"Your Highness, Princess Anru is outside. Do you wish to see her?"
Anning looked up and asked, "Princess Anru?"
Rong Cui nodded, "Yes, her mother is Consort Shu."
"Why did I fall into the lake five years ago?" Anning suddenly asked Rong Cui.
Rong Cui trembled all over, seeming to be suppressing something with all her might. "Princess, you were playing with Princess Anru and Princess Anping, when you accidentally slipped and fell into the water."
"Is that really what happened?" Anning asked calmly.
Rong Cui, frightened, quickly knelt on the ground and said, "It is absolutely true."
"Get up, and let her in!" Anning said slowly.
Rong Cui rose and glanced at Princess Anning, who was still sitting there. For some reason, since waking up, the princess always asked questions in a way that made her feel a sense of awe.
It was as if she were a superior being holding the power of life and death, exuding an aura of majesty.
It made her fearful.
Not long after, a voice came from outside, "You're actually awake..."
Anning looked up at the person speaking, and gradually a memory of this person surfaced in her mind.
A vibrant and flamboyant red dress accentuated the already beautiful girl, making her even more captivating.
The girl looked at her, leaned forward, and said mockingly, "What? Have you been lying down for five years, and your brain got stupid too? You don't recognize this princess anymore?"
Anning looked at her calmly and said slowly, "Princess Anru."
An Ru sneered, "To hear that name from your mouth is truly rather dull."
Seeing that Anning remained silent, An Ru walked forward and sat by the bedside, saying, "Why did you wake up without your brain waking up too?"
As she spoke, she reached out to touch Anning. She saw Anning slowly raise her eyes, her gaze clear and transparent, emitting a chilling coldness.
An Ru's hand stopped in mid-air, "You..."
Anning lowered her gaze and said indifferently, "You've seen me, you've spoken your piece, Princess Anru, you may leave."
An Ru furrowed her delicate brows and said, "As always, you're as annoying as you were when you were little."
With that, she stood up. Suddenly, she turned back and said, "On your coming-of-age day, Father Emperor has invited the crown princes of various countries to attend. You are the first princess to have such an honor. Be careful not to become a thorn in someone's side, a splinter in their flesh."
This time, An Ru did not linger, and turned to leave.
"Princess, are you alright? Did Princess Anru bully you?" Rong Cui stepped forward to help Anning up and examined her.
Anning looked at Rong Cui upon hearing this, her gaze icy cold. Rong Cui, startled, quickly knelt on the ground, "Your Highness, your servant spoke too much. I beg your forgiveness."
"Rong Cui, why do you think Princess Anru would bully me?"
Rong Cui said, "Five years ago, if it weren't for Princess Anru, how could Your Highness have fallen into the water? It must have been Princess Anru who pushed you?"
"Since you know the truth, why didn't Father Emperor punish Anru?" Anning asked.
Rong Cui replied, "Five years ago, you were playing with Princess Anru and Princess Anping, and only Your Highness fell into the water. The Emperor was furious and severely punished Princess Anru and Princess Anping. If Consort Shu and the Imperial Noble Consort had not knelt before the gates of the Qian Palace for two full days and nights, the Emperor would never have let the two princesses off lightly."
"So, you believe Princess Anru pushed me back then?"
Rong Cui replied, "Isn't it obvious, Your Highness? You saw it yourself, Consort Shu finds fault with you in every way, and regards you as a thorn in her side, a splinter in her flesh. Princess Anru is the same, her words are all unfriendly towards you. If not her, then who could it be?"
"Why not Anping?" Anning asked.
Rong Cui paused, then shook her head, "It couldn't be Princess Anping."
"Why are you so certain?" she asked.
Rong Cui smiled and said, "Princess Anping is always amiable and tolerant towards Your Highness and everyone in the palace. It is said that the personal head maid of Princess Anru once broke a hairpin that Princess Anru favored, and she made the maid kneel in a basin of water in the cold. If Princess Anping hadn't seen it and pleaded for mercy, taking the princess back to her own palace, the maid would probably have frozen to death in that icy cold."
"So that's how it is. It seems Anping is highly regarded among you maids," Anning said slowly.
Rong Cui was taken aback. She saw a faint smile appear on the girl's delicate and beautiful face. It was neither sad nor happy, devoid of any emotion, just gentle and light, like a breeze that blows past and leaves no trace.
"And what about me, this Princess?" The girl looked up, her clear eyes exceptionally bright.
Rong Cui was slightly startled and said, "You are innocent and cheerful. Everyone in the palace likes you."
"You may go!" The girl waved her hand.
Rong Cui bowed and retreated.
An Ru, An Ping, the girl lay back down and closed her eyes.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes sharply, a chill flashing in her gaze.
Ping'an Palace
In the study, a girl in opulent attire sat there, her brush moving rapidly, a landscape painting emerging on the paper before her.
At that moment, a palace maid hurried in from outside. Just as she was about to speak, the girl stopped her, "Wait a moment..."
After the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, the girl put down her brush, looking at the painting on the paper with satisfaction before finally looking up and asking, "What is it that brings you here in such a hurry?"
The palace maid bowed and said, "Princess Anru has just been to Anning Palace."
The girl paused slightly upon hearing this, and after a while, said, "I heard Mother Consort say that Anning has woken up?"
The palace maid said, "Yes, His Majesty is overjoyed, and has even ordered that on Princess Anning's coming-of-age day, the crown princes of various countries be invited to celebrate."
The girl's gaze flickered, and she chuckled slightly, "Father Emperor must be so happy he's lost his senses? An Country is just a small country, a mere few years old, and yet he's inviting the future heirs of various nations to celebrate. It's simply..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but felt that her father's actions were absurd.
The palace maid hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. Finally, An Ping saw the maid's expression and asked, "What? Is there something else?"
The palace maid nodded, "My servant didn't finish speaking. The crown princes and princes of various countries have agreed, and will come to congratulate Princess Anning on her coming-of-age day next month."
The girl's hand, resting on the table, moved, causing the recently finished landscape painting to fall to the ground.
"Your Highness, your painting..." Seeing this, the palace maid was about to pick it up.
The girl stepped on the painting and said calmly, "It's dirty now that it's fallen on the ground. This Princess doesn't want anything dirty."
The palace maid paused and withdrew her hand.
The girl leaned down, to the same height as the kneeling maid, and asked indifferently, "Did the Crown Prince of Xue Country also agree?"
The palace maid nodded, "Yes..."
A hint of chill suddenly flashed in the girl's eyes, but it quickly disappeared, returning to its original state. She said softly, "Why are you kneeling? Get up quickly, and take this painting out and throw it away!"
The palace maid quickly stood up, gathered the painting, and walked out.
"Xue Jingyun..." A trace of astonishment flickered in the girl's eyes.