Yanzhen is involved with the Song family...
The queen's face darkened.
The maid smiled and said, "I was also worried before, so I asked someone about it. Your Majesty, guess what? The eldest daughter of the Song family has already married, and Song Hanyuan has only one daughter. If she is really from the Song family, she is just a side branch and will not be able to achieve anything. And if she is really a noble lady from a noble family, why would she follow the third prince without any status? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
The queen's cold face finally showed a smile. She nodded, holding the peony gauze fan lightly in her hand, and her smile was as beautiful as a flower.
"This child of mine is good in every way, except that he is a little unfamiliar with me. Tell me, both the palms and backs of my hands are my children, how can I not feel pain? But Yan'er is, after all..."
The queen sighed softly, tears welled up in her eyes, and she raised her hand to wipe them away.
Everyone was busy trying to comfort him.
The Queen sighed, "Qingxing is unlucky after all. Can you tell me when the girl from Yan'er's house was with him?"
The Queen frowned, "Didn't he go to Mount Wutai to pray? How could there be a woman accompanying him in a holy place of Buddhism? If people knew about this, wouldn't they laugh at me for not being able to teach my son well?"
The maid hurriedly said, "Your Highness is not the kind of person who doesn't know his limits. You met that woman when you returned to the capital. I think she saw that Your Highness was either rich or noble, so she was just dreaming about the future. Who from a poor family doesn't want to climb up the social ladder?"
The maid gently stroked the queen's back and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. If His Highness likes her, she can stay by your side as a concubine. She's just a concubine anyway. Your Highness, don't worry about her."
The Queen shook her head: "I am not worried about her, but if she is unruly, it will be my shame. Well, pick a nanny to teach her the rules. Although the capital is good, not everyone can stay there."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard a eunuch outside the palace announce that the third prince had arrived.
A tall shadow passed by behind the brocade screen, with cold brows and an indifferent expression.
Shen Yan was dressed in a dark blue round-necked robe, looking calm and composed.
The queen hurriedly got down from the bed, a smile on her lips: "Yan'er is here, please come in."
Before she could finish her words, tears started to flow from her eyes. The queen choked up and said, "Show me quickly, have you grown taller and thinner? Mount Wutai is a long and arduous journey. It's a pity that you were so thoughtful of your elder brother. You've been away for so many days and didn't even write to me more often."