In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.
The sky had suddenly turned overcast in the late afternoon, and now the wind had picked up.
“Looking at this weather, it might snow again, right?” Yun Qin shivered from the cold, tucking her chin into the fur lining of her collar.
Rong Xin tightened her clothes for her. “Hard to say.” She glanced toward the palace gate. “It’s already past the hour of Xu. The Emperor probably won’t come tonight. Xiao Dezi, close the palace gate.”
“Yes.”
Concubine Hui, already lacking energy, washed up and went to bed as soon as she heard the Emperor wasn’t coming.
Tonight was originally Rong Xin’s turn for night duty. Seeing Rong Zhi intending to stay, she didn’t say anything more. She pulled Yun Qin, who was about to speak, and took her back to their room.
“She’s not afraid of wearing herself out,” Yun Qin said, utterly exasperated.
Rong Xin pushed her onto the bed. “Her Ladyship rarely gets up during the night. If she wants to keep watch, let her.” She turned to find some ointment. “Let me apply the medicine for you first.”
“It’s really nothing…”
Rong Xin paid no heed to her protests, simply lifting her sleeve. The ointment needed to be rubbed into the bruise. Seeing Yun Qin grimace in pain, she said with a mix of annoyance and concern, “Now it hurts?”
“Dear sister, be gentler.” Yun Qin hadn’t expected it to hurt this much. After a couple of rubs, tears were welling in her eyes.
“Serves you right for being so stubborn.” Despite her words, Rong Xin’s touch became much lighter.
Yun Qin’s skin was snow-white, making the scattered blue and purple bruises appear especially shocking. Rong Xin’s heart ached as she sighed. “Do you know that this morning, Her Ladyship asked the Emperor about him inquiring your name last night?”
“I guessed as much,” Yun Qin said, enduring the pain and not noticing the heaviness in Rong Xin’s tone.
Rong Xin unconsciously lowered her voice. “You’re so clever. Can’t you see the Emperor’s intentions?”
“The Emperor’s intentions?” Yun Qin turned to look at her, finally noticing the deep worry in her expression.
Yun Qin suddenly remembered Xu An’s behavior last night and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Do you also think the Emperor has taken a fancy to me?”
“Isn’t that the case?”
Yun Qin said helplessly, “I’m not some irresistible beauty. The Emperor has only seen me a few times; how could he possibly fancy me? Besides, the Emperor hasn’t shown any ambiguous behavior.”
Rong Xin glanced down at her charming face, feeling even more helpless than Yun Qin. Instead of following her line of thought, she changed the subject. “This morning, when the Emperor was having his meal, Her Ladyship deliberately asked him if he remembered you. Do you know how the Emperor replied?”
“Her Ladyship deliberately asked the Emperor if he remembered me?” Yun Qin frowned and pressed, “What did the Emperor say?”
“He asked Her Ladyship in return, ‘Should I remember?'”
Rong Xin’s voice was soft, but to Yun Qin, it sounded like a thunderclap, leaving her mind blank for a moment.
“If he truly didn’t care about you, he could have simply answered ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Why be ambiguous and try to cover it up?” Rong Xin continued. “Her Ladyship didn’t notice anything amiss, but surely you understand?”
How could Yun Qin not understand? Her heart pounded like a drum. She instinctively asked, “Did anyone else hear this?”
“Don’t be afraid. I was the only one from our palace present.”
Yun Qin took a deep breath, her thoughts gradually calming down. Suddenly, she realized something. “You deliberately sent me away this morning?” She gasped slightly, then shook her head gently. “Since the Emperor concealed it in front of Her Ladyship, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s determined to have me.”
“I think so too.” Rong Xin sat down beside Yun Qin, grasping her hand. “But it might also just be because they’re considering that Her Ladyship is pregnant.”
“You mean they might wait until after Her Ladyship gives birth to bring it up…” Yun Qin looked at her with uncertainty and alarm in her eyes.
Rong Xin didn’t answer, only holding her hand tighter as she asked, “What about you? If you wanted to advance… I would definitely help you.”
“No, no, I don’t want that.” Yun Qin immediately shook her head, her tone resolute. “I must leave the palace!”
Rong Xin looked at her for a moment, then sighed softly.
Yun Qin took a deep breath, her gentle face now calm and sharp with determination. “A palace maid, even if the Emperor takes an interest, it’s only temporary. He rarely comes to the inner palace anyway, and now that he’s intentionally distancing himself from Her Ladyship, his visits are even fewer. Before long, he’ll probably forget all about me.”
“I can also see that the Emperor is an extremely proud man. If I keep avoiding him from now on, he’ll understand my meaning. A woman so lacking in awareness—he’d probably be disgusted just by looking at her.”
“If that still doesn’t work, I’ll simply volunteer to go to the temple to pray for Her Ladyship’s blessings. The Emperor surely wouldn’t want a nun!”
“Why must you go to such lengths?” Rong Xin squeezed her hand tightly. “With your talent, beauty, and intelligence, and with me and Nanny Ruan helping you, you could certainly make a place for yourself in the palace!”
Yun Qin looked at her and shook her head slightly. “You don’t understand…”
Her ability to contend with Rong Zhi and find ways to flatter Concubine Hui was all driven by her desire to leave the palace. If she were truly to stay in the palace for the rest of her life, could she still numb herself with the thought, “I’m just a worker”?
Yun Qin hated this place. She despised having to bow and scrape before certain people every day, and she had no desire to compete with a group of women.
If she had to spend the rest of her life confined within these four walls, she would rather become a nun.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Rong Xin sighed softly again. “If you don’t want to, I’ll still help you.”
She spoke gently, “Nanny Ruan is getting older now, and she has no family outside the palace. She’ll likely be placed in the Ciyang Sanctuary. She has some favor with the Empress Dowager; if she were to ask Her Majesty to let her take a palace maid to care for her, the Empress Dowager would surely agree. Once the Empress Dowager speaks, Concubine Hui won’t refuse to release you. If you’re willing, you could go with her to the Ciyang Sanctuary.”
“Is this arrangement for A Jing?” Yun Qin caught on, gripping Rong Xin’s hand tightly.
Rong Xin shook her head, her tone gentle. “A Jing still has parents alive. With my protection, it would be better for her to grow up safely, leave the palace at twenty-five, and marry. But for you, going to the Ciyang Sanctuary would mean caring for Nanny Ruan in her old age and seeing her to her final rest. That delay might mean you’ll be older by the time you’re free.”
What did age matter? To Rong Xin, a modern person, even thirty wasn’t considered old.
“What about you, sister?” Yun Qin quickly asked.
“I’ve always looked up to Nanny Ruan as a role model. Rather than leaving the palace to marry, I’d prefer to stay here. The early years may be difficult, but once I become a nanny, people will have to listen when I speak. If I could raise a prince or princess, even high-ranking officials would have to show me respect. Isn’t that better than marrying?”
Hearing Rong Xin’s previously unspoken plans and seeing the brilliance in her eyes, Yun Qin suddenly felt a sense of relief and couldn’t help but smile. “Sister, your ambition rivals that of any man.”
“What are you saying?” Rong Xin shot her a glance, then smiled as she saw Yun Qin laughing.
Yun Qin rested her head on Rong Xin’s shoulder. “Sister, this is so good. We each have our own plans. Heaven surely won’t let us down—it will grant our wishes, right?”
Rong Xin gently stroked her face and whispered, “Don’t be afraid. It will.”
The two leaned against each other in silence, both feeling that the days ahead might not be so unbearable after all.
After a long while, Rong Xin finally spoke. “I’m not worried about anything else, but we absolutely must not arouse the concubine’s suspicion. She is deeply devoted to the Emperor and is extremely perceptive. I fear she might harm you.”
“If I were still confused, I might reveal something. But now that I know what I’m doing, I won’t let her notice anything.” Yun Qin’s expression turned slightly cold.
Rong Xin nodded and patted her back. “I’ll go wait in the main hall. There’s nothing to do tonight, so stay warm in your room, but stay alert.”
“I understand. Go ahead, sister.”
Only after Rong Xin left did the smile gradually fade from Yun Qin’s face.
It seemed she needed to think of a way to avoid showing herself too often in front of Concubine Hui.
A long while later, only a soft sigh remained in the room.