“What sort of good news?”
Yu Er cautiously looked around to make sure we were the only one there, before whispering, “In a couple more months, His Majesty will declare amnesty. Qing Ying, I heard that both our names are in the list of maids who have been granted early release, this year.”
“Really?”
My eyes shined at the news. I grabbed her hand desperately, suddenly forgetting everything else, “You’re not lying to me, aren’t you? Our names are really in the list?”
“Why would I lie to you?” Yu Er laughed happily, “Unless you wish to marry an imperial prince and does not want to leave the palace.”
“Don’t speak nonsense,” I said, my heart sinking.
Yu Er did not notice and continued laughing, “That goes without saying! Amongst all the girls that entered the palace with us, you are the prettiest after Ning Yan. If Yao Ying Xue had not purposely stuffed you into this obscure place, you would have definitely had the chance to climb up the phoenix branch. You can just casually pick any of our imperial princes, and they are already more good-looking than immortals up above.”
Yu Er had been talking about me ‘climbing the phoenix branch’ for a very long time. At first, I would blush but now, I had gotten used to it and just smiled it off.
Although she kept talking about my beauty, I knew I was only attractive at best. I was not as beautiful as Liu Ning Yan or Yao Ying Xue. The dazzling glory in the palace was too distant from me.
However, when she brought up the imperial princes today, my heart felt like it was pierced by needles.
“Let’s talk about our Crown Prince, Pei Yuan Xiu. He is good-looking and has good temperaments. He is brilliant as well. He will be a good Emperor in the future. It’s a pity he is already married.”
“The fifth prince, Pei Yuan Feng is a very competent General. There are so many palace maids who secretly— haha. Anyway, he is younger than you by a few years. It is a bit improper.”
“Right, we also have the third prince, Pei Yuan Hao,” Yu Er clapped her hands. “He has a bad temper, nobody can tell what he thinks. He is a bit unpredictable. If you end up becoming his person—“
My heart jumped and I quickly cut her off, “Stop talking, Yu Er.”
Yu Er looked at me suspiciously, “What is wrong with you, Qing Ying?”
I forced myself to smile so that she wouldn’t worry, “Nothing. It’s just that— I don’t want to think about this anymore, after what happened to Ning Yan.”
Back when Ning Yan was favored, everyone inside and outside the palace were busy buttering up to her. However, now, even a little maid inside the Cold Palace dared to bully her. Imagining the difficulties that she was going through right now made my heart sour.
“Ah, you’re right.” Yu Er agreed. “Men inside the palace could not be counted on.”
Only she could say such bold words. Lucky she said it in this ‘obscure place’, otherwise she would have lost her head.
Just as I thought that, the door was suddenly pushed open.
Sunlight suddenly filled the room. Yu Er and I narrowed our eyes, startled. I could see a familiar figure standing by the doorway.
