The efficiency of the palace was indeed extremely high. Early the next morning, the burned courtyard began to be renovated, and one could even hear three or two pairs of maids walking together discussing privately.
"Hey, have you heard?" The young maid who had been in the palace for several years whispered to another maid, "Last night, that maid offended Concubine Liu but was not executed! What good luck."
Another maid seemed to be new, and was obviously not very familiar with the concubines in the palace, "Yes! Lady Liu is such a good person."
The palace maid who had spoken before curled her lips and rolled her eyes at her but didn't say anything else. She just left her alone.
Seeing this, Shen Qingwan couldn't help but burst out laughing. This palace was not so boring.
For this reason, she didn't make any comments. Why bother
"Lianyun, did you find out anything about what I asked you to find out last night?" Suddenly, he remembered the piano music he heard yesterday afternoon and subconsciously glanced at the west yard. It seemed to be very quiet there, and only occasionally he could see servants coming in and out.
"To reply to your Majesty, I asked and heard that the one living inside is Concubine Shu." Lianyun went out to inquire early this morning and happened to meet a little maid coming out. She heard that she was a very gentle person.
After knowing the answer, Shen Qingwan was not so anxious anymore. She thought that he must be a reclusive person. Even last night, no one came out.
After what happened last night, many new palace maids felt that Concubine Liu was easy to get along with and had won the hearts of some people.
"Sister." Li Ruotong had come to her side without her knowing, and the call brought her back to her senses from her thoughts.
Li Ruotong's health has recovered, so she went out of the yard today. As a result, as soon as she came out, she heard the servants talking about what happened last night, with a bit of gloating in their eyes.
"Even you heard about what happened last night?" Shen Qingwan smiled slightly.
"Yes!" She was in a very good mood at the moment. She had always disliked Liu Churong, and she was happy to see her get into trouble.
Shaking her head with amusement, Shen Qingwan saw that she was in such a good mood, so they simply went for a walk in the garden together.
"By the way, I heard that the emperor stayed overnight at Concubine Liu's place yesterday. Aren't you angry, sister?" Li Ruotong looked at her with a gossipy look on her face. Her big eyes fluttered and her long eyelashes were like two dancing butterflies.
He laughed softly and looked up at the horizon. Was he angry? Actually, he wasn't. He just felt a little disappointed.
He shook his head and flicked her forehead with his hand, "You, you just want to tease me all day long."
Li Ruotong covered her forehead and just raised her head, and the next second her eyes were staring straight ahead.
Following her gaze, he couldn't help but smile. What happened to her at that time? It turned out that she saw Ye Feng over there from afar.
"Oh, it seems that I am still an eyesore to someone." He sighed with pretended melancholy and pretended to leave.
"Ah! It's not like that." Li Ruotong was a little anxious. She grabbed her sleeve and looked up at her with a playful expression. Only then did she realize that she was being teased and her pretty face turned red.
The little episode ended here, but it left both of them with their own thoughts.
One is to win the hearts of people but not their support, while the other is to win their support but not their support.
After lunch, I went out of the yard and heard the sound of piano from afar. Even though it was a different song, it was still so peaceful, which made people feel relaxed.
Shen Qingwan stayed in the pavilion for a whole afternoon until the piano music stopped.
This went on for several days in a row, and even Lianyun, who was standing by, became anxious. Although she understood a little, she found it boring to listen to this every day.
Seeing Lianyun's thoughts, she just smiled and said nothing. The next afternoon, at the same time, she actually put out her zither, and it echoed the piano music coming from the west courtyard, making people feel that they got along very well.
Only when the piano music stopped abruptly did Shen Qingwan stand up and smile towards the courtyard to the west. Her eyes showed relief and joy of meeting a close friend, as well as appreciation.
Lianyun thought that the queen was almost going crazy these days and curled her lips.
The second time the melody was played, the sound of the zither suddenly stopped. Shen Qingwan frowned, puzzled. But after only half a cup of tea, she saw a little maid coming out of the West Garden and walking towards her. She was very eye-catching in the pavilion, and the maid knew at a glance that she was the one who played with her mistress.
"This must be the Consort Xian!" She came up to him and bowed. The maid was also a cold person, probably because of her master. "My Consort would like to invite you to her courtyard for a gathering. I wonder if you would do me the honor."
Shen Qingwan had this intention in mind, so she did not refuse. She just wrapped up the piano on the stone table and handed it to Lianyun beside her, "In that case, please come in!" Perhaps it was out of respect for her, she did not even look down on this maid.
The maid pulled the corners of her mouth, as if trying to force a smile.
Just like the people inside, the furnishings in the yard were also very simple. There was only a long stone table in the yard, and there were some flowers and plants on the open space next to it.
There was a zither on the stone table, but no one was playing it.
Just as I was wondering, I saw a woman in a green gauze dress walking out of the house. Her hair was not all tied up, and some of it was loose and draped over her shoulders.
She has long and thin willow-shaped eyebrows, her eyes are gentle but a little cold, and there is a sense of alienation in her every move.
"Please sit down." Even the words were very concise. He only said these two words and didn't say anything else.
"I've heard your piano music for a long time, and I've always wanted to come visit you, but I don't want to disturb you." Shen Qingwan said calmly, as if she was not the one who was excited about finding a close friend. "I'm flattered to have such an opportunity today."
After hearing this, Wu Ling raised her eyes, as if she had not expected her to say this. If she continued to ignore him like this, it would seem that she was not generous enough.
"It's my fault. I didn't know there are people with such refined tastes in this palace." These words were a bit harsh, but they were indeed what she thought in her heart. Almost everyone was busy scheming against each other, and who would have the elegance to listen to her music.
Knowing the meaning of her words, Shen Qingwan did not refute, "You are a strange person." She did not say anything about sister, and her tone was somewhat intimate.
She was only the second person she met in the palace to have such an interesting personality. The first one was Li Ruotong. But she was just meeting someone she liked. This was the first time she had seen someone as indifferent as the person in front of her.