As it turned out, Ling Qingwan lost again. She should have thought that Aunt Qiu was invited by Wei Xun, so how could Wei Xun be embarrassed? After tricking Qiao'er away, Wei Xun continued to lift Ling Qingwan's clothes and pulled her trouser legs to her knees.
Ling Qingwan was scared and shrank into the corner. Wei Xun grabbed her and stopped her from moving.
"What are you doing?" Ling Qingwan raised her guard. She watched Wei Xun take out a porcelain bottle from his waist, open the lid, apply some ointment with his fingertips, and evenly spread it on her legs.
Ling Qingwan's legs were covered with red and blue marks. Wei Xun was stunned at first, but he remained silent and helped Ling Qingwan apply the medicine.
"Apply some ointment every night these days, and it won't hurt so much." Wei Xun gently reminded Ling Qingwan. After that, he put away the ointment and placed it on the bedside table.
Ling Qingwan paused. Just like a stone falling into a lake, her heart inexplicably moved.
No! Ling Qingwan quickly came to her senses! Why was her body covered in bruises? The culprit was Wei Xun. Now he came to apply medicine to her. It was obvious that he was a weasel visiting a chicken for the New Year. He had no good intentions.
"What exactly do you want to do?" Ling Qingwan asked.
"I asked the maid in the palace to teach you etiquette so that you can stand up in front of the other noble ladies to avoid making a fool of yourself, which would make you feel bad. People in the palace are different from those outside. They are very sharp-eyed. If you do something wrong, they will have a reason to punish you. I'm not saying it's to help you, but I won't harm you." Wei Xun told Ling Qingwan patiently in a gentle tone.
Wei Xun felt uncomfortable seeing Ling Qingwan being timid when facing him.
Ling Qingwan frowned and thought about it for a moment. Wei Xun's explanation was indeed valid, but... Wei Xun was meddling too much.
"You are doing this for my own good, I am very grateful, but you should have asked me if I am willing to accept it. I was born in the countryside, and I cannot compare with those who have lived in the imperial city since childhood, but I don't think I am that bad, and I don't think I need to show off in front of them. Besides, it's not like I don't know the rules. Even if I don't understand something, I can just ask Madam Park."
Ling Qingwan spoke more and more quietly, feeling more and more aggrieved. Her nose felt sore, and she lowered her head in fear that Wei Xun would notice.
"If you can't change your habit of making decisions for others, let Aunt Qiu teach Ling Chuchu. Ling Chuchu will also go to the flower viewing banquet when the time comes."
It doesn’t matter who Nanny Qiu teaches. Ling Qingwan doesn’t want to suffer this anymore.
Wei Xun hesitated to speak, and when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back silently. It was the first time he reflected on what he had done wrong, and it was for a little girl.
"I have no feelings for Ling Chuchu." Wei Xun said to Ling Qingwan at last.
After he said this, Ling Qingwan felt even more wronged. Why did she have to endure all these hardships just because Wei Xun liked her? What did she do wrong
"I have no feelings for you either." Ling Qingwan raised her head and looked directly into Wei Xun's eyes.
Wei Xun's eyes flickered slightly, and a deep meaning flashed across his gaze.
"Don't worry, no matter whether I will marry into the palace or not, I promise to help you get rid of the poison, and I will do my best." Ling Qingwan was frightened by Wei Xun's stare, so she looked away, not daring to look at Wei Xun again.
Even if she didn't want to admit it, Wei Xun's aura was stronger than hers. Ling Qingwan was fearless, but in front of Wei Xun, she couldn't help but feel a little timid.
It's better to keep a distance from such people, Ling Qingwan thought.
"Go to bed early." Wei Xun wanted to say that he didn't mean that, but when the words came to his lips, he only uttered these light words.
After saying that, Wei Xun climbed over the courtyard wall. The lights flickered, and soon returned to calm. Ling Qingwan stared at the window in a daze, then lowered her head to look at the ointment on the bedside table.
If it weren't for this bottle of ointment, she would have thought she had just had a dream. Ling Qingwan had gotten used to Wei Xun's coming and going without a trace, always acting mysterious.
Soon the day to enter the palace arrived. Ling Chuchu and Ling Qingwan went to the Imperial Garden together. She left Ling Qingwan behind and chatted and laughed with other young ladies.
Ling Qingwan couldn't help but think of how Ling Chuchu looked so well-behaved when she left the Marquis' Mansion just now, holding her arm and promising Ling Shen that she would take good care of her. Anyway, Ling Qingwan already knew what kind of person Ling Chuchu was, so apart from praising her for being a good actor, she had no other feelings.
Ling Shenshi was still in the dark, thinking that Ling Chuchu was kind and gentle, but she didn't know that nine out of ten accidents that Ling Qingwan suffered in the Marquis' Mansion were caused by Ling Chuchu.
Most of the young ladies in the capital had known each other for a long time, and soon they gathered in groups of three or five. No one paid any attention to Ling Qingwan. Ling Qingwan was happy and at ease, concentrating on appreciating the flowers.
The Imperial Garden was different, and it was several times more lively than the garden of the Marquis's Mansion. Ling Qingwan looked at the spring scenery in the garden and could not help but be deeply attracted.
"The Queen has arrived!"
Suddenly, a sharp voice was heard, and everyone looked in the direction of the voice. They saw a woman in a bright yellow brocade robe walking gracefully, followed by a long line of maids and eunuchs, with a very grand and luxurious appearance.
The queen had a delicate face and kind eyes, looking like a mother of the country. Although Ling Qingwan had been a crown princess in her previous life, she had little contact with the queen. After all, even Song Zhiqing didn't like her, let alone the queen. So she now looked at the queen as a stranger.
After some polite greetings, Ling Qingwan thought that she had nothing to do, but the Queen suddenly mentioned her, causing everyone's eyes to turn to her.
"The second young lady of the Marquis' Mansion has returned. I have never seen her before. Let me take a good look at her today." The queen curved her eyebrows and looked very kind.
Ling Qingwan showed no fear and bowed to the queen openly.
She glanced around inadvertently and saw the disappointment on some young ladies' faces, which made her feel funny.
"She is very pretty, and she is 70% similar to the first lady." The queen was quite satisfied and nodded to Ling Qingwan. "When the first lady was young, she was a famous talented woman in Dongjing City. I was good friends with her at that time, but later we each had things to do, so we didn't have much contact."
So the Queen was her mother's good friend when she was young? Ling Qingwan looked at the Queen a few more times. Why didn't her mother mention this matter to her before she entered the palace
"My mother is a person of both talent and virtue. I am honored to be half as good as her." Ling Qingwan was humble, and there was no flaw in her words and deeds.
The queen seemed very happy and immediately rewarded Ling Qingwan with a pair of jade ruyi. There were countless jealous people present, staring at Ling Qingwan as if they wanted to eat her alive.
"Empress, you don't know that although my sister grew up in the countryside, she is very talented and is no less talented than the daughters of famous families." Ling Chuchu suddenly spoke.
No one knew where she came from. After saying that, Ling Chuchu took Ling Qingwan's arm.