cold clothes

Just as she herself said, Wang Yuqing was very strict with Lengyi. In just twelve days, she taught Lengyi all the rules of the palace. Lengyi learned them very quickly, which Wang Yuqing greatly appreciated. The two became increasingly close.

In the blink of an eye, the Lantern Festival has arrived.

Leng Yi was dragged out of bed early that morning to get dressed—she was deliberately given an outdated look with thick eyebrows and heavy lips, which made her less attractive. Leng Yi didn't have any suitable clothes for the banquet, so she wore Wang Yuqing's crab-shell blue jacket with a pink single-piece skirt, which looked too dowdy from makeup to clothes.

Leng Yi deliberately made this request. What was her purpose in going to the palace this time? She was going to see the Empress, not to compete in beauty. Wang Yuqing had already praised her for being honest and upright in front of the Empress, so she definitely had to fit the persona, and she couldn't dress better than Wang Yuqing and steal her thunder.

After her makeup was done, the maids who had helped her with her hair and makeup withdrew. Xiaolian stepped forward to examine her carefully, then gave her a thumbs up: "Miss Ningbi is even more beautiful and charming after being dressed up!"

"You've tried to flatter someone but ended up hurting them."

"whee."

After another half hour, Wang Yuqing finished her makeup. She wore a lilac-colored waist-length ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a lotus-root-colored long robe over it. She had willow-leaf eyebrows, a cherry-red mouth, and bright, charming eyes. A blue-green glass hairpin was inserted in her hair, making her look like a dignified and elegant flower fairy.

"Wow, Yuqing, you're so beautiful!" Lengyi exclaimed sincerely, her eyes shining as she saw Wang Yuqing's beauty.

Wang Yuqing was a little embarrassed, lowered her head and smiled shyly, then complained a bit, "If you dressed up properly, you would definitely be much, much prettier than me."

"That's not quite right, Yuqing. You're exaggerating," Lengyi retorted. Deep down, however, she was deeply moved. Yuqing wasn't naive; she was intelligent and unassuming—she was practically an angel.

Since that's the case, I must not let her down.

The Wang family had a special carriage to take them to the palace. This carriage was arguably the most luxurious and spacious carriage Leng Yi had ever ridden in; she was truly fortunate to have Wang Yuqing.

After the two boarded the carriage, it steadily drove towards the palace.

There's something Leng Yi has to mention: "Yu Qing, once the lantern festival starts, I'm going to a secluded place by myself. Can you find me a place to go?"

"What? I wanted to guess riddles with you?" Wang Yuqing asked, looking puzzled.

“Yuqing, you really need to be more perceptive. The princes and nobles will be attending the Lantern Festival. This is a great opportunity for you to spend more time with the Third Prince. I feel so awkward standing here.” Lengyi couldn’t help but speak in a motherly tone.

The Lantern Festival is a rare day for unmarried men and women to gather together; it's also known as Valentine's Day. Countless young men and women fall in love and tie the knot on this day. Wang Yuqing, on the contrary, doesn't seem to be thinking about cultivating a good relationship with the Third Prince on this auspicious occasion. Really…

Wang Yuqing naturally knew this, but she didn't like the Third Prince. Every time the Third Prince was around, she had to pretend to care about him a lot, and after a while, she got a little tired of it... This time, she wanted to go for a walk hand in hand with Ningbi.

"The Third Prince will probably just say a few words to me and then leave, so there's no need to worry about him." With only her and Ningbi in the carriage, Wang Yuqing spoke much more willfully.

"Well... we should pay more attention to this. The Third Prince definitely likes Yuqing and cares about him."

"That's not necessarily true. If there's no engagement, he might not remember what I look like or my name."

"..." Leng Yi didn't know what to say, and it seemed a bit strange that a concubine like her was trying to matchmake two wives.