City of Beijing, Imperial Palace.

The Crown Prince invited his siblings from the royal family to the Eastern Palace. Lin'an, as the youngest sister, arrived early and sat on a chair, swinging her feet under her skirt.

Today, she was not wearing a red dress. Instead, she wore a purple long dress with a gold trim. She had a red coral crown on her head, with coral as the frame and two lifelike golden phoenixes guarding the red gemstone in the middle, with six tassels hanging down, each adorned with pearls.

In addition, she wore gold hairpins and jade hair accessories, dressed in a gorgeous and exquisite manner.

Purple was a common fabric used by the palace concubines, which highlighted the elegance and nobility of mature women, but it was not suitable for young girls. However, Lin'an's temperament was too delicate, giving people the feeling of a doll dressed up in fancy clothes.

With her round face and charming peach blossom eyes, she was both enchanting and innocent. Various temperaments mixed together, but she managed to control them perfectly.

There was still half an hour before lunch, and the princes and princesses gradually arrived at the Eastern Palace. They were already accustomed to Lin'an's exquisite and gorgeous style.

Among the four princesses, perhaps only she was suitable for such attire. If it were the other princesses, they would probably be overwhelmed by the overly luxurious dress.

Huai Qing had the looks, but her temperament did not match.

"Is Huai Qing not here yet?" Lin'an's lively eyes turned around, looking eagerly at the door.

"I sent someone to inform her. She will come later," the Crown Prince smiled and said, then coughed:

"Today is the day when the Bureau of Heavenly Masters sells its secret chicken essence. They also sent some to the palace. That's why I invited my siblings to come and taste it."

In fact, a few days ago, the Bureau of Heavenly Masters had "presented" a batch of chicken essence to the palace, which was delivered to the imperial kitchen. Several princes and princesses had already enjoyed this irresistible seasoning.

Talking about this hot topic, the princes and princesses became interested and started discussing.

"The taste of this chicken essence is indeed irresistible, but it makes one thirsty easily."

"Yesterday, Father also said that this thing should not be eaten too much. A light diet is the way to maintain good health."

As they spoke, the princes secretly rolled their eyes. They didn't agree with Emperor Yuan Jing's idea of pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Only when they reached middle age would they think about soaking wolfberries in a thermos cup. Why would young people need to worry about their health?

Lin'an looked around and raised her round and fair chin. "Do you know who invented the chicken essence?"

At this moment, she became arrogant and provocative.

The princes and princesses really didn't know the answer to this question. Only three people in the palace knew about it: the Crown Prince, Lin'an, and Huai Qing. If these three didn't say anything, no one would know.

Under the questioning of their siblings, Lin'an raised her chin even higher and proudly said, "It's Xu Qi'an, my subordinate."

She emphasized the second half of the sentence.

"Xu Qi'an?" The Fourth Prince frowned. "Isn't he Huai Qing's person?"

The Fourth Prince was Huai Qing's older brother.

"He is mine now. He swore allegiance to me," Lin'an boasted about her act of stealing Huai Qing's subordinate.

In the eyes of her siblings, she had always been bullied by Huai Qing. Now that she finally turned the tables, she couldn't contain her excitement. The more outstanding Xu Qi'an was, the happier she felt because it gave her a sense of accomplishment.

The princes and princesses burst into laughter, and the Fourth Prince frowned disapprovingly at Lin'an's act of stealing his sister's subordinate.

However, although he was the legitimate son of the Empress, his position should have been the highest. But in the end, the position of Crown Prince was passed to the eldest son from a concubine, Lin'an's older brother. Emperor Yuan Jing treated his other children equally, but he favored Lin'an and didn't like Huai Qing. This made the Fourth Prince even more uncertain.

The Empress had said that Huai Qing was strong and domineering, just like Emperor Yuan Jing when he was young, but she was even more talented. If she were a man, Emperor Yuan Jing would probably dislike her even more.

"Who does Xu Qi'an belong to?"

At this moment, a cold and textured voice came from outside the door. It was Huai Qing, the eldest daughter of the emperor, wearing a moonflower-colored palace dress.

The princes and princesses clearly saw Lin'an's arrogant demeanor instantly deflate when they saw Huai Qing. At first, she seemed unwilling and wanted to confront her, but then she became timid. Puffing her cheeks, she said loudly, "Half for each!"

She said the most timid words in the most arrogant tone.

Huai Qing chuckled.

She knew that Xu Qi'an was good at playing both sides and turning a blind eye. She tolerated it mainly because Lin'an was a foolish sister who posed no threat. Stealing people was just to annoy her.

If it were another prince who dared to steal from her, Huai Qing would fight back mercilessly, unlike with Lin'an, where she only scared her.

Huai Qing walked up to Lin'an, looked down at her, and said indifferently, "Move away, I want to sit here."

Lin'an raised her head and could only see Huai Qing's eyes. She couldn't see the lower half of her face because Huai Qing's annoying flesh blocked her view.

This made her feel frustrated. Not only was this sister more talented than her, but she also had a better figure. Apart from the Emperor's favor, she had nothing that could compare to Huai Qing.

Lin'an was a delicate girl. Being bullied by Huai Qing, she turned her head in grievance.

There was no way to fight back, and arguing would be beneath her identity as a princess. Moreover, Huai Qing was a scholar who spoke without being vulgar. She was no match for her.The Crown Prince coughed and came out to warm up the scene: "Huai Qing, don't compare yourself to Lin An, you are the older sister."

Huai Qing finally let go of Biao Biao and stopped bullying her.

.....

During the meal, the Crown Prince casually said, "Have you heard about the incident in the Imperial Study today?"

The Fourth Prince immediately said, "The Tablet of Restraint and the Transport Office?"

The Crown Prince nodded and smiled, "We don't need to interfere with the Transport Office, the court officials and Father will handle it. But the matter of the Tablet of Restraint is truly remarkable."

The Fourth Prince nodded, "You eat your food and receive your salary, while the common people suffer and the heavens are difficult to deceive!"

"Great poem!" Huai Qing's eyes lit up, and her beautiful face radiated brilliance.

She had always been silent, but the profound meaning of this poem made the eldest princess's heart surge, and she liked it even more than "After getting drunk, I don't know if the sky is in the water, and the faint fragrance floats in the moonlit dusk."

What a lousy poem, it lacks artistic conception... Biao Biao thought to herself.

Huai Qing stared at the Fourth Prince and asked, "Who wrote this poem?"

She never paid attention to the news in the palace.

The Crown Prince answered on behalf of her, "It was Xu Qi'an."

"Great poem!" Biao Biao clapped her hands on the table and praised loudly.

"That's his style." Huai Qing smiled.

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

"What do you mean by his style? It sounds like you know him well." Biao Biao habitually argued.

Huai Qing didn't want to bother, but seeing that the princes were all looking at her, she pondered for a moment and said:

"Xu Qi'an is a person who hates evil, disregards minor details for the greater good, unlike those hypocritical scholars who only talk big."

"Is it about the incident of beheading the gong?" the Crown Prince laughed.

"The other day, I chatted with Wei Gong and mentioned him," Huai Qing glanced at the princes, "Wei Gong said that since Xu Qi'an took office, he has never taken a single bribe."

"Then why do you say he disregards minor details?" Biao Biao felt that Huai Qing was defaming her beloved dog.

She glared fiercely at Huai Qing.

Princess Huai Qing said, "Xu Qi'an is obsessed with the Official Brothel Sector and often stays out all night. He has a close relationship with Fu Xiang, the top courtesan of the Jingcheng Jiaofang Bureau."

Biao Biao's smile gradually disappeared from her face. She widened her affectionate peach blossom eyes and said loudly, "You're talking nonsense."

She ate a few bites of food in silence, feeling that the food was no longer delicious. She threw down her chopsticks in anger and said, "I'm not eating anymore."

She got up, lifted her skirt, and left with her personal palace maid.

....

Lin An was angered and left, but it didn't affect everyone's meal. The Crown Prince felt a little embarrassed and raised his wine cup with a smile, allowing the banquet to continue.

After the banquet, Huai Qing returned to her palace and drank a large bowl of tea, then sat in her chamber to meditate and cultivate.

She had quietly advanced to the Qi Refining stage recently. She had talked to Wei Yuan about it for this reason.

Huai Qing had great talent, but she had always hidden it, not showing off. But as she grew older, she felt that she could appropriately improve her cultivation.

The main reason was that Emperor Yuan Jing hadn't mentioned the marriage of the princesses throughout the year.

Father was cultivating immortality, and Mother was even more indifferent. If Emperor Yuan Jing didn't mention it, she couldn't be bothered... Mother had always been like this. As the Empress, she was not enthusiastic about her duties and status.

"Your Highness, a letter has been sent from the mansion, sent from Qingzhou." The guard hurriedly came in.

The mansion referred to Huai Qing's mansion in the imperial city.

The letters of the princesses and princes generally couldn't enter the palace and would be delivered to their respective mansions.

Qingzhou? Princess Huai Qing thought it was a letter from Master Zi Yang and nodded, "Bring it over."

The guard respectfully handed it over and left.

Huai Qing opened the envelope, and the first sentence read: "When I wrote this letter, I had already arrived at the border of Qingzhou...."

Huai Qing knew that the letter was written by Xu Qi'an. The letter was long, two full pages. She focused and continued reading. When she read about the corruption case in the Transport Office in Yuzhou, Princess Huai Qing's face became serious.

As she read further, the tone suddenly became less serious. Because the subsequent content was not the tone of a subordinate reporting affairs to a superior, but more like a man speaking his heart to a woman he admired...

"Emerging from the mud without being stained, washing in clear water without being seductive, upright both inside and outside, far-reaching fragrance, pure and clean like a well-planted plant, can be admired from afar but not defiled...."

Princess Huai Qing repeated softly, immersed in the beautiful rhetoric, with images of blooming lotus flowers in her mind.

"Xu Ningyan doesn't study, it's a pity, a pity..." After saying that, Princess Huai Qing tilted the envelope and a withered lotus petal fell out.

Did this guy express his love to me in this letter? Princess Huai Qing fell into contemplation.

If I deliver this letter to the palace, he won't have enough heads to be chopped off.

She folded the envelope and stored it in a book she rarely read.

Then she eagerly called for a palace maid to grind ink and wrote down the golden phrases about lotus from the letter, hanging them in her study.

Looking at these words, Huai Qing's mouth curled up slightly.

....

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

"I don't know, ever since I came back from the Crown Prince, I've been feeling down."

"Maybe you were bullied by the Eldest Princess... but it doesn't seem like it. If you were bullied by the Eldest Princess, you would have cursed her loudly by now and not cared anymore."In the courtyard, several palace maids were gathered, chatting amongst themselves. Lin'an had just finished venting her anger, and only two personal maids remained in her bedroom. The others dared not risk her wrath.

"Your Highness, there's no need to be angry with Princess Huai Qing..." one of the personal maids advised.

"It's not her!" Lin'an retorted angrily, "It's that damn servant."

The two maids were stunned for a moment before they realized who "that damn servant" referred to. One of them had even been spanked by Xu Qi'an before.

The maids exchanged puzzled glances, thinking to themselves that the servant in question had been away from the capital for over half a month.

"How did he upset Your Highness again?"

"I don't know." Lin'an's expression was gloomy, "I just feel uncomfortable."

"???"

At that moment, a guard entered the courtyard, requesting to see Princess Lin'an. Seeing that it was a guard from their own mansion, the maid had no choice but to knock on the door:

"Your Highness, a guard from the mansion requests an audience. He says he has a letter for you, it's from Qingzhou."

A letter from Qingzhou? Lin'an was taken aback. Her social circle was small, consisting of her siblings in the palace, her royal cousins, and the families of some officials. Occasionally, they would write to her, inviting her to private tea parties held in their boudoirs.

But none of them were from Qingzhou.

"Who sent the letter?" the maid asked on her behalf.

"I don't know." the maid outside replied.

The personal maid glanced at Lin'an, and seeing her nod, she turned and called out, "Bring it in."

.....

PS: I had to run some errands this morning, which delayed the update. Shamelessly asking for monthly votes.