The Flirtatious Beauty Decides to Steal the Princess - Chapter 15

“Sister, does it not look good on me?” Wen Ying tugged nervously at her sleeves, her gaze flitting away from Fu Qingyin as her face burned with embarrassment.

Fu Qingyin stepped forward to smooth out the wrinkles on Wen Ying’s dress, then flashed her a radiant smile.

“Wen Ying looks beautiful in anything, but she looks especially lovely in my dress.” Fu Qingyin’s eyes were tender, as if everything she looked upon was precious. Wen Ying suddenly lifted her head and found herself lost in those deep, affectionate eyes.

Her own reflection seemed to shimmer within them, and the intensity of their locked gaze made Wen Ying unable to look away. Her ears flushed pink without her realizing it.

Noticing Wen Ying’s shyness once again, Fu Qingyin chuckled and gently pinched her earlobe, soft and warm to the touch.

“It truly is beautiful. We’ll just need to adjust the hem a little.” Fu Qingyin’s voice was velvety soft as she admired Wen Ying in the pale blue dress, as if seeing her own innocent younger self reflected in the girl.

This dress held special meaning for Fu Qingyin it had been hand-sewn by her mother, the empress, using the finest fabric of that time.

Even after two or three years, the material showed no signs of wear, and the color remained as vibrant as the day it was made.

As if it had just been taken out of storage.

Wen Ying couldn’t resist running her fingers over the delicate hem. She turned left and right before the bronze dressing mirror. Though the pale blue hue didn’t stand out vividly in the tarnished reflection, the elegant cut of the skirt was undeniably beautiful.

This style might have been outdated in Fu Qingyin’s homeland, but here, few wore anything like it. Even if she wore it to the upcoming spring banquet, it wouldn’t be too ostentatious or embarrassing.

It was exactly the impression Wen Ying wanted. Her eyes sparkled as she blinked excitedly, then hurried behind the folding screen to change out of the dress. Carefully folding it, she cradled it in her hands as she stepped back out.

“Let’s go now!” Wen Ying’s face brimmed with anticipation. Fu Qingyin had initially wanted her to finish the pastries first, but too many sweets could upset her stomach, so she dismissed the thought.

Instead, she took Wen Ying’s hand and led her outside.

The sun now slanted westward, casting a golden glow over the palace pathways. The twilight softened the entire imperial palace into a dreamlike haze. Wen Ying followed behind Fu Qingyin, still clutching the pale blue dress in her hands.

When she glanced down at it for the third time, her heart swelled with admiration. This shade of blue made one’s complexion appear porcelain-fair, exuding an air of noble elegance.

Though Wen Ying knew she was rather simple-minded, she had always been drawn to such refined grace just like her admiration for the empress.

Within the entire rear palace, Wen Ying’s impressions of others were faint at best. But the empress stood apart regal and dignified, never stooping to compete for favor like the other concubines.

It was the empress who had arranged her mother’s funeral rites when no one else would.

Wen Ying had always been deeply grateful to her. Even in recent years, when their encounters were brief and hurried, the empress’s gentle demeanor left an indelible mark on her heart.

Wen Ying longed to become someone like her. That was why, even though hardly anyone in the Ninglu Palace paid her any mind, she still studied etiquette diligently under Yun Chu’s guidance.

And that was also why, when she first met Fu Qingyin, despite being ravenous, she had maintained her composure while eating those pastries.

Fu Qingyin had walked quite a distance before realizing she actually had no idea where she was going. She only recalled overhearing a few palace maids discussing how they planned to spend money to hire seamstresses to mend their clothes when she first entered the palace.

That was how she learned that in Emperor Wen’s harem, the embroidery house would mend garments for the palace maids.

Wen Ying was, after all, a princess. Surely, as long as they had silver, the seamstresses wouldn’t refuse.

Noticing Fu Qingyin had stopped walking, Wen Ying looked up in confusion. “What’s wrong? Does Sister not remember the way?”

Fu Qingyin nodded awkwardly, and Wen Ying immediately reached out to take her hand, leading her toward the embroidery house.

As they walked, Fu Qingyin tried to memorize the route while worrying about what to do if the seamstresses looked down on them and refused to alter Wen Ying’s clothes.

The thought darkened her expression. Hidden beneath her wide sleeves, she clenched a few small pieces of silver. In the past, she would never have been reduced to such meager funds.

She had sold some of her jewelry along the way just to avoid arriving at the Great Wen palace in utter destitution.

Once, she had been a pampered princess who could casually toss such small coins as rewards. Now, she had to clutch them tightly just to beg someone to alter a dress.

Her mind conjured up images of those opportunistic, sneering faces. But the moment she stepped into the embroidery house, she was met with laughter and even a few snippets of dialect.

“Who’s there?” The seamstresses looked up from their work as the door swung open.

Fu Qingyin was momentarily stunned by the sight. If the rest of the palace was rigid and devoid of liveliness, then this embroidery house was undoubtedly the most vibrant place within its walls.

Colorful fabrics hung drying in the courtyard, and every floor had its windows open to air them out. The cloth swayed gently in the breeze like a sea of flowers, while neatly arranged spools of thread sat on shelves.

Wen Ying obediently stepped forward and greeted the head seamstress. When she turned back to introduce Fu Qingyin, she found her still frozen in place.

With no other choice, Wen Ying ran back and tugged Fu Qingyin over, flashing a sweet smile. “Auntie Gu, this is Fu Qingyin, a princess who just arrived at the palace.”

Wen Ying’s little dimples had a way of putting people at ease. Auntie Gu knew of Fu Qingyin she was a hostage from another kingdom. But since she was Wen Ying’s friend, she regarded her politely.

Fu Qingyin quickly nodded in greeting. She hadn’t expected Wen Ying to know someone here, let alone the head seamstress.

“Little A-Ying, what brings you here today?” Auntie Gu was over fifty, and when she looked at Wen Ying, it was with the affection of a mother toward her youngest daughter. Though Wen Ying was of royal blood, those who knew her understood she carried no airs of a princess her life was far from the pampered existence of imperial offspring.

Over time, people stopped treating her as a lofty master or, like those cruel servants who judged others by their status, bullying her. Instead, they regarded her as nothing more than the girl next door.

Wen Ying finally heard Granny Gu get to the main point and quickly raised the dress she was holding in her hands, presenting it to Granny Gu: “Granny Gu~ For the Spring Banquet three days from now, I know you’re all very busy and definitely won’t have time to make new clothes for A-Ying. Could you just alter the length of this dress? I can wear this one in three days.”

Wen Ying’s eyes sparkled, not thinking at all that wearing old clothes was a bad thing. Granny Gu, however, felt a pang of heartache. But seeing the fabrics and sample garments sent by the imperial concubines and princesses that the seamstresses were working on, all of which needed to be rushed she knew there was simply no time to make a new dress for Wen Ying from scratch. Since Wen Ying had brought this dress herself and didn’t mind, Granny Gu could only nod in agreement: “Alright, if A-Ying doesn’t mind, Granny will alter it for you.”

Granny Gu reached out and patted Wen Ying’s head, like the kindest of family members. Fu Qingyin, standing to the side, went unnoticed. The seamstresses continued their work without pause, their hands busy with identical garments, but they looked up and smiled, “Ah, Granny Gu, isn’t this aqua-blue dress the style from Yiqing Kingdom a few years back? I heard it came from the imperial palace and was all the rage for a while. Though not many people here would recognize it.”

Hearing this, Granny Gu took a closer look at the aqua-blue dress in her hands and, sure enough, it was indeed in the Yiqing Kingdom style. While others might not recognize it, these top-tier seamstresses were naturally familiar with it, even if it was from Yiqing.

Wen Ying’s eyes curved into crescents as she linked arms with Fu Qingyin and said to them, “That’s right! This is the princess of Yiqing Kingdom, here as a guest in our country.”

Guest! The word felt utterly foreign to Fu Qingyin. She had always felt like an outsider, often overlooked and even looked down upon. But it turned out that little Wen Ying had always seen her as a guest someone who deserved to be treated with care and respect.

“If others aren’t willing to treat a guest properly, I can’t let you think all our people are like that. We’re actually very hospitable and kind!” The dress was taken away by Granny Gu to be altered. Over the years, all of Wen Ying’s new clothes had been funded by Yun Chu and made by Granny Gu, so she was very familiar with Wen Ying’s measurements.

As Wen Ying sat on a small stool, holding a cup of tea and saying these words, Fu Qingyin was still somewhat dazed.

“Even though I’m always eating your pastries, if you’re unhappy, I can keep you company!” Wen Ying continued, “Ever since we entered the embroidery workshop, Sister hasn’t seemed very happy. What’s wrong?”

Fu Qingyin snapped out of her thoughts. She reached out and ruffled Wen Ying’s soft hair, then adjusted her hairpin for her.

“This little wooden hairpin suits you well. But in the future, I want to give you many beautiful clothes and jewelry. How does that sound?” Fu Qingyin smiled as she gently touched the wooden hairpin, making a silent vow in her heart. Even if Wen Ying refused, Fu Qingyin would strive for her sake.

Wen Ying simply smiled, her little dimples making her even more enchanting than many renowned beauties.

The early spring air was slightly chilly, and Wen Ying’s fingertips were cool to the touch. Seeing that Fu Qingyin wasn’t unhappy, her smile was genuine.

Altering the hem of the dress wasn’t too troublesome, but with so much work at hand, Granny Gu could only set it aside for the time being.

“Little Aying, I see your friend really likes it here. It’ll be dinner time soon. You should stay, I’ll send someone to tell Yun Chu to join us later.” With more work and generous rewards from the ladies recently, Granny Gu had extra money to order more dishes from the imperial kitchen.

Tonight, the embroidery house was already planning a gathering anyway, so a few more wouldn’t make a difference.

Wen Ying scampered over to Granny Gu, fawningly massaging her shoulders with a bright smile. “Then Aying wants meat! I didn’t get any on New Year’s Eve.”

Granny Gu chuckled, though her eyes glistened with tears as she reached out to ruffle Wen Ying’s hair. Fu Qingyin stood not far away, feeling a quiet sense of peace settle in his heart.

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