The Flirtatious Beauty Decides to Steal the Princess - Chapter 14

On this side, Wen Ying hurriedly followed behind Fu Qingyin as they made their way toward Hanguang Palace. Along the way, Fu Qingyin remained mostly silent, and Wen Ying could sense that something was off with her mood.

“Beautiful sister, what’s wrong?”

To cheer Fu Qingyin up, Wen Ying revealed the faint dimples at the corners of her lips.

The palace corridor stretched endlessly before them. Glancing around and seeing no one nearby, Wen Ying stepped forward to block Fu Qingyin’s path, her stubborn expression making it clear she wouldn’t move until she got an explanation.

Fu Qingyin’s expression softened slightly at the sight of Wen Ying. She reached out and pinched Wen Ying’s soft cheek. “You suddenly stepped forward earlier didn’t you realize how dangerous that was? Yun Chu went to great lengths to hide you precisely for this reason.”

In truth, if it were just this matter alone, Fu Qingyin might not have been so angry. What truly bothered her was something harder to admit like the strange feeling that had crept into her heart when she saw Wen Ying speaking so warmly to Wen Yuan earlier.

Wen Ying had never seen Fu Qingyin lose her temper like this before. She froze in place, even the dimples on her lips stiffening.

Only after speaking did Fu Qingyin gradually realize her own harshness. She was just about to lift her head to comfort Wen Ying when,

Wen Ying stood there, the faint, coaxing smile on her face now frozen. Her eyes reddened slightly, tears welling up and swirling in their depths.

“Of course I knew it wasn’t good, but you were being cornered. I stepped out to help divert some attention. It was an emergency, I was wrong, okay?” Wen Ying still had a childlike temperament. Though her life had been hard, Yun Chu had never scolded her so harshly before.

This time, Wen Ying had indeed acted impulsively, her actions lacking forethought. But did that warrant being spoken to like this?

Seeing Wen Ying like this, Fu Qingyin’s heart instantly melted into tenderness. She took a few steps forward, intending to comfort her, but Wen Ying retreated.

Before Fu Qingyin could get far, Wen Ying turned and ran back on her own. Worried, Fu Qingyin had no choice but to follow her.

She watched as Wen Ying entered Ninglu Palace and shut the door behind her, not emerging again. Fu Qingyin stood outside the main gate, waiting.

As the sunlight gradually slanted westward with no sign of Wen Ying, Fu Qingyin grew increasingly concerned. She stepped forward and gently knocked on the wooden door. Beneath her fingers, she could still feel the remnants of the door’s former elegance, though now it was worn and weathered.

Twilight spilled across the window lattice. Fu Qingyin sighed. “Little Wen Ying, don’t be angry anymore. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. You haven’t eaten lunch, I’m worried.”

The thought of Wen Ying’s slender figure filled Fu Qingyin with concern, and her knocking grew more urgent. This time, there was finally a response Wen Ying’s muffled voice came from behind the door: “Don’t scold me anymore.”

Her words carried a hint of grievance. Fu Qingyin had already spent the entire afternoon blaming herself. Hearing such a soft, vulnerable voice, she couldn’t resist. She straightened up and replied gently, “Alright, today was all my fault. Open the door, and let’s go to Hanguang Palace for some pastries, okay? I had Sangzhi fetch some from the imperial kitchen they’re fresh and warm.”

The next moment, the door finally opened, revealing Wen Ying’s fair little face. Fu Qingyin held Wen Ying’s face as if she had found a treasure, wanting to pinch it but feeling it wasn’t quite right, so she reluctantly lowered her hand again.

Noticing Fu Qingyin’s small gesture, Wen Ying surprisingly reached out and placed Fu Qingyin’s hand on her own face: “Go ahead, beautiful sister. You still have to alter my clothes for me.”

Fu Qingyin looked at Wen Ying’s reddened eyes from crying, paired with what she had just said, and found it utterly adorable. Even though Wen Ying had given her permission, Fu Qingyin didn’t dare to pinch too hard.

After all, she was the one who had upset Wen Ying, so Fu Qingyin was careful. Seeing Wen Ying’s still slightly reddened eyes, she felt a pang of heartache but led Wen Ying into her Hanguang Palace.

The palace was still somewhat quiet, and even Sangzhi didn’t dare to speak much, merely bringing out the still-warm pastries. It was already sunset, and the temperature had dropped. Fu Qingyin helped Wen Ying sit on a cushioned stool while she herself took the cold, hard chair.

Wen Ying snorted, deciding to let Fu Qingyin suffer a little this time. She was about to say something when her stomach growled inappropriately. Embarrassed but undeterred, Wen Ying reached out and started eating the pastries.

It was her favorite Yunpian cake, but unlike usual, this one was made with jujube paste and yam, a rare delicacy that was difficult to prepare and seldom seen in the palace. Wen Ying recognized it immediately.

Her face lit up with delight. This jujube paste and yam Yunpian cake was a treat usually reserved for the New Year’s Eve palace banquet. Smiling, she picked up a piece and offered it to Fu Qingyin.

Fu Qingyin wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, but she had a keen eye for what Wen Ying enjoyed. Seeing Wen Ying’s unprecedented happiness, she knew how much this pastry meant to her, so she graciously took a bite and found it wasn’t overly sweet.

“Sangzhi, where did these pastries come from today? Why haven’t we seen them in the imperial kitchen before?”

Fu Qingyin recognized the imperial kitchen’s food box but was puzzled as to why they had never had this pastry before.

Sangzhi hurried over to answer: “Your Highness, the imperial kitchen’s Xiao Tang mentioned that this pastry was prepared by the Empress for the upcoming spring banquet in three days. The imperial kitchen started early to ensure the flavors were perfect, fearing the Empress would be displeased if they were not. They made only one batch, keeping half for themselves, and Xiao Tang gave the rest to me to bring back for Princess Wen Ying and you.”

Such warmth in the imperial harem! Watching Wen Ying’s blissful smile, Fu Qingyin understood why she remained so pure-hearted despite the hardships of living in Emperor Wen’s palace.

Before, Xiao Tang, though friendly with Wen Ying, couldn’t openly send food to the Ninglu Palace. But now, with Fu Qingyin’s status as a hostage, it was possible to claim the pastries as leftovers, ensuring Wen Ying could enjoy them.

The thought brought a lump to Fu Qingyin’s throat. Wen Ying, a legitimate princess, had to struggle even for a simple pastry, yet she still maintained her kind and innocent heart.

Fu Qingyin found herself inexplicably reaching out to smooth the stray strands of hair that had fallen across Wen Ying’s face

Fu Qingyin didn’t understand why she was feeling something unusual in her heart. Holding Wen Ying’s pastry plate, she stood there grinning foolishly until Wen Ying emerged, snapping her out of her daze.

The water-blue skirt cascaded to the floor like ripples spreading across a lake. Beyond that, the dress fit Wen Ying so perfectly, making her skin appear even more radiantly fair.

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