Dressing someone is a skill, especially when it comes to ancient clothing. Yan Qingli is a natural clothes hanger. She has been learning etiquette and practicing martial arts since childhood. The combination of these two factors makes her stand out from others at a glance. She is a natural radiant person.
Yan Qingli lowered her head and pinched the purse: "What's this?"
Qiu Lanxi lowered her head shyly and said, "I learned it from Sister Chun Su. Does Your Highness like it?"
She thought to herself with a clear conscience that she had at least threaded a few threads and sewed a few stitches, so what was wrong with treating it as something she had made herself?
Yan Qingli was taken aback. She looked down at the purse, which was made of fine cloud-patterned brocade embroidered with auspicious rabbits symbolizing peace. The tassels were tied with delicate auspicious knots. Compared to the purse she usually wore, the workmanship was indeed much simpler and more ordinary. She reached out and touched Qiu Lanxi's head, giving an affirmative answer: "I like it."
"I'm glad Your Highness likes it." She immediately smiled, her eyes crinkling with joy, as if they were filled with a clear spring, captivating and expressive.
Yan Qingli couldn't help but hug her again before leaving.
For Yan Qingli, this experience was undoubtedly novel. She lost her mother at a young age, and her father was busy with state affairs. However, as the eldest son of the emperor, she was of noble status, and the concubines could not raise her. There was no empress dowager in the palace, so she was always taken care of by the maids of the previous emperor.
They were undoubtedly dutiful, but they wouldn't overstep their bounds by matching her purse with a proper one. After all, the princess's attire had its own set of rules, and apart from elders and relatives, she couldn't possibly wear a purse given to her by someone else.
Because the purse is something intimately connected to us.
Yan Qingli held the purse, a strange feeling rising in her heart. She didn't know what it was, but at least, it felt good.
and……
Yan Qingli smoothed out the wrinkles on the cuffs and suddenly felt that this ordinary court dress seemed to have been given a unique meaning.
This is a completely different feeling from being served by a maid. Yan Qingli knows that in the morning, the wife will take care of everything for her husband. This is regarded as a symbol of affection between husband and wife. Yan Qingli used to think that this was something that servants could do, so why should the person next to him suffer?
But when Qiu Lanxi carefully tidied her clothes, she suddenly understood that feeling a little. She even wanted to reach out and hug her, but reason made her restrain herself.
Yan Qingli touched her chest and thought that the poet's exquisite description of the emotions finally seemed to make her understand it, rather than just seeing things through a fog.
But Yan Qingli was unsure whether this understanding was good or bad.
She's been spending way too much time and energy on him lately. It hasn't affected her important business, but what if something happens?
People often have an extremely strong confidence in their self-control, believing that nothing can affect them. But Yan Qingli doesn't think so. Looking at history, people's thoughts change in different periods. How can the present self make a judgment about the future self?
Therefore, Yan Qingli did not let these emotions affect her for too long. On her way to court, she calmed herself down again.
Qiu Lanxi didn't care about the consequences of her actions. She went back to sleep for a while before calling someone to help her change.
The evil ancient nobles didn't even need to change their clothes themselves. At first, Qiu Lanxi felt a little uncomfortable, but now she had honestly recognized the reality and accepted the fact that she had been corrupted, because it was really great, and the clothes of this era were indeed not something she could wear well by herself.
There weren't many forms of entertainment in ancient times, otherwise Qiu Lanxi wouldn't have been so bored as to have Chun Su accompany her in embroidery. However, the original owner of this body was groomed to be a beautiful concubine and didn't know anything about embroidery. Qiu Lanxi tried it herself and found it uninteresting. She was so bored that she almost wanted to roll up her sleeves and write a novel to amuse herself.
However, she rationally restrained her behavior. Her thoughts and opinions were most easily revealed between the lines, and she didn't want Yan Qingli to see through her.
After idly observing the flowers for a while, Qiu Lanxi remembered the woman from the Qunfang Pavilion who had been brought back yesterday.
The girl has depression, but because she can't have a brain CT scan, Qiu Lanxi doesn't know if it's physiological or pathological. She had just been trying to comfort her yesterday when she was interrupted by an uninvited guest. Now, thinking about the other person, her professional habit kicked in again.
Moreover, knowledge is something that will be forgotten sooner or later if it is not applied frequently. Knowledge is the only thing Qiu Lanxi brought from her 'hometown', and she doesn't want to forget it herself.
When Chun Su heard that Qiu Lanxi wanted to find that person, she was greatly surprised and looked at Qiu Lanxi disapprovingly: "Miss, you mustn't!"
Qiu Lanxi rested her chin on her hand, looking at her with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong with that? His Highness has already brought her back."
She shamelessly distanced herself from the situation, as if she were the one Yan Qingli wanted.
"Young lady, you're playing with fire!" Chun Su pleaded earnestly. "Her Highness may have a good temper, but the heart of a ruler is unpredictable. Her patience has its limits. Young lady, didn't you suffer enough yesterday?!"
Qiu Lanxi: "…………"
Seeing that she remained silent, Chun Su couldn't help but offer a few more words of advice. She admitted that Qiu Lanxi's methods were indeed astonishing. You see, when His Highness arrived at Qunfang Pavilion yesterday, she thought Qiu Lanxi was doomed. After all, His Highness's experiences from childhood had made him extremely averse to having his things touched by others. Although His Highness's thoughts had become increasingly unpredictable over the years, they, as maids, had served His Highness since childhood and knew some things better than anyone else.
The other party is wasting their relationship in this way simply because he is currently favored, but His Highness's patience will eventually run out, and then how will she deal with it?
When Chun Su mentioned what happened yesterday, Qiu Lanxi was taken aback. They hadn't made a sound in the carriage, so how did she know?
On second thought, Qiu Lanxi felt something was wrong. In the eyes of outsiders, what she did could hardly be considered suffering.
Qiu Lanxi gave Chun Su a strange look. She didn't know what Chun Su was imagining, but after realizing that what happened yesterday was only between heaven, earth, you, and me, Qiu Lanxi felt relieved and waved her hand dismissively, saying, "His Highness has already agreed, what's there to be afraid of? Quickly call the person over."
Chun Su gave Qiu Lanxi a disappointed look, but still went to call for help.
Qiu Lanxi watched her leave, resting her chin on her hand. With her professional knowledge, she had already turned the other person into half of her own, but she knew that this was the limit, because the other person's servile mentality was deeply rooted and she would always be loyal to her master.
She had no intention of changing any of this, after all, it was a common occurrence in this era, and she couldn't change it anyway.
Qiu Lanxi knew very well that no matter how sincere she was in her persuasion now, she would not hesitate at all when Yan Qingli asked her to report on her situation.
Soon the woman was brought over. Unlike Qiu Lanxi, who was treated as a distinguished guest as soon as she entered the princess's mansion, she became a maid as soon as she entered. From the first moment Qiu Lanxi saw her in the Qunfang Pavilion, she found that she was different from ordinary people. That kind of temperament that was out of place and disconnected from the surroundings made Qiu Lanxi feel for a moment that she was her fellow villager.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. She simply disliked everything around her and was saddened by her predetermined fate. But in just one day, her demeanor changed somewhat.
It seems that she preferred being an unknown servant to being admired and fawned over in the brothel.
Qiu Lanxi could guess what she was thinking.
Qunfangge was originally a brothel. Once a person lost their virginity, they would either be taken away as a concubine or mistress, or they would have to stay in Qunfangge for the rest of their lives. For a person who was content with their lot and had no great ambitions, both choices were undoubtedly unfortunate.
Therefore, not becoming a maid was actually a stroke of luck for her. So when Qiu Lanxi came to find her, she was grateful on one hand, but also fearful on the other, afraid that Qiu Lanxi wanted to have an affair with her under Princess Shaoguang's nose.
She might be fine then, but I'll be in big trouble.
Qiu Lanxi saw her past self in her, and couldn't help but find it both funny and sad. After confirming that she had "cured without medicine," she sent her away to prevent her from feeling uneasy staying there.
Chapter 34
There was no need for servants to report to Yan Qingli; Qiu Lanxi told her herself when Yan Qingli left court.
She didn't think it was something that had to be kept secret. In public, she and the other party were completely innocent, and there was nothing that couldn't be said.
Moreover, when two people with no common language are forced together, the only thing they can talk about is their daily routine. After all, she can't possibly try to please him every day; that would be too tiring. And little tricks will eventually run out, so she has to rely on other ways to pass the time they spend together.
Yan Qingli felt very comfortable when she was with Qiu Lanxi. This was not an illusion, but a scene that Qiu Lanxi deliberately created. However, it is impossible for a person to always please someone. After all, the other person's threshold will rise, and Qiu Lanxi herself will also feel tired.
At times like these, you naturally have to find a way to 'change the style' and transform the everyday interactions from passionate love to more ordinary, everyday life.
Qiu Lanxi has always been very adept at this.
At least Yan Qingli didn't feel that anything was wrong.
As Qiu Lanxi expected, Yan Qingli didn't care who Qiu Lanxi met, and the matter was easily dismissed. After that, Qiu Lanxi didn't see him much, since she didn't want to associate with any powerful or wealthy people and only wanted to live an ordinary life.
The other party was not an important person, so Qiu Lanxi almost forgot about him after a few days, until she suddenly heard from Chun Su that Yan Qingli and several ministers had jointly submitted a memorial to the throne, which led to the destruction of Qunfang Pavilion.
Qiu Lanxi: "...?"
At first, she thought the other person was joking with her, but after repeatedly confirming that it was true, Qiu Lanxi couldn't help but start to doubt life.
To outsiders, this is like a wife only targeting a mistress when her lover cheats on her. It's clear that she loves Qiu Lanxi so much that she doesn't want to vent her anger on her.
Qiu Lanxi couldn't help but doubt herself. Was she really going to Qunfang Pavilion voluntarily? After all, she only knew about this place because people around her had told her about it.
Compared to others, Qiu Lanxi undoubtedly did not believe that Yan Qingli was simply doing this out of jealousy. She was not that kind of person. The only thing that made her suspicious was whether the other party had this intention from the beginning, or whether it was a plan that was made by going with the flow after knowing that she had gone to Qunfang Pavilion.
The order of these steps is important.
If it's the former, it means that she was fully aware of all of Qiu Lanxi's actions, and all of Qiu Lanxi's hard work these past few days was undoubtedly in vain, and she seemed to have dug her own grave; if it's the latter, it at most means that Yan Qingli would take advantage of the situation, and she would still be safe.
Qiu Lanxi has never been one to have an inflated sense of self-importance, but the smooth sailing she's been doing lately has made her complacent. However, she's like a wild rabbit; the slightest disturbance is enough to wake her up again.
She carefully recalled Yan Qingli's words and actions over the past few days. In her opinion, their private interactions did not involve much acting. However, this was just her opinion. If those were all deliberately created by the other party, Qiu Lanxi thought, then this person would be too terrifying.
...
…………
When Yan Qingli left court, Qiu Lanxi was still preoccupied with this matter and didn't even notice when Yan Qingli returned. Yan Qingli looked at Chun Su for advice, and Chun Su quietly reported the noteworthy events of the day, which immediately made her understand.
She knew Qiu Lanxi was intelligent, but she also said that intelligent people tend to overthink, and overthinking can easily trap them.
It was obvious that the other party did not take her words seriously.
Yan Qingli walked over and sat down beside her. Qiu Lanxi was immediately startled and asked a beat late, "Your Highness, why aren't you saying anything?"
She complained naturally, as if nothing had happened. Upon hearing this, Yan Qingli glanced at Qiu Lanxi and suddenly felt a sense of suspicion. This behavior reminded her of her father's harem.
When the concubines were in front of the Emperor, they all appeared to be deeply in love. Rank, power, children... everything seemed to be less important than their beloved. Even Yan Qingli sometimes believed it, but the Emperor never took it seriously.
Because he had seen how his mother loved him.
But Yan Qingli didn't know what it looked like, because her mother had only managed to attend the coronation ceremony after her father ascended the throne before passing away, so Yan Qingli couldn't tell.
She didn't think much of it; intelligent people are prone to suspicion, and Yan Qingli didn't want suspicion to ruin everything.
She stroked Qiu Lanxi's soft hair and asked, "What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought."
Qiu Lanxi's eyes flickered before she asked, "Why did Your Highness suddenly target Qunfang Pavilion?"
"Suddenly?" Yan Qingli smiled. "Shouldn't you know very well why I made this move?"
Qiu Lanxi looked at her with clear, gentle eyes, seemingly somewhat helpless. Yan Qingli couldn't help but pinch her cheek before telling the truth: "Father has long wanted to take action against Qunfang Pavilion. I was just handing him a knife."
Any place that suddenly becomes popular inevitably has a behind-the-scenes manipulator. Yan Qingli had investigated this long ago, but found nothing. This in itself was a terrible thing. After all, the cultivation of such talented women would undoubtedly take a long time, and it was impossible not to find any clues.
But the Qunfang Pavilion has existed for so long without being shut down. Yan Qingli initially thought it was because of her father's influence. After all, under the emperor's nose, it seemed that only he could prevent anyone from finding out anything.
However, after observing some clues, Yan Qingli confirmed that it was not an industry supported by her father behind the scenes.
So whenever she had the chance, Yan Qingli did not hesitate to use this matter as a pretext to report to the emperor. After all, she was now a princess who was blinded by lust and was favored. Wasn't it reasonable for her to regard Qunfang Pavilion as a thorn in her side because of this?
Qiu Lanxi had been observing Yan Qingli's expression while she was speaking. Seeing this, she felt a little relieved, because in her opinion, this should not be a lie.
“So that’s how it is,” Qiu Lanxi said, holding her hand. “I thought I really had the ability to cause trouble.”
Yan Qingli frowned and said, "What trouble? Even if I really did this because of this, it's my problem, how can you blame it on me?"
She paused, then patted Qiu Lanxi's hand as if to comfort her: "That's not exactly a nice word, don't take it upon yourself."
Qiu Lanxi stared at her blankly, somewhat dazed.
This moment of confusion stemmed from the realization that the other person wasn't just saying one thing but truly believed it.
Qiu Lanxi felt her heartbeat rising steadily.
She knew perfectly well that what the other person was saying wasn't sweet talk; in fact, she could say the same thing to anyone labeled a femme fatale.
Even if she truly believed that, it didn't stop her from willingly bestowing such a title upon others when faced with the prospect of personal gain.
Thinking about it this way, Qiu Lanxi suddenly calmed down. She smiled at Yan Qingli, winked, and said, "I think this name is quite good."
She touched her face, blinked, and said, "Who wouldn't want to be so beautiful that they'd be called a femme fatale?"