Chapter 33: Falling into the Water

After all, since they themselves had planted informants in the Palace of Benevolent Peace, it was only natural that others would do the same. The palace was full of leaks, like a sieve—how could it possibly be safe? If anyone truly wished to harm their children, all they needed to do was give an order to the informants hidden within the palace. What could they not accomplish?

And now that the Empress Dowager had been harmed to such an extent, which consort could possibly feel at ease letting her child come to the Palace of Benevolent Peace to keep her company?

Thus, apart from the occasions when the Empress Dowager went walking in the Imperial Garden, the only time children came over to speak with her was then. Only at such moments did she feel a trace of warmth in her life. Usually, she remained shut away in the Palace of Benevolent Peace and was unwilling to go out. Few children were willing to visit her, and even when they were, their birth mothers would not allow it.

That was why, after Wen Qiao had stayed in the palace for only a few days, the Empress Dowager already felt reluctant to let her go. Wen Qiao was pleasant to listen to and beautiful to look at, and she kept the Empress Dowager smiling from ear to ear. Once Wen Qiao left, there would be no one to talk and laugh with her. How could she bear to part with her?

“Youoming, pour Me a cup of hot tea.”

Nanny Song had been standing outside the bedchamber. Seeing the Crown Prince leave, she was just about to enter when the Empress Dowager called for her. She hurried inside in a few quick steps, answered, and promptly went to pour the tea.

“Youoming, do you think it would be appropriate for Me to let that girl Qiao spend some time with the Crown Prince?”

Indeed, no matter how much the Empress Dowager liked Wen Qiao and wished to make her the Crown Princess, Wen Qiao’s age was still a consideration. Besides, she had yet to develop any romantic awareness. It was impossible to force her to marry the Crown Prince, was it not? Yet the Crown Prince had reached the age when he ought to marry a Crown Princess. They could not keep delaying his marriage forever.

That was why the Empress Dowager felt uncertain and wanted to ask Nanny Song’s opinion.

Nanny Song was practically her trusted adviser. Whenever anything happened, it was Nanny Song who helped resolve it. Now, faced with a matter like this, she could only discuss it with her.

Strictly speaking, it was inappropriate for her to interfere in the Crown Prince’s marriage. The Emperor and Empress were both still present, after all. Yet she truly liked Wen Qiao, and she had never heard that the Emperor and Empress had chosen a bride for the Crown Prince. In her heart, she thought that having Wen Qiao marry into the imperial family would only bring the two families even closer.

The trouble was that persuading the Empress would likely take considerable effort. The Empress Dowager was also worried that, if Wen Qiao married the Crown Prince, she might suffer under the Empress’s harsh treatment. Thus, she remained caught in a dilemma, unsure what to do.

“If this old servant may speak frankly, Your Majesty is simply too concerned to think clearly. This is a matter for the young people. Why not let them resolve it themselves? Even if Your Majesty must act as a matchmaker, should You not first ask Sixth Young Miss what she thinks? If she has no such intentions, Your Majesty’s efforts may only leave her feeling troubled. It would be better to let the two of them handle it themselves. In a matter like this, Your Majesty need only make an occasional remark.

“As this old servant sees it, Sixth Young Miss is a girl who knows her own mind. If she truly has no feelings for His Highness, I fear that no one’s persuasion will be of any use. Even if she agrees merely to please Your Majesty, she may not live happily afterward. Your Majesty, please set Your heart at ease for now.”

Nanny Song saw the matter clearly. She had always felt that Wen Qiao’s attitude toward the Crown Prince was cool and indifferent—indeed, even less warm than the way she treated the palace servants in the Palace of Benevolent Peace.

Yet, strictly speaking, Wen Qiao and the Crown Prince should never have come into contact before. For some reason, however, Nanny Song could sense that Wen Qiao felt an odd familiarity with him, mixed with deep resistance. She had not yet discovered the reason.

She only hoped that the Empress Dowager would not stubbornly force the two of them together, lest they ultimately become enemies instead.

Nanny Song kept these thoughts to herself and did not mention them to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was still wholly absorbed in the idea of bringing the two young people together. If she learned of this, she would inevitably feel distressed.

Besides, the Empress Dowager was still ill. It would hardly be worth it to make her unhappy over such a matter. This was merely an issue between two juniors; there was truly no need to make too much of it.

As for someone with Wen Qiao’s temperament, if she did not wish to speak, questioning her further would accomplish nothing.

Moreover, such a matter was not something a servant ought to ask about. In the end, Nanny Song was merely a nanny serving the Empress Dowager. It was only because her relationship with the Empress Dowager was somewhat deeper that she enjoyed such respect now.

Otherwise, she would still be nothing more than a hereditary servant of the Empress Dowager’s maternal family.

“You are right. I was being too hasty. I kept thinking that Qiao had spent all these years in the countryside without ever enjoying a good life, and I wanted her to come into the palace and experience wealth and honor. I forgot to ask what she herself wanted.

“If she truly does not wish for this, then I would only be forcing a match where none belongs. Very well, very well. Let the younger generation settle their own affairs. I shall simply watch from the sidelines and enjoy the spectacle. If Qiao needs My help, she will surely tell Me herself. There is no need for Me to worry about this every day.

“By the way, has Qiao still not returned? Half the day has passed, and there has been no word.”

Under normal circumstances, the time the Empress Dowager had spent speaking with Xiao Minghe was neither particularly long nor particularly brief. By then, Wen Qiao ought to have returned. Yet there was still no sign of her. Even when she had taken Wen Qi out, no further news had come. No one knew where she had wandered off to this time.

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager ordered Nanny Song to go out and look for Wen Qiao, lest the girl lose her way in the palace.

The palace grounds were vast, and some areas had been sealed off and were forbidden to enter. What if Wen Qiao went to the wrong place and someone took the opportunity to scheme against her?

After receiving the Empress Dowager’s command, Nanny Song hurried out to search for Wen Qiao.

Meanwhile, Wen Qiao had originally intended to take Wen Qi for a stroll in the Imperial Garden. The Empress Dowager did not wish other people coming and going through the Palace of Benevolent Peace, so Wen Qiao naturally could not simply wander around there with her.

Wen Qi, however, seemed unconcerned about whether the Empress Dowager approved. She only wanted to pull Wen Qiao around the Palace of Benevolent Peace for a while.

After all, her purpose was to approach the Empress Dowager. Seeing that Wen Qiao refused to let her remain in the palace no matter what, Wen Qi grew resentful. In her heart, she decided that Wen Qiao did not want her to have contact with the Empress Dowager because she feared Wen Qi might displace her in the Empress Dowager’s affections.

“Elder Sister, there is no need to be like this. Besides, Younger Sister has no connection with Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Even if Her Majesty truly took a liking to me one day, I would never steal your limelight in her presence. Why must you insist on leading me outside?

“I may not have many chances in my life to enter the Palace of Benevolent Peace, so I only wanted to look around. I have seen very little of the world and cannot compare with you, who have been living in the palace these past few days. Why are you so wary of me?”

There were still palace servants coming and going nearby, so Wen Qi continued to speak in a pitiful, delicate manner, as though she were afraid Wen Qiao would turn cold toward her merely because she had said something wrong.

The palace maids and eunuchs nearby had already gained some understanding of Wen Qiao’s temperament. They knew that she was mild-natured and had never beaten or cursed them without cause. They therefore held her in high regard. Watching Wen Qi put on such an act, they found it utterly baffling.

Why was it that Sixth Young Miss treated servants so kindly in the palace, while her younger sister seemed so frightened of her? Could there be some hidden story behind it?

People were naturally fond of gossip. As they listened to Wen Qiao and Wen Qi’s conversation, quite a few of the maids and eunuchs slowed their work, hoping to hear more.

Wen Qiao clearly knew that Wen Qi was putting on another performance. She smiled faintly before explaining, “You misunderstand, Sister. It is not that I do not wish to take you for a stroll through the Palace of Benevolent Peace. It is simply that Her Majesty is still ill. Surely we cannot allow anything unclean to enter the palace now, can we?

“Besides, you must have heard that Her Majesty fell ill because someone schemed against her. Her Majesty also prefers peace and quiet and does not wish to be disturbed. If I were to lead you casually around the palace today and Her Majesty blamed us later, what would we do? If her health suffered another setback, you would not be able to escape suspicion.

“I am not as clever as you, Sister. I would never be able to handle such a situation properly.”

Wen Qiao’s reply was a quiet but pointed counterattack. Wen Qi lowered her head, no one knowing what she was thinking, but her voice remained devoid of emotion as she once again put on a weak and helpless expression.

“Elder Sister is right. Younger Sister was being thoughtless. In that case, please take me around for a brief look.”

With that, she asked Wen Qiao to take her toward the pond beside the Imperial Garden, saying that she wanted to feed the fish.

Once the two central figures had left, the palace maids and eunuchs nearby returned to their normal pace of work. Two young maids began whispering among themselves.

“Isn’t this interesting? That girl from the Yongning Marquis’s household seems even less impressive than Sixth Young Miss. Sixth Young Miss may have only just been brought back from the countryside, but look at Seventh Young Miss from the Yongning Marquis’s household. She looks as though she has never seen the world, all narrow-minded and provincial, yet she insists on wandering wherever she pleases in the Palace of Benevolent Peace. Does she think the Empress Dowager’s palace is somewhere she can stroll through at will?”

“Exactly. If Sixth Young Miss did not have such a good temper, she would never have spent so long explaining things to her so gently. If it were me, I would have invoked Her Majesty’s authority at once. Why listen to her prattle on and on?

“Seventh Young Miss certainly knows how to pretend. Who knows how greedy she may be in private? I only hope Sixth Young Miss does not let herself be deceived.”

“Indeed. If she really has some ulterior motive and insists on wandering around the Palace of Benevolent Peace, then if trouble arises, should the blame fall on Sixth Young Miss or on her?”

“Shh, don’t talk nonsense. How could Sixth Young Miss be blamed? She already warned her that the Palace of Benevolent Peace was not a place to wander about carelessly. If anything happens, Sixth Young Miss cannot be held responsible.

“But it seems they have already left, perhaps for the Imperial Garden. Never mind, never mind. Stop gossiping and finish the work in your hands. We have other things waiting for us later.”

The two maids hurriedly gathered the things beside them and went to attend to their duties at the other end of the Palace of Benevolent Peace. Their conversation, however, happened to be overheard in its entirety by Xiao Minghe, who was concealed nearby.

That was strange. The two girls appeared to have a good relationship, so why were the maids discussing them so disparagingly in private? What exactly had Wen Qiao and Wen Qi said here just now?

From the maids’ whispered conversation, however, he could tell that Wen Qiao was indeed well liked in the Palace of Benevolent Peace. Her temperament seemed gentle and mild as well. If he wanted those earrings from her, then perhaps all he needed to do was win her over. Once he had her, she would surely offer them to him with both hands.

As for Wen Qiao, after bringing Wen Qi to the Imperial Garden, she walked ahead while Wen Qi followed behind.

Wen Qiao kept her head lowered as she walked, seemingly deep in thought. Evil intentions stirred within Wen Qi, and she considered pushing Wen Qiao into the water. But then she reconsidered. Would that not make her the chief suspect?

While Wen Qi was turning these matters over in her mind, she caught sight of Xiao Minghe approaching from the corner of her eye. She immediately seized Wen Qiao’s hand.

Wen Qiao was immersed in her own thoughts. When someone suddenly tugged at her, she instinctively looked up and moved to shake the hand away. Taking advantage of that brief opening, Wen Qi pretended to twist her ankle, cried out, and jumped straight into the water.

Wen Qiao froze for a moment. Then the corners of her lips curved into an amused smile.

Who would have thought that, after being given a second life, Wen Qi would still favor such clumsy tricks? Once again, she had fallen into the water as though by accident. Wen Qiao wondered what her purpose was this time.

Sure enough, when she turned around, she saw Xiao Minghe standing behind her. Wen Qiao nodded, offering the Crown Prince a greeting.

So that was why Wen Qi had suddenly done this. Xiao Minghe was here.

Thinking of what had happened between Wen Qi and Xiao Minghe in her previous life, Wen Qiao frowned, feeling a wave of disgust rise within her.

Xiao Minghe was somewhat astonished.

He had just thought Wen Qiao was a gentle and obedient young woman. He had not expected her to push her own younger sister into the water. Yet when he remembered that Wen Qiao possessed the pair of earrings he wanted, he suppressed his irritation and stepped forward, intending to greet her.

At that moment, Wen Qi was still bobbing helplessly in the water. No one else dared approach. Unless Wen Qiao gave an order, who would dare come near?

After all, Wen Qiao was currently favored by both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. If they displeased her, none of them could expect to have an easy life.