338 Pigeon Soup I (1/2)

Mrs. Zeng could not shake off the odd feeling for the entire night.

She was no longer the first to laugh or the one to laugh the loudest when the Empress made a joke. She did not join in either when the prime minister's wife gossiped about what happened in Chang'an. Instead, she stared at the dark and skinny little handmaiden beside Princess Lee Yu in a daze.

Her odd behavior had gathered some attention, especially from the ladies who had noticed that she was staring at the Princess. They all thought that it was rather odd. She did not emerge from her reverie even when the royal secretary's wife called her many times, and she had to gently nudge her to get her attention.

The royal secretary's wife lowered her voice and asked in concern, ”Why are you so out of it today?”

Mrs. Zeng smiled painfully and did not explain because she could not explain it. She did not understand why the little handmaiden felt so familiar and why her heart was twinging in pain.

The ladies could not help feeling confused by the presence of the little handmaiden beside the Princess as they chatted over tea with the Empress. When they had two pots of tea, the prime minister's wife could not help but ask about it. The Empress smiled and introduced Sangsang to the rest simply.

That was when the ladies realized that she was Ning Que's handmaiden. Even though they still had many doubts, they did not continue their questions. Furthermore, they were of noble status. While they did not treat their maidservants at home like dogs, they were of two different worlds. They asked about Ning Que casually, giving the Empress face.

Mrs. Zeng watched her companions speak with the little handmaiden and could not help asking questions as well. However, she did not care how many calligraphy pieces Sir Ning could write in a day. Instead, she asked for Sangsang's age.

Sangsang was not used to the atmosphere in the palace. If it wasn't for the edict and Lee Yu's promise to accompany her, she would rather cook porridge in the Old Brush Pen Shop. When she ate her meal served by the palace maids earlier, she truly felt that Ning Que was right to say that the palace was not a place for eating.

She felt that the questions the noble ladies asked were very tedious until someone asked for her age. She thought that the question was simple and immediately answered seriously, ”I was born in the Yuan year of Tianqi era.”

Mrs. Zeng lowered her head and counted on her fingers for some time before she calculated that the girl was about to turn 15. After a short pause, she said mournfully, ”My child would be the same age as you are if she had lived.”

The ladies present in the palace were all close to the Empress and they all knew of the incident of the ferocious wife who had tried to kill both the concubine and child that had created a ruckus in Chang'an in the Yuan year of Tianqi era. They could not help but look at Mrs. Zeng sympathetically when they heard that.

The Empress comforted her.

Mrs. Zeng looked at the little handmaiden seated behind the table and smiled bitterly. She thought that she must have missed her deceased daughter too much, that she had lost all decorum looking at a girl the same age as her child. She really shouldn' have acted that way.

There were many things that were difficult to get rid of once you have thought about it, just like Mrs. Zeng's pity for Sangsang that had appeared out of the blue. She tried to convince herself that she was just missing her daughter, but could not help looking at Sangsang dazedly.

She felt that Sangsang looked more and more familiar as she looked on, especially the girl's tanned skin and beautiful willow leaf-shaped eyes. They all made her look really familiar. She could not help but ask, ”I heard you mention, that you lived in the City of Wei in your early childhood with Sir Ning. Was the sun at the frontier fortress too strong, causing your tan?”

Sangsang was startled for a moment before she shook her head, saying, ”Young Master said that I have always been tanned.”

Mrs. Zeng could not help but fall into a daze when she heard her reply. She did not care how others looked at her and stared staring at Sangsang intently, as if there was something really beautiful on her face.

The tea had turned cold, and the feast ended. Everyone bade their farewells.

Mrs. Zeng stood outside the palace. She stopped the two when she saw Lee Yu and Sangsang.

Lee Yu frowned, not knowing what the Grand Secretary's wife was trying to do.

Mrs. Zeng knew very well that as the Empress most ardent supporter, she had not treated the Princess well. In fact, she had offended the Princess several times. That was why she spoke in a gentle and humble tone.

”Your Highness, I felt a sense of connection to this little girl when I saw her today. You know about my child... and I hope that Your Highness could agree to let me escort her home.”

Lee Yu looked at her silently. It seemed that the Grand Secretary's wife really wanted to travel with Sangsang, even bringing up her daughter who had passed 15 years ago. Why would she do this? Could it be that the Empress had finally discovered the importance of the Academy entering the human realm and have decided to get close to Ning Que in such a roundabout manner?

As she thought about this, she decided to refuse the lady's humble request. She smiled and said, ”Sangsang doesn't like to interact with strangers.”

This was true. Sangsang was unwilling to interact with others. If they had not been in contact over the past two years, even Lee Yu would find it difficult to enter her world, much less the Grand Secretary's wife whom she had never met.

At this moment, Sangsang who had stood beside Lee Yu silently suddenly said, ”Sure.”

...

...

”Your name is Sangsang?”

”Yes.”

”It's an interesting name.”

”It's alright.”

”Who named you?”