When Shen Chen came out of the Tai Chi Hall, it was already late in the day and the sun had already set. The clouds in the sky were dark green mixed with red, looking heavy and depressing, making people feel inexplicably depressed.
As soon as Shen Chen walked out of the Taiji Hall and down the steps, Wang Chong, who had been waiting for him, came up to him and asked him, "Are you leaving the palace now, Lord?"
Shen Chen put his hands behind his back and nodded, and was about to take a step, but was stopped by Wang Chong who hesitated.
Wang Chong took a step forward and stood behind Shen Chen. He leaned sideways and lowered his voice and said softly, "My Lord, the princess wants to see you. She specially asked the eunuch in her palace to inform you. She has been waiting for a long time. Do you think it is better to... go and see the princess first before leaving the palace?"
He was very polite to Shen Chen.
He was equally polite to Princess Yonghe.
Shen Chen glanced at him, followed his gaze and saw the eunuch peeking out from a distance. He frowned slightly and thought for a moment before saying, "If that's the case, then go ahead."
Some things have indeed reached the point where it's time to make them clear.
Not far away in Concubine Peng De's palace, Princess Yongqing, who had never gotten along well with Princess Yonghe, was also telling Concubine Peng De about this matter as if jokingly saying, "After hearing that Shen Chen had entered the palace, she couldn't wait and asked her eunuch to wait outside the Taiji Palace. She was afraid that others would not know that she was trying to stick with Shen Chen. She didn't care about her face or her status. It really brought shame to the princess!"
Concubine Peng De was looking at the silk and tailored clothes sent by the Needlework Bureau from Jiangnan this season, and said to Aunt Peng beside her, "Didn't Jiangxi send a batch of summer cloth as tribute? Summer cloth is fresh and just right for making summer clothes. The prince is afraid of heat and won't wear those silks, so let them worry about it."
Summer cloth was a tribute presented by Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province over the years. Summer cloth made of ramie is refreshing and cool to wear. In recent years, it has been very popular with Emperor Longqing, so its value has doubled.
But in recent years, fewer and fewer have been sent.
In previous years, it was used primarily by the Empress Dowager, but starting this year, it will naturally be used primarily by the Eastern Palace.
Nanny Peng quickly replied "yes" and turned around to send someone to the Needlework Bureau to say hello.
Concubine Peng De finally had time to look back at Princess Yongqing peeling tangerines, and asked her thoughtfully, "What did you say just now? You said that Yonghe sent someone to guard Shen Chen, and asked him to go to her place to see her as soon as he came out of the Taiji Hall?"
Princess Yongqing was raised by Concubine Peng De, and was very close to her. After all, she was not raised by her biological mother, so she was very good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that she was concerned, she quickly straightened her mind: "Yes, she was waiting as soon as Shen Chen entered the palace, and asked the eunuch to wait outside the Taiji Hall. Even Eunuch Wang was willing to pass the message to her, so she must have spent a lot of money."
When she talked about Princess Yonghe, the corners of her mouth curled up in disdain.
The relationship between the two of them had always been bad, and it had become even worse recently. But she had never been better than Princess Yonghe. After all, Princess Yonghe was raised by Empress Fang, and Empress Fang had always been better than Concubine Peng De.
It was only recently that Princess Yonghe finally lost her former glory due to Queen Fang's misfortune, and Princess Yongqing felt proud.
But no matter how proud she was, the grudge was still there, and she would not think about seeing Princess Yonghe happy.
Concubine Peng De obviously noticed the tone of her voice when she mentioned Princess Yonghe, and she smiled and said, "She is still your sister, and His Majesty still has feelings for her. You should not go too far, or you will get yourself into trouble."
Princess Yongqing agreed.
Concubine Peng De then ordered Aunt Peng: "Send someone to take a look."
Nanny Peng understood what she meant and knew that she was talking about sending someone to check on Princess Yonghe and Shen Chen, so she nodded and agreed to go.
Concubine Peng De then brought up the matter of Feng Shuyuan's coming of age with Princess Yongqing again: "You are just a member to make up the numbers, don't get involved in anything. No matter what happens to Yonghe on that day, just pretend you don't know. Don't get involved in Yonghe's affairs. She is not in a clear mind. If you start a fight with her, you will only implicate yourself."
Princess Yongqing's smile faded. She knew that Concubine Peng De must have a deep meaning behind her words, so she asked tentatively, "Why did mother say that? I heard that Princess Shouning was also coming that day..." She put down the orange in her hand and said softly, "Didn't she say she was going to Fujian before? Why did she suddenly postpone it? There must be a reason, right? I heard that Shen Chen seems to like her, too. If that's the case, then doesn't it mean..."
Concubine Peng De smiled and looked at her: "Since you know it, just keep it in your heart. You don't have to say it out loud to prove that you are smart."
After confirming her guess, Princess Yongqing fell silent. After a while, she shook her head and said, "But, although my sister is powerful, she may not be able to defeat Shouning, right?"
She had tried to make trouble for Wei An before when the fifth prince was one month old, but was repelled by Wei An without mercy. She knew that Wei An was a person who would not suffer any loss, so she sneered with a gloating look.
He wants to deal with Wei An, but Wei An is not a pushover either. In the end, who knows who will be the one who suffers the loss.
She suddenly began to look forward to Feng Shuyuan's coming-of-age ceremony on the seventeenth. She thought it would be thrilling and exciting. After all, anything could happen if these two troublesome women were put together.
Concubine Peng De took the orange she handed over, took a bite, and put it aside: "Right, right. We can't control what we can't handle, so just don't get involved. This way, even if something really happens, it won't have anything to do with us in the end, and we can have a say."
Princess Yongqing understood everything and knew what Concubine Peng De meant. She took Concubine Peng De's arm and smiled brightly, "My daughter understands. When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. We just need to watch them fight. No matter who wins, it will not be bad for us. It would be even better if they both lose."
Concubine Peng tapped her nose, but there was no smile in her eyes. When Nanny Peng came back and said that the prince had returned from the study, she stood up quickly and said, "Back? Why did you come back so early today? Did you have a quarrel with your master? Who was serving you? Did you tell me why you came back so early today?"
Aunt Peng knew that she was anxious, and quickly replied: "Don't worry, it was the emperor who wanted to see Mr. Qin who was giving a lecture today, so he allowed the prince to leave school early..."