Chapter 11 The Queen's Hint

  Before long, all the dishes were served, a big and small table full of food.

  The princess sat down first and then said to the maids: "Close the door, you can sit too."

  "Yes." Mei'er responded first, carefully closed the door, and then sat down in the lower room.

  Mei'er sat down, and the other three also sat down one by one. Only Xue Lengyu was still standing on the side, she couldn't help but think of what she had seen before, how strict were the rules in the Wang's mansion, how could there be a scene where the princess and the maid ate together?

  Seeing Xue Lengyu still stunned on one side, Lan'er pulled her and said: "Sit down, don't be so formal."

  "Yes." Xue Lengyu could only sit down and still didn't dare move her chopsticks.

  The princess first picked up a chopstick of vegetables and put them in her own bowl, then said: "You guys eat too."

  "Yes." Everyone responded, and only then did they start eating. While eating, they chatted and laughed, but Xue Lengyu, being the newcomer, still looked a bit stiff. He just casually ate some food, didn't interrupt others' conversations, and quietly listened on the side. When he heard something funny, he would smile along with them.

  However, this princess is indeed a person of temperament, playing and fooling around with the servant girl, without any airs. Xue Lengyu's good impression of her increased by several points, and she didn't mind so much about why she was being so nice to herself either.

  After lunch, a lower-ranking servant came to collect the bowls and chopsticks.

  The princess said: "I'm a bit tired and want to take a nap. Mei'er, Zhu'er, you two come and serve me."

  "Yes." The two replied in unison and busied themselves helping the princess into the inner chamber to rest.

  "Right," said the princess. "Later I'd like to go to the hot spring for a bath, you all get ready."

  "Yes." Lan Er hastily replied.

  Xue Lengyu just stood by and watched, but in her heart she knew why the queen was so plump, doing nothing all day, eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating. How could she not be like a balloon? That Butterfly Concubine, although Xue Lengyu hadn't seen her full face, must have been slender and elegant, no wonder the queen had fallen out of favor.

  In the afternoon, there was nothing much to do. When it was almost time for dinner, the new plaque for the courtyard arrived and Princess Wang looked at it with great satisfaction. She personally directed its hanging and praised Xue Lengyu a few times.

  After dinner, the princess was going to take a bath. Xue Lengyu didn't know what it was all about, but she saw Lan'er and others leading a few young maids, carrying a pile of things, food, drink, towels, flower petals, and also calling her out of the courtyard together.

  Xue Lengyu asked Lan'er in a low voice: "Where are we going?"

  "Hot springs." Lan Er said: "In the backyard of the Wang Fu, there is a natural hot spring pool. All year round, the water temperature is just right. When the princess has nothing to do, she likes to go there to soak and relax."

  "Really?" Xue Lengyu's eyes lit up. Hot springs, just the name sounds comfortable. To be honest, in this era, taking a bath is really a troublesome thing. And no matter how you wash, it's not comfortable.

  Just putting on a show, Xue Lengyu's eyes were disappointed, in such a place, someone with her identity would definitely only be able to look, and wouldn't have the qualifications to use it.

  Lan'er seemed to know Xue Lengyu's thoughts, and whispered in her ear with a smile: "The princess usually rests after soaking in the hot spring. Then we can also take turns to sneak away and soak comfortably."

  "Is that so?" Xue Lengyu said: "In the hot spring, every night isn't it crowded with people, and there are so many servants in the mansion."

  Lan'er pouted: "Do you think just anyone can go? That hot spring was built by the king for the queen, and except for the people in the queen's house and the king himself, no one else dares to set foot inside."

  "Oh." Xue Lengyu nodded, understanding. After some thought, he asked: "Then aren't you afraid of running into Prince Wang?"

  "This is how it is." Lan'er said: "Since the Prince and Princess Wang had a falling out, he has rarely gone to the hot springs. Recently, he's been in Butterfly Consort's residence every day, so it's impossible for him to go to the hot springs."

  "That's great." Xue Lengyu thought that he could take a comfortable bath later and his whole person became happy.

  The princess faintly heard what they were saying and smiled slightly.

  Before long, they arrived at what was called a hot spring bathhouse.

  According to Lan Er, this was originally a natural spring, with warm water gushing out all year round. Later, the king's concubine loved the scenery here, so the king had it built into an artificial pool for the concubine to bathe in.

  Xue Lengyu let out a soft sigh, thinking about how happy the queen was back then. Young and beautiful, with such an excellent and doting husband, but it's the royal palace after all, even deep emotions are just fleeting clouds. No wonder she became self-destructive, looking at the queen's current figure, it must be the result of her heart being cold and grey, binge eating and drinking.

  It was called a bathroom, but it was actually an artificial swimming pool. The gate was closed and locked by Mei Er, and the girls all burst out laughing.

  Mei and Lan attended to the queen, helping her change clothes, then got into the warm spring. One on the left and one on the right, one held a water scoop to rinse the queen, while the other held a soft cloth to gently wipe the queen's back. Although the queen didn't pay much attention to her skin care now, she had a good foundation and was still young, so her skin was delicate and her figure was elegant.

  Xue Lengyu sat to the side, lost in thought, and couldn't help but think of Yang Guifei after her bath. Wasn't it just such a stunningly beautiful posture? Of course, one had to slightly ignore the excess fat on her body.

  "Ling Yu." The queen suddenly called out.

  "En?" Xue Lengyu was pulled back from her reverie and hastily said: "Your Majesty, what instructions do you have."

  "There's nothing to instruct." The princess said: "You look like you're in a daze, what are you thinking?"

  "There's nothing." Xue Lengyu said: "It's just that I've never been in contact with this kind of life before, and I feel that the food, clothing, and living conditions in the palace are really like heaven and earth compared to the outside."

  The princess smiled and said: "Look at what you're saying. In the palace, it's naturally not comparable to outside. How about it, are you willing to live such a life?"

  "Of course, I'm willing to stay by your side." Xue Lengyu said: "You treat me so well, how could I not be willing?"

  "I didn't mean stay by my side." The princess said: "I'm saying, if one day you can also be the master of the palace, would you be willing?"

  "This is getting big, Xue Lengyu didn't know what the princess was referring to, and hastily said in fear: 'Your Highness is joking with me, I am of low status, how dare I think about being a master. As long as I can follow Your Highness's side and serve you, it's already a great blessing.'"

  "Don't be nervous." The princess looked at Xue Lengyu as if she had done something wrong, and smiled unintentionally: "I'm just casually saying, what's impossible in this world? What if one day I met the king and he took a liking to you. If you became the king's person, wouldn't you go from being a maid to becoming the mistress? It's not a big deal, it's just that if there is such a day, don't forget that you are someone who came out of my house."

  Xue Lengyu became even more terrified, she had only been here for a day and didn't think she had done anything that would make the princess think she was trying to curry favor with her, so why did she say something like this.

  Xue Lengyu seemed a bit at a loss, but Mei'er was quick-witted and smiled lightly: "Your Ladyship, you've scared Lengyu." She then turned to Xue Lengyu and said: "Lengyu, don't be afraid, Her Ladyship didn't mean anything by it. As maids in the Wang estate, if we're favored by Master Wang and taken as concubines, that's just normal. Her Ladyship was just casually chatting with you since you're new here."

  Xue Lengyu nodded and said, "Lengyu only wants to serve by the empress's side and doesn't dare have any other intentions."

  Well, actually Xue Lengyu thought carefully, the queen's words were indeed nothing serious. The king as the master of the palace, if he fancied a maid, it was indeed just a matter of taking her in as a concubine and that's all, no big deal. If the queen had been so jealous, she would have been sour to death long ago.

  The princess thought Xue Lengyu was just timid and didn't say anything else, focusing on taking a bath. Only Lan'er saw Xue Lengyu's smile with raised eyebrows and couldn't help but laugh until she cried.