Chapter 363: Chapter 363

It was clear that the words "Eternal Youth" were truly striking a nerve with people.

The next day around noon, after having lunch served by the palace attendants, An Ning leisurely made her way toward the Palace of Eternal Spring. Unexpectedly, just as she stepped out of the main gate of Qianqing Palace, she ran into an acquaintance:

"This son pays respects to Noble Consort Mother!"

"Fourth Prince, no need for such formalities!"

Pretending not to notice the momentary shock and disbelief in the other's eyes, An Ning nodded with her usual composure and soon, supported by Xiangzhu and others, settled into the warm sedan chair.

In contrast, Yin Zhen remained standing in place, stunned for a long time. When he finally left, he was so distracted that he nearly stumbled and fell down the steps.

Just as he steadied himself, a pair of long, powerful hands landed heavily on his shoulders from behind. The clearly excessive force almost caused the Fourth Prince to stagger completely.

The moment he saw who was behind him, Yin Zhen's face darkened considerably.

"Hey, Fourth Brother, you're not doing too well, are you? Look how weak your legs have become. When we have time, us brothers should go to the training grounds and spar a couple rounds."

Expressionlessly removing the large hand resting on his shoulder, Yin Zhen walked away particularly fast, practically gritting his teeth as he spoke word by word:

"No need for Third Brother's concern."

What's wrong with Fourth Brother today? He's quite irritable! The Third Prince scratched his head in bewilderment.

Besides, wasn't he just telling the truth? Four and a half strength—even the bow His Majesty used when he was ten was stronger than that!

He used to think Fourth Brother only lacked strength in his hands, but now it seems his lower body is also...

Tsk, watching the other's rapidly retreating back, the Third Prince shook his head with a look of disdain.

Meanwhile, at the Palace of Eternal Spring

After removing all her ornaments and taking a short nap curled up in the warm pavilion, it wasn't until evening that An Ning finally got up. After having some dinner, she began handling the official business that had accumulated over the past few days.

Just then, she saw Chun Lan approaching hurriedly. Noticing the other's unusual expression, An Ning casually set down the account book in her hand and slightly raised her eyes, signaling for her to speak.

Chun Lan wore an unpleasant expression for a moment:

"Reporting to Mistress, coinciding with the festival, the Princess Consort of Prince An entered the palace today to pay respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Accompanying her was that Lady Guo Luoluo from their residence..."

Guo Luoluo—wasn't she the originally designated Eighth Princess Consort? Seeing her hesitant expression, An Ning became somewhat curious:

"Go on, what exactly happened?"

"It's... that Lady Guo Luoluo coincidentally met the Eighth Prince in the North Garden. Apparently, they conversed quite pleasantly, and when Lady Guo Luoluo accidentally stepped on some accumulated snow and nearly slipped, the Eighth Prince immediately reached out and saved her..."

Oh ho, a hero saving a beauty!

And they're the official pairing too. Who would have thought these two were actually quite fated? Even with all the butterfly effects , it still couldn't extinguish the destined spark between them.

Taking a light sip of tea, An Ning nodded with interest and said in a natural tone:

"Look at you all, what's so hard to say about this? It seems before long, the palace will have another joyful event to celebrate!"

After speaking, she picked up the account book again.

Seeing that their mistress showed no displeasure on her face, Chun Lan and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief, though they still felt some disgust in their hearts.

Although there was no concrete evidence, in the minds of everyone in the rear palace, it was an open secret that the one from Yonghe Palace had harmed their mistress.

Indeed, the legendary saying that 'like father, like son' wasn't false, Chun Lan and the others thought resentfully. This Eighth Prince, appearing so proper and virtuous on the surface—who knows how unscrupulous he might be in private!

Walls have ears in the palace.

With the festival approaching and the Imperial Garden never short of people, news of the Eighth Prince and Lady Guo Luoluo soon spread to the various palace mistresses.

However, most of the palace mistresses merely listened to this news and that was it.

The daughter of a convicted official—aside from her precious imperial lineage through Prince An's side—didn't seem particularly special. Otherwise, during the imperial selection two years ago, she wouldn't have been eliminated.

At most, they thought like Chun Lan—that this Eighth Prince, despite his young age, certainly had plenty of cunning schemes...

While others merely listened to the news, over at Yonghe Palace, for Consort Shu Guargiya, it was practically equivalent to the sky falling.

The moment she received the news, Consort Shu felt so dizzy she could barely stand, only managing to pull herself together with great difficulty:

"Yin Si, didn Mother tell you that during this year's imperial selection, she would definitely choose a princess consort of excellent character and appearance for you? Why did you..."

Why must you entangle yourself with the daughter of a convicted official?

Looking at her tall, handsome son before her, Guargiya simply couldn't understand.

What was there to scheme about with a mere daughter of a convicted official!

She had been anxiously worrying for so long before, unable to sleep for several nights, only breathing a huge sigh of relief when she heard the news that the other had been eliminated.

As for manipulating things, the current Guargiya naturally didn't dare. Leaving other matters aside, she had no desire to experience the methods of that Consort Chen.

Most importantly, vaguely, for many years now, she had always felt that the Emperor looked at her somewhat differently, as if it wasn't only because of Consort Chen...

This made her even more cautious, not daring to make any moves at all.

Thus, during those waiting days, she had truly endured hardship, even considering how she might tactfully refuse without incurring imperial wrath if His Majesty insisted on bestowing the marriage.

But now... looking at her son before her, for the first time, Guargiya felt a chill in her heart:

Staring fixedly at her Xiao Ba who had already grown into an adult, Consort Shu's eyes unconsciously revealed some sorrow:

"Yin Si, tell Mother, why exactly is this?"

Also, regarding such an important matter concerning your entire life, why didn't you consult with your own mother about it?