Chapter 230: Want to Live with Ningning
Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Want to Live with Ningning
Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes and said, "When the Imperial Guard brought us here, the carriage deliberately took a detour around the East Fourth Palace road. I saw a bridge over there."
"So, I think we have to walk around to get on the bridge."
The young ladies exchanged glances, frowning as they tried to recall.
’Was there a bridge just now?’
They hadn’t noticed. They were too busy admiring the beautiful scenery of the Imperial Palace.
Besides, it was so cold out, so who would keep lifting the carriage curtain to look outside?
Ye Shangyi stepped forward and said coldly, "Then you can just walk over there by yourself."
"I’m going to find a Palace Attendant to row a boat for us. Otherwise, walking from here all the way around to that bridge will be too far and too cold!"
Shen Ningning didn’t mind. She blinked her big eyes. "Okay then. I’ll walk over by myself. Does anyone else want to come with me?"
After the little one finished asking in her sweet voice, the young ladies hesitated, undecided.
Ye Shangyi spoke up directly. "Anyone who wants to come with me to find the Chief Eunuch, follow me now."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Yuanjiu went to stand beside her.
"Ningning, I don’t remember if there was a bridge on our way here, so I think I’ll go with them to find the Chief Eunuch," Xie Yuanjiu said to the little girl.
Shen Ningning didn’t object.
Ye Shangyi was well-connected within the circle of noble ladies, so many were willing to follow her.
Thus, out of the nineteen other girls, twelve chose to follow her.
The remaining few believed there was a bridge and were willing to follow Shen Ningning.
And so, the two groups split up by the lakeside, one heading left and the other right, each going their own way.
From a high platform in the distance, Mo Lingwei watched, his gaze following the small figure in pink and white.
A sneer touched his thin lips. "This bunch of idiots. Don’t they know enough to follow Shen Ningning?"
’Don’t they know that I’ve invited the little one to the Imperial Palace for fun more times than all of them combined?’
Chen Shaobei, standing beside him, smiled. "Crown Prince, if I were you, I’d start to worry."
"Why?"
"The Commandery Princess is performing so exceptionally well. Consort Rong will surely want her to be the Ninth Prince’s female reading companion."
"Wishful thinking." Mo Lingwei bit out the two words coldly before walking down the Star-picking Platform.
Shen Ningning led the other six girls. It was like they were on an outing. She stood at the front, waving her little hand.
"Be careful, everyone! Don’t step on the icy patches, or you might fall into the lake."
The young ladies listened to her, holding hands and chatting and laughing with one another.
An atmosphere that had been somewhat reserved suddenly grew lively.
A little girl in a blue dress, about eight or nine years old, walked over to Shen Ningning’s side.
She had delicate, fair features. She whispered to Shen Ningning, "You’re the one who’s right. Ye Shangyi and the others chose the wrong way."
"Oh? You’re that sure I chose the right path?" the little girl asked back with a smile.
The girl in the blue dress smiled, looking extremely shy. "My aunt is Consort Rong. I’ve passed by here several times when I’ve come to the Imperial Palace to see her."
Shen Ningning was surprised. "So you’re from the Qi family?"
The girl in the blue dress nodded. "My name is Qi Xiuwei."
She was one of the five specially invited noble young ladies.
Shen Ningning grew excited and warmed up to her, asking about her godmother, Shen Siyi.
Unexpectedly, Qi Xiuwei’s expression turned fearful when she heard Shen Siyi’s name.
"I don’t know. By the time I was born, she had already been married for a long time," Qi Xiuwei said.
She watched Shen Ningning’s face cautiously. "Commandery Princess, I advise you not to ask about her in the future."
"My mother told me that my grandmother didn’t get along with your godmother and even wanted to drive her out."
"But Chancellor Xie quickly came and took your godmother away. After that, our two families cut off all ties. At my home, your godmother’s name is taboo. They won’t even let me mention it!"
Listening to this, Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes, feeling a little helpless.
She had no way of knowing what had happened in the past.
Feeling a little apologetic, she said in her sweet voice, "Oh, I’m sorry. I won’t ask next time!"
Qi Xiuwei then smiled magnanimously. "It’s nothing. You didn’t know, so it’s fine. You can call me Xiao Wei!"
By the time they finished talking and laughing, they had already reached the other side of the lake.
A young lady behind them pointed ahead happily. "Look, there really is a bridge!"
Ethereal clouds of mist on the lake drifted gently back and forth across the water’s surface like a fairy’s silk ribbon.
Shen Ningning stepped onto the bridge and immediately turned to warn the others. "This bridge is very slippery! We should form a line, hold onto each other’s clothes, and inch our way forward!"
Everyone readily agreed.
By the time Shen Ningning’s group had crossed the long bridge and arrived at the Waterside Pavilion and Flower Shed,
three stone-faced elder aunts, accompanied by ten little palace maids with bowed heads, were already waiting at the entrance to the Flower Shed.
Beside them was a table, and in an incense burner on it, a stick of incense had just burned halfway down.
When Shen Ningning’s group appeared, the three elder aunts nodded imperceptibly.
"You have all worked hard, young ladies. There is hot ginger tea over there. Please drink some to warm yourselves."
"Afterward, the palace maids will take you to the nearby Warm Pavilion to shelter from the wind while we wait for the remaining young ladies to arrive."
However, an entire stick of incense burned down, and there was still no sign of Xie Yuanjiu and the others.
Having no other choice, the elder aunts would wait no longer. They sent out two little palace maids to guide the other group.
Another stick of incense had burned away before they finally hurried over.
And because they were in such a rush, one of the young ladies slipped and fell as she was getting on the bridge.
She walked up to one of the elder aunts in tears. "Quick, help me call an Imperial Physician! My arm is all scraped!"
The elder aunt glanced at her injury, her lips pursed grimly. "Miss Gao, you may return home."
The young lady was stunned. "What? Are you serious? I’m injured, not in the wrong! By what right are you kicking me out of the Imperial Palace?"
The elder aunt faced the crowd, her tone sharp and imposing.
"Being a female reading companion is a very respectable position, but because you will be serving His Highness the Prince, you must be exceptionally careful and prudent."
"If you are so rash and hasty that you cannot even look after yourself, how can you be expected to serve His Highness? Therefore, you no longer meet our requirements for a female official."
Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes, watching as the young lady, Miss Gao, was led away in tears.
Ye Shangyi and Xie Yuanjiu wore different expressions. They had gone to find the Chief Eunuch, but to their surprise, the eunuch had completely ignored their request.
He even called them unreasonable!
One of the young ladies had argued with the eunuch over this, and she too was now being sent away by the stern elder aunt.
"Young ladies, at present, you are neither masters in this palace, nor have you become female officials. Therefore, the Palace Attendants are not your family’s maids and servants. They will not obey your orders."
"The dozen or so of you who were late today arrived behind schedule because you were not properly prepared. I must state this gravely: here, before you receive any rank, you must rely on yourselves for everything, not on any Palace Attendant."
After being reprimanded, no matter how awful Ye Shangyi and the others felt or how much they disagreed, they could only endure it.
After all, they all shared one goal: to become a female reading companion for the Prince.
Only Shen Ningning, feeling a little sleepy, rubbed her eyes.
’She’d gotten up so early this morning, she wasn’t fully awake yet.’
Just then, an elder aunt announced, "The young ladies who arrived first may go and choose their rooms."
"The rooms are single-occupancy. The ones on the south side are warm, while those on the north side, near the water, are a bit cold." The elder aunt informed them of the best locations.
’But there were only five rooms on the south side! Whoever chose later would have to freeze in the northern rooms!’
Shen Ningning started taking her little steps, about to go look at the rooms.
Suddenly! Xie Yuanjiu called out to her, "Ningning, wait."
The elder aunt looked over, and saw Xie Yuanjiu step forward from the group, her eyes filled with worry.
She asked softly, "Ningning is like a little sister to me. She’s so young, and there are no Palace Attendants here to serve us."
"I don’t think she can manage a room by herself. Elder Aunt, may I ask if I could share a room with her?"