Chapter 1270 Eavesdropping Behind the Rockery
“Miss, please sit and rest here!” The voice of a servant girl sounded cautious.
“I don’t want to sit!” The muffled voice of a girl was very soft. It left a good impression on people. Then, the footsteps stopped on one side of the rockery. Separated by the rockery, people on both sides couldn’t see each other.
Zhang Qilan hesitated for a moment and wanted to leave. But it would be shameful if others found Princess Yue from Prince Yue’s Mansion eavesdropping. But the next moment, she stopped.
“Don’t be sad, Miss.” The servant girl comforted her master. “You still have Consort Lan!”
“But Consort Lan won’t do anything about this matter, not to mention that it was related to Prince Chen’s Mansion.” The Young Madam sighed and sounded highly aggrieved.
“Go and tell the Prince,” the servant girl said.
Her master was silent for a moment and said slowly, “Cousin doesn’t care about this matter and won’t give me a chance to see him. Since I entered Prince Chen’s Mansion, I have only seen him a few times.”
As she spoke, she became sadder and seemed to sob. “I… I have no relatives here. At present, I can only rely on Consort Lan and my cousin. Consort Lan is in the Palace, so it’s not convenient for me to visit her frequently. My cousin doesn’t take her seriously and never listens to Consort Lan. Besides, he has Princess Chen now…”
Speaking of this, she stopped and sobbed even more loudly.
It must be Qin Yiyan who lived in Prince Chen’s Mansion. Zhang Qilan saw her at the coming-of-age ceremony. She was said to be Consort Lan’s niece and Chu Liuchen’s cousin.
Zhang Qilan had seen her in the hall, feeling that this girl was gentle and amiable. Now it seemed she was indeed very soft but useless.
Zhang Qilan’s arched eyebrows frowned slightly, but she did not move. She still stood there and pricked up her ears to catch their words. Her servant girl was about to leave after her. But unexpectedly, her master stopped. Looking at her in surprise, she did not dare to say a word.
“Miss, don’t get upset. You are the person closest to Consort Lan, and Prince Chen doesn’t mean to neglect you. But with Princess Chen around, it is inconvenient for him to see you.” The servant girl consoled her.
The girl sobbed softly. Then, there came her melancholy voice. “Will Princess Chen let me in?”
The meaning of her words was vague, but Zhang Qilan understood it. In the past, she might not understand it. But she had repeatedly played against Chu Liuyue’s concubines many times in the past few days. As a result, she became particularly sensitive to these vague words. She raised the corners of her mouth. Shao Wanru’s life seemed not as happy as she had seen. Consort Lan must have promised this cousin Miss something.
However, Shao Wanru disagreed with it. That was why the identity of this cousin Miss remained unchanged. If given a chance, she would be eager to change her current situation.
After figuring this out, Zhang Qilan moved her feet, made some sounds, and walked out.
The noise she made alarmed people on the other side of the rockery. Qin Yiyan turned around with her servant girl. Seeing Zhang Qilan before her, she immediately recognized her. She bowed sideways and said with an injured look, “Greetings, Princess Yue.”
Among all the womenfolk today, Princess Yue was the most gorgeously dressed. She looked even more flashy than Princess Yuyan. Anyone who had seen her in the hall would recognize her.
“Miss Qin, are you Prince Chen’s cousin?” Zhang Qilan asked softly. After looking her up and down, she wore a gentle look.
“Yes!” Qin Yiyan lowered her head and didn’t look well.
“Are you Consort Lan’s niece?” Zhang Qilan asked again.
“Yes!” Qin Yiyan was unable to pull herself together. Zhang Qilan, whom she couldn’t afford to offend, saw her cry with a deep sense of grievance. How could anyone feel good in such a situation?
“Miss Qin, would you like to walk with me?” Zhang Qilan invited her with delight.
“I have just stayed in Prince Chen’s Mansion for a short period. Usually, I stay in my courtyard and seldom go out, so I’m not familiar with the scenery here. How about I get a familiar servant girl to lead the way for you?” Qin Yiyan seemed in low spirits and answered Zhang Qilan with a perfunctory attitude.
“It’s okay. I’m just taking a walk around this place. I don’t care where I go or if I can see good scenery. I’m just walking around.”
Zhang Qilan said patiently.
Since she said so, it would be a little impolite for Qin Yiyan to turn her down again. Helplessly, she nodded and followed Zhang Qilan to a path.
The two of them remained speechless for a while. After a long time, Qin Yiyan heard Zhang Qilan ask softly, “Doesn’t you like being with too many people? I rarely see a Miss as young as you prefer quiet places. Princess Chen and I used to be very lively. We would go wherever we wanted before we got married. Anyway, we were unwilling to waste our good time before we got married.”
Zhang Qilan said casually.
“Your and my… cousin-in-law are best friends?” Qin Yiyan asked curiously.
“Not the best. When I was in the Yuhui Nunnery, I did her some small favors, but now…” Zhang Qilan stopped talking.
“Now what?” Qin Yiyan asked with interest.
“Now we are married, Wanru… Prince Yue…” Speaking of this, Zhang Qilan stopped, shook her head, and continued with a bitter smile, “If I had known it, I wouldn’t have… married into the Prince Yue’s Mansion.”
Her words were ambiguous and vague, but it was easy for anyone hearing them to associate Shao Wanru with Prince Yue. Qin Yiyan widened her eyes in great surprise and looked at Zhang Qilan in disbelief.
“Well, let’s not talk about these unpleasant things. I figure it’s all over. Princess Chen has become your sister-in-law, and I have married into Prince Yue’s Mansion. We have gone our separate ways and will live different lives in the future.”
Zhang Qilan said. Slightly turning her head, she glanced at Qin Yiyan. “I heard you talk. So, has Consort Lan promised you anything?”
Qin Yiyan blushed instantly. Pinching her handkerchief, she lowered her head and said with an almost inaudible voice. “Nothing serious. Consort Lan just mentioned it casually. It’s not meant to be taken seriously.”
“Consort Lan is your elder of higher status. What she says carries weight.” When Zhang Qilan mentioned Consort Lan, she was very respectful.
Although Consort Lan didn’t show up in public, everyone knew her importance. It was said that only Consort Lan was allowed to take care of the Emperor when he fell ill.
The Empress had sent her people to the Emperor several times and asked to look after him in person. However, the Emperor refused the request of her and many other women in the imperial harem.
Consort Lan was the only one who stayed with the Emperor.
“There are some things that she can’t decide.” Qin Yiyan remained silent for a moment and said with a grievance.
“Consort Lan has such a high status and is completely trusted by the Emperor. There is nothing that she can’t do. You can ask her for an imperial edict if you want anything.” Zhang Qilan said carelessly. “It would be great to have a powerful aunt like Consort Lan. At least I wouldn’t need to give in to others, and no one would bully me.”
“Is my aunt really… that useful?” Qin Yiyan found it hard to believe this.
Since she seldom appeared in public in the past, she was not familiar with many people. It was normal that she didn’t find the value of Consort Lan.
“Who is Consort Lan? She is the former empress’s biological sister and the Emperor’s most trusted lover. I suppose even the Empress won’t go against her,” Zhang Qilan implicitly reminded her.
In this case, it was a piece of cake to deal with Shao Wanru. No matter how powerful Shao Wanru was, could she be as mighty as the Empress?
“That’s great!” Qin Yiyan understood. She looked up with joy on her face and bowed sideways to Zhang Qilan. “Thank you for solving my doubts.”
“Did I say anything?” Zhang Qilan asked in surprise. She rubbed her forehead and said, “I don’t think I said anything. I only told you Consort Lan was very influential, and you could rely on her.”
“Of course, I know it. You didn’t say anything; I just came up with it myself.” Qin Yiyan sensitively explained for her. Her words were just right, and Zhang Qilan looked at her with a much more gentle look.
She nodded and pointed to a path not far away. “I want to go there for a walk. I have a headache and want to have some peace and quiet.”
She hinted that Qin Yiyan should leave her alone now.
“I have something to do, so I can’t accompany you any longer.” Qin Yiyan sensibly took a step back and said respectfully.
“Miss Qin, suit yourself!” Zhang Qilan smiled mildly and walked away with her servant girl, leaving Qin Yiyan, who looked gentle and delicate, alone.
Zhang Qilan had gone far away. In a place where she couldn’t see, Qin Yiyan raised her face with a mocking smile and looked at Zhang Qilan’s back thoughtfully. Her cousin-in-law had guessed it right. Princess Yue was also a troublemaker, but Qin Yiyan mistakenly believed she was a good person, unlike the other princesses.
Qin Yiyan couldn’t help blaming herself for being superficial and embarrassing herself before her cousin-in-law.
“Let’s go to meet my cousin-in-law!” Qin Yiyan turned around decisively and went to Shao Wanru’s courtyard. It was not yet time for the banquet. Shao Wanru must have been resting there after the coming-of-age ceremony.
Shao Wanru had changed into two sets of clothes. At this time, she wore a simple suit and rested in the room. When she heard that Qin Yiyan had come, she asked someone to invite her in.
“Cousin-in-law, you’re right.” No sooner had she entered the room than she gave a seemingly pointless remark. At this time, she looked completely different from what she had been before Zhang Qilan. All of a sudden, she no longer looked yielding and timid. As soon as she came in, she sat opposite Shao Wanru and saw her reading a medical book. She wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.
“Do you want to say something?” Shao Wanru didn’t raise her head, but she could sense her feelings. She smiled slightly and asked after turning over the page.
“Cousin-in-law, you knew it long ago, didn’t you?” Qin Yiyan couldn’t help asking and reached out to press the medical book before Shao Wanru.
Shao Wanru looked up at her, nodded, and asked back, “Don’t you think the same way?”
“Cousin-in-law!” Qin Yiyan widened her eyes and said, “Princess Yue is not a good person!”
“Not a good person?” For a moment, Shao Wanru was lost in thought. Zhang Qilan was indeed nice at the very beginning, but there were conflicts that they could not avoid. She was going to marry Chu Liuchen, while Zhang Qilan would be Chu Liuyue’s wife. Since then, it was destined that they could no longer be friends on very intimate terms. But Shao Wanru did not expect Zhang Qilan to become so ruthless and heartless…
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