Shen Qingwan has been absent-minded recently because of Fu Xinyan's affairs. She really can't understand why she suddenly changed her temperament.
"Empress? Empress?" Lianyun called a few times. The Empress had been in a daze these past few days. When she asked her, she just smiled. She couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Seeing another piece of rice paper being wasted, Shen Qingwan lost interest in writing any further. She sighed, told Lianyun to pack up her things, sat on a chair, and poured herself a cup of tea.
"Hiss." The scalding hot tea went into his mouth, burning his tongue and causing tears to well up in his eyes. Only then did he come back to his senses from his contemplation.
"Empress, are you okay?" Lianyun hurried over when she heard the voice. Seeing Shen Qingwan fanning her tongue with her hands, she felt both distressed and amused.
"Nothing." Shen Qingwan's facial features were gathered together in pain, but she still forced a smile.
Lianyun hurriedly got her a glass of cold water and started nagging her again until she responded several times.
"My queen, I noticed that you have been worried these past two days. What's wrong?" Lianyun thought about it and couldn't help but ask.
"It's okay, I was just thinking about what happened to the princess last time. I always felt that something was unusual, but I couldn't put it into words, so I was absent-minded." Shen Qingwan's tongue still felt a little uncomfortable, and even her voice became a little soft.
"It's useless for the master to guess here. Why don't you go and ask the princess?" Lianyun tilted her head, blinking her clear eyes, which made her feel a lot better.
Shen Qingwan thought about it and sighed, "How could I not want to? It's just that the princess avoids me when she sees me, so there is really no chance."
"Your Majesty, please try again. Perhaps the princess will be willing to see you." Seeing that she was so worried, she could only suggest this.
Maybe, she shook her head, maybe she was really in a bad mood that day.
Having made up his mind, he decided to try again and asked his servants to go and invite her.
It didn't take long for the message to reach Fu Xinyan, which surprised her. However, she glanced at the person sitting next to her in panic.
"Tell her that I don't want to see her." She felt a little anxious for a moment, not knowing whether she was afraid that Xiao Shushen would see something or that she was afraid of hurting her. She refused without even looking at the maid who came.
"Wait! How can Princess be so unreasonable? Since the virtuous concubine has invited you, why wouldn't you go?" Xiao Shushen grabbed her sleeve and smiled very elegantly and dignifiedly. She looked very graceful and elegant against the backdrop of the bright yellow palace dress.
Fu Xinyan was extremely dissatisfied. Everyone said that the queen was virtuous, never jealous, and managed the harem in an orderly manner. But she was the only one who knew what a terrible person she was. However, she still pretended to be confused.
"What's the matter, Princess? Are you dissatisfied with me?" Xiao Shushen glared at her, which made her a little scared.
"I dare not. But didn't the Queen always forbid me to have any contact with the Concubine? Why did you agree to see her today? I really don't understand. Please explain it to me, Queen."
"Princess, come here." Xiao Shushen spoke slowly, calling the princess to her side. She whispered a few words into her ear.
"No, this is impossible. I can't do such a thing." After hearing the queen's words, he moved to the side with a complicated expression, as if he couldn't believe it.
Seeing that the princess looked somewhat struggling, Xiao Shushen did not repeat herself and continued, "Oh, if you don't want to be a concubine, I won't force you. But you have to think carefully. Don't you want your mother's relics? Besides, I didn't ask you to kill her." She said it indifferently, as if it was just a trivial matter, but her soft voice sounded like the most vicious words in Fu Xinyan's ears.
"I promise you." The princess was trembling all over, with a hint of decadence in her eyes. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands hard, but she didn't feel much pain.
"Then I will wait for good news from the prince." After saying this, she stood up and left.
Fu Xinyan was like an eggplant hit by frost at this moment. She couldn't muster up any energy. She lost all her strength and slid off the bed. She knelt on the cold ground and kept muttering, "Mother, what should I do? I'm so tired."
I curled myself up into myself, as if only in this way could I feel a little comfort, as if my mother was hugging me.
But even so, she adjusted her state at Zi Xin's urging, changed her clothes and went there as invited. She saw Shen Qingwan, who had been sitting there for a long time, but was reluctant to take a step forward.
Shen Qingwan accidentally looked up and saw her. When she walked up to her, she saw that her eyes were red and swollen. "Princess, what's wrong with you? Did you encounter something difficult?"
Fu Xinyan felt even more guilty when she heard her concerned voice, but she just replied calmly, "It's okay."
"Princess, can you tell me anything?" Shen Qingwan looked at her and felt that her guess was correct. She must be hiding something.
But first we need to find out from her what is going on.
"It's none of your business." Fu Xinyan lowered her head, her voice choked. Thinking of the Queen's coercion, she hesitated. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but she wanted to keep her mother's belongings.
"Princess, are you feeling unwell?" Shen Qingwan took her hand, trying to calm her down. She felt that the princess was indeed very different in the past two days.
But the next second, she suddenly pushed him away, "Don't touch me!"
"This..." She looked at the princess's resistance and felt inexplicably strange. She loosened her hand and just looked at her quietly without saying a word, but the worry in her eyes became more and more obvious.
Fu Xinyan's eyes flickered, but she also knew that someone must be watching her every move.
"My Lady, you should know that there are some things that you cannot control." She smiled bitterly, but her face was still full of sarcasm. She couldn't really tell what kind of emotion she had towards her. Was she happy? But she blamed her for not being able to help her. Was she hated? But she was also greedy for her kindness to her.
In a moment of distraction, Fu Xinyan's mood began to waver. She took a step forward and pushed her hand away with empty eyes.
Shen Qingwan watched her approaching, but didn't know what she was going to do, so she didn't hide.
It was not until the moment my body leaned backwards that I felt that I was inexplicably ridiculous.
"You, why... why are you forcing me!" Fu Xinyan woke up from her emotions and watched her struggling in the water, and suddenly panicked.
"Help, help, the virtuous concubine has fallen into the water!" Seeing this, the maidservant beside Shen Qingwan hurriedly called for help, but most of the people around them could not swim, so they could only worry.
Fu Xinyan muttered, "Don't be afraid, I, I will find someone to save you." She ran away in a hurry, stumbling and falling many times.