Chu Qing had several young maids serve her as she changed into a lotus-colored ruqun. The hem of the skirt was adorned with pomegranate flowers embroidered with gold thread, exuding nobility amidst its simplicity.
It took Chu Qing three months to get used to the face in the mirror.
Compared with her previous self, Chu Qing's appearance was far from imposing. Instead, it was extraordinarily... seductive?
This kind of appearance did seem unsuitable for her status.
But since this body was now hers, she could still effortlessly exude an air of grace and dignity.
Running her hand across her still somewhat unfamiliar face, Chu Qing couldn't help but click her tongue.
The skin of young people was really good!
It was as delicate and fair as jade fat, so tender that it seemed a gentle puff of air could break it!
She told Lvluo to do a suitable hair bun for her. Now, her face no longer looked so seductive.
By the time she was done tidying up, more than half an hour had passed since the side concubine's arrival.
The sun was shining brightly outside.
Taking a sip of tea, Chu Qing calmly said:
"Is she still outside?"
"Yes, she is."
A hint of meaning flashed in Chu Qing's eyes as she whispered with a sneer, "She has quite some patience."
"Let her in." As she said this, Chu Qing looked up at the door.
Lvluo nodded and opened the door. Then, a figure in water-red slowly walked in.
Chu Qing leaned back in her seat and squinted her eyes to size the person up.
Looking so frail and pitiful, it was really easy to arouse people's sympathy!
The Prince of Ning was really lucky!
"Greetings, Sister Princess~" The soft and delicate voice came from the woman's mouth, making Chu Qing's heart skip a beat.
This voice was so seductive that it made her, an "old soul", feel as if her bones were about to melt. Chu Qing couldn't help but shiver her sleeves.
Seeing that Chu Qing didn't respond, the side concubine Xu Xin couldn't help but curl her lips. She lowered her eyes and continued to pretend to be timidly, "Your servant greets Sister Princess~"
Only then did Chu Qing notice that the side concubine had only slightly curtsied and didn't perform the proper greeting.
Chu Qing smiled and slightly shifted her body to one side. She said softly, "Sister seems to have been living quite comfortably these days. Even your etiquette has become a bit rusty."
Xu Xin's body stiffened, and she suddenly looked up at Chu Qing.
It was still the same Chu Qing as before. At this moment, she was smiling at her, as bright as ever. It irritated Xu Xin deeply!
Xu Xin stared fixedly at Chu Qing. Chu Qing still had a smile on her face, and there was real amusement in the depths of her eyes. It didn't seem like she was faking it.
But why did she always feel a bit uneasy?
At this moment, Chu Qing couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Did Xu Xin think she could size her up? She would probably need to live another thirty years to be a match for her.
In her decades of life, she had seen all kinds of villains.
"It was just a joke. Why is Sister in a daze?" Chu Qing lowered her head to play with her fingernails and slowly broke the silence.
Xu Xin squinted her eyes, then curled her lips. Her eyes instantly became misty:
"Please don't scare me, Sister. I know you must be blaming me for not coming to visit you for so long. It's just that..." At this point, Xu Xin's face actually turned red.
Chu Qing raised her eyebrows but didn't say a word. She just quietly waited for the rest.
Xu Xin looked up at Chu Qing. The other woman was looking at her tenderly. Xu Xin scoffed inwardly at what a fool. But on her face, she still looked shy:
"Because the Prince of Ning has often asked me to accompany him recently. I really couldn't get away. Today... today the Prince is out on business, so I finally got the chance to visit you. Also, Sister, please don't be sad that the Prince hasn't come to see you for so long. He will surely change his mind one day."
Hearing Xu Xin almost finish speaking in one breath, Chu Qing guessed that she was probably afraid of being interrupted.
Chu Qing paused in the act of drinking tea and couldn't help but want to curl her lips.
She wasn't so jealous of a youngster that she would lose her mind. Even if it was someone she loved, if the other person was deliberately provoking her, she would be a fool if she couldn't tell.
As an "old woman" who had passed the age of romantic love, having to face the jealousy and rivalry of young people over love made Chu Qing feel bored.
Life was long. If one relied on feelings to live, it would be too pathetic.
Or, a few glasses of wine would also be quite pleasant.
Although the alcohol tolerance of this young girl's body was really disappointing!
Seeing Chu Qing lean back as if she was exhausted, Xu Xin couldn't help but curl her lips proudly.
Was she jealous? Xu Xin let out a long sigh of relief in her heart.
Chu Qing caught a glimpse of Xu Xin's little action out of the corner of her eye and rubbed the space between her eyebrows.
"Would Sister like to take a stroll by the lake with me?" Xu Xin said with a smiling pout.
Looking at Xu Xin's expression that clearly said "I'm about to frame you!", Chu Qing continued to rub the space between her eyebrows helplessly and nodded.
Oh well. It had been a long time since she had seen these tricks. She wondered if there were any new ones.
Only taking Lvluo with her, Chu Qing followed Xu Xin out of the courtyard.
It was the first time she had walked out in these three months.
If possible, she could actually stay in her courtyard until the end of her life.
However, there were always people trying to harm her, whether it was Shangguan Wanyu or Chu Qing.
On the way, Xu Xin chatted on and off about things like the popular colors and styles of ruqun in the capital recently and the new designs of hairpins. All these revealed the Prince of Ning's attitude towards her. By the way, she also comforted Chu Qing not to be discouraged. The Prince would surely discover her goodness someday.
As for Chu Qing, she responded absent-mindedly while her thoughts involuntarily drifted to that study.
That painting.
Was it really a painting of... her...
No, to be precise, was it really a painting of Shangguan Wanyu?
"Sister, don't think this lake is not worth seeing now. When summer comes, the lotus flowers in the lake are extremely beautiful!"
"Sister, Sister, are you listening?" Seeing that Chu Qing seemed absent-minded, Xu Xin shook her sleeve dissatisfiedly.
Chu Qing came back to her senses. She was stunned for a moment before answering, "Does Sister often go in and out of the Prince's study?"
Hearing this, Xu Xin couldn't help but straighten her back. "Yes, the Prince always asks me to accompany him in the study!"
"Is there a painting in the study?"
"Yes, that painting is simply... Eh? How does Sister know?"
"Have you ever noticed what's in the painting?"
"Of course I have! The painting is... " Just as Chu Qing was eagerly waiting for Xu Xin to tell her who was in the painting, she saw Xu Xin's face change as if she had seen something behind her. Then she let out a scream, "Sister, what are you doing!"
After that, she fell backward and was about to fall into the lake.
Chu Qing frowned with a headache. Well, she had been so preoccupied with that painting that she had accidentally fallen into this little girl's trap and unconsciously followed her to the lake.
This kind of drama that had been staged by different people since ancient times was still so popular these days!
Pushing someone into the lake. No matter how innocent one was, it would be hard to defend oneself!
Looking at Xu Xin's proud face, Chu Qing squinted her eyes, smiled, and then reached out to grab the corner of Xu Xin's clothes.
Then, with two thuds, both of them fell into the water.
Since she wanted to frame her, they might as well fall into the water together. She wanted to see how this little girl could talk her way out of it!
Although it was already early spring, the water in the lake was still bone-chillingly cold. Chu Qing gulped down the lake water. Xu Xin was holding onto her tightly beside her. She could faintly hear the panicked voices of the guards and maids and the calm and composed voice of the Prince of Ning giving orders.
Tsk, the Prince of Ning was really there.
These youngsters didn't even come up with a new trick to amuse her, an "old woman".
Thinking of this, Chu Qing let out a long sigh, gulping down more water.