12dz Chapter 630: Fate in the Dark
Chapter 630: Fate in the Dark
"It's okay. It's been so long and I've let it go." Nian Susu said with a relaxed tone.
The girl in front of him was getting closer and closer with her maid. Nian Susu squinted and took a look. Although she looked like Li Yaoyuan from a distance, she looked even more alike when he got closer.
Because the view was mostly blocked by the bushes, the girl was concentrating on admiring the flowers and didn't seem to notice that there was someone at the pavilion.
Zhihua stood on tiptoe to look, "My Lady, they really seem to be coming this way."
Nian Susu glanced at the hot tea and snacks on the stone table, thinking that it was a good thing to have them, as it would be a waste if she didn't eat them. When she woke up in the morning, she felt a dull pain in her lower abdomen. She wondered if it was because there was a sudden rain the night before and she didn't cover herself with a quilt, so her stomach caught a cold and she felt uncomfortable.
Looking at these exquisite and delicious desserts, she had no appetite at all.
"Do you know whose daughter she is?" Nian Susu asked casually.
If he has a clean family background and is interested in entering the palace, it can be considered.
She hasn't really had any formal contact with any of these girls yet, so she doesn't know their personalities and can only test them slowly.
Zhihua thought hard and shook her head.
If you ask her mother where the girls of the same age as her mother came from, she would definitely be able to answer, but those girls were only about sixteen or seventeen years old and looked very unfamiliar. Her mother had never seen many of them, let alone a little girl like her.
Nian Susu didn't expect her to be able to answer, so he sighed and said, "Go and ask her to come over for a cup of tea."
Zhihua thought, how can the queen let it go? She invites people who look like Miss Li to have tea. There are so many young ladies in the Imperial Garden, why did she invite that one? This shows that the queen can't forget Miss Li at all!
She didn't dare say this out loud, so she lowered her head and walked out of the pavilion.
Zhihua walked around the half-man-high bushes and came to the girl.
The girl seemed to recognize her and smiled, "Are you someone close to the Queen?"
Although the master was of noble status, Zhihua was still a servant after all. When she saw the lady of a famous family, she had to bow. Before she could lower herself, the girl helped her up and said, "Since you are the lady's person, how can I bear this? Get up quickly."
Zhihua's favorability towards her increased instantly. After asking, she learned that she was the seventeen-year-old daughter of the Minister of Personnel Qiu Simiao - Qiu Minjing.
She was born with a cool, elegant and beautiful face, with a slender figure, bright eyes and white teeth, and was humble and polite to others. No wonder everyone said that the Qiu family had very strict family education and that Mr. Qiu's children were all very disciplined people.
When I saw him today, he lived up to his reputation.
Zhihua directly stated the purpose of her visit. Qiu Minjing was surprised for a moment, but did not ask any more questions. She nodded and asked her to lead the way.
Before the banquet, her mother repeatedly warned her at home that she must not offend anyone in the palace, otherwise she would not know how she died. Qiu Minjing kept this in mind, and even when dealing with palace people, she did not act arrogantly or bossy.
Walking to the pavilion, Qiu Minjing raised her eyes to see the gorgeous beauty like a jade sculpture sitting on the stone bench, and couldn't help but sigh again: So beautiful!
No wonder the emperor dotes on the queen so much. If it were her, she would not be willing to let such a delicate person stay alone in an empty room.
"Come and have some tea." Nian Susu called her softly.
Qiu Minjing came back to her senses and realized that her thoughts had drifted too far and she almost lost her composure in front of the Queen. She shouldn't have done that. A blush of regret appeared on her cheeks.
She lifted her skirt and went up the stairs, then bent her knees and motioned for her to sit opposite Nian Susu.
Zhihua and Qiu Minjing's maid was guarding outside the pavilion. The distance was not far, but she could not hear the two people talking.
Nian Susu's eyes were always on Qiu Minjing. She was shocked. How could there be two people in the world who looked so similar?
Qiu Minjing only felt that the queen looked at her with very complicated emotions, but she could not understand the meaning.
She nodded slightly, smiling as she said, "My father is the Minister of Personnel, Qiu Simiao. If you don't mind, you can just call me Minjing."
Nian Susu: Even the templates for the self-introductions are exactly the same!
"Minjing... is a good name." She smiled unconsciously, "She is just like her name, smart and dignified."
"Your Majesty, you are so kind."
Qiu Minjing always maintained an attitude of neither close nor distant, neither distant nor intimate. She would answer whatever Nian Susu asked, never saying anything extra, and would not ask about matters in the palace.
After chatting for a quarter of an hour, Nian Susu had a basic understanding of Qiu Minjing and had a very good impression of her. This was largely because she looked too much like Li Yaoyuan, whether in appearance, temperament, conversation, thoughts, or personality.
Qiu Minjing is the eldest daughter in the family, with a younger brother and two younger sisters. Since she was born, she was given the great hope of entering the palace to become an empress. If the late emperor were still alive, she would have participated in the next round of selection, and the two of them would not have had the opportunity to sit opposite each other and drink tea in the imperial garden.
This is the fate that exists in the universe.
Qiu Minjing herself wanted to enter the palace, not for favor, but only hoped that her precarious situation in the harem would ensure a smooth career for her father and brother, and that her sister would marry into a good family and that her family would prosper. That was all.
Nian Susu felt a little sorry for her, but Qiu Minjing didn't feel sorry for herself. She was even happy and fortunate that she was useful to the family.
The two of them were talking happily, and the silence was broken by a burst of laughter. The young ladies were coming over here.
Qiu Minjing wanted to stand up immediately. How could she, the daughter of an official, sit on an equal footing with the queen? If someone saw her, they would definitely gossip about her. She didn't want to cause trouble.
But Nian Susu held her down and said, "It's okay. They won't dare to say anything."
Even if Qiu Minjing would be accused of currying favor with the queen, who would dare to discredit the person she likes?
Everyone present today wants to enter the palace and become a concubine. If you offend someone the first time you meet them, do you still expect to have a good life in the future?
Even if we take a step back, Qiu Minjing is the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, and there are few people who hold higher official positions than her father. If she can't even withstand this little pressure, then she is not suitable for survival in the harem.
Nian Susu wanted to tell everyone that Qiu Minjing was the one she chose and no one could touch her, and she also wanted to use this opportunity to test Qiu Minjing's character.
Qiu Minjing pondered for a moment and sat down steadily.
The ladies walked through the bushes and saw the people in the pavilion at a glance.
At that moment, many eyes were cast towards Qiu Minjing, some envious, some jealous, some contemptuous, some disdainful...
The reason why they think Qiu Minjing's behavior of getting close to the queen is despicable is that they have not been able to successfully curry favor with her. If there is an opportunity in front of them, each one will be more eager than the other to rush to grab it.
Just then, someone saw that Qiu Minjing had taken the initiative and was unwilling to fall behind, so he also came over with a smile to talk to her.
But Nian Susu's lukewarm attitude made them undecided.
Does the Queen want to give them a warning, or does she want to take this opportunity to choose a concubine for the Emperor?
While everyone was hesitating, a girl with a pretty face walked up to Qiu Minjing holding a stack of snacks, "Sister Qiu, here's your favorite peach blossom pastry! I've been looking for it for a long time!"