Not long after, the Fourteenth Princess arrived and formally paid her respects to the Empress.
The Empress glanced at the Fourteenth Princess without a word.
Feeling uneasy, the Fourteenth Princess asked softly, “May I inquire why Mother Empress summoned me?”
“Did you tell the Empress Dowager about the Lantern Festival incident?”
The Fourteenth Princess was taken aback.
The Empress’s gaze cooled slightly, her tone carrying a subtle warning: “The Empress Dowager is advanced in years. In the future, refrain from speaking carelessly in her presence. If something were to happen to her due to agitation, no one could bear that responsibility.”
The Fourteenth Princess lowered her head and asked quietly, “Did Mother Empress hear this from Grandmother?”
The Empress gave a faint “Mm” in response.
After a long silence, the Fourteenth Princess curtsied slightly: “Daughter understands.”
Seeing the Fourteenth Princess’s reaction, the Empress felt it unnecessary to be overly harsh.
The Fourteenth was a clever girl; a hint was enough. Saying more would only make her, as the Empress, appear petty.
“Alright, you may withdraw.”
“Daughter takes her leave.” Leaving Kunning Palace, the Fourteenth Princess looked up at the oppressive sky, feeling bewildered.
Grandmother told Mother that she had spoken about the Thirteenth Sister’s Lantern Festival incident. Why would Grandmother say such a thing—
The Fourteenth Princess paused, glancing towards Cining Palace.
What had happened at Grandmother’s place today?
If nothing had occurred, Mother, with her usual composure, wouldn’t have summoned her to Kunning Palace for a private word.
After pondering for a moment, the Fourteenth Princess bit her lip and headed to Princess Fuqing’s quarters.
Princess Fuqing was lost in thought, leaning against a folding screen when a palace maid announced the Fourteenth Princess’s arrival.
“Show her in,” Princess Fuqing said, straightening her clothes and rising to greet her visitor.
As the Fourteenth Princess approached, her slender frame seemed to carry a heavier burden than usual.
Princess Fuqing hesitated, asking, “Fourteenth Sister, is something troubling you?”
Blind for many years, she relied solely on her ears to perceive the world, making her particularly sensitive to subtle changes in voice.
The Fourteenth Princess smiled at Princess Fuqing: “It’s nothing. I was just bored and wanted to chat with Thirteenth Sister.”
Glancing at the attending palace maids, Princess Fuqing didn’t press further. She took the Fourteenth Princess’s arm and led her inside.
Soon, palace maids served tea and snacks.
Princess Fuqing handed a cup to the Fourteenth Princess, took one for herself, and gently said, “You may all withdraw.”
The two princesses were known to be close, often sharing private conversations. The palace maids saw nothing unusual and quickly left.
Princess Fuqing studied the Fourteenth Princess and asked, “Fourteenth Sister, what’s the matter?”
She hadn’t seemed this way when her Seventh Brother and Sister-in-law had just arrived.
Aware of Princess Fuqing’s perceptiveness despite her high status, the Fourteenth Princess forced a smile and said, “I was embroidering the ‘Ten Thousand Blessings’ screen when I accidentally pricked my finger. In my moment of panic, I couldn’t help but come to see Thirteenth Sister.”
With the Empress Dowager’s birthday approaching, the two princesses had planned to each embroider a screen—one with “Ten Thousand Longevity” and the other with “Ten Thousand Blessings”—to present as a set for the Empress Dowager’s birthday gift. The Fourteenth Princess was working on the “Ten Thousand Blessings” design.
When the Empress sent someone to call her, she had been embroidering a “Fu” character and pricked her finger in surprise at the summons.
The Prince of Yan and his wife were having lunch with Mother, and Mother suddenly sending for her meant something was amiss.
Princess Fuqing took the Fourteenth Princess’s hand and indeed saw a small pin prick on her left index finger. She chided gently, “How could you be so careless?”
“Thirteenth Sister, shall we go pay our respects to Grandmother earlier tomorrow?” The Fourteenth Princess followed her previous line of thought, subtly expressing concern for the Empress Dowager without arousing Princess Fuqing’s suspicion.
Princess Fuqing forced a smile: “I wonder if Grandmother will be in the mood to see us.”
The Fourteenth Princess immediately asked, “What’s wrong with Grandmother?”
Since the Fourteenth Princess had been present during the Xuande Tower incident, Princess Fuqing saw no need to conceal anything. She briefly recounted the matter with Maid Ping, concluding with a sigh: “Because of my situation, not only are Father Emperor and Mother Empress worried, but Grandmother is also distressed. It truly weighs heavily on my conscience—”
“Thirteenth Sister, don’t think that way. You’ve never offended anyone; those who scheme against you surely have deeper motives. This misfortune isn’t your fault; you’re the most innocent in all of this.”
Princess Fuqing sighed lightly: “I hope Father Emperor finds the troublemakers soon, or else everyone will remain unsettled.”
The Fourteenth Princess nodded in agreement.
After chatting for a while, the Fourteenth Princess returned to her chambers. Sitting on her bed, her mind was in complete disarray.
Grandmother knew about the Lantern Festival incident at Xuande Tower and told Father and Mother that she had spoken of it—but she hadn’t mentioned a word.
Grandmother had another source of information but couldn’t reveal it, so she casually attributed it to her.
Realizing this, the Fourteenth Princess smiled bitterly.
Grandmother was confident that even if she knew, she wouldn’t dare tell Father and Mother the truth, forcing her to swallow this bitter pill.
As insignificant as she was, how could she possibly tell Father and Mother that Grandmother had lied? It was unthinkable.
The Fourteenth Princess closed her eyes, picturing the Empress Dowager.
After a long while, a thought emerged: Was Grandmother truly as benevolent as she appeared?
Even the Thirteenth Sister didn’t know that she had used herself as bait to lure out Nanny Duo. Although she was unaware of Nanny Duo’s misdeeds, the fact that Father and Mother took it so seriously indicated that Nanny Duo was no ordinary person.
Nanny Duo was from Cining Palace, and so was Maid Ping. With Cining Palace producing one troublemaker after another, was it truly the peaceful haven it seemed beneath its tranquil surface?
Did the seemingly kind and uncontentious Grandmother know nothing?
The Fourteenth Princess shook her head slightly.
Human hearts were unfathomable. In this cold palace, she trusted no one except Thirteenth Sister, whose heart was as pure as crystal.
If Grandmother wasn’t as she appeared, could she be the one behind the attempts to harm Thirteenth Sister?
As this possibility crossed her mind, the Fourteenth Princess felt her heart plummet into an endless abyss. The thought terrified her, chilling her to the bone as if her hot blood had turned to ice.
She was truly afraid.
The glint of swords in the palace never drew blood, yet the deadliest strikes often came from those closest to you.
What should she do? Should she warn Father and Mother?
The Fourteenth Princess fidgeted anxiously, her heart simmering like oil in a pan.
In the end, she abandoned the idea.
Without evidence, running to Father to discuss Grandmother’s faults would likely result in nothing but a scolding.
As for Mother, she dared not take the risk either.
After much deliberation, the Fourteenth Princess made a silent vow: From now on, when visiting Cining Palace with Thirteenth Sister, she would remain vigilant. At the very least, she couldn’t let anyone harm Thirteenth Sister again.
When Yu Jin and Jiang Si returned to the Prince of Yan’s residence, Ahuan was still napping.
A large dog dozed by the small bed. Hearing movement, it looked up, saw the couple, and eagerly approached, sniffing Jiang Si’s hand, seeking praise.
It had lulled the young master to sleep today.
Jiang Si patted the dog’s head and said softly, “Keep Ahuan company.”
The couple left the side room and entered the main chamber to talk.
Yu Jin took a few sips of tea and sneered, “The Empress Dowager is indeed crafty. This move of sacrificing a pawn to protect the chariot is well played.”