The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

Since Qingwan returned, and with the matter of the Second Prince, she has even been exempted from the monthly greetings.

After Lady Fucha entered the palace, she took the opportunity to bring the group together again.

"Wantang greets the Fujin."

"Wantang? That name is rather auspicious..."

Before Fuling could finish speaking, Qingwan interrupted her: "It's alright."

"Yes."

After Wan Tang finished speaking, she paused for a while. Qing Wan saw that she was frowning, as if she was recalling something, so she didn't say anything.

She didn't speak, and neither did Fuling and Yingyu. The whole room just waited for Wantang to recall.

But Wan Tang seemed oblivious, and after thinking for a while, she said...

“I was born at dusk. My mother said that she heard me crying, looked up and saw the crabapple blossoms by the window, so she named me that.”

Ever since Wan Tang entered the house, Qing Wan had been observing her. One reason was the news from the Fucha family that Wan Tang was delirious and acting inappropriately.

Secondly, she felt that Wan Tang was different from them from the moment Wan Tang entered the room.

It was clear that she had studied etiquette well, but she just didn't fit in with the people sitting here, though Qingwan couldn't quite put her finger on why.

"Get up and sit down."

After hearing her words, Wan Tang stared straight at Qing Wan, but there was no malice in her eyes. Instead, it gave people the illusion that she liked Qing Wan very much.

Even so, Qingwan felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at like that. She suppressed her discomfort and said...

"We should have brought you to the palace long ago, but your family kept saying that you were not well, which is why it has been delayed for so long."

I won't go into the palace rules; the maids around you have all learned them. If you have any questions, you can ask them directly.

"Yes." Seeing that Wan Tang was still staring at her without blinking, Qing Wan finally couldn't help but ask.

"Why have you been staring at me ever since you got up?"

Wan Tang then seemed to realize her abruptness and quickly stood up, saying, "I'm sorry, I just felt that the Fujin looked very familiar, like an old friend I've met many times before."

"An old friend?" This sounded like typical flattery, but Qingwan didn't care. "I don't remember my family having any dealings with yours, but I have many sisters, so you might have met one of my older sisters."

Qingwan rubbed her temples in annoyance, while Wantang's gaze was intensely fixed on her.

Although Qingwan mentioned it briefly, she only used it once, and afterwards Wantang still stared blankly at Qingwan.

So Qingwan waved her hand and said, "You can all go back now."

Upon hearing this, Wan Tang immediately said, "May I come and talk to the Fujin in the future?"

Qingwan waved her hand again and walked into the inner bedroom. Muxiang said, "Princess, the Fujin is busy with affairs here and has no time to talk to you."

If you need anything, just have someone come and let me know, and I'll take care of it for you.

Wan Tang was somewhat disgruntled and wanted to say something more, but Mu Xiang said again, "The Princess Consort is already tired, so you should leave first, Princess."

Fu Ling, standing to the side, was dumbfounded; this newcomer was being far too obsequious.

His gaze was so intense, it was as if he wanted to devour Qingwan whole. Why was he giving Qingwan those seductive glances instead of Yinxiang?

Fuling clicked her tongue in amazement, then looked at Yingyu, who was like a puppet, sighed, and pulled her away.

After seeing the others off, Mu Xiang returned to Qing Wan's side and said, "This new princess is strange. Instead of asking about the master, she keeps asking about the princess's preferences."

"Perhaps she knows about the family's plans, and now that the Fujin is willing to bring her into the mansion, it might be because she is grateful to the Fujin."

However, given her actions today, it's no wonder the Fucha family said her behavior was inappropriate.

I told her people to keep an eye on her. As long as she doesn't leave this courtyard, she shouldn't cause any trouble.

After finishing his sentence, Chenxiang went to see Qingwan, and only after receiving Qingwan's approval did he go to deliver the message.

In the days that followed, Wan Tang liked to linger around Qing Wan. When Mo Yaqi played in the courtyard, she would watch her as if she were looking at some rare treasure.

If it weren't for a group of people watching her, and Mu Xiang and the others not noticing that she had any ill intentions, Qing Wan would probably have placed her under house arrest.

But she also had a lot of strange and unusual things to say and ideas. As time went on, Qingwan also found her interesting and stopped rejecting her.

However, Qingwan never touched the things that she sent from time to time, but the maids and eunuchs around her loved them very much.

Wan Tang knew this, but she would still send over new dishes from time to time, regardless of whether Qing Wan wanted to eat them or not.

After the Empress Dowager went to Changchun Garden to escape the summer heat, and Consort Yi followed Emperor Kangxi to the border region, Yi'an no longer entered the palace.

June arrived in the blink of an eye, and Yi'an's twins were expected to be born around that month.

Yinxiang was summoned away by Kangxi halfway through the journey, but he did not stay with Kangxi the whole time. Halfway through the journey, both he and Yinsi were left by Kangxi in Rehe to supervise the river works.

Kangxi's sons came and went, but there was no news of Yinxiang and Yinsi, who remained in Rehe. They were probably unable to return.

By the time Yinxiang returns, Yi'an's two children will probably be a month old.

However, after hearing that Yi'an was about to give birth, Wan Tang gave her a long list of things to be careful about during childbirth.

Although the palace midwives and physicians knew all of this by heart, Qingwan still appreciated her kindness.

After saying all this, Wan Tang asked hesitantly, "If Princess Wen Ke gives birth, is it really impossible for the Thirteenth Prince to come back? After all, the princess is the Thirteenth Prince's own sister. Maybe if we beg him, he can come back."

"Whether we can return or not depends on His Majesty's decree; we can't make that decision ourselves," Qingwan explained, her opinion of her having changed considerably over the past few days, and seeing her genuine concern.

He added, "In any case, we appreciate your feelings for the princess."

Wan Tang was a little irritated. She grabbed her clothes and got up to walk back and forth. Fortunately, the two of them were in the courtyard, which gave her enough time to walk back and forth several times.

Every time she saw Qingwan, she seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and finally, as if she had made up her mind, she walked up to Qingwan.

Qingwan had long since gotten used to her dramatic behavior, and simply watched her, waiting to see what she wanted to say.

Finally, Wan Tang asked, "When the princess gives birth, you will be her sister-in-law. Will you go to her side?"

"That's not necessarily true." If she could go, Qingwan would naturally hope to go.

"So, do you and the princess have a good relationship?" Wan Tang asked again.

“Okay.” To Qingwan, Yi’an was more like a friend, leading her step by step into life in the palace and finding a turning point for her and Yinxiang.

Although she had been prepared since the day the marriage was arranged, not all respect is the same.

Wan Tang turned her face away from Qing Wan, a hint of pity flashing across her face: "If the Princess Consort has the opportunity, she should try to go to the Princess's side."

"You're saying that as if you know something and have a hidden meaning."