The imperial concubine Wei had gone to her chambers to change, leaving only Wang Qingyao and the other three in the side hall.
The four sat in three separate corners, clearly demarcated.
Wei Qing's eyes kept darting towards the Second Prince, while Wei Yu whispered something to her.
Ever since Wang Qingyao gained clairvoyant eyes, her lip-reading skills seemed to have improved as well.
Although she couldn't make out exactly what Wei Yu was saying, judging by the lip movements, the words "Wang Qingyao" had been mentioned.
Heh, they were badmouthing her!
Wang Qingyao didn't mind. The thought of Xiao Yun having extorted twenty thousand taels of silver from their family made her feel that being cursed behind her back was no big deal.
Curse away, curse away! He who wishes to wear the crown must bear its weight. Hahaha.
Wang Qingyao was in a very good mood.
Just then, Wei Qing walked towards her. Wang Qingyao instinctively leaned back, watching her warily.
What, did she want to fight?
Wei Qing sat down beside her and said in a low, fierce voice, "I'm warning you, stay away from the Second Prince, or else..."
"Do you want to know what the Second Prince and I were talking about before you arrived?"
Wei Qing's threat was cut short, and she was taken aback, her face showing a "tell me quickly, I really want to know" expression, yet she stubbornly said, "I don't want to know."
Her ears, however, perked up.
***
The Second Prince and Wang Qingyao were discussing love. He asked Wang Qingyao what it felt like to love someone.
Truly, like mother, like son. Both of them had their minds filled with romance and affection.
It was understandable for the imperial concubine Wei, being a woman who depended on men for survival.
But for the Second Prince, a royal prince, to be preoccupied with such matters of romance and sentiment, he would likely be unable to shoulder important responsibilities in the future.
Wang Qingyao thought with concern.
"You and Ah Yun fell in love at first sight. Tell me in detail, what exactly were your feelings when you first saw him? What were you thinking? Did your heart race, did your breathing become rapid, and so on?" the Second Prince asked with great detail, clearly having read many storybooks.
Wang Qingyao: "Uh..."
As a fan of melodramatic romance dramas, Wang Qingyao pondered for a moment and then fabricated a story: "That feeling... it was as if the world suddenly fell silent, and everyone else became still. My eyes could only see him, and my ears could only hear my own thumping heart. At that moment, I knew, it was him. It was him, the one I had been waiting for."
The Second Prince listened with longing, murmuring dreamily, "I also wish to meet someone who can make me feel that way."
"But," Wang Qingyao changed the subject, "falling in love at first sight is mostly about appearance. If Prince Ding'an were an ugly monster, I certainly wouldn't have felt that way."
The Second Prince stared at her, his idealized vision of love shattered.
"It's not that I'm superficial. I mean, if his appearance is acceptable, then I'd be interested in getting to know his inner qualities and character."
She was rambling too far, so Wang Qingyao tried to steer back: "Love at first sight isn't reliable. Where are there so many predestined soulmates in the world? Love, you see, requires deep affection cultivated over time and diligent effort."
"Second Prince, do you understand what I'm saying?"
The Second Prince looked at her blankly, seeming to understand, yet also not.
***
Wei Qing's emotions were a jumble.
At this point, Wang Qingyao said, "I'm about to marry Prince Ding'an. I'm not interested in other men."
Wei Qing's face flushed red. "Shameless!" she huffed, then returned to Wei Yu's side with tiny, proud steps.
Wei Yu looked at her, then up at Wang Qingyao, and said something.
Wei Qing shook her head and tucked something into her waist.
Wei Yu looked surprised and glanced at Wang Qingyao again.
Wang Qingyao saw the interaction between the sisters clearly. She also saw the object Wei Qing tucked into her waist – a piece of lustrous white jade pendant.
What were they up to?
No matter what they were planning, Wang Qingyao had a feeling it had something to do with her.
***
Imperial Concubine Wei changed her clothes and emerged. Not long after, the imperial kitchen sent up the midday meal.
As the weather was hot, several cold dishes were served, sprinkled with vibrant green scallions and cilantro, looking refreshing and delightful.
Wei Qing and Wei Yu ate little, their stomachs like those of small birds. After a few bites, they claimed to be full.
Imperial Concubine Wei, having eaten too many fruits, wasn't hungry and only had a few bites of the cold dishes.
Only Wang Qingyao and the Second Prince were engrossed in eating. Imperial Concubine Wei looked from Wang Qingyao to the Second Prince, a smile on her lips, pleased.
Wei Qing's eyes showed disdain. Coming from a prominent aristocratic family, she found Wang Qingyao's eating habits highly unseemly.
To be fair, Wang Qingyao's table manners weren't bad; they were even neat and elegant.
However, among the young ladies she knew, none ate as much as Wang Qingyao.
Even if her appetite was genuinely large, shouldn't she have been a little more discreet in public?
A young lady eating so much, wasn't she afraid of being laughed at?
After the meal, they moved to a small flower hall for tea and conversation.
As a palace servant served tea, they accidentally spilled some on Wang Qingyao, leaving a large dark tea stain on her chest.
The servant immediately knelt to beg for forgiveness.
Wang Qingyao waved it off, "It's alright, I'll just change into a new one."
According to the rules, she couldn't bring maids with her into the palace, so Yin Zhu waited for her at the junction between the inner and outer palace.
Ancient noble ladies would bring two or three sets of spare clothes when going out, just in case such a situation affected their composure.
However, the junction was quite far from Huayang Palace, and the weather was hot. By the time they made the round trip, Wang Qingyao's clothes might have already dried.
And Wang Qingyao couldn't just sit around in dirty clothes waiting.
Wang Qingyao's inner monologue: It's actually fine, I don't care about these details.
But she couldn't. Wearing dirty clothes in the imperial concubine's palace would be impolite to her and disrespectful to Imperial Concubine Wei.
Wei Yu then said, "Miss Wang Er is about the same build as Sister. Why don't you borrow Sister's clothes for now?"
When Wei Qing and Wei Yu visited the palace, Imperial Concubine Wei would often have them stay for a few days, so they had their own chambers in Huayang Palace, and of course, plenty of clothes were prepared.
Although Wei Qing was reluctant, refusing in front of Imperial Concubine Wei and the Second Prince would make her seem petty. She had no choice but to agree, and then shot Wei Yu a glare, to which Wei Yu playfully stuck out her tongue.
So, Imperial Concubine Wei gave the order. The servant who spilled the tea was given a chance to redeem herself and solicitously led Wang Qingyao to change. She was attended to with great care during the undressing and changing.
Another servant hurried off to the junction to fetch Wang Qingyao's own clothes.