The Flirtatious Beauty Decides to Steal the Princess - Chapter 20

Fu Qingyin froze for a moment. Hearing her name spoken by Wen Ying always carried a peculiar sensation.

“Since A-Ying trusts me, can you promise to always believe in me?” Fu Qingyin’s eyes shimmered slightly as she took Wen Ying’s hand and walked forward, posing the question with feigned nonchalance.

In truth, this question held immense importance to her utterly, profoundly significant.

Without a second thought, Wen Ying nodded immediately. As they descended the stairs together, they happened to encounter Granny Gu, who was just about to enter the embroidery tower.

“You two haven’t left yet?” Granny Gu was usually quite amiable, chatting casually as if they were neighbors. But when Wen Ying solemnly recounted the incident, Granny Gu’s smile vanished.

Especially after hearing about Fu Qingyin’s series of actions, the look she gave Fu Qingyin became deeply meaningful.

“A-Ying, could you go to the imperial kitchen and fetch some pastries for Granny? I didn’t eat breakfast this morning and feel a bit hungry,” Granny Gu said, pulling out some loose silver from her pouch.

Wen Ying nodded obediently, took the silver, and headed out. After just a few steps, she quickly turned back to remind Fu Qingyin, “Sister, stay right here and don’t wander off, okay?”

Fu Qingyin smiled and nodded. Though she was the one being cautioned, she seemed more like the indulgent elder sister doting on Wen Ying.

Wen Ying stepped out of the embroidery tower. The palace corridors were long and shadowy, with sunlight barely able to penetrate their depths.

Yet Wen Ying wasn’t afraid. As she walked, she kept her gaze fixed on the tips of her shoes, watching them disappear beneath her skirt with each step, only to reappear moments later.

A cool spring breeze brushed past, lifting strands of Wen Ying’s hair. She kept her head down, not daring to look at the eunuchs and palace maids bustling back and forth.

But sometimes, even if you avoid trouble, trouble finds you.

Just one turn away from the imperial kitchen, Wen Ying collided with a sharp-faced matron.

“Well, if it isn’t our Sixth Princess?” The matron sneered, a mole at the corner of her mouth accentuating her harshness.

When Wen Ying looked up, she met the matron’s resentful, triangular eyes.

Wen Ying stumbled backward until her back hit the cold palace wall. Realizing there was no escape, she mustered her courage. “You, who are you?”

Before the matron could answer, Wen Ying spotted the palace token hanging from her waist.

“From Consort Xin’s palace?” At this point, Wen Ying understood she was being targeted because she was alone.

The matron noticed Wen Ying’s gaze but dismissed any threat from a powerless princess who lived worse than a maid.

In the blink of an eye, the matron strode forward, her calloused, grimy hand gripping Wen Ying by the nape.

“Kneel!” The matron’s eyes burned with fury, though most of it was borrowed authority and cunning.

Wen Ying was no match for the older woman’s strength. Forced onto her knees, she found herself on the hexagonal cobblestone path near the imperial garden hard and slip-resistant, soon bruising her knees until they bled.

“Ouch!” Wen Ying rarely cried out so ungracefully. Deep down, she still wanted to adhere to propriety, but this old crone had come without rhyme or reason, demanding she kneel clearly premeditated.

Sure enough, no matter how loudly Wen Ying screamed, no one from the imperial kitchens ahead came to investigate. The surroundings were eerily silent, so quiet it was as if no one would even know if Wen

Wen Ying’s breath was unsteady, the pain rendering her speechless. The swollen side of her face made Fu Qingyin’s heart ache. She scooped Wen Ying into her arms, resolved not to let anyone who had harmed her go unpunished.

The palace corridor was long and cold. Each step Fu Qingyin took felt like walking on knives. She had endured humiliation and hardship to enter the palace, all to buy time for her homeland to forge alliances with other nations. Now, it was time to send word.

Wen Ying’s muffled sobs came from within her embrace. Fu Qingyin didn’t dare tighten her arms around her, only murmuring mechanically, “Wen Ying, don’t be afraid.”

That earlier blow hadn’t struck a fatal spot, it was meant to prolong the torment. But she would return every ounce of suffering inflicted on Wen Ying tenfold.

Nestled in Fu Qingyin’s arms, Wen Ying felt a little more at ease. She reached up to loop her arms around Fu Qingyin’s neck, nuzzling against her chest like a kitten.

Fu Qingyin was instantly torn between anger and embarrassment. She looked down at Wen Ying, who was so dazed with pain, yet there was nothing she could do.

“Foolish A-Ying,” Fu Qingyin whispered, her voice trembling, but she said no more.

Fu Qingyin knew going to the Ninglu Palace now would be futile, so she headed to the embroidery tower instead, seeking help from Nanny Gu.

“What happened?!” Inside the embroidery tower, Nanny Gu was so shocked at the sight of Wen Ying that the fabric in her hands fell to the floor. She hurried over, helping Wen Ying into her room to lie down.

But the moment Wen Ying touched the pillow, she winced and cried out in pain, clutching Fu Qingyin’s sleeve to keep her from leaving.

Fu Qingyin’s eyes brimmed with heartache. Of course, she wouldn’t leave Wen Ying’s side now, but Wen Ying’s condition looked dire.

She had always been frail merely avoiding being bedridden was already a blessing. How could she endure such a vicious beating?

Nanny Gu sent someone to fetch the imperial physician while pacing the room, stomping her feet in fury. “Who did this?! Did you see who it was, Miss Fu?”

Fu Qingyin had seen clearly. She described the person’s appearance, and Nanny Gu immediately understood.

Then came a long silence.

“That, that’s one of Noble Consort Xin’s people.” Nanny Gu knew she was no match, but she had long regarded Wen Ying as her own granddaughter. Even though Wen Ying carried royal blood, she was warmer than family.

Fu Qingyin knew, of course. Everyone in the rear palace feared Noble Consort Xin but she didn’t.

She already loathed the people of this kingdom to the core. Wen Ying had once been the only thing tempering her rage, but now she would act as she pleased.

She would make them pay.

“Please, Nanny Gu, make sure the imperial physician treats A-Ying well. She’s terrified of pain.” Fu Qingyin had long noticed Wen Ying was like a child when it came to pain.

Nanny Gu nodded, then remembered Fu Qingyin had earlier asked her how to send letters outside the palace.

Assuming it was just homesickness, Nanny Gu didn’t think much of it after all, Yiqing Kingdom had already been crushed by Emperor Wen, with no hope of recovery.

She explained succinctly: every month, palace servants from the imperial garden would exit through the side gate to purchase seeds. To earn extra, they also took on the task of smuggling letters out of the palace.

Counting the days, two days after the Spring Banquet would be the monthly date for sending letters out.

Fu Qingyin nodded. Everything she was doing now was for Wen Ying, even unrelated to her own hatred.

The hatred before her eyes was more likely to drive one to madness. Fu Qingyin thought of the foul-smelling sachet hidden in her clothes and suddenly came up with another idea.

“Since we’re going to act, let’s make sure she’s utterly disgraced,” Fu Qingyin narrowed her eyes. She was more than willing to help girls in this world who suffered persecution, but for someone like Consort Xin, a woman both foolish and wicked keeping her around would only bring harm.

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