Upon arriving at Ruyi’s residence, a flash of surprise appeared on Yanwan’s face.
She had often heard Ling Yunche mention that the environment in the Cold Palace was poor, but she had thought the Emperor would secretly take care of Ruyi. Surely, he wouldn’t let his childhood sweetheart truly suffer in the Cold Palace, right?
As the ruler of a nation, taking care of someone in the Cold Palace was just a matter of saying a single word, and there were plenty of people who wanted to show their loyalty to the Emperor.
However, reality was cruel. Ruyi, the female lead, was actually living in this shabby and dilapidated palace.
Yanwan looked left and right, yet she didn’t find a single trace of her being taken care of.
Instead, she had the feeling that Ruyi was genuinely being punished here.
The palace Ruyi resided in was very old. Despite it being the middle of summer, the moment she stepped inside, the temperature instantly dropped; the hall was very cold and damp.
The room was cleaned well, but it was extremely simple and crude. The walls were mottled, and there was only a square table with three chairs. The rest was a bed and an old dressing table.
Other than that, there was nothing else.
It was worse than the place where maids lived. No wonder one would get rheumatism living here.
Ruyi was sitting at the square table drinking tea. Seeing Ling Yunche walk in with a woman, a gentle smile couldn’t help but appear on her face.
“Your Highness, this is my cousin Yanwan. Yanwan, this is Her Highness Consort Xian, whom your brother told you about. Quickly, pay your respects to Her Highness.”
After Ling Yunche cupped his hands and bowed to Ruyi, he introduced Yanwan to her. He was already tall and handsome, and with him smiling brightly while introducing his sister, Ruyi suddenly felt as if her relationship with Ling Yunche had grown closer.
She had originally intended to meet his cousin just to give Ling Yunche face, but now she was feeling a bit restless.
After Yanwan curtsied, Ruyi immediately called out softly.
“No need for such formality. Come closer and let this palace have a look at you.”
Ruyi took a closer look and saw that Ling Yunche’s cousin was exceptionally beautiful. Looking to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, she had already blossomed into someone very pure and lovable.
Because of Ling Yunche’s multiple life-saving acts, perhaps out of love me, love my dog, Ruyi found herself liking this beautiful little girl very much.
This girl was so youthful, yet she wore a dark-colored maid outfit. A thoughtful look appeared in Ruyi’s eyes.
The always intelligent Consort Xian took one look at Yanwan’s clothes and guessed her situation quite accurately.
No wonder Ling Yunche wanted his cousin to serve by her side. This girl must be having a hard time in the Sizhiku!
“Your name is Yanwan. I’ve heard Ling Yunche mention you for a long time. I didn’t expect you to be such an attractive girl. Where do you work in the Sizhiku?”
While Ruyi observed Yanwan, Yanwan was also observing her. Ruyi was very thin, and her appearance was not considered outstanding, but she had fair skin and exuded a demure and elegant temperament.
She hadn’t expected that this was the famous Consort Xian, Ruyi. She thought she would be some grand figure. She criticized in her heart, but didn’t show a hint of it on her face.
“Replying to Your Highness, this servant usually works in the ironing room. I often hear my brother speak of you. I didn’t expect Your Highness to be so gentle and amiable. No wonder my brother is always worried about you. He said it’s inconvenient for you to make clothes here, so he asked Yanwan to make a dress for Your Highness.”
She hadn’t wanted to continue setting traps for Ruyi, but who told her to immediately recall all the suffering the original owner endured because of Ruyi’s targeting the moment she saw her?
So, she simply dragged Ling Yunche back into it.
She understood women too well. No, she should say that this is human nature.
When you are in distress and have an enthusiastic man busy helping you out and saving you multiple times, anyone would develop a favorable impression.
Now, learning that this man is constantly concerned about her and thinking of her—isn’t this one of the three great illusions of life appearing right before her!
Besides, Ruyi was currently single. Thinking of this, Yanwan paused. Why did her and Ling Yunche’s scheme against Ruyi feel somewhat similar to a modern romance scam?
The System also chimed in her mind:
“Now that you mention it, it really does look like it. Both involve deliberately approaching after choosing a target, followed by a series of deceptions leaving the victim with neither money nor love. But Ruyi doesn’t have the guts to get physically involved with Ling Yunche; you guys just need to provide her with emotional value!”
Yanwan had guessed correctly.
Her words made the calm smile on Ruyi’s face even more obvious, and her heart felt as sweet as honey.
Ruyi’s dark eyes glanced at Ling Yunche standing to the side. Her red lips parted slightly, unable to suppress the surge of emotion in her heart.
She hadn’t expected that this man, Ling Yunche, wouldn’t say it aloud, but kept her in his thoughts every single moment.
This man, really. Yanwan’s workload in the Sizhiku wasn’t light, yet he still troubled her to make clothes for her.
She wanted to say a few warm words, but seeing Suoxin and Yanwan present, she held back the words that were about to slip out due to concerns about face.
After a long while, Ruyi sighed, looked up at Yanwan, and said softly:
“Thank you, Miss Yanwan, and you too, Ling Yunche. You also work hard in the Sizhiku, how could I trouble you to expend effort for this palace? Since it’s our first meeting, this palace should also give you a greeting gift.”
After speaking, she raised her hand, cocked her pinky, fumbled in her hair for a moment, took off the golden tassel hairpin Hailan had given her, and handed it to Suoxin beside her.
Seeing her master raise her chin, the meaning was obvious. Suoxin hurriedly stepped forward, took the hairpin, and walked towards Yanwan.
“Miss Yanwan, this is the greeting gift Master bestows upon you. Quickly, accept it.”
Suoxin quite liked this girl too. Who doesn’t like pretty people?
Yanwan looked at the hairpin Suoxin handed over, pursed her lips, shook her head, and declined:
“Thank you, Your Highness, for the reward, but Yanwan cannot accept such a precious item. My brother merely asked Yanwan to make a dress, it’s not worthy of such a reward from Your Highness.”
Ling Yunche and Yanwan exchanged a glance and he immediately understood her meaning. He strode towards the square table, placed the bundle from his shoulder on it, and opened it.
“Your Highness doesn’t need to reward her. It is her blessing as a little girl to be able to make clothes for Your Highness. How could she take such a precious item!”
It must be said that Ling Yunche had indeed turned bad. His words directly pointed out that Yanwan was young and had helped make clothes for Ruyi.
If he hadn’t said this, it might have been fine, but once these words were spoken, how could Ruyi not give a reward? Did she want to lose face?!
Sure enough, Ruyi pretended to look at Ling Yunche angrily, but she was very satisfied with the siblings’ indifference to wealth.
“Accept what this palace gives. Besides, this is from this palace to Yanwan. Yanwan, if you don’t accept it, this palace cannot take this dress either!”
Since things had reached this point, Yanwan could only reluctantly accept it. She glanced timidly at Ling Yunche and thanked Ruyi:
“Thank you for the reward, Your Highness. Yanwan will make another one for you next time, to prevent my brother from saying I took Your Highness’s reward for nothing.”
Satisfaction appeared on Ruyi’s face. She raised her chin towards Ling Yunche, a girl-like mischievous triumph in her eyes.
Ling Yunche forced down the goosebumps that suddenly rose on his body, turned his head and glared fiercely at Yanwan, forcing a smile to change the subject.
“Your Highness, see if the dress Yanwan made fits. If it doesn’t fit, let her take it back and alter it.”
Ruyi had already seen that the bundle contained a light purple Qipao. The color suited her taste, and she became interested.
Suoxin stepped closer to her, took out the entire Qipao, and unfolded it. Looking closely, although the material wasn’t the best, the pattern was very special—it was actually the Yaohuang Peony!
This peony pattern was one used only by the Empress in the Central Palace!
Admiring the surprise on Ruyi’s face, Yanwan quietly hid the playful glint in her eyes.
She had chosen this pattern on purpose, of course!
The original owner was taken back to the Qixiang Palace by Consort Jia and beaten and scolded for a full five years all because of a pot of Yaohuang flowers.
The root cause of all this was Ruyi wearing a dress embroidered with Yaohuang peonies and pretending not to recognize it, which angered the Empress and caused her to vent her anger on the original owner.
So she simply gave Ruyi a dress embroidered with Yaohuang as well. The purpose of this dress was to draw hatred towards Ruyi.
Whether the Empress saw it or not didn’t matter; it was just a convenient move.
If she saw it, it would just make the Empress hate Ruyi more. If she didn’t, let Ruyi be happy for a while.
She quietly observed Ruyi’s surprised expression. Didn’t she recognize this pattern? Why did she become blind and pretend not to recognize it when talking to the Empress?
No wonder Empress Fuca was angry. Who wouldn’t be angry when dealing with a shameless rascal who lied through their teeth!
Note: A “shameless rascal” (literally “rolling-knife meat”) means inferior meat that cannot be cut, boiled, or chewed. It also describes a thick-skinned person who refuses to listen no matter what you say. It fits Ruyi quite well!