HLnovel Chapter 37 The Princess Arrives
Chapter 37 The Princess Arrives
When everyone heard Gu Qingwan say this, they followed her gaze and saw that the second young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion, dressed in white, was standing at the back of the crowd. Gu Hanjiao called out and everyone's attention was focused on her, so she thought to herself that things were going badly, but she could only bite the bullet and walk out.
"There must be some misunderstanding. This is indeed my sister, Gu Qingwan. As for what Miss Li said... I think it's probably because my sister just returned from outside and isn't very familiar with the capital yet."
Gu Hanjiao claimed she was helping Gu Qingwan out of a difficult situation, but she subtly implied to everyone that Gu Qingwan was just a wild girl who had returned from outside.
"Oh, so you've come back from beyond the border, no wonder..."
Before Li Jingge could finish her sarcastic remark, she was stopped by her sister, Li Qianyu.
"Last time, my sister and I were not familiar with Miss Gu, and our words were quite offensive. We hope Miss Gu will forgive us."
Li Qianyu's words immediately displayed the grace and composure expected of a well-bred young lady. If word got out that her younger sister was being too aggressive, it would only make the Li sisters seem arrogant and domineering, which would also damage the reputation of the women in the family. If their father found out, neither of them would have a good outcome.
Furthermore, Gu Hanjiao is clearly using her own sister as a pawn; she's a despicable person.
"Since Miss Gu is here, she should introduce us sisters. That way, we can avoid this misunderstanding." Li Qianyu pointed out at the right time. Since this is a family matter of your Prime Minister's Mansion, don't use others as tools.
"It was my sister's oversight..."
Gu Hanjiao knew that Li Jingge was just a hothead with no brains, and would explode if she was ignited. But Li Qianyu didn't seem like someone to be trifled with. Gu Hanjiao cursed inwardly, wondering why these naive young ladies were all so difficult to deal with.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
"What are you all doing gathered here?" A gentle voice came from behind the group.
Princess Anqing was accompanied by Princess Chang Le, the third princess, and Princess Changping, the second princess, dressed in red with an arrogant expression.
"Greetings to the princess."
"Get up, we sisters are just here to join in the fun with our sister-in-law, so please don't be shy," the eldest princess replied.
Gu Qingwan naturally remembered Princess Anqing. Princess Anqing was the emperor and empress's own daughter. The emperor doted on this daughter, not only personally teaching her but also naming her after the country.
Princess Anqing was a kind and righteous person. During the difficult days that Anqing spent in the palace, even though Princess Anqing herself was having a hard time and could not even protect herself, she was still willing to take care of her and sent people to send her winter clothes and charcoal.
Therefore, Gu Qingwan had a good impression of Princess Anqing. However, the eldest princess was married off to a distant place by Xiao Yuheng, and Gu Qingwan did not know whether she was doing well or not afterward. In this life, she hoped that such a good person would be rewarded.
"Princess Anqing." Gu Qingwan stepped forward and curtsied.
"Who is this?" The eldest princess asked, looking at the unfamiliar face.
"Your Highness, my father is Prime Minister Gu, and my name is Gu Qingwan."
"Oh, so you're Gu Qingwan. The Empress Dowager often mentions you. I heard you weren't feeling well. Now that you're back, how are you feeling?"
The eldest princess inherited the empress's gentle and graceful demeanor and was praised by the emperor as a model for princesses.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty the Empress and the Princess. I am now safe and sound."
“Yes, Princess, my sister just returned from the border and looks much better than before,” Gu Hanjiao said, stepping forward at this moment.
Gu Hanjiao couldn't let Gu Qingwan steal the spotlight all by herself; the protagonist's aura should belong to Gu Hanjiao no matter what.
"Hmph, the border? I've heard that the customs there are fierce, and women wear clothes that expose their genitals or navels. There's also no strict separation between men and women. I wonder if that's true?" Princess Changping asked, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
The Second Princess and Xiao Yuheng are siblings. Their mother is Consort Yu. Although Xiao Yuheng is well-liked outside, his sister is notoriously arrogant and domineering in the palace. Relying on Consort Yu's influence, she doesn't respect anyone.
"The princess seems to know quite a bit," Gu Qingwan replied indifferently.
Over there, Princess Anqing was leading the third princess, who was quite young. She had bangs and her hair was styled in two buns, making her very cute. Her chubby little hands were holding onto Anqing's hand tightly.
"Hmph, it's beneath my dignity to chat with a country bumpkin." The second princess was quite angry that such a powerless woman dared to challenge her, a princess.
According to the Second Princess, Gu Qingwan should just obediently let her mock her; in front of her, Gu Qingwan was not even worthy of carrying her shoes.
"Changping, you must not be rude," Princess Anqing said in a low voice.
“I say, elder sister, you discipline us in the palace, do you still have to discipline us outside? Don’t overstep your bounds. This is the residence of the second prince, and if all else fails, there’s still your sister-in-law here.”
"Changping!"
"Alright, alright, I'm too lazy to argue with you people. Royal sister, you can stay here if you want. I'm taking Xiao San to my sister-in-law's place."
When the Third Princess Chang Le saw that Chang Ping was calling her to go together, she remembered what her mother had told her to stick close to her eldest sister, so she immediately hid behind Princess An Qing, only showing her eyes and shaking her head to refuse Chang Ping's suggestion.
"Humph, I don't know how to appreciate it."
“The Crown Princess’s side is mostly filled with ladies chatting. The princess might find it boring there. Why don’t you join us for some fun? What does the princess like?” Gu Hanjiao immediately stepped forward to curry favor. After all, she was the Third Prince’s younger sister, and if she could build a good relationship with her, there would only be benefits.
"You are..." The Second Princess was about to curse, but upon closer inspection of the hairpin on Gu Hanjiao's head, she found it to be novel and unique, a style she had never seen before. She then said, "Miss Gu, right? I really like the hairpin on your head. Take it off and let me take a look."
Speaking of hairpins, Gu Hanjiao's heart was filled with another wave of emotion. Her mother only made her one piece of jewelry in the end. It was beautiful, but she always felt it wasn't enough. So she drew several modern styles in her mind overnight. However, when it came to putting pen to paper, she never knew how to draw them because she had never carefully observed those hair accessories up close.
The second princess received Gu Hanjiao's hair accessory and found it extremely novel. She had never seen such a unique style before and immediately fell in love with it.
"I have received your gift." She said, and was about to stick it into her hair.
"Oh! Princess!" Gu Hanjiao was anxious. She only had this one piece of jewelry. If she lost one of them, she wouldn't be able to use the rest if she couldn't find a suitable match.
"Changping." Princess Anqing also felt that this was not a good idea and wanted to persuade Changping.
The second princess ignored everyone and led her maidservants into the inner chambers of the prince's wife's quarters.
Meng Yanran was secretly laughing, pulling on Gu Qingwan's sleeve and shaking it repeatedly. The remaining young ladies from wealthy families were also staring at Gu Hanjiao, thinking to themselves that it was fortunate their jewelry wasn't that unique.
They had just seen Gu Hanjiao's jewelry and asked her about it. She said it was custom-made at Duobaoge. Custom-made jewelry is indeed beautiful, but their joy turned to sorrow. Everyone felt a bit mocking towards the most talented woman in the capital.
Seeing everyone looking at her like that, Gu Hanjiao understood everything. She couldn't stay there any longer; she had to find a way to leave. Suddenly, an idea came to her, and Gu Hanjiao's eyes reddened.
"Miss Gu, Changping... I'll send someone to deliver some gifts to you as compensation later," Princess Anqing comforted her.
"Thank you for your kindness, Princess. It's just a piece of jewelry. It's my honor that the Second Princess has taken a liking to it. I dare not offer any compensation. I feel a little unwell, so I'll take my leave now." With that, Gu Hanjiao covered her eyes with a handkerchief and left.
Princess Anqing said with some helplessness, "Everyone, please enjoy yourselves here. I need to go to my sister-in-law's place first."
"Princess, please make yourselves at home." The crowd bowed and saw Princess Anqing and Princess Changle off.
After the princesses left, everyone started discussing what had just happened in small groups again, but their focus was no longer on Gu Qingwan, but on the jewelry and clothes of Gu Hanjiao, the most talented woman in the capital. Some were envious, while others were gloating.