After discussing with Uncle Ling, Mrs. Sun immediately prepared clothes and jewelry for tomorrow. Then he ordered the maid to call Ling Jingyan and Ling Jingshu over.
Ling Jingyan was overjoyed when she heard that she could enter the palace.
Ling Jingshu smelled something unusual and frowned quietly.
"...Ayan, when you enter the palace tomorrow, you must be calm and honest. You can't talk too much, let alone cause trouble." Mrs. Sun kept nagging for a long time.
Ling Jingyan rolled her eyes and muttered dissatisfiedly: "Mom, I'm not a three-year-old child anymore. Can't I understand the importance of this? How dare I mess around with such an important matter as entering the palace."
This is true. Ling Jingyan is usually lively and playful, but on important occasions, she always pretends to be a lady.
Mrs. Sun looked at Ling Jingshu with a smile again, and her tone was a little gentler: "Ah Shu, you have been in the palace a few times, and you are more familiar with the situation in the palace than we are. And with Empress Jieyu here, she will always look after you. . There is no need to worry. When the time comes, A-yan will be with you, and you should be more careful with her in your words and deeds."
Ling Jingshu was duty-bound and immediately nodded in agreement.
Sun thought for a while and said, "I remember that before winter, you two sisters each made a few new clothes. We will start at the third watch tomorrow and pick out brightly colored ones to wear. We also pick out the best jewelry to wear."
"The ones who will enter the palace tomorrow to see the Queen are all ladies of the third rank or above. They will inevitably bring their daughter-in-law or daughter-in-law into the palace. You two need to dress up to show off, and you can't lose the face of our Ling family."
It has risen to the level of the Ling family's reputation.
Ling Jingshu and Ling Jingyan looked at each other and smiled, and agreed in unison.
Of course Mr. Sun had some small calculations in mind.
It was a rare opportunity to enter the palace. If Ling Jingyan dressed up in a charming way, she might catch the eye of a female family member. A good match will come to your door soon.
Ling Jingshu's strange illness has not yet been cured. However, this disease will not occur unless a man is exposed to it. On an occasion like tomorrow, there will only be concubines and other female relatives in the palace, but no men, so there is no need to worry.
Mrs. Sun thought about it for a moment and then hinted to Ling Jingshu tactfully: "Ah Shu, when you go to Jiaofang Palace tomorrow, you will have to meet the Crown Princess. You and the Crown Princess have known each other for a long time, so you might as well get close."
Ling Jingshu's eyes were slightly cold, and a hint of sarcasm flashed in her eyes.
Before Ling Jingshu could speak, Ling Jingyan frowned unhappily: "Mom, the emperor's grandson has already made a marriage agreement with Sister Jiang. It's too late for Ah Shu to avoid suspicion, so there's no reason to take the initiative to get closer. Isn't this causing gossip?"
She could think of such a simple truth, but Mrs. Sun was confused!
Ling Jingyan said it very directly. Mrs. Sun smiled awkwardly, glanced at the expressionless Ling Jingshu, and opened her mouth to explain: "I have no other intention. I also hope that Ah Shu will be more popular."
If you are more popular, you will be able to marry into the prince's palace more smoothly in the future.
Ling Jingshu was too lazy to reveal Sun's thoughts and responded briefly: "The Crown Princess has never liked me, so why should I put my hot face against her cold ass."
Sun: "..."
Ling Jingyan was so amused that she burst into laughter and joked: "Ashu, I never thought you would say such straightforward words."
The expression "hot face against cold buttocks" is straightforward and easy to understand, but a bit vulgar.
Ling Jingshu twitched the corners of her lips, smiled lightly, and said nothing more.
The atmosphere quickly cooled down.
Sun was secretly annoyed that she had said the wrong thing. Knowing that Ling Jingshu is very repulsive about marriage because of her illness, why are you bringing up such a topic at this time? It’s simply adding fuel to the fire!
"It's getting late, you two should go back and rest early!" Mrs. Sun changed the subject a little stiffly: "We will get up at the third watch tomorrow, don't be late."
…
On New Year's Eve, there has always been a custom of keeping vigil.
However, this year is different from previous years.
Uncle Ling had to get up early to go to court, and Mrs. Sun had to lead Ling Jingshu and Ling Jingyan into the palace. If he stayed awake all night, he would be mentally and physically weak the next day. Therefore, Mrs. Sun specifically told everyone not to keep vigil and to rest early.
Two charcoal basins were burning in the house to drive away the coldness of winter.
Ling Jingshu and Ling Xiao sat by the charcoal basin to keep warm and chatted. Bai Yu put a few sweet potatoes in the charcoal basin. Soon, the sweet potatoes were roasted, and the charred skin was peeled off, and the heat and aroma suddenly filled the room.
Ling Jingshu was about to take action, but was stopped by Ling Xiao: "Ah Shu, let me peel a sweet potato for you to eat."
In the past, Ling Jingshu took care of him everywhere, but now, he can finally reciprocate the favor.
Seeing Ling Xiao's cheerful expression, Ling Jingshu felt happy in her heart and did not say anything to stop him.
Ling Xiao clumsily peeled the sweet potato and handed the hot sweet potato into Ling Jingshu's hand. The fingers of the sister and brother touched each other. Ling Jingshu felt no strangeness at all. She took the sweet potato and felt it was particularly sweet when she ate it in her mouth.
After eating most of it, she occasionally looked up and saw Ling Xiao looking at her curiously.
"Axiao, why are you looking at me like this?" Ling Jingshu laughed dumbly: "Did I suddenly grow three heads and six arms?"
The two are twins who have a close relationship and don't need to mince words when talking.
Ling Xiao smiled and said, "I'm just surprised. Whenever you touch another man, you'll have nausea and vomiting. But it's okay if you touch my finger."
It's not just touching fingers, there are also many intimate gestures such as holding hands. I have never seen Ling Jingshu feel any discomfort.
Ling Jingshu hummed: "The Imperial Physician Wei said that my illness is caused by a heart disease. You are the closest family member in my heart, so naturally it is different."
Except for Ling Xiao, she avoided any man, even her biological father, Ling Wuye, was no exception. Whenever you talk, keep a distance of at least two meters.
Ling Xiao was very clear about this.
Thinking that he was the only man who could touch Ling Jingshu, Ling Xiao felt both relieved and unspeakably sad. I couldn't help but sigh: "I really hope that Dr. Wei can cure your illness as soon as possible."
This is probably unlikely.
Ling Jingshu didn't want to say this, lest Ling Xiao be sentimental and feel sad, so she casually changed the topic: "Axiao, in early February next year, you will go to take the Imperial College examination. You should study harder and study harder. However, the time for reading is also limited. You have to control it a little, so as not to hurt your eyes for too long.”
Ling Xiao nodded obediently and said, "Don't worry, I care about my eyes more than anyone else."
The two siblings chatted for a long time before they each took a break.
Ling Jingshu was lying on the bed, thinking about tomorrow's trip to the palace, her heart heavy.
Those who don’t know are fearless.
Mrs. Sun only thought this was a happy event falling from the sky. After she heard this, her heart tightened quietly. What is Queen Xu’s intention? (To be continued)