It was already mid-March and the weather was gradually warming up. Shen Qingwan had been staying in her palace these days. Although she occasionally wanted to go out for a walk, she was unable to take a step alone.
The cold has gradually receded, and the trees in the palace have begun to show new branches. From time to time, the returning swallows jump on the eaves outside the palace and call a few times, bringing the news of spring.
Shen Qingwan leaned against the jade table in the courtyard, flipping through the pages of the book in her hand, and occasionally looked up at the jumping swallows, flying in pairs and flying away. She actually felt a little envious in her heart. It was better to be an unrestrained bird than to be alone in this deep palace, flying everywhere and seeing the sights she had never seen before.
After all, I am still trapped in this deep palace, like a canary in a cage. There are so many good things in the palace, and so many people envy me, but who can understand the meaning? Only I know it in my heart.
The wind of early spring was much softer, gently blowing across the book held in Shen Qingwan's hands. She was wearing a light purple top embroidered with broken branches of plum blossoms, a white pleated skirt, and a white cape with green-calyx plum blossoms, which made her skin look even more crystal clear. Shen Qingwan flipped through a few pages of the book and had no interest in reading any further.
"Lianyun?" Shen Qingwan closed the book and called towards the gate of the courtyard.
"Yes, your majesty." Lianyun was originally tending to the flowers and plants at the gate of the courtyard. Upon hearing Shen Qingwan's voice, she hurriedly trotted into the courtyard.
"How's the situation at the Queen's place?" Ever since she hit a wall outside Xiao Shushen's palace last time, Shen Qingwan no longer went there in person, but she still reminded Lianyun to always keep an eye on the situation in her palace.
A woman will become a mother one day. Even if Xiao Shushen displeases her again, the child who was lost accidentally is innocent, and Shen Qingwan can't help but sympathize with her.
"Your Highness, I have been asking around these past few evenings. The eunuchs and maids in the Queen's palace said that she has recovered quite well. The Emperor has also instructed the imperial physician to prescribe a prescription specifically for her recovery. However, the Queen is still not in good spirits."
"That's understandable. If you don't take good care of the baby after a miscarriage, it may have an impact on her future. I can't help you much, and the Queen won't appreciate my kindness. You just need to continue to pay attention to her situation and inform me in time if there are any changes." Shen Qingwan sighed helplessly. Xiao Shushen was so arrogant for a while, but she didn't want to have such a miserable experience today. It seems that the pain of losing her son will torment her for a long time.
"Yes, that's what the queen asked. Lianyun will naturally take it to heart." Lianyun said and left.
After a while, Xiao Man hurried into the courtyard again, "Your Majesty, Concubine Lin is outside the palace asking to see you."
"Lin Jieyu? Why is she here?" Shen Qingwan frowned in confusion, then stood up and walked towards her room, "Let her in."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Man responded and then went to the palace gate to deliver the message.
"Greetings, Her Majesty." Concubine Lin bowed towards Shen Qingwan.
Shen Qingwan pointed to the sandalwood chair on the other side and said, "No need to be polite. Please sit down."
"Thank you, Madam." Lin Lianlian sat down, stroked her temples, and continued, "I came here rashly today and disturbed your peace. Please don't blame me."
"No, sister, if you have anything to say, just tell me directly." Shen Qingwan didn't want to beat around the bush with Lin Lianlian, so she signaled her to get straight to the point.
"Sister, I came here today just to ask you about the spring outing in the near future. I want to prepare in advance." Lin Lianlian was very respectful and polite to Shen Qingwan. Her tone was gentle and a little awe-inspiring when she spoke.
"Spring outing?" Shen Qingwan's lips twitched slightly. She didn't expect that Lin Lianlian suddenly came here just for this matter. "This time we plan to go to the back mountain of Fashan Temple. The weather has warmed up in the past few days, and the back mountain will soon be full of spring. You don't have to prepare anything. When the time comes, the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the palace will arrange everything."
"Thank you for your suggestion, sister. I wonder if you have been there before? Is the scenery very nice?" Lin Lianlian asked again.
"I've never been there. The scenery of spring looks different to different people. Sister, don't worry too much. Just go there."
"Yes, yes." Lin Lianlian nodded continuously. She rubbed the corner of her clothes, trying to find some more topics to continue the conversation with Shen Qingwan, but she couldn't think of anything after racking her brains for a long time. She had no choice but to stand up and say goodbye.
After Lin Lianlian left, Shen Qingwan was in a dilemma alone in the room. It would have been fine if she didn't mention it, but when she talked about the spring outing to Fashan Temple, she couldn't help but think of one person, that was the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother is still practicing in Fashan Temple. The previous incident with Fu Huaiyu has created a lot of estrangement between Fu Yuheng and the Queen Mother. Going to Fashan Temple now will inevitably make him close to the Queen Mother, which inevitably gives Shen Qingwan a headache.
Lin Lianlian is a person who always brings up things that are not relevant to the topic. Shen Qingwan longs for a foolproof method that will not ruin the future spring outing and will both appease the empress dowager and not damage Fu Yuheng's reputation.
But she had been thinking for a long time in the room without any clue. The longer she stayed there, the more bored she felt. So she simply left her palace and wanted to find a quiet place to relax.
Shen Qingwan hadn't walked a few steps when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Isn't this the Concubine Xian? Why is she outside alone? There are no maids waiting on her. Is there no one in the palace?"
Shen Qingwan turned around and saw that it was Li Xinyu. She was very bold and spoke rudely to her right away. Shen Qingwan heard that Fu Yuheng and she had interacted a lot in the past few days. She didn't expect that she wanted to show off in front of her just after she got a little advantage.
However, Shen Qingwan just came out to relax and didn't want to cause any more trouble. Seeing that Li Xinyu was just becoming popular, Shen Qingwan didn't want to pay attention to her, as that would only make her even more complacent.
Shen Qingwan pursed her lips, said nothing, turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
"Oh, Your Majesty, are you in such a hurry to leave? Do you have an appointment with someone?" Seeing Shen Qingwan remained silent, Li Xinyu felt even more proud. She did not hide the provocative tone in her voice at all, and her eyes were full of disdain and pride.
Just as Shen Qingwan was thinking about how to fight back, Fu Yuheng came over from the other side and asked with a smile, "What are you two talking about? Tell me too."
"Your Majesty, I just happened to meet the Empress Consort Xian, so I had a short chat with her." Li Xinyu walked to Fu Yuheng, took his arm, and smiled coquettishly.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Shen Qingwan, who originally wanted to leave quickly, had to bow and salute when she saw Fu Yuheng coming.