“I went to the Cold Palace to see Ning Yan.”
Liu Ning Yan was a maid that entered the palace at the same time as us. Since we were similar in age, we became good friends. Just like her name, she was the most beautiful girl that entered the palace that year. She was beautiful, like a willow engulfed in mist on a spring morning. People couldn’t help but want to touch it.
(TN: Liu (柳) = willow, Ning (凝) = gather/condense, Yan (烟) = mist.)
Due to her beauty, Ning Yan wasn’t willing to remain a maid for the rest of her life. In her second year, she did her best to gain the favor of the Third Highness, Pei Yuan Hao. She managed to be a madam in his household.
Back then, we were all happy for her. We thought she finally obtained what she wanted. Who would’ve thought that Pei Yuan Hao would have that many women around him. In just two months, Ning Yan lost his favor and got sent to the Cold Palace after committing some mistakes. She hadn’t been outside since then.
That was when we realized what the imperial family was like.
No matter how much love you get, disaster would still reach you faster than that love. No matter how high you climbed, you were still bound to topple over.
That was when I made up my mind to keep a low profile and to avoid attention. I only needed to wait for a couple more years to be released from the palace, and then, I could leave this place and return to being a normal woman.
That was why I let go of so many opportunities that could gave me promotions, and chose to lock myself up in Nei Cang Pavilion.
Yu Er froze when she heard Ning Yan’s name, “How- is she?”
I sighed, “Not very good, especially when it comes to food and clothing. I sent her a couple of things.”
“So that’s why you lied? Because you went to the Cold Palace to see Ning Yan?”
I lowered my head to avoid her gaze, “Yes.”
Yu Er finally nodded and sighed in relief, “That’s good then. Qing Ying, I was so afraid that you would become the second Ning Yan.”
“What?”
“You haven’t known this,” Yu Er cautiously looked around to make sure no one was around before whispering, “Some of the maids on-duty were gossiping just now. They said that last night, the Third Highness only came once the auspicious hour was over. By then even the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had left the hall. I heard that the Third Highness was drunk to the point where he couldn’t recognize people. I heard that, in his drunkenness, he actually favored a palace maid. No one knows who she was.”
My heart dropped as I paled.
“I was so worried because I thought that maid was you. Now that I know it isn’t you, I am relieved.” She laughed before continuing her words, “Because I heard a good news when I was in the Management Department.”
