Lu Wanning sat in the elegant pavilion, propping her chin and daydreaming. Although she had been in the palace before, she was restricted every day and couldn't move around freely. She didn't even have the chance to see Princess Qin. Today, Princess Qin had sent an invitation, asking her to come and watch a play.
Princess Qin walked in briskly, opened the door and called out, "Sister Ning'er."
Lu Wanning had long known that she wasn't as dull as she seemed. But suddenly hearing her so enthusiastic, she felt a bit unaccustomed. Looking at the maids and nannies behind her, who had all been replaced, she couldn't help but be even more curious.
The two sisters waved the servants away. Princess Qin ordered a bunch of snacks. Seeing Lu Wanning's surprised look, she laughed and said, "Sister, why are you looking at me like this? Is there something on my face?"
Lu Wanning felt a bit guilty and quickly shook her head. "No... I just found that you've changed."
Princess Qin didn't mind at all. "People all change. I used to like spicy food. But in the palace, it was so difficult to survive. How could I let others know my preferences? Outsiders all thought I wasn't picky about food. The pastry chef in this theater today is from the Sichuan and Shu areas. He's best at making spicy snacks. Sister, you must try them later."
Lu Wanning glanced at the door. "Now, aren't you afraid of others knowing?"
Princess Qin took a bite of the fried pastry and shook her head. "If I can't hide it anymore, there's no need to hide it. It's better to live happily."
Lu Wanning took a bite too. It was so spicy that her tongue almost got knotted. In modern times, she wasn't afraid of spicy food. But after coming here for more than half a year and eating only soft, sweet and greasy food, she hadn't eaten spicy food for a long time. Suddenly eating it, she couldn't quite handle it.
Princess Qin giggled. She wasn't very good at eating spicy food either. After eating two pieces, she drank some milk to relieve the spiciness and then stopped.
Lu Wanning said, "It seems that the people serving you have changed several times."
Princess Qin nodded. "I don't really remember much about my childhood. My aunt used to take care of me. After she died, others took over, but they weren't very dedicated. Later, the Empress Dowager found out and replaced some people for me. But then the Empress Dowager's health got worse and she didn't have the energy to take care of me. Then the Empress replaced the people for me... Back and forth, I don't know how many times it's been changed. Only this time, the people were chosen by myself."
Lu Wanning listened to her story. There wasn't a trace of dissatisfaction in her tone, only plainness.
Princess Qin thought for a while, leaned closer and continued, "The personal nanny is from the Third Brother."
Lu Wanning was stunned for a moment before she realized that this Third Brother referred to His Highness, the Prince of Yu. Her face blushed involuntarily.
Princess Qin laughed. "I knew that the Third Brother liked you before. But he didn't admit it. Before he went on the expedition, I asked him to find you. He even criticized me. I didn't expect that it would really come true later."
Lu Wanning pretended to be dissatisfied and pouted, "What came true? He's not an honest person. He treats me sometimes cold and sometimes hot. I haven't even decided whether I should agree to him or not."
Princess Qin was happy. "Really? My Third Brother is very nice. He treats others well and treats me well too."
Lu Wanning had always heard that Sheng Jinyu was a fierce and terrifying person. It was the first time she heard that he was nice. So she put on a straight face. "That's because you're his sister."
Princess Qin shook her head. "But you're not his sister. Why does he treat you so well? Do you remember when we went to the mountain? I wasn't going originally. But he couldn't go, so he arranged for me to go. I didn't understand why at first. After something happened to you, I realized that it was for me to take care of you."
Lu Wanning's face got even redder. She turned her face away and said, "It was just a coincidence..."
"Oh? A coincidence? But when something happened to you, he put aside the affairs in the capital and rushed there immediately. How do you explain that?"
Lu Wanning glared at her. "Don't talk nonsense."
Princess Qin was rarely so happy. She covered her mouth and laughed softly. "He doesn't admit it, but I know why."
Lu Wanning felt a bit hot. She walked to the window, opened it and looked out. The bustling street looked peaceful. This was the capital, the most prosperous city in the Great Zhou Dynasty. But far away in Luocheng, the people there were probably living in deep distress.
He had gone to the battlefield. He fought side by side with her brothers, fighting for the Great Zhou Dynasty and for everyone.
Lu Wanning turned back to look at Princess Qin and asked, "You have a very good relationship with His Highness, the Prince of Yu?"
Princess Qin propped her chin. "Others say it's because the Noble Consort took care of me. But actually, at that time, I was just a baby. Even if the Noble Consort really took care of me, it was probably only for half a year or a year. How could I have any impression? To be honest, I don't even know how I got familiar with him. It seems that when the Fourth Prince bullied me, he helped me. I don't remember clearly."
Lu Wanning smiled but didn't say a word. Yes, the Prince of Yu was a very good person. He wasn't as fierce as others said.
"By the way, have you learned anything about the son of the Cheng family who will be your future husband?"
Princess Qin shrugged indifferently. "What do I need to learn? The Cheng family is on the Third Brother's side. They want to marry a princess to climb higher. I want to find a stable family that won't cause any trouble. It's a matter of mutual benefit. I don't care what the son of the Cheng family is like. As long as the Cheng family is good, it's fine. I'm a princess. No matter what, the Cheng family won't treat me badly. I don't need to be afraid."
Afraid? Lu Wanning frowned. She didn't mean afraid. But would a marriage without love really be happy?
But it seemed that in the marriages of the people here, how many had love? Most of them were just about a good match and respecting each other.
Princess Qin was in a good mood. She said to Lu Wanning, "Concubine Qi thought I was easy to handle. She wanted her natal family to marry a princess. Knowing that the Emperor wouldn't agree, she deliberately lured me. So I played along with her plan and made them think they had succeeded..."
No wonder...
"Did you do it on purpose?"
Princess Qin nodded. "Although I'm not favored, I'm still a precious princess. They really dared! I just showed a bit of shyness as if I had never seen the world before, and they took the bait. Concubine Qi told the Emperor that I had taken a fancy to him. I just pretended to be scared, and the Emperor immediately thought that Concubine Qi had done it on purpose."
Everyone in the palace wore a mask. The Emperor might not care about his daughter, but he would never tolerate others disrespecting his daughter. Princess Qin had grasped everyone's thoughts. And her usual dullness had successfully lured Concubine Qi into the trap.
Concubine Qi was a pawn of the Empress. Now, the Sixth Palace was managed by Concubine Jing, and Concubine Qi assisted. Princess Qin managed to get rid of Concubine Qi, so naturally she could replace the spies around her.
"Concubine Qi only knows how to use old tricks. To be honest, the Eighth Prince is really pitiful. Having such a calculating mother, it's very likely that his poor health is caused by Concubine Qi herself. This time, the Emperor was so angry that he not only deprived Concubine Qi of the right to assist in managing the Sixth Palace, but also no longer allowed her to raise the Eighth Prince. If it weren't for the fact that she was the Eighth Prince's mother, she might not even be able to keep her title. Moreover, her natal family is in a terrible situation."