Miss Wang, formerly known as Wang Yuxin, was the second daughter of the deputy director of the Ministry of Works. Shao Wanru didn’t know her. When Shao Yanru talked to this young lady today, she had just taken a few glances at her. Shao Yanru happened to stand in front of Miss Wang Yuxin, so Shao Wanru didn’t see what Miss Wang looked like. She had not expected this Miss Wang to be Wang Yuxin, but Shao Yanru had beaten around the bush when they talked and just mentioned her name in the end as if she had only thought of this Miss Wang that moment.
Shao Wanru couldn’t accompany her to see Pushan Nun. She had no relationship with Pushan Nun in the first place and had a problem with Pushan Nun’s two disciples. More importantly, with her bad relationship with Shao Yanru, she would never risk it to accompany her to meet Pushan Nun in such a place. In the imperial palace, a wrong word or a wrong action could lead to ruin. It would be impossible for any other girl who was at odds with her sister to agree to such a request. Shao Yanru’s request was doomed to fail. As for the explanation later, it was a trivial matter. Compared with the previous things, Shao Wanru would agree to such a trivial matter.
It seemed that this was the key to Shao Yanru’s conversation this time. Her last request that she said she almost forgot was her real purpose. Wang Yuxin―Miss Wang―Concubine Wang, was bad-tempered and jealous. She was indeed Shao Yanru’s friend in her previous life, and the relationship between the two of them had always been very good. When Shao Yanru was Shao Zhaoyi, Concubine Wang had always been attached to her. She spoke ill of Shao Wanru to Shao Yanru and helped Shao Yanru torture her. Sometimes when Shao Yanru put on a dignified and gentle image, this Concubine Wang would be a vicious helper by her side.
But later, Concubine Wang died inexplicably as she jumped into a lake in the winter and drowned. At that time, Shao Wanru saw this scene with her own eyes, so she remembered it very clearly. The lake Concubine Wang jumped into was not far from Chuxiu Palace. Standing at the back window of the attic that Chu Liuchen had prepared for her, she could see it from a distance.
It was a coincidence that day. She happened to be standing at the back window when she saw Concubine Wang running over and then jumping directly into the water. In the winter, the water was cold, so the court maids and eunuchs who came after her didn’t dare to jump into the water casually. Only a few loyal ones did so, and by the time the emperor got the news and came over, Concubine Wang had already been dead. Shao Wanru remembered that she was very happy when she saw that because she had been stabbed with a needle secretly by Concubine Wang the day before, and her wrist was so swollen that she couldn’t even hold a paintbrush.
“Was there anything wrong with Miss Wang?” Yujie said anxiously, “If there was, why did you agree to see her? You should have just declined!”
“There’s no need to decline. This time, I want to see what Miss Wang and Shao Yanru are up to!” Shao Wanru smiled in a low voice, and her eyes were cold and dark.
She was not the isolated and helpless painter she had been in her previous life, and the two of them had not become the concubines of the emperor. As far as status was concerned, her current status was higher than that of this Miss Wang Yuxin, so she was not afraid to meet her again. When Miss Wang Yuxin came over, Shao Wanru was talking with Shao Caihuan in the latter’s room. When she heard the knock on the door of Shao Yanru’s room, Shao Caihuan sent the maid to go over and take a look, and the maid brought Wang Yuxin over.
Wang Yuxin wearing a goose-yellow palace dress was also very beautiful. She even looked very kind and sweet, and there was not a hint of her vicious and mean look as Shao Yanru’s accomplice in the previous life.
“Nice to see you, Third Miss Shao, Fifth Miss Shao!” After bowing to the two sisters politely, she stood up with a smile and introduced herself.
“Miss Wang, please sit down!” Shao Caihuan was the host here, so she politely invited her to take a seat with a smile.
Shao Wanru smiled slightly and did not say anything. She just looked Miss Wang up and down, as if it were the first time she had seen her. It would not be until three years later when Wang Yuxin became an arrogant and powerful imperial concubine that they would meet again, according to what happened in her previous life. But Miss Wang wasn’t arrogant at all right now.
The three girls talked and laughed very harmoniously, though it was mostly Wang Yuxin and Shao Caihuan talking. Shao Wanru was just smiling and looking at them from the side. She occasionally drank tea and responded to them.
“Fifth Miss Shao, are you willing to stay or leave?” Suddenly, Wang Yuxin turned the topic to Shao Wanru with a smile as she looked at her with a kind face.
“Well… it is not something we can decide!” Shao Wanru smiled slightly and said in a leisurely manner. She sat in a seat behind them and didn’t seem to talk much. She would not have been noticed, but she was too beautiful not to be seen as a threat wherever she went.
As Wang Yuxin thought of what Shao Yanru had said to her before, her eyes twitched fiercely. Originally, Shao Yanru was the one who made her feel most threatened. Before entering the palace, she knew that Shao Yanru was hailed as the number one beauty. A girl with such a reputation was bound to be her strongest opponent. However, she saw not only Shao Yanru, but also the even prettier Shao Wanru.
Compared to Shao Yanru, who looked gentle and generous, Shao Wanru in front of her was her ultimate opponent.
“I heard that you know Prince Yue.” Wang Yuxin pretended not to care. Upon hearing the words, Shao Caihuan looked at Shao Wanru. She didn’t know about it.
“Prince Yue?” Shao Wanru frowned and shook her head. “I only saw him from a distance.”
“Have you only seen him once? I heard that His Royal Highness Prince Xin and Prince Yue met you together. His Royal Highness Prince Xin even went to Duke Xing’s Mansion to see you,” Wang Yuxin asked with a look of surprise.
Shao Caihuan looked at Shao Wanru with some suspicion. She seemed to have heard the people in the mansion mention it, but she didn’t know if it was true or not. Now, she realized that it might be true. Shao Wanru’s face darkened, and her cold eyes fell on Wang Yuxin as she asked, “What do you mean, Miss Wang? Don’t you know that the most forbidden thing in the palace is baseless rumors? If you want to know whether what I’ve said is true, then we’ll go to see the empress now and ask her to invite Prince Xin and Prince Yue over to confront them in person. It’s better than you having your suspicion in private, which will ruin my reputation!”
Shao Wanru stood up as she spoke as if she was about to confront them. Wang Yuxin was stunned for a moment before her face was flushed and her limbs trembled. She hadn’t expected that a simple tentative remark would lead to such angry refutation from Shao Wanru. But if they took it up with the empress, she would look bad. She was now angry and vindictive and regretted having spoken so bluntly.
Shao Yanru had warned her repeatedly not to talk about this kind of thing. But she had found Shao Wanru sitting on the side and looking very kind, so she couldn’t resist asking the stupid question.
“Fifth Miss, it’s just some rumors I heard, and they can’t be taken seriously. So why bother the empress with it?” Although Wang Yuxin was angry and vindictive, she had to apologize.
She got into a quarrel with others over some rumors when she first arrived in the palace, and if the empress found out about it, she would immediately be sent home. She was not young anymore, and she had remained unmarried until now for this draft, so she couldn’t afford to go back.
“It would be the best that you think so. I don’t mind it, but I’m afraid that His Royal Highness Prince Xin and Prince Yue will pursue the matter. Although it is Chuxiu Palace and it is more remote, it is still in the palace. If the two princes investigate it, I’m afraid you and even your father might be punished!” Shao Wanru said lightly.
She turned to Shao Caihuan and said, “Third Sister, I’m not feeling well. I’ve got to go. Goodbye, Third Sister!”
“Since you are not feeling well, go back!” Shao Caihuan nodded.
Seeing Shao Wanru leaving, Wang Yuxin was ashamed and annoyed. She almost tore the handkerchief in her hand. Unexpectedly, Shao Wanru, who looked like a pushover, was so difficult to deal with. She had been fooled by her and accidentally said what was on her mind just now.
“Third Miss, I’ve got to leave, too. I have been out for so long, so it’s time to go back!” Wang Yuxin smiled dryly and stood up.
Shao Caihuan also stood up, saying, “Then I will see you to the door!”
“Third Miss, you’re so kind. See you!” Wang Yuxin was really in a bad mood, so while tugging at her handkerchief, she refused.
She was too angry to deal with Shao Caihuan now. After saying this, she turned around and walked out without waiting for Shao Caihuan to say anything.
She went out of the room and saw Shao Wanru’s back and glared bitterly at her before leaving angrily. She had come to see Shao Wanru because Shao Wanru’s looks gave her a great sense of crisis. But now it seemed true that something was going on between Shao Wanru and Prince Yue, otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to suggest asking the empress to invite Prince Yue over to confront her. Was she so sure that Prince Yue would back her up?
His Royal Highness Prince Yue and Shao Wanru had known each other long before, and Shao Wanru was likely to be chosen as the Princess this time, which made her angry. She had also known Prince Yue for a long time, and he was always quite fond of her. Besides, her father had also implied that she should wait for the beauty draft. But in her capacity, she was at most a side concubine, and she would not be reconciled that the Princess would be Shao Wanru.
She went out and turned in one direction, then went straight to the outside of the palace. At this time, Prince Yue might be there and it was the place he had hinted to her before entering the palace last time.
“Where is your incense, Miss?” The maid walking behind her reminded her.
After Wang Yuxin stood still, she took out a small piece of incense from her sleeve and tried to throw it away.
“Miss, don’t throw it away now. If someone sees us, it will be bad!” The maid pointed at the gate of Chuxiu Palace where a maid was looking at them with surprise.
“Let’s go. We’ll talk later!” Wang Yuxin put the incense back in her sleeve and said coldly. She would have planned to put the incense in the incense burner in Shao Wanru’s room, but she hadn’t expected that Shao Wanru would be in Shao Caihuan’s room instead of her own!