The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

Today was no different. She and Yi'an had only exchanged a few words on the veranda when Yinxiang entered with several eunuchs. Only then did she realize with a start that she had not seen Yinxiang since that day.

Yinxiang was always out early and back late, and he also had a residence outside the palace. She didn't deliberately inquire about Yinxiang's whereabouts, so even though they lived under the same roof, they didn't see each other for several days.

Qingwan looked at Yinxiang in a daze. After meeting his gaze, she looked away before rising to greet him.

Yinxiang hadn't expected to see Qingwan. After Qingwan bowed, he nodded to her, but Qingwan was too busy looking away to notice.

Yi'an, who was standing to the side, noticed the undercurrent between the two. She glanced at them a few times before going up to Yinxiang and asking, "Brother, what are you doing?" She then looked at the people behind Yinxiang and the things he was carrying.

Yinxiang said, "I promised you a long time ago that I would build you a swing, but I was either out running around or accompanying the emperor, so I never had time to do it. Today I finally have some free time, so I'm here to fulfill my promise."

Yi Huan suppressed the sudden surge of tears and said reproachfully, "My wedding is almost here, why bother with all this?"

Seeing Yi'an's expression, Yinxiang also felt a little disappointed and turned his head away, saying, "There's nothing more I can do for you."

Yi Huan looked at Yinxiang and suddenly laughed, but tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed: "Father's temperament is such that he would never let us do anything."

After saying that, she quickly wiped away her tears and said, "I'll go call my sister. She didn't sleep well last night and is catching up on sleep now. She'll be happy to see me."

Qingwan watched Yi'an's actions, and although she couldn't hear what she was saying, she still felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

Yinxiang watched Yi'an enter the room. Apart from the palace maids and eunuchs, only the two of them remained. They were speechless and fell into silence.

Fortunately, the Yi'an sisters came out quickly. Yi Huan only had her braids hanging down to one side, and as soon as she stepped out, she pulled Yinxiang along:

"It's kind of you to still be thinking about this, brother. Hurry up, I've already found a good spot."

Yinxiang was quite helpless as she pulled him along: "Tenth Princess, please slow down, there's no rush."

Yi Huan tilted her head, watching them with smiles. After a while, she waved to send everyone away before turning to Qing Wan, who was also smiling beside her, and asked, "Did sister-in-law and brother have a fight?"

Before Qingwan could even wipe the smile off her face, she could only laugh and say, "How could that be? What kind of status do I have to argue with the Thirteenth Prince?"

Yi An laughed and said, "Then why do I hear a lot of resentment in your words, sister-in-law?"

Qingwan smiled wryly: "Princess, please don't make fun of me. How can we argue about our different statuses?"

Yi An said jokingly, "Why not? You're husband and wife. Take your tenth sister-in-law for example. She always yells at your tenth brother until he's stunned, but he can't do anything about it and can only sulk."

Actually, if we argue, so be it. My brother won't do anything. I can't say he's good at anything else, but his patience is something Yihuan and I have been taught since we were little.

Qingwan smiled and murmured, "This is different."

Yi'an then turned her gaze to Yinxiang and said, "Although my brother doesn't have a personal protector and doesn't have a powerful maternal family like my tenth brother, he has been by Father's side since his brother left."

The Khan had his own reasons for doing this, but in the palace where people were judged based on their character, he was already being treated fairly.

After that, he probably only suffered from the anger of the Khan and the Crown Prince, since the Crown Prince was not a good-tempered person.

So my brother is actually a very proud and arrogant person, and I'm afraid he still doesn't know how to back down.

Qingwan interrupted Yi'an: "I don't understand what the princess is saying. Although I am the primary consort, I don't have a powerful family like my tenth sister-in-law, and I absolutely cannot make the thirteenth prince and me submit."

Yi An didn't respond to Qing Wan's words, but continued, "We've been raised in luxury since childhood, and every word and action of ours is bound by rules. Love and affection are nothing more than lyrics in a play for us." As she spoke, she reached up and made a grasping motion, then added, "It's something we can only dream of, not something we can reach."

Just like my brother, Yi Huan, and I, we were taught how to be princes and princesses from a young age, but no one taught us how to get along with those close to us, like our father. We were father and son, but more like ruler and subject.

Sister-in-law, have you seen the Haha Zhuzi who are by your brother's side? They are among the closest people to your brother, but each of them was sent to him by your father after careful consideration from all sides, and your brother had no choice in the matter.

This selection process involved more than just choosing beaded jewelry; it also included choosing wives. In fact, the princes' harems were not only about wives and concubines but also about politics, especially the wives.

Qingwan murmured, "I know all this. We Manchu women are the same. We can't control ourselves. The reason why our families call us 'Grandma' is because we need to be selected in the imperial concubine selection so that we can marry into a noble family."

Yi An then laughed and said, "It's not just you, aren't we princesses too?"

Just like Sixth Sister, Celing had already married a wife and had two sons. Even his age was much different from Sixth Sister's. Despite the seemingly mismatched marriage, it became a perfect match after the Khan arranged it.

As for Ninth Sister, her mother was a Han Chinese, so it was decided from a young age that she would marry into the Han army to show her favor to the Han officials.

As for Yihuan and me, being sent to Meng was our destiny. My brother and I tried to fight for it, but it was no use.

Marriages built on political motives are not something we can change by saying a few words or playing some petty tricks in front of the Khan. Each of the Khan's daughters has its own purpose.

Qingwan looked at Yi'an and asked, "Is the princess willing to accept this?"

Yi An shook her head: "There's nothing to be resentful about." Then she raised her hand and covered Qing Wan's eyes: "Sister-in-law, don't look at me like that."

Qingwan blinked uncomfortably, which made Yi'an chuckle: "Sister-in-law's eyelashes are so long, they make my heart itch."

Qingwan, on the other hand, was looking at Yi'an's eyes, which were filled with tenderness and pity.

Yi An didn't remove her hand, but leaned on Qing Wan's shoulder and continued, "My aunts, my sisters, and my cousins ​​are all there, and not only that, but my nieces will be there in the future."

At this point, Yi An paused, straightened up, released her hand from Qing Wan's eyes, looked at Qing Wan, and continued, "They will also go one by one to that land far from the capital and become part of maintaining the Manchu-Mongol intermarriage."

I originally thought this was the price we had to pay for our luxurious lives, but as I saw more, I gradually realized that it was actually just the price women had to pay.

We may seem like people of noble birth, with the royal family as our safety net, but in reality, all we have left is compromise.

Qingwan's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously touched her lower abdomen, even though a new life was not yet growing there.