Seeing Song Yihuan answer so firmly that she didn't seem to be lying, Song Nanxin's hanging heart finally settled down a bit.
Suddenly remembering something, her face darkened even more.
Song Yihuan had just said that she had never used any perfume paste. So this fragrance could only be her natural body scent.
Song Nanxin was secretly surprised at Ji Lingchuan's sensitive sense of smell. He could actually detect something unusual from the fragrance. At the same time, she felt extremely jealous.
It was bad enough that this younger sister had a charming appearance, but she even had a natural body scent. Just like her mother, she was born to seduce men!
But Ji Lingchuan had already noticed the difference in their body scents. She had to find a way to deal with it. Otherwise, the matter of her finding someone to take her place on the wedding night would be exposed. She wouldn't be able to continue being the Princess Consort of Prince Ning, and she would become the laughingstock of the capital!
Song Nanxin warned, "Don't mention the fragrance to anyone. If someone asks, just say you used the perfume paste I gave you. Do you understand?"
Song Yihuan looked at her elder sister. Her clear and innocent deer-like eyes seemed to see through her completely. She gently parted her cherry lips and replied, "I understand, sister."
After getting clear about what happened last night, Song Nanxin remembered something and called out to Song Yihuan who was about to leave.
"The fifteenth is coming in a couple of days. The Princess Consort of Prince Ning plans to take me and the Prince to the Avalokitesvara Temple to offer incense. You can also take Xuan'er with you. The Princess Consort and the Prince have both agreed."
Song Yihuan was a bit stunned.
They were going to the Avalokitesvara Temple to pray for blessings on the fifteenth? And with the Princess Consort of Prince Ning and Ji Lingchuan?
This could have been a great chance for her to escape.
It was a pity that her elder sister was too vigilant. In order to keep an eye on them, she even took the risk of being seen through and brought both of them along.
However, Song Yihuan was a bit hesitant. Her younger brother had a heart disease, and it wasn't suitable for him to go out on such a hot day.
But she was even more worried about leaving her younger brother in this strange Prince Ning's Mansion. This wasn't their home, but a terrifying cage.
Forget it. They would go together. She would pay more attention and take good care of him.
"Okay. I'll take Xuan'er with me and leave on time that day."
"Wait a minute," Song Nanxin said.
She turned around and went into the inner room. After a while, she came back with a very eye-catching purple dress and a hairpin in her hands. She said to Song Yihuan,
"In front of others, you're my younger sister and also a young lady from the Marquis Mansion of Ding'an. Since you're going out with the Princess Consort this time, you need to dress up carefully. Take this dress and jewelry back. Remember to wear them when you go to the Avalokitesvara Temple."
Song Yihuan looked down at the dress Song Nanxin handed to her. The fabric was delicate and smooth to the touch, of top quality. Needless to say, the jewelry was also very valuable at first sight.
Prince Ning was the younger brother of the late emperor, and the Princess Consort of Prince Ning was the younger sister of the current Empress Dowager. In the capital, the status and honor of Prince Ning's Mansion were unparalleled. If she was going out with the Princess Consort, she really couldn't dress too shabbily, so as not to disgrace both families outside.
Without much thought, Song Yihuan took the things and calmly said, "Thank you, sister."
After leaving Yixiang Pavilion with the dress and jewelry given by Song Nanxin, Song Yihuan returned to Tinglan Courtyard and told Chunxing and Song Yixuan about the plan to go out on the fifteenth.
The little guy was extremely happy when he heard this. He hugged Song Yihuan's thigh and kept asking,
"Sister Yihuan, is Sister Nanxin really going to take us out to play?"
Song Yihuan smiled and pinched his face. "Yes. We're going to the Avalokitesvara Temple to worship the Bodhisattva. Xuan'er can go out and see the world with Sister Nanxin this time."
Song Yixuan was just a child. He quickly forgot the dissatisfaction he had towards Song Nanxin a few days ago. He said crisply, "Sister Nanxin is really kind to us."
Song Yihuan took out a handkerchief and wiped Song Yixuan's face. She lowered her eyes to hide her true emotions.
She wouldn't let Xuan'er know anything about what Song Nanxin had done to her and the grievances she had suffered.
She hoped that her younger brother would be happy all his life. All the hardships and pains would be borne by her alone.
The next day.
A figure sneaked out from the back door of Prince Ning's Mansion and walked towards the busiest street in the city.
She wore a veil hat on her head to cover her face, but the wind blew up the white veil on the brim of the hat, revealing her true face. It was Baizhi, the senior maid beside Song Nanxin.
Baizhi walked around in the Western Market and the Eastern Market respectively. Then she went to the Hu People's Street. She didn't return to Prince Ning's Mansion until nearly 1 pm.
In Shulan Courtyard, Yixiang Pavilion.
Song Nanxin was sitting in front of the dressing table. The table was filled with all kinds of porcelain bottles of perfume paste. She picked up one and smelled it in front of her nose. Then she frowned and threw it aside.
"This is not it. The smell is too strong."
Baizhi beside her quickly handed another one up. "Miss, try this one."
Song Nanxin smelled it and said, "This is not it either. The smell is even more wrong. It smells more like osmanthus than apricot flowers."
These porcelain bottles in front of her were the perfume paste with the smell of apricot flowers sold in the market.
Song Nanxin had always been worried about the fragrance. Thinking that she would go to the Avalokitesvara Temple to offer incense tomorrow and would have to share a carriage with Ji Lingchuan, she had asked Baizhi to secretly go out early in the morning to buy back all the apricot-flavored perfume paste on sale in the market.
She must find the perfume paste with a smell similar to Song Yihuan's, so as not to let Ji Lingchuan notice anything wrong!
The porcelain bottles on the table gradually decreased. Song Nanxin had tried twenty bottles of perfume paste, but none of them was what she wanted. She even felt dizzy and her stomach twitched because she had smelled too much.
She casually picked up one, opened the lid, and a fresh fragrance rushed into her nose, making her feel refreshed.
Song Nanxin's eyes lit up a bit. "This is the smell. This is the smell!"
She hurriedly stuffed the perfume paste into Baizhi's hands. "Quickly check which shop it's from. From now on, whenever you see this kind of perfume paste with this smell, buy as much as you can for me!"
Baizhi replied, "Yes."
Early the next morning, because they were going to the Avalokitesvara Temple, which was twenty miles outside the capital city, to pray for blessings and offer incense, Song Nanxin got up early to wash and dress up.
After changing her clothes, coiling up her hair, and putting on her jewelry, she took the bottle of perfume paste that Baizhi had found yesterday. She opened the lid, took out some perfume paste, and carefully applied it behind her ears, on the side of her neck, and on her wrists.
After doing all this, Song Nanxin looked at Baizhi. Baizhi nodded slightly. Then Song Nanxin led a group of servants and walked towards Songhe Courtyard.
When she arrived at Songhe Courtyard, Ji Lingchuan was already sitting in the room accompanying the Princess Consort of Prince Ning. Song Nanxin bowed respectfully and greeted the Princess Consort. Then she and Ji Lingchuan each supported one side of the Princess Consort and walked towards the outside of the main gate.
All the way, Song Nanxin was telling interesting stories about her childhood visits to the Avalokitesvara Temple to amuse the Princess Consort. The Princess Consort was really amused by her. She covered her lips and bent over with laughter. When they walked out of the main gate of the mansion and were about to walk towards the carriage parked in front, the Princess Consort suddenly stopped and looked back.
"This is..."
Ji Lingchuan followed his mother's gaze and saw a slim figure in light green holding a four-year-old child standing far behind the carriage team.
The woman wore a veil hat, so it was hard to see her face clearly. But Ji Lingchuan immediately guessed her identity.
Song Yihuan.
Ji Lingchuan silently pronounced this name between his lips and teeth.