"Pa..."
Anping covered her face, looking at the Imperial Noble Consort before her in disbelief. She bit her lower lip and asked, "Mother Consort, you..."
The Imperial Noble Consort's gaze was as cold as the deep frost of late autumn, and her tone was even colder, "Are you satisfied?"
"Mother Consort, what do you mean?" Anping didn't understand.
"What do I mean? You openly confessed your love to the Crown Prince of Xue Nation in the grand hall and were rejected by him. Anping, you have no shame, but I do!" the Imperial Noble Consort said coldly, her face already ashen.
She could not forget the sarcastic remarks of Consort Shu when she came out earlier.
"As expected, like mother, like daughter. Their actions are exactly the same."
Consort Shu's face was full of cold sarcasm, disdain, and even mockery.
Yet, she could not refute, could not speak up on the spot.
The matter had to be traced back to more than twenty years ago, how many years, she couldn't remember.
Back then, she had just reached adulthood. Her grandfather was a fourth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites, and her father was a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites. Growing up in an official family, she naturally had high aspirations. At that time, she wanted to marry His Majesty and then, step by step, become the empress, the ruler of the harem.
That year, the selection of imperial consorts began. She and Consort Shu were both selected as candidates. Eager for success, she proactively tried to please, but was accused of being a seductive vixen by the Empress Dowager and was confined to the cold palace.
She was not convinced. She danced on the walls of the cold palace every day, day and night, until she was finally seen by His Majesty.
She thought her good days had arrived. However, that night, the Imperial Household Department sent a pair of bronze boots and delivered His Majesty's oral decree: if she danced in these bronze boots, she would be immediately released from the cold palace.
In her youth, a new calf fears no tiger. She wore the bronze boots, only to find she couldn't even walk.
She did not leave the cold palace; she became the laughingstock of the harem.
Now, Anping had also become the laughingstock of the harem. The dignified Princess An Huang had openly confessed her love to the Crown Prince of Xue Nation, only to be rejected.
"Mother Consort, is this how you think of Anping in your heart?" Anping asked, looking at the Imperial Noble Consort, word by word.
"Otherwise? How will your future marriage prospects be handled? With today's events, do you think the path to future marriages will be smooth?" The Imperial Noble Consort was somewhat disappointed, wishing she could be iron and not steel.
An Yi was to inherit the position of Crown Prince of An Nation. Anping would marry a minister beneficial to An Yi. Now? It was unlikely anyone would agree.
"Mother Consort, my goals have always been clear. I like the Crown Prince of Xue Nation, and I will definitely win him over," Anping said, lowering her hand, her eyes showing unshakeable conviction.
"Anping, the Crown Prince of Xue Nation is too outstanding. There will surely be many women around him. You..."
An Qing was dismissive, "Mother Consort, when you were in the cold palace, didn't you also not give up? I am much better off than you were back then. You have now become the Imperial Noble Consort, second only to His Majesty, and your daughter will not be much worse."
The Imperial Noble Consort was stunned. Anping stepped forward and looked at her, "Mother Consort, you don't need to worry about me. You just need to think that if I become the Crown Princess of Xue Nation, it will only be beneficial, not detrimental, to my elder brother's position as Crown Prince."
The Imperial Noble Consort hesitated. Anping continued, "Besides, His Majesty did not object today. I assume His Majesty also approves."
The Imperial Noble Consort began to accept it from the bottom of her heart. Looking at Anping, she said, "Anping, this is like trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice."
"It won't be," Anping shook her head.
The Imperial Noble Consort sighed, "You've been a girl with your own opinions since childhood. Fine, do as you wish."
"Thank you, Mother Consort," Anping said, bowing.
The Imperial Noble Consort nodded, suddenly remembering something and said, "Anping, that Empress of Huangze is not someone to be trifled with. Stay far away from her in the end."
"I know," Anping lowered her eyes. Empress of Huangze? She would not let her off.
Leaving the Imperial Noble Consort's sleeping chambers, Anping walked towards her own room. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "Where is Baoli?"
Baozhu behind her replied, "Baoli went to gather information. She should be back soon."
Anning Palace
Returning to her chambers, Anning sat before the bronze mirror, removing the ornaments from her hair. She found that she couldn't remove a hairpin from the back. "Rong Cui, come in."
Hearing footsteps, she continued, "Take down the hairpin from my head."
The hairpin was removed. She reached out to take it and touched a pair of chilling hands. Grasping the hairpin, she felt a hand with well-defined fingers.
She was startled. In the bronze mirror, it was a slender, porcelain-white finger.
"Who are you?" she shot up and turned to face the person behind her.
A clear and handsome face appeared before her, stunningly beautiful.
Those eyes shone like the Milky Way in the sky, flickering with their unique brilliance.
A person seemed to surface in her mind, overlapping with the person before her.
She lowered her gaze, bowed, and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, is it not improper for you to trespass into my sleeping chambers?"
Xue Jingyun looked at the girl before him. The girl's appearance had changed, but the only thing that remained the same was her gaze, still so clear, reflecting his figure.
"A'ning, don't you remember me?"
Anning looked up, seeing the brilliant starlight within the star-studded sky, with a trace of unspeakable sadness in its depths.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, what are you talking about? I don't understand."
"Don't you understand, or do you refuse to understand?" He stepped forward, approaching her again.
Anning took a step back, "I don't understand, I don't comprehend."
"A'ning, I am late." He took a step forward, attempting to embrace her.
Anning dodged, her voice ice-cold, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, men and women have different spheres. It is improper to touch. Please leave here quickly."
Xue Jingyun looked up and saw the girl's cool, frosty eyes, devoid of any warmth. He was startled, took a step back, clasped his hands, and said, "I apologize. I just remembered an old friend. If I have offended you in any way, please do not take it to heart, Princess Anning!"
An old friend? Another old friend?
The Crown Prince of Hua Nation said she was an old friend, and now the Crown Prince of Xue Nation also said she was an old friend.
Should she believe it or not?
Xue Jingyun did not linger this time and left.
Soon, Rong Cui walked in with a guilty look, kneeling on the ground, "Your Highness, I actually fell asleep just now. Please punish me!"
"It's not your fault." Anning knew that the Crown Prince of Xue Nation must have made Rong Cui fall asleep when he arrived.
"Your Highness, you are always so kind." Rong Cui felt even more ashamed.
"Isn't kindness good?" She thought of the decisive and ruthless Empress of Huangze, who did not value human life. Could Huangze truly be well?
She did not know.
"Anning..."
She turned and saw An Ru at the doorway, her face beaming with joy, as if she had encountered something very happy.
"Sister, what has made you so happy?"
An Ru walked in, smiling, "I heard from Mother Consort that Anping was severely reprimanded by the Imperial Noble Consort when she returned."
Anning nodded, "Indeed, she should be reprimanded." They were princesses of a small country. Facing not only Xue Nation, but also the second largest country, Huangze, and the Empress of Huangze, it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.
"There's even more explosive news..." An Ru said mysteriously as she walked in.