The Flirtatious Beauty Decides to Steal the Princess - Chapter 16

When Yun Chu arrived, almost everyone was already seated. Fu Qingyin sat beside Wen Ying, her gaze never leaving her.

The embroiderers of the embroidery loft were always warm-hearted. Back when Yun Chu had brought little Wen Ying to ask them to make a dress, they knew Yun Chu was just another unfortunate soul cast aside by the palace.

They were often willing to lend a helping hand. Later, Yun Chu found work, and the people she knew gradually increased. Eventually, she managed to repay all the silver she owed.

Over time, everyone became familiar with one another.

“Auntie Gu, these are some pastries I brought for you. I just bought them from the imperial kitchen.” Yun Chu didn’t have much to offer, but Auntie Gu had helped her so much in the past that she always brought something whenever she visited.

Auntie Gu smiled and accepted them. She knew that if she refused, Yun Chu might overthink it. After taking the pastries, she quickly invited her to sit down.

The gathering inside the embroidery loft wasn’t as extravagant as the feasts of the imperial concubines, but everyone had pooled some silver together, ensuring there was meat and vegetables on the table.

After the meal, it was only natural not to leave immediately. Yun Chu helped Auntie Gu clean up the dishes, while Fu Qingyin and Wen Ying sat on the steps of the embroidery loft, gazing upward.

Under the glow of the palace lanterns, the fabrics no longer shone as brilliantly as they did in daylight, but they now carried a unique charm of their own.

“Thank you, sister.” Wen Ying lifted her eyes earnestly. Though she was slow to realize things, she wasn’t so oblivious as to not understand the significance of that aqua-blue dress to Fu Qingyin.

It no longer fit, yet Fu Qingyin had still brought it to the palace clearly, it held special meaning.

Fu Qingyin was momentarily stunned by her sudden gratitude. But when she saw the glimmer in Wen Ying’s eyes, she swallowed all the questions she wanted to ask.

Whatever Wen Ying was thanking her for didn’t matter. Little Wen Ying was expressing her gratitude to her, looking at her with those moist almond-shaped eyes, her gaze filled with nothing but her.

The more Fu Qingyin thought about it, the more joy bubbled up inside her. She couldn’t suppress her smile, no matter how hard she tried to press her lips together.

Wen Ying noticed she was smiling, a genuine, heartfelt smile. It was as if she had discovered a new continent. Tilting her head, she revealed her little dimples and said, “Beautiful sister, you look adorable when you smile!”

It was even more captivating than her usual alluring smiles. Seeing Fu Qingyin laugh made Wen Ying feel at ease. She had always sensed that Fu Qingyin hadn’t been happy since arriving here.

Even when she smiled before, it never reached her eyes. But now, having finally achieved her wish, Wen Ying naturally wrapped her arms around Fu Qingyin’s, resting her head, adorned with little buns, on Fu Qingyin’s shoulder.

A cool spring night breeze swept past, causing the fabrics to flutter. Suddenly, Wen Ying felt a chill run down her spine, as if something terrifying was hiding behind those swaying textiles.

Fu Qingyin had been savoring Wen Ying’s closeness when the hands clutching her sleeve suddenly tightened. Instinctively, Fu Qingyin grasped Wen Ying’s hand, offering her a sense of security.

“I’m here, A-Ying. Don’t be afraid.” Fu Qingyin’s voice carried a hint of ferocity, like a cat protecting its master. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were ready to unsheathe her claws at any moment.

Wen Ying also took the opportunity to cling tightly to Fu Qingyin’s arm, her eyes brimming with tears. “One year when I was little, Yun Chu fell ill and left me in the embroidery tower under the care of Nanny Gu. But Nanny Gu had to step out for something that night. When I got up in the middle of the night and couldn’t find her, I went out on my own and ended up getting lost inside the tower.”

Wen Ying’s voice was soft, and as she spoke, Fu Qingyin could almost picture the scene, her heart aching unbearably.

“What happened then? How did little A-Ying get out?” Fu Qingyin’s voice trembled slightly, a quiver she didn’t even notice herself. She couldn’t bear to imagine how such a young Wen Ying had endured being alone in the pitch-black embroidery tower.

At this, Wen Ying grew even more aggrieved. She tightened her grip on Fu Qingyin’s arm and explained that she had waited until dawn when Nanny Gu returned, only realizing she was missing and coming to search for her inside the tower.

“They always thought I was just being mischievous and hiding in the tower. I was afraid that if I admitted I’d gotten lost, Nanny Gu would find me troublesome and refuse to take care of me. That’s why I never clarified the truth.” After saying this, Wen Ying lowered her head like a wronged little kitten, her ears drooping as if in defeat.

Fu Qingyin’s heart ached, but there was no way she could travel back in time to help Wen Ying. She thought back to that period she had probably been out hunting on horseback, leading all the royal women of Yi Qing in the autumn hunt.

Wen Ying, worried that Fu Qingyin might also feel upset, quickly changed the subject. She scooted closer and closer to Fu Qingyin until she was practically sitting in her lap.

Seeing Wen Ying’s affectionate gesture, Fu Qingyin was reminded of the day she first arrived here. Sitting in Hanguang Palace, tears streaming down her face, it was this same little head that had peeked over the wall with a sweet smile. As if bewitched, Fu Qingyin had walked over and caught her.

That single action had felt like catching an entire world. Fu Qingyin never could have imagined things would come to this.

As the night deepened, the candlelight in some of the palace buildings flickered out. Tonight, the emperor’s Phoenix Chariot of Spring Favor jingled its bells along the palace paths once more, signaling yet another concubine basking in imperial favor.

Wen Ying stood by the door and looked out, her expression devoid of emotion. The thought of those concubines serving her so-called father filled her with disgust especially when she remembered that hypocritical emperor. The revulsion was overwhelming.

Wen Ying was usually easygoing, rarely detesting anything to such an extent. But Emperor Wen was the exception. Even when bullied to the point of being treated worse than a palace maid, she refused to curry his favor.

She would rather mingle with the maids than grovel before Emperor Wen. To her, that was infinitely better.

Everyone thought Wen Ying was a bit slow. While she didn’t consider herself particularly clever, she knew right from wrong well enough.

Fu Qingyin didn’t notice Wen Ying’s mood, because the sight of that Phoenix Chariot made her grit her teeth in fury. Before coming here, that wretched emperor had actually dared to entertain the idea of taking her as a concubine.

If not for Fu Qingyin threatening to take her own life, forcing Emperor Wen and her own father to include a clause in the edict forbidding her from becoming a concubine, she might very well have been one of the “favored” riding in that chariot tonight.

Disgust flashed in Fu Qingyin’s eyes. She loathed the touch of men. Back in Yi Qing, she had been the exalted princess, standing above all others, and she had never deigned to approach those foul creatures.

The sweet and soft Wen Ying by her side brought such joy and those men couldn’t get close to her either!!

Fu Qingyin suddenly had this wild thought. Her gaze towards Wen Ying grew somewhat intense, which Wen Ying could sense. After composing herself, Wen Ying turned to look at Fu Qingyin.

“Beautiful sister? What are you thinking about?” Wen Ying was too well-behaved. Even though she disliked Emperor Wen, she never showed it, never burdening others with her negative emotions.

Fu Qingyin shook her head. Both tacitly avoided mentioning what they had just been thinking, until Yun Chu emerged holding a mended dress, finally breaking the awkward atmosphere.

“Your Highness, look at this palace dress. It was brought back by Matron Gu some time ago from the dancers. They only wore it once, and Matron Gu has washed it thoroughly. It was just accidentally torn, so the dancers didn’t want it anymore. I brought it back maybe we won’t make new clothes this spring, alright.”

Yun Chu’s voice grew softer as she spoke. A dress discarded by dancers, even after being mended, was unheard of for a princess like Wen Ying to wear in this palace.

But Yun Chu had no choice. The silver she had saved last year had either gone to Wen Ying’s coming-of-age ceremony or been spent to survive the harsh winter without freezing to death.

Now there was almost nothing left. If they still wanted to get food from the imperial kitchens, this meager sum couldn’t possibly be spent on new clothes.

Fu Qingyin’s face turned pale. This was the kind of dress even palace maids wouldn’t wear, yet Yun Chu had picked it up like a treasure to give to Princess Wen Ying, who should have been pampered and adored?

This Fu Qingyin’s veins bulged on the back of her hand. She didn’t even know why she was so angry. Just as she was about to grab Yun Chu’s wrist and demand an explanation, she heard a soft voice.

“Thank you, Sister Yun Chu. The fabric of this dress is very good. It would have been a shame to throw it away. It fits me perfectly. But, Sister Yun Chu, you only have two or three palace dresses, all worn daily for work, and you haven’t had new clothes in three years.”

Fu Qingyin was even more bewildered. So this single tattered dress was something they were politely offering to each other?

“Wen Ying,” Fu Qingyin was about to suggest that Wen Ying wear the clothes she had brought, but weren’t those also hand-me-downs to Wen Ying? What difference did it make compared to wearing a dancer’s dress?

Fu Qingyin couldn’t help but feel deflated, the words she had intended to say left unspoken.

Wen Ying took Yun Chu and Fu Qingyin’s hands, and the three of them walked towards the secluded Ninglu Palace under the moonlight.

When they reached the entrance of Hanguang Palace, Fu Qingyin should have turned to go inside, but she stopped and stood there, watching Wen Ying and Yun Chu’s equally thin figures disappear into the gates of Ninglu Palace.

“Your Highness, you’re back?” Sang Zhi stood respectfully at the door, waiting for Fu Qingyin’s return. When Fu Qingyin didn’t appear, she came out.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Fu Qingyin standing at the entrance with a dazed expression.

“Your Highness?” Sang Zhi looked at Fu Qingyin in confusion, wanting to ask but afraid of angering her mistress.

“What do you think of this palace?” Fu Qingyin’s tone was steady as she leaned against the doorframe and walked inside, into Hanguang Palace’s dilapidated courtyard, where guards had once stood.

Now there was no one left, and the desolation of the past had returned.

Fu Qingyin walked step by step towards the main hall. She lifted her head to look at the mold-covered door, recalling Wen Ying’s warning that the smell of mildew was harmful to one’s health.

Sang Zhi pondered for a long time before finally saying that while other places were too extravagant, the remote ones were truly too remote.

“Indeed, this is Emperor Wen. The hypocritical facade he puts on before other nations should have been torn off long ago.” Fu Qingyin’s voice was devoid of warmth, as if she had resolved something.

If it were anyone else, they might have thought Fu Qingyin’s words were the ravings of a madwoman after all, she was still trapped in confinement, and such bold talk seemed presumptuous.

But Sang Zhi knew her mistress’s temperament all too well.

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