“That old fool heard Nanqing’s name and his bones practically turned to jelly from fear.”

His face full of cold displeasure, Shen Qianyu tossed the imperial edict aside. Killing intent floated in his eyes, mixed with three parts vexation.

The Nanqing envoy delegation hadn’t even reached Dongning’s borders yet. Making him go receive them now meant he’d have to leave the capital for several months. How could he bear to be separated from Song Wan at such a time?

The two had only just opened their hearts to each other and were in the depths of passionate affection. Making him leave now was no different from asking for his life.

“Your Highness, please calm yourself.”

Wan Xiao stepped forward to pick up the edict again. “If Chenghui Song learns that Your Highness grew angry during the Empress’s mourning period…”

Shen Qianyu glared at him furiously. Wan Xiao shrugged. “She’ll likely think Your Highness lacks proper decorum.”

“Ridiculous. Would this prince lose his temper over such a trivial matter?”

He snorted coldly. “You’ll travel with me first today. Have the procession welcoming the Nanqing delegation follow behind.”

If he traveled under the Crown Prince’s full ceremonial entourage, he’d probably dawdle for half a year before reaching the border between the two nations.

“This subordinate is to accompany the Crown Prince?”

“You have nothing to do all day anyway. You might as well come with this prince.”

Having said this, Shen Qianyu had the eunuchs at his side pack things and prepare to depart.

When Song Wan received news in the palace that Shen Qianyu was leaving, her heart was also quite reluctant. However, she wasn’t one to openly express her emotions, and only had Heng Zhi and Heng Wu work through the night to pack many things and send them to the Zhongshan auxiliary palace.

“Wan’er, come quickly to greet me.”

Having just finished attending to the Crown Prince’s departure, Lu Youjun walked into Laiyi Pavilion wearing mourning garments with her maid, carrying a large bamboo basket. Song Wan went forward to receive her.

“What brings Liangyi Lu here today?”

After having Jinshu take the items, she quickly poured tea for the panting Lu Youjun.

Lu Youjun drank a large gulp before saying in a low voice, “Didn’t the Crown Prince receive an edict to go welcome the Nanqing delegation? The journey will be long and arduous—he probably won’t eat or sleep well.”

“We sisters gathered some things together, thinking you could send them to the Crown Prince along with yours.”

Song Wan nodded. “I’ve also prepared some items here. We can send them together when the time comes.”

Lu Youjun voiced her agreement but looked dispirited.

During the Empress’s mourning period, no livestock could be slaughtered inside or outside the capital for a hundred days, meaning she couldn’t eat meat or drink wine for a long while, and couldn’t even listen to Liangyi Qi play the zither or sing.

This was truly no small torment for her.

Seeing Lu Youjun’s heart full of distress, Song Wan couldn’t help but comfort her. “His Highness has Wan Xiao and Ji Rong looking after him on this journey, so nothing will go wrong. Moreover, though His Highness was a hostage in Nanqing for many years, things are different now. When he encounters those Nanqing people again, he won’t be bullied and humiliated as in the past.”

“You needn’t worry too much.”

“Ah… that’s true indeed.”

Lu Youjun nodded vacantly, embarrassed as she went along with Song Wan’s words and nodded.

Seeing she still looked worried and unhappy, Song Wan said, “The candied hawthorn that Heng Zhi made a few days ago should be ready now. I’ll have her fetch you two jars.”

“How could I impose like this?”

Lu Youjun’s round, plump face reddened as she smiled shyly with pursed lips. “It’s not too much trouble, is it?”

Seeing the layer of pink suffuse the young girl’s tender face, Song Wan couldn’t help but feel fond.

In the Eastern Palace, only Lu Youjun and Zhang Baozhen were younger. The two young ladies had gentle and kind temperaments that greatly pleased Song Wan’s heart, so she always couldn’t help taking extra care of them.

Moreover, she’d heard that recently Lu Youjun’s mother and younger sister had entered the palace and immediately demanded three thousand taels of silver from her. When Lu Youjun couldn’t produce it, they forced her to let Fourth Miss Lu lodge overnight in the Eastern Palace.

The Lu family’s intentions were all too obvious, though their methods were rather unseemly.

Heng Zhi said the Lu family had made quite a commotion for a while, and it was only when Liangdi Shang intervened that the Lu family members were finally sent away.

Song Wan sighed softly, feeling inexplicably melancholy.

The Lu family had decided Lu Youjun couldn’t gain favor and hastily abandoned her. It was truly too cold-hearted.

“Take this candied hawthorn back with you, but don’t be greedy and eat too much.”

Carefully packing the items into a red lacquered wooden carrying box, Song Wan instructed meticulously, “Hawthorn aids digestion and moves stagnant qi, and can strengthen the stomach and widen the diaphragm, but eating too much damages the teeth and causes restlessness and hunger.”

“You tend to have poor digestion. If your spleen and stomach feel uncomfortable, dissolve a few pieces in your mouth or steep them in water.”

Lu Youjun nodded, her heart full of joy.

Only after entering the Eastern Palace had anyone spoken to her with such gentleness. It was truly incomparably better than the Lu residence. When she was at the Lu residence, even the servants loved to gossip about her behind her back, cursing her as crude and stupid.

Lu Youjun said gratefully, “I’ll tell Ying Hong to watch over me so I don’t eat too much.”

The palace maid named Ying Hong nodded and made note of it. Only then did the two leave Laiyi Pavilion.

After seeing them off, Song Wan returned to the study to read.

Her rank was low, so she wasn’t qualified to offer incense to the Empress. Though she could normally visit Liangdi Shang’s quarters when free to drink tea and chat with everyone, now she couldn’t walk about freely and risk violating taboos.

Everyone in the rear palace was stifled like Song Wan for a full twenty-seven days before they could finally wear plain clothes and leave their own quarters to gather with others.

On the very first day they went to Shang Rong’s quarters, the moment the seven women—Liangdi Shang and Wu, Liangyi Qi, Zhao, Zhang, and Lu, plus Song Wan—laid eyes on each other, they all let out long sighs in their hearts.

Somehow, after just a few months together, they had all developed considerable deep affection for one another.

“Has Liangdi Shang not been resting well recently?”

Wu Xixiang inquired gently. As time passed, everyone had grown accustomed to the mark on her face, and now she no longer concealed it, making her much more comfortable than when she was at home.

Shang Rong pressed her chest, her face showing difficulty as she nodded.

With the Empress’s death, the sound of sutra chanting frequently emerged from the palace. She found it vexing and couldn’t rest properly, so during this period her restless irritation had actually made her illness worse.

Seeing this, Qi Qingling grew worried and stepped forward, saying softly, “My grandmother at home also frequently suffered headaches. I learned a massage technique for soothing the meridians. If Liangdi Shang doesn’t mind, shall I give you a massage?”

Everyone knew that years ago Shang Rong had been knocked down and bitten by a wolf at a temple. These chanting sounds must have triggered many unpleasant memories, affecting her rest and causing this condition.

Though Qi Qingling was worried in her heart, she dared not step forward easily because of her six fingers.

But Shang Rong said, “Good child, please do so quickly. This pain has been tormenting me terribly.”

She smiled weakly and lay down on the daybed.

Seeing no disgust in Shang Rong’s expression, Qi Qingling extended her hands and gently massaged her forehead. The several women in the room quietly withdrew, but unwilling to leave entirely, they all sat in the courtyard.

Among them some were literate and some had never studied, so when they gathered together they mostly engaged in casual conversation.

Lu Youjun spoke of eating fried cakes from an alley when she was young. Those fried cakes were crispy on the outside, glutinous inside, fragrant and sweet—the most delicious thing she’d ever eaten.

Wu Xixiang said, “I was my family’s only daughter, but was born with this evil mark on my face, which truly caused my father much trouble. On the day I entered the Eastern Palace, it was the first time I saw Father cry so terribly.”

Song Wan shook her head slightly. “How can a mark carried from the womb be called an evil mark? People love to find excuses to maliciously misinterpret things, or fabricate baseless rumors to vent the evil thoughts in their hearts. It’s truly laughable.”

The thin and withered Zhang Baozhen said upon hearing this, “Exactly, exactly. As if Liangyi Wu’s mark could jump off her face at night and slap the mouths of those who speak such nonsense!”

With several snorts of laughter, everyone covered their mouths and giggled together.

Zhao Nanzhang also laughed, saying, “That’s absolutely right.”

When she came of age, her mother died in childbirth along with the baby. After observing mourning for three years, her grandfather and grandmother also passed away in succession. She was delayed past her marriageable years and was spread about as a demon by the world, yet she hadn’t brought misfortune to anyone since marrying into the Eastern Palace.

The several women exchanged glances and all smiled knowingly.

They only knew that people in the world were ignorant. If they lived according to others’ words, how could they be as comfortable as they were today?