Chapter 28: She’s Entering the Palace

After the midday banquet, the Grand Princess took Ning Zhaorou and a few other young ladies to sit by the waterside pavilion, enjoying the scenery while sipping tea.

Before long, a palace maid came over and whispered something into the Grand Princess’s ear.

She nodded slightly, her fingers gently caressing the rim of her teacup, and said softly, “The palace has invited a court painter to capture today’s autumn scenery. The painter is already in the garden. You may all go and have a look.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the young ladies responded.

Everyone stood up to follow her instructions. Just then, the Grand Princess glanced at Ning Zhaorou and said with a gentle smile, “You don’t need to go. Didn’t you say earlier that you were tired? I’ve had a room prepared—go rest for a bit.”

Ning Zhaorou hadn’t said she was tired at all. Hearing this, her expression paused briefly, but she immediately understood the true meaning behind those words. She nodded and responded cautiously, “Many thanks, Your Highness, for your thoughtfulness.”

The Grand Princess didn’t say anything more and ordered a palace maid to lead her to a guest room in the back courtyard.

They walked along a winding stone path toward the rear, and the lively chatter behind them gradually faded into silence.

Further ahead, guards stood watch.

The palace maid guiding her stopped and stepped aside respectfully, gesturing toward the path. “Please, Miss Ning.”

The guards ahead didn’t try to stop her. When they saw her approach, they stepped aside without hesitation. Shuangwu stood beside the leading maid, watching her young mistress disappear through the doorway until she was out of sight.

Behind the door was a single corridor. Ning Zhaorou didn’t know where it led, so she walked slowly, carefully observing her surroundings. When she looked up and saw the familiar waterside pavilion in the distance, her heart finally settled.

It had been twelve days since she last saw His Majesty—not too long, but not short either. She had thought he wouldn’t come this time.

Her steps quickened slightly. As the pavilion drew closer and closer, she suddenly stopped, lowered her head to smooth out her skirts, reached up to adjust her hair and hairpin, and only then slowly climbed the steps.

On the second floor, just as she expected, she saw Yin Mingyu seated in a chair.

“Your Majesty,” she softly greeted.

—

Elsewhere, Ning Wanqing hadn’t seen where Ning Zhaorou had gone. They had gone with the Grand Princess to the pavilion, but Ning Zhaorou didn’t return afterward. It wasn’t something worth investigating at first—after all, the Grand Princess hadn’t shown any unusual expression—but after quite some time passed with no sign of Ning Zhaorou, Ning Wanqing started to grow suspicious.

A few days ago, her mother had shared a clever idea with her: today, she was to keep a close eye on Ning Zhaorou and take note of who she associated with. But now that Ning Zhaorou was nowhere to be found, how could she watch her?

Frowning deeply, Ning Wanqing glanced around while the painter sketched portraits of the Grand Princess and a few other ladies. After scanning the area and seeing no trace of her, she looked at her maid and quietly slipped away from the crowd.

Walking to a more secluded part of the garden, Ning Wanqing still wore a troubled expression. She muttered, “Where on earth did she go? I’ve looked everywhere.”

“Miss, shall I go search for her?” her maid, Cai Xiao, whispered.

Ning Wanqing was just about to shake her head when she heard footsteps behind her. Since most of the guests were in the front garden, she didn’t want to run into anyone directly, so she and her maid quietly retreated into the rock garden to hide.

The person approaching… was the Eldest Princess.

The Eldest Princess was born of Consort Rong, whose status wasn’t especially high—she hadn’t even been granted the title of consort, let alone a noble one. As a result, the Eldest Princess was also raised with a more subdued and reserved personality. Now, walking through a quiet path with only a few attendants, it was likely because she preferred avoiding large crowds and idle chatter.

“Your Highness, please wait.”
A soft, gentle voice called from behind.

The Eldest Princess paused mid-step and turned her head toward the speaker. Though she wasn’t very tall, she was still a princess of royal blood. Upon seeing the young woman, she immediately recognized her.

An Yunwei, catching her breath, stepped forward and offered a silk handkerchief. “I saw Your Highness walking quickly just now. You must’ve dropped your handkerchief, so I followed to return it. Please forgive me for the imposition.”

The Eldest Princess glanced at the handkerchief, took it without much expression, and said a brief thanks. Her gaze lingered on An Yunwei’s face for a moment longer. “I know who you are.”

As it happened, Consort Rong had a distant male cousin, whose wife was somewhat connected to the Ministry of Rites. The imperial city was a tangled web of relations, interconnected like an intricate net.

But what the Eldest Princess knew wasn’t just limited to that.

She had occasionally overheard Consort Li mentioning the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites’ household, saying she would soon enter the palace.

That girl was none other than the one standing in front of her now.

An Yunwei’s expression remained calm as the Eldest Princess continued, “Consort Li told me, when you enter the palace, she will look after you.”

There was no one else nearby, so there was no need to worry about being overheard.

If An Yunwei truly intended to enter the palace, such things would need to be spoken about eventually. The Eldest Princess was no longer a naive child. Though reserved, she wasn’t ignorant. She could more or less guess that An Yunwei’s sudden pursuit to return a handkerchief might have had another purpose—to ease her own concerns.

A flicker of emotion passed through An Yunwei’s eyes. Her lips curved gently, her smile composed and pleasant. Everything about her demeanor made one feel at ease—especially her modest and respectful tone.

“I thank Her Ladyship and Your Highness for your kindness. I hope Your Highness might extend my respectful greetings to Her Ladyship.”

They hadn’t spoken for more than a few minutes, yet hidden behind the rockery nearby, Ning Wanqing could hardly believe her eyes.

An Yunwei was a high-born lady of the Minister of Rites’ household. Ning Wanqing had always found it strange—after An Yunwei’s coming-of-age ceremony, there should’ve been countless marriage proposals. But oddly enough, there had been no word of any engagement. Now that she was nearly seventeen, she still hadn’t been promised to anyone. Ning Wanqing had assumed the Minister’s standards were simply too high.

But now, it all made sense. An Yunwei had long since set her sights on the Emperor.

His Majesty had already ordered the suspension of the selection of palace ladies. No new consorts had entered the harem in years. Judging from the words exchanged between An Yunwei and the Eldest Princess just now… could her entry into the palace already be set in stone?

After all, what marriage could compare to marrying the Emperor?
The position of Empress was still vacant—could it be that An Yunwei aimed to become Empress?

That thought flashed through Ning Wanqing’s mind—and she immediately dismissed it.
Impossible.

…Was it really impossible?

In terms of status, An Yunwei was certainly qualified. Her father, Minister An, had served under two emperors. The An family’s ancestors had once followed the founding emperor himself. Though it had been generations, the prestige remained. If one wanted to argue rank and heritage, it was sufficient.

Still, An Yunwei was young. Compared to the consorts already in the harem, she lacked experience and heirs. To dream of becoming Empress was foolish.

But once she entered the palace… if she bore a royal heir, then the title of Empress could indeed be within reach.

Reeling from this shocking revelation, Ning Wanqing completely forgot about watching Ning Zhaorou. Only when the nearby voices faded did she and her maid quietly emerge from behind the rockery. Glancing around cautiously, she slipped back into the garden and rejoined the crowd—her heart burning with impatience to return to the estate and report all this to her mother.