At the entrance to the back mountain, the hibiscus flowers were blooming splendidly, clustered together like a girl’s slightly blushing cheeks, exuding a faint fragrance.
Despite the countless exotic plants in the palace’s Imperial Garden, Qinglian stopped her steps, bent down, and gazed closely at the delicate flowers.
The flowers were delicate, and the people were even more so.
Her nanny and her little palace maid Chun Xing praised Qinglian countless times, yet they couldn’t alter the deep-seated inferiority hidden within her heart.
Her mother came from the Western Regions, making her features more defined, with a cicada-like brow and alluring temples, contrasting starkly with the Han people, which was one reason why many sisters in the palace interacted with her less.
She would rather have looked like a Han person.
"Oh, isn’t this the Thirteenth Princess?"
A mocking voice sounded, exceptionally piercing!
Passing examinees glanced back once or twice, then continued to leave.
Looking up, it was Xia Yurong, clad in a smoke willow-colored begonia long blouse, styled with a Wangxian bun, adorned with jade hairpins and a tassel hair ornament, with jade bracelets on both wrists and a rabbit-shaped jade pendant hanging from her waist.
Such attire made her appear dignified and noble, but despite being the same age as Li Qinglian, her plump appearance made her look much older.
Judging from her previous call, her intentions were not friendly.
Qinglian softly whispered like a mosquito, "Hello, cousin."
Xia Yurong looked down on her, sneering, "You could only come to the Imperial College because of your princess status; otherwise, you wouldn’t dare step through the gate, unlucky."
Her tone was arrogant, as if she didn’t care about others.
With a flat nose, single eyelids, dark skin, and an obese figure, her contemptuous manner made her appear even uglier.
Li Qinglian, hearing her words, bowed her head in embarrassment and stood motionless, unsure of how to retort.
"So thin and weak, just looking at you annoys me. I get furious seeing you, and since I’m here now too, if you’re wise, avoid my path in the future, or else don’t blame me for being rude. I’ve made my point today."
Clearly, she’s a bully.
Xia Yurong hadn’t bullied anyone for a long time, and now her fervor was re-ignited. Relentless, she saw no response and shouted again, "Did you hear me?"
Knowing her temperament, Qinglian nodded, "Yes, I heard."
"Oh, Yurong, I just left for a moment, why so angry?"
This sentence was both a question and a statement.
From the right front of the hibiscus flowers came a slender girl, with willow leaf eyebrows, squinting with a smile in a light green pleated skirt, although smiling.
Yet she emitted a green tea aura...
"Bingyan, you’re here. Look, to see her here, what bad luck." Xia Shirong waved her chubby hands with joy, as if finding something delightful, calling her companion over.
Her body prone to sweat, she exuded a smell that assaulted the nose, making it uncomfortable when excitedly waving.
Moreover, visible beads of sweat flowed down her face, edging her temples.
Chu Bingyan exclaimed, "Oh, isn’t this the Thirteenth Princess? Yurong, how could you speak of her like that?"
Appearing to speak for someone else, yet actually leading to further malicious remarks from another.
Chu Bingyan looked at her with eyes full of endless mockery and schadenfreude. What was a Thirteenth Princess in a powerless palace compared to a well-off palace maid?
Just at the right time to use this fool Little Fatty to bully the so-called princess.
This situation Qinglian had long gotten used to, and she had an idea of what would happen next.