The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

Within a month, two marriages were arranged, both to Mongolian princes, which quickly sparked discussion among the princesses of the close relatives of the royal family.

It's inevitable that close sisters will have a tearful encounter and then go to see each other off.

Mingxin's eyes are often on books or embroidery, but her mind is elsewhere.

Outside, snowflakes quickly covered the ground. Inside, Moyaqi's maid and Mingxin's maid squatted by the brazier, roasting chestnuts.

Mingxin and Moyaqi snuggled on the kang (a heated brick bed). Mingxin held an embroidery hoop, seemingly about to embroider, while Moyaqi held a small box. This box contained some exquisite little jewels that Yi'an had given her when he returned to the capital.

Now that she's grown up and can't take it with her, she likes to keep all her childhood treasures in it.

What should have been a warm and peaceful scene was instead interrupted by Moyaqi's exclamation: "Big sister!"

"Hiss." Moyaqi's reminder came too late. Mingxin put the hand with blood and foam from being pricked by the needle in her mouth and sucked it, then laughed and said, "This is a lesson for not being serious."

Moyaqi put down her pen: "What are you thinking about? I looked up and saw you seriously pricking your hand with a needle."

She took Mingxin's hand, which still had bloodstains on it, and said, "It wasn't made of iron, so it could be punctured."

"This servant will go and get the medicine," said Mingxin's maid.

"It's okay, just keep doing what you're doing. It's not a big deal, don't make a fuss. Every sewer has been stung by needles."

The reason her wound looks scary is because there's so much blood; the wound itself isn't actually big, it's just very deep.

"You've always treasured this box, and you even tidy it up yourself. Why did you bring it out today?"

She paused for a moment, then remembered the letter, "Have you finished reading Shuhe's letter?"

Although Shuhe could not leave the palace, she maintained correspondence with her sisters, and Moyaqi would visit her when she accompanied the Fourth Princess to the palace to pay her respects.

The group hadn't had a proper conversation for over half a year. In her letter, Shuhe mentioned the sixth princess of Prince Yu's mansion, who had gone to the Empress Dowager to express her gratitude a few months earlier.

She said that she smiled and said it was her good fortune in front of the Empress Dowager, but she cried so hard that she was trembling when she was behind people's backs. After being discovered, she couldn't bear to cover for the Sixth Princess and made up an excuse, but Consort De saw through it. However, Consort De only taught her that even if she wanted to help others, she should put herself first.

"I've been holding you all morning, and you only just noticed, and you even hurt your hand. I don't know what you're thinking."

Mingxin blinked and said, "Really? I didn't even notice. I just remembered that Shuhe mentioned that aunt. I don't see that aunt often, but I remember that she and I were born in the same year. Yet yesterday she was still acting cute in front of my forehead."

Speaking of her aunt, who was the same age as her but had married far away to Fujian and Inner Mongolia, Mingxin couldn't help but feel sad.

"Big sister..."

Before Moyaqi could finish speaking, Mingxin covered her mouth and chuckled, "Wouldn't it be too embarrassing for me, as the older sister, to be comforted by you?"

Moyaqi pulled her hand down: "If you're still thinking about this in front of your own family, isn't that too tiring?"

Mingxin opened her mouth, wanting to ask Moyaqi if she had heard from Qingwan and Yinxiang about her marriage and whether she should wait for the palace to arrange the marriage.

She had previously thought that she was still young and could wait a few more years, but the marriage arranged by the sixth princess, who was the same age as her, cast a shadow over her heart.

But the words that came out were, "Is your health any better, eldest sister?"

“No.” Speaking of Yinzhen’s eldest daughter, Moyaqi was still a little disappointed. “The best medicines from the Prince and Fourth Aunt’s side are only sent to the Nara family’s residence. The imperial physicians have been changed one after another, but my eldest sister’s health is still deteriorating day by day.”

Consort Li keeps making a fuss about bringing my eldest sister back to the garden to recuperate, and it seems like my fourth aunt is actually considering it.

However, the Prince Bo thought that this was against the rules and had not yet agreed. But now that winter was approaching and the weather was cold, it was not easy to move. The imperial physician also said that this winter was the most critical period, so the eldest sister was still in the Nara family's mansion.

If things don't improve, the Prince might agree when the weather warms up; he also misses his elder sister very much.

"Now that my elder sister is in her own residence, it's not appropriate for us to go there. When we return to the garden, I will go with you to visit her; it's my way of showing my appreciation."

"That's good."

The eldest princess's health never fully recovered, and she was too weak to move around, so she couldn't be brought back to the garden. In March, she passed away.

Although there was a significant age difference between the eldest princess and Moyaqi, she patiently cared for Moyaqi when they were in the Yongwang Mansion. Even after she got married, she would still prepare birthday gifts for Moyaqi every year on her birthday.

Yinxiang used to visit the Prince Yong's residence frequently during this period, but after this incident, he didn't go there for a long time.

However, in Qingwan's eyes, Yinxiang who returned from the Yongwang Mansion was very different from the Yinxiang of the past few years. Sometimes, Qingwan felt as if she was seeing the spirited Yinxiang when he was first married.

"These past few days, the way you've been looking at me is like you want to devour me whole." Having been stared at by Qingwan so much, yet she made no move and went to bed early and got up early every day, Yinxiang couldn't help but complain.

Qingwan's hand slowly traced across Yinxiang's brows. Although the gloom lingered, based on her understanding of Yinxiang, it had already dissipated considerably.

“What has happened between you and Fourth Brother these days, Master? Sometimes when you look up from your book, it makes me feel like the Thirteenth Prince, who overpowered the Manchu and Mongol heroes in the hunting grounds forty-five years ago and took over the longbow from the Emperor’s father, has returned.”

Yinxiang's eyes lit up: "Back then, did you only see me?"

Qingwan smiled and said, "Otherwise, who do you think I should look at, Master?"

"I don't know, but it wasn't just me. I felt like we were so distant back then. We were supposed to be husband and wife, but it felt more like we were just living together. It got a little better after we had Moyaqi, but you were doing it more for the sake of the child."

Later, when I saw you in the beekeeping alley, I thought I was seeing things. Then you told me that you had been punished by the Khan to come here.

Qingwan just smiled at Yinxiang, which made Yinxiang blush. He turned his face away and said self-deprecatingly, "At my age, I'm acting like a little girl."

Then she added, "In the future, when Moyaqi goes to Fourth Brother's place, if Hongtun is still alive, tell her to take Hongtun with her."

Qingwan's smile faded, and she asked seriously, "Have you made your choice, Master?"

Yinxiang nodded: "Actually, I made my choice a long time ago. Fourth Brother is the best choice for me. Before, it was just a childhood friendship, and I was still a little apprehensive, after all, I had a good relationship with Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother."

Now that I'm close to my fourth brother, especially after we discussed Buddhism a few days ago, my mind has become much clearer.

Qingwan, you know I'm not willing to let things continue like this, so I..."

“I know,” Qingwan covered his mouth. “I don’t have much ambition, but I’m used to being called Fujin, and I don’t want to become Beizi or Beile’s wife one day.”

Qingwan's eyes were bright, so bright that Yinxiang could clearly see the ambition on his face. After laughing loudly, he hugged Qingwan tightly.