The Princess of Ningqin, supported by an old nurse, got into the leading carriage. Song Nanxin stepped on the footstool and climbed into the carriage as well.
Out of the corner of her eye, Song Nanxin caught sight of Song Yihuan not far away. She deliberately sprained her foot and fell to one side.
As she wished, her elbow was caught by the man's broad palm. Song Nanxin steadied herself with the man's strength, feeling quite proud.
Just as she was about to lean on Ji Lingchuan, the hand supporting her suddenly moved away, causing Song Nanxin to almost fall under the carriage.
From being supported to having the support removed, it happened in the blink of an eye. It was so fast that even she didn't have time to react, let alone others.
Sure enough, Song Yihuan didn't notice what was going on here at all. She had already taken Song Yixuan into the carriage.
Song Nanxin was extremely annoyed. Looking back, she met Ji Lingchuan's scrutinizing eyes. The man said, "It's time to set off. Don't keep Mother Princess waiting."
Song Nanxin had no choice but to hold back her anger and ducked into the carriage.
After everyone had got into the carriages, a loud "Let's go!" was heard, and the convoy set off in the direction of the Avalokitesvara Temple outside the city.
In the second carriage, since Ji Lingchuan got in, he had been sitting upright with his eyes closed, taking a rest. Song Nanxin was sitting opposite him, also sitting upright, showing the proper demeanor of a noble young lady from a marquis's family.
The carriage was not small. Sitting on opposite sides in this enclosed space, they could both feel each other's presence. Ji Lingchuan also smelled the faint, delicate fragrance of apricot blossoms wafting from across.
He opened his eyes and looked at the person sitting opposite.
When apricot blossoms first bloom, their fragrance is delicate and elegant, but at the end of their blooming period, the fragrance becomes a bit stronger.
The apricot - blossom fragrance he smelled on her body a few days ago was more like that of newly - blooming apricot blossoms, while now it seemed more like the fragrance of apricot blossoms at the end of their blooming period.
"Did you change your perfume paste?" Ji Lingchuan asked.
Song Nanxin's heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously tightened her sleeves.
Bai Zhi clearly said that the fragrance on her body was no different from that on Song Yihuan's. How could he tell the difference? What was his nose made of?
Trying to calm her pounding heart, Song Nanxin immediately thought of a way to deal with it. She whispered, "Yes. I don't know what happened to the previous bottle of perfume paste. I couldn't find it, so I opened a new one."
The perfume paste was missing? Ji Lingchuan thought of the hairpin that she said had disappeared for no reason. He vaguely guessed what was going on.
This was a matter between his wife and his sister - in - law. He didn't say much and closed his eyes again.
After being questioned by him just now, Song Nanxin's palms were sweaty. But it seemed that she had managed to hide it.
Fortunately, she and Bai Zhi had staged a play about the missing hairpin in front of him before. Now, even if he smelled the same fragrance on Song Yihuan, he probably wouldn't suspect anything. He would only think that Song Yihuan had stolen her perfume paste and was deliberately imitating her.
However, he was so perceptive that this trick probably wouldn't work on him many times. She had to think of other ways in the future.
In the spacious and magnificent leading carriage, the Princess of Ningqin was leaning against the soft and comfortable cushion behind her, turning a string of Buddhist beads in her hand.
At this moment, she was also discussing Song Yihuan and her younger brother with the old nurse.
"Counting the days, the younger brother and sister of the Crown Princess have been living in the Prince's Mansion for about half a month, right?"
Nurse Chen was kneading the Princess of Ningqin's legs and replied, "Yes, they have."
"I only saw them once when they first entered the mansion. I still remember that the Crown Princess's younger sister was extremely gorgeous. One could tell at a glance that she was an unruly girl. I was worried before that after Chuan'er came back, this brother and sister would take advantage of the Crown Princess's influence and show off in front of Chuan'er, disrupting the rules. Now it seems that I was over - thinking."
The Princess of Ningqin commented, "Although she looks coquettish, her behavior is very proper. Knowing that she was going to go out today, she waited by the carriage early. She didn't try to steal the limelight or fight for attention. She is an obedient girl. And that little boy, even at such a young age, is so eloquent. He reminds me of what Chuan'er was like when he was a child."
Nurse Chen said, "The Crown Prince has a noble status and is blessed with great fortune, so he has been outstanding since childhood. I heard that the mother of the Crown Princess's younger brother was originally a maid beside the old Madam Song. Although the little boy is intelligent, his low birth means that he can't bear the fortune of his early wisdom, so he has ended up with an injured body."
The Princess of Ningqin sighed and said, "Isn't this what the old saying means, 'Excessive wisdom will surely lead to harm'?"
Nurse Chen flattered with a smile, "Actually, if we talk about it, the Crown Princess is kind - hearted towards her siblings and cares about her sisters in the family. This is very rare among the noble families in the capital. It is also a blessing for the Prince's Mansion of Ningqin to have a daughter - in - law like the Crown Princess."
The Princess of Ningqin laughed and said, "That's true. Elder sister has indeed given our Chuan'er a good marriage. If they can always be so obedient and proper, it wouldn't be a problem for them to stay in the Prince's Mansion forever. I'll just be kind - hearted."
In the last carriage, Song Yihuan didn't know that she and her younger brother were being discussed and that their stay in the Prince's Mansion had been decided by the Princess of Ningqin.
She was leaning against the carriage wall, holding a round fan in her hand to fan Song Yixuan, trying her best to make Song Yixuan feel more comfortable. Her charming face showed a thoughtful look.
Feeling the cool breeze, Song Yixuan looked up at his sister. Noticing that she was silent, he moved closer to her and leaned his head on her. He asked carefully,
"Is Fourth Sister angry? Are you blaming Xuan'er for acting on my own just now?"
Song Yihuan came back to her senses. She smiled and said, "No. I'm very happy that Xuan'er is liked by the Princess of Ningqin."
Song Yixuan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."
"However, why did Xuan'er suddenly think of saying that?" Song Yihuan stroked her younger brother's head and asked with a smile. "It was Eldest Sister who proposed to take us to the Avalokitesvara Temple."
Song Yihuan always knew that her younger brother was very smart.
Maybe because he lost his mother at birth and suffered from a heart disease, and was looked down upon in the Marquis's Mansion, this younger brother had shown wisdom beyond his age since childhood. And precisely because of this, Song Yihuan felt even more sorry for him.
This was her dear relative whom she had snatched back from the King of Hell.
Song Yixuan blinked his eyes and said, "But the Goddess of Mercy is the master here. Xuan'er remembers that when Eldest Sister brought us to the Prince's Mansion, we paid respects to the Goddess of Mercy."
That was true.
Yawning, he nestled into Song Yihuan's arms. Smelling the fragrance on his sister's body, he said, "Sister, Xuan'er wants to take a nap."
Song Yihuan hugged him tighter and gently stroked his hair. "Go to sleep."
Actually, Song Yixuan didn't tell his sister that he had flattered them on purpose.
The Prince's Mansion of Ningqin was indeed much better than the Marquis's Mansion. There were no servants who bullied them, no step - mother who treated them harshly, and no father who ignored them.
Although no one bullied them, his sister didn't seem happy recently and had even fallen seriously ill.
He just hoped that Fourth Sister could live a better life in the Prince's Mansion.