The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

The palace acted swiftly. Mu Xiang had only spoken to Shi Jia about it yesterday, and today, when Qing Wan woke up from her afternoon nap, Shi Jia was already waiting outside the main room.

Qingwan sat in front of the dressing table, with Chenxiang doing her hair and makeup behind her. She picked up a hairpin from the dressing table and handed it to Chenxiang, then couldn't help but cover her mouth and yawn.

"I just got through the morning sickness, and now I can't wake up again. Luckily, Grandpa's birthday is in a couple of days and there are precedents for that, so I don't have to worry about it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the energy."

Yinxiang's birthday was on the first day of the tenth month, which was the day when the palace was on fire, and also the Cold Clothes Festival. On this day, people had the custom of giving clothes and making sacrifices, so the Cold Clothes Festival is also one of the three major ghost festivals in folk tradition.

Perhaps for this reason, Yinxiang was not enthusiastic about his birthday. Last year, Qingwan had just entered the family and was forced to accept the role. When she was troubled, she was fortunate that Fucha and Ningyin, who had entered the family earlier, brought up the precedents of Yintao and Yinzhen and told her how Yinxiang had entertained the princes on his birthday before she entered the family, so she did not lose face.

“Speaking of this, the Fujin’s birthday last year wasn’t celebrated well because of her wedding, and this year it wasn’t celebrated again because of Su Ma La Gu’s funeral,” Chen Xiang said from behind her.

"I've never been a fan of crowds, so it doesn't matter whether I celebrate or not. It's fine as it is now."

“In the past, even if the master didn’t love you, you could still follow his lead. But now your status is different. When the master is divided into different banners in the future, not to mention anything else, you can’t hide from the servants and retainers of the banners when they come to pay their respects to the lady of the house.”

Qingwan laughed as she listened to her talk: "You're quite far ahead. Who knows, I might have been blinded by wealth and fame back then and become too fond of excitement."

“The Princess Consort is not that kind of person.”

As they were talking, Mu Xiang entered: "Madam, Lady Shijia has arrived and is waiting outside to pay her respects."

"Really? That's quick. Let her go in first, then let Fuling come over so they can meet. They'll be spending a lot of time together in the future."

"Yes, slave, go right away."

When Qingwan went out, Shijia was standing in the middle of the room with her head down, so her face was not visible, but her figure could be vaguely seen under her cheongsam.

Standing in the middle, Shi Jia heard the noise and looked up to see a young woman dressed in a light purple robe with dark patterns walking slowly out of what should have been a bedroom, with a palace maid by her arm.

She subtly observed the woman's clothing and, considering where she came from, guessed Qingwan's identity. Her lowered gaze held a hint of resentment.

Although Shi Jia's scrutiny was discreet, it did not escape Qing Wan's notice. After sitting down, she first drank some water to moisten her throat before saying, "Shi Jia?"

"Yes, this servant Shi Jiayingyu greets the Princess Consort."

"Get up. Why didn't you sit down earlier? Why are you just standing here?"

Yingyu then stood up and said respectfully, "Without the Princess's orders, this servant would not dare to act on my own."

Qingwan just smiled at her words and then asked the others, "Has Fuling arrived?"

"This servant is here." As soon as Fu Ling reached the door, she heard Qing Wan ask her a question, so she quickly raised her voice to reply, "Greetings to the Fujin."

"Get up. You're not feeling well. Sit down. You probably know why I called you here."

"Yes, thank you, Madam." Fuling stood up and sat down opposite Shijia, looking her up and down. "I suppose this is the new sister. The eldest princess made a fuss for a while, so I'm late. Please don't be offended, sister."

Qingwan smiled and looked at Fuling without speaking. Seeing that Qingwan didn't speak, Fuling said again, "If there's anything you don't know about now that you've just entered the palace, just ask me. I'm much older than you and have been in the palace for many more years. I can't say for sure about other things, but I know more about these rules."

Qingwan played with the eighteen-bead bracelet in her hand, listening to their conversation without interrupting.

Shi Jia, on the other hand, listened with a smile no matter what Fu Ling said, occasionally offering a few flattering words, which neither made Qing Wan uncomfortable nor made Fu Ling happy.

It wasn't until later, when Qingwan saw that Fuling's words were going further and further off track, that she gently tapped the table to draw their attention back:

"I invited both of you here today just so that we could all meet. There's no rush to say anything today."

As for your status, Yingyu, I've already discussed it with the master. Let's keep your rank as a princess for now, and then we'll promote you to a higher rank when you have children.

"The palace is nice, but this is His Majesty's palace. Don't wander off recklessly. If you bump into someone, I can't protect you."

"This servant understands, thank you for your guidance, Madam."

Qingwan nodded slightly and pointed to Fuling: "After talking for so long, you must have guessed who this is. She is an old servant of the master, the birth mother of the eldest princess, and possibly the birth mother of the eldest prince, so her rank must be higher than yours."

From now on, you will all be sisters, so get along well and don't be jealous of each other. Not only me, but even the master would absolutely not allow this. Giving birth to an heir as soon as possible is the most important thing.

Qingwan raised her hand, and Chenxiang handed the jewelry on the tray to Yingyu. Yingyu picked it up and saw that it was a pomegranate and bird patterned hair ornament made of exquisite materials.

Qingwan said, "It's not a good thing, it's just for good luck, wishing for many children and much happiness."

Fuling glanced at it and laughed, "You're joking, Madam. If this isn't good stuff, then what the servants have are just scrap metal."

It's clear that my sister has won the favor of the Princess Consort, which is why she rewarded her with such a wonderful gift. Unlike me, I'm clumsy and tongue-tied."

Qingwan smiled and said, "You've received quite a lot of money from the master, so don't covet what I have."

Fuling smiled and said, "How can it compare to the Fujin's? Even a little bit of what the Fujin gives us is enough to make us envious, not to mention that the Fujin just received a reward from His Majesty yesterday, which I heard were all good things from the Imperial Workshop."

Qingwan merely glanced at her, and Fuling guiltily looked away. Seeing this, Qingwan chuckled and picked up her teacup, saying, "Master is busy with official duties. If you serve him well, you will only receive more from him."

"Let's go back, I'm tired too. Here, we greet you every ten days. If you don't understand something, just ask Fuling."

After seeing the person off, Qingwan said, "You're quite composed. Have someone keep an eye on things, especially lately."

"Yes, this servant understands. The most important thing during this period is the Fujin's pregnancy," Muxiang said in a deep voice.

"Was there any movement in the study yesterday?" Qingwan asked again.

"The little maid I mentioned to the Fujin before was lingering outside the study yesterday. Zhang Rui must have noticed her, but he did nothing about it, so I can't figure out what he's up to."

"Is that so? Since Zhang Rui has discovered it, then let's just leave it at that. Maybe I'm interested in him too."

"Yes." Seeing her so calm, Mu Xiang felt a pang of sadness, but didn't know how to comfort her, so she just woodenly called out, "Fujin."

Qingwan chuckled lightly: "This is nothing. I've been preparing since the day I received the decree of marriage."