Chapter 236: Shen Ningning and the 9th Prince Met in Private?
Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Shen Ningning and the 9th Prince Met in Private?
The elder aunt stood in the front courtyard with the young ladies to greet them.
In the bleak, cold wind, Consort Rong was dressed in magnificent robes, the dazzling golden hairpins in her hair a splash of brilliant color against the gloomy sky.
She stepped down from her sedan chair, aided by a palace maid, and walked before the crowd with the Ninth Prince.
Everyone bowed, and Consort Rong raised a hand, her expression dignified and her smile warm.
"There is no need for such ceremony. Looking at all of you is like seeing my own children."
"I’ve invited you to the palace this time to select a female official for my son. It must have been difficult for all of you, and for you as well, elder aunt."
"The weather is cold, so I’ve had some ginger soup prepared to warm you. Please, have some."
She didn’t put on any airs at all, making her seem very approachable.
A few of the young ladies dared to secretly raise their eyes and sneak a peek at Consort Rong’s face.
The elder aunt, however, kept her head dutifully lowered, as respectful as ever. "We are grateful for Your Ladyship’s concern, but we are unworthy of such consideration."
Then, she raised her head and had the little palace maids take away the ginger soup.
Consort Rong turned to Xie Yuanjiu and asked with public concern, "Miss Xie, about the incident with the scriptures last time, I hope you weren’t punished at home because of it?"
"I was so overcome with grief at the time that I fainted. When I awoke, I heard from a Palace Attendant that you had gone home in tears."
"I have felt guilty about it ever since and have been looking for a suitable opportunity to console you."
At the mention of the scripture incident, Xie Yuanjiu’s heart clenched.
She took two steps forward and replied with her head lowered, "Thank you for your concern, Your Ladyship. I am all right now."
"I cried back then because I felt I had failed to carry out Your Ladyship’s instructions."
Consort Rong gave a gentle smile. "It’s all in the past. You needn’t take it to heart. The Buddha is most magnanimous and won’t hold it against us."
After this exchange, Xie Yuanjiu actually felt a renewed sense of hope.
’I thought Consort Rong had completely written me off.’
’To think she didn’t hold a grudge at all!’
She was overjoyed, forcefully suppressing the smile that threatened to break out on her lips.
Consort Rong then called Qi Xiuwei over to speak with her.
Unlike the others, Qi Xiuwei wasn’t so reserved. While speaking softly with Consort Rong, she even seemed rather cheerful.
After finishing her conversation with Qi Xiuwei, Consort Rong’s gaze swept over the crowd before finally landing on Shen Ningning.
She beckoned. "Commandery Princess, I have something I’d like to give you."
Shen Ningning walked forward and asked curiously, "Your Ladyship has a gift for me?"
The next moment, the Ninth Prince took the initiative to pull a palm-sized, round wooden plaque from his sleeve.
Shen Ningning looked closely and saw that the plaque was exquisitely carved with the head of a sika deer.
She froze, lifting her head to look at the Ninth Prince, her large eyes blinking.
He gave her a gentle look.
Although he said nothing, the other young ladies could all tell that the Ninth Prince’s attitude toward Shen Ningning was different!
Consort Rong said it was her gift, but it was clearly from the Ninth Prince.
She took the wooden plaque and placed it in Shen Ningning’s small hand.
"We share a certain connection, you and I. I haven’t yet congratulated you on your admission to the National Academy, so let this be my belated gift."
"This is the finest sandalwood. Deer symbolize auspiciousness and great fortune. Take it, and when you return, please give my regards to Mrs. Qin Sr. for me."
After speaking, Consort Rong looked back at the group, offered a few more gentle words of comfort, and then left with the Ninth Prince.
Shen Ningning stared blankly at the wooden plaque in her palm.
’What do Consort Rong and the Ninth Prince mean by this?’
’Are they hinting that they’ve chosen me to be the female official?’
Consort Rong had only just left, and the group, still buzzing with excitement, had yet to disperse.
They remarked with envy, "Consort Rong only spoke to three people."
Everyone secretly speculated that the Ninth Prince’s female official would surely be chosen from among those three.
Ye Shangyi had the most prominent family background, yet she hadn’t received a single word of concern from Consort Rong.
She watched as everyone either flattered Xie Yuanjiu or gathered around Qi Xiuwei and Shen Ningning.
She finally lost her patience, strode into the middle of the group, and declared loudly, "I think this is completely unfair!"
The elder aunt and the others were just returning with the ginger soup when they heard this.
All eyes were drawn to Ye Shangyi.
Someone asked, "What’s wrong?"
Ye Shangyi seethed, "This selection for the female official was supposed to be fair. We were told to memorize palace regulations, learn the Ninth Prince’s preferences, and that we would be tested."
"However, while we were all working so hard, someone was already deliberately taking a shortcut to curry favor with Consort Rong!"
The crowd was startled.
Qi Xiuwei frowned. "You can’t be talking about me, can you? Miss Ye, please watch your words!"
Ye Shangyi merely gave her a cold snort before finally pointing an angry finger at Shen Ningning.
"I’m talking about Princess Funing! For the past two days, she’s missed class because she overslept, and everyone thought she didn’t care."
"In reality, Princess Funing skipped class to secretly meet the Ninth Prince in the Plum Garden. They even fed a sika deer together!"
Astonished, the crowd turned to look at Shen Ningning.
A black boot embroidered with auspicious clouds had just reached the entrance of the Waterside Pavilion and Flower Shed when its owner heard the commotion inside and stopped abruptly.
Inside the garden, the elder aunt could no longer stand by and stepped forward to admonish her seriously.
"Miss Ye, watch your words! Slander and false accusations are a great taboo in the palace."
Ye Shangyi sneered, "I saw it with my own eyes this morning. If you don’t believe me, ask Princess Funing herself if she met with the Ninth Prince in private!"
Everyone’s gaze focused on Shen Ningning.
The little one slowly stood up, her voice soft. "I did see the Ninth Prince, but it wasn’t prearranged."
"I just went to the Plum Garden to pick some plum blossoms and happened to run into him."
Ye Shangyi didn’t believe her for a second. She scoffed, "Jiaotai Palace, where the Ninth Prince lives, is very far from here. Why would he come all the way to the Plum Garden?"
Shen Ningning stamped her little foot. "You said it yourself! It was the sika deer!"
"The Ninth Prince told me he rescued a sika deer from the Imperial Kitchen that was about to be slaughtered. He had nowhere to hide it, so he could only bring it to a remote place."
Ye Shangyi pointed angrily at Shen Ningning. "You’re just making excuses!"
Then, she turned to the surrounding young ladies, whose faces showed a mixture of emotions.
"Consort Rong’s actions just now made it clear to us all. She has already decided on Princess Funing to be the Ninth Prince’s female official."
"We’ve all been made into fools, just here to make her look good! All these days of suffering in the cold and being reprimanded were just to serve as her foil."
This sentence thoroughly ignited the indignation in the hearts of the other young ladies.
Why should they, who had studied the palace rules diligently and followed every procedure, lose out to Shen Ningning, who took a shortcut?
So was this selection for the female official fair or not?
Just as Shen Ningning was about to explain, an icy voice came from outside—
"I, the Crown Prince, had my Ninth Brother take the sika deer to the Plum Garden. It was just something to make Shen Ningning happy. How did it become such a serious matter in your telling?"
The expressions on everyone’s faces changed instantly. Even Shen Ningning’s little face showed a hint of shock.
All at once, they turned to look at the entrance.
The first thing they saw was the golden dragon on the chest of Mo Lingwei’s black robes.
The Emperor’s greatest show of favor toward the Crown Prince was allowing him to wear the Six-clawed Golden Dragon Robe.
A golden crown held his hair in a ponytail, accentuating his sharp, raven-black brows. His piercing eyes glinted with a fearsome, cold severity.
The moment he spoke, he was clearing Shen Ningning’s name, proving that she had not met the Ninth Prince in private.
Moreover, there was no question of her taking a shortcut!
Because Mo Lingwei’s appearance forcefully declared to everyone that the person backing Shen Ningning was he, the Crown Prince—not the Ninth Prince.