As they approached the palace gate, Xu Mingyi had just been helped out of the carriage by Akui when he heard a girl's delighted voice: "Aunt!"
Xu Mingyi turned around and saw a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl in a pink shirt approaching quickly with her maid.
"Slow down..."
Behind the girl was a woman and another girl in a light blue dress. The woman helplessly said in a low voice: "I told you to be more careful before I came here!"
The girl in pink shirt lowered her head and stuck out her tongue, then smiled and saluted Ms. Cui: "I've met my aunt."
Another girl who was very similar in age and appearance also came to greet Mrs. Cui, but her words and demeanor were much calmer than that of the girl in pink shirt.
After saluting, she raised her head slightly and saw Xu Mingyi standing next to Cui, a look of surprise flashed across her eyes very quickly.
"Why don't you see your mother?" Cui asked the young woman with a smile.
This woman is none other than Mrs. Wen, the current eldest son of her natal Yong'an residence, and is also her younger brother and sister-in-law.
"Eldest sister knows that my mother fell ill a few days ago...she has not recovered yet." Wen said in a low voice.
Cui sighed worriedly after hearing this: "This is really..."
It’s really an eye-opener for God.
As you can guess, if she hadn't been so ill that she couldn't walk, her 'mother' would definitely not miss this opportunity to show her face in front of others.
However, the estrangement between her and her stepmother has never affected the Wen family. After all, she, a younger sibling, has been criticized by the old woman over the years - in this regard, the two of them have always been very sympathetic.
Wenshi also sighed with sorrow in his eyes.
"As you get older, you will inevitably have problems of one kind or another. Watching your mother suffer every day makes everyone in the house feel uncomfortable..."
So it's better to die early, so that you don't have to suffer this sin again.
"Yes." Ms. Cui nodded in understanding.
The sister-in-law and sister-in-law sighed and handed the palace attendants the sign of their fateful wife, and the group was ushered into the palace gate.
However, Mrs. Wen seemed to have something else to say to Mrs. Cui. She looked back at her two daughters and said with a smile: "You sisters, please talk, don't leave in a hurry."
The Cui sisters looked at each other after hearing this.
What do they want to say to Xu Mingyi?
However, my mother wanted to gossip with her aunts, so they had no choice but to follow her obediently.
At first they just followed them not far away, but then when passing through a long corridor in the garden, the Cui sisters met a familiar girl. After talking for a while and separated, when they looked up again, Cui and Wen were gone.
.
I met many people along the way, and maybe I walked away talking to those ladies——
What surprised the two sisters was that Xu Mingyi was still standing there waiting for them.
Women were not allowed to bring maids and wives into the inner palace. The girl wearing an apricot white shirt and a brick red horse skirt embroidered with gold thread was standing there alone, looking unhurried and not at all displeased.
However, Cui Yunwei and Cui Yunqing, who realized that they had wasted time by speaking just now, still walked toward the girl uneasily.
"Cousin, we..."
Cui Yunwei plucked up the courage to speak, but before she could continue, Xu Mingyi smiled and said, "It's okay, let's go."
Since she is her own sister, she should take more care of her.
What's more, they are only twelve or thirteen years old.
Cui Yunwei and Cui Yunqing are twin sisters, but their personalities are quite different. As the younger sister, Cui Yunqing is actually more calm and reserved than her elder sister.
In the last life, Xu Mingyi couldn't get close to the entire Yong'an Mansion due to the stiff relationship with the Cui family.
However, after the incident in the Xu family, Uncle Yong'an and his son, who had official positions, also withdrew from the court.
This move may be a sign of being dissatisfied with the imperial court and feeling grievances for the Xu family, or it may be that the Xu family is being squeezed out because of the affairs of the Xu family. In short, no matter what, the Yong'an Mansion is not an enemy of the Xu family, but a real in-law.
Cousins shouldn't be so unfamiliar with each other. Besides, it's better to be kind to others than to be evil.
But between girls, breaking the unfamiliarity is actually very simple. Sometimes it only takes one or two sentences to do it——
"Both cousins have chosen their clothes and jewelry very well today. Cousin Qing's dress shows off her fair skin——"
Xu Mingyi said as she walked: "The beaded flowers on Cousin Wei's head are quite beautiful and cute, and the style is also rare. I wonder if they were picked at Baohua Building?"
The Cui sisters were stunned when they heard this. After they came to their senses, Cui Yunqing smiled and whispered with a slightly red face: "My cousin is very complimentary... When it comes to fair skin, I can't compare to my cousin."
"I got a few new boxes of ointment a few days ago. Can I give them to my cousin Qing to try?"
Cui Yunqing said hurriedly: "No need, how can I accept my cousin's things?"
Who doesn't know that everything Cousin Xu uses is of rare value. If she takes it, what will she give in return...
"Cousin, if the second sister doesn't want it, then give it to me!" Cui Yunwei was simple-minded and said with a smile: "My cousin likes my pearl flowers, how about I trade these pearl flowers with my cousin? I happen to have a pair of pearl flowers at home that have not been used.
——This is brought back from Jiangnan, you can’t buy it in Beijing.”
Xu Mingyi smiled and nodded.
But since she wanted to give something away, she would naturally give it in double portions.
The atmosphere between the three girls relaxed and they walked forward talking and laughing, but stopped at a fork in the road ahead.
The female family members entered the palace differently from the officials. They walked through the side entrance. This garden was huge, with many side roads, and it was covered by dense vegetation. If you didn't follow an intersection, you wouldn't be able to see anyone else.
"Where's the little eunuch who led us earlier?" Cui Yunwei looked around.
"Xu just went to lead the way for the other ladies." Xu Mingyi said: "It doesn't matter, let's not wander around for now, wait here, someone else should come over."
However, it was already getting dark at this time, and most of those who wanted to enter the palace for the banquet had already walked ahead of them.
They can only wait for the passing palace maids and eunuchs to pass by, or if Cui and the others notice that they have not followed, they will ask them to look back.
"It's all our fault that we were just talking to the Feng family girl..." Cui Yunqing was a little uneasy: "What should we do if we delay the time because of this?"
"It's still early, so it should be okay."
As soon as Xu Mingyi finished speaking, she suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind.
Several people looked back.
I saw a boy with a golden crown on his head, accompanied by two eunuchs, walking over.
Xu Mingyi took the Cui sisters aside and bowed low.
"My daughter has seen His Highness the Crown Prince——"
When the Cui sisters heard this, their expressions tightened, and they quickly lowered their heads a little lower.
But I heard the boy ask in a low voice: "Are you girls... going to Jiaotai Hall?"
He just vaguely heard the conversation between Xu Mingyi and others.
Xu Mingyi nodded and said "that's right", and looked at the boy who was about ten years old and too thin. In this summer evening with only a slight breeze, he still wore a cloak on top of his brocade robe -
—
"I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince can tell me how to get to Jiaotai Palace?"
The boy hurriedly ordered to one of the eunuchs beside him: "Xiao Xiangzi, lead the way for the girls."
The little eunuch agreed.
Xu Mingyi did not refuse, Fu Shen thanked him, did not turn around in a hurry, and waited aside to let the prince go first.
The prince took another eunuch for a few steps, but suddenly stopped and looked back at Xu Mingyi. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke——
