sbdcsierra Chapter 482 Sister Zi Ning
Chapter 482 Sister Zi Ning
The Crown Princess said gently, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. I have already asked someone to prepare dinner."
The Seventh Princess was already next to the Seventh Prince, and the two of them were whispering to each other. The Seventh Prince even took the time to reply, "Your Majesty, can you use the prey we hunted? There's a hare and a deer. Roasting some of them would be delicious!"
The Crown Princess said gently, "Everything is there. I've already arranged it!"
The Crown Princesses handled the matter with great ease. The Crown Prince looked at them with admiration and led everyone into the main hall.
The hall was divided into two parts, with a screen standing in the middle. The screen was made of thin material, which allowed people to see their shadows and talk, while also separating the seats for men and women.
King Yu paused and didn't say anything. After all, the separation of men and women in the Dasheng Dynasty was quite strict, so everyone sat down separately by gender.
Dishes were served on the table one after another, including roast suckling pig, mushroom soup, and eight-treasure fish. The most tender part of the venison was sliced off and strung together, then served up while roasting, sizzling and fragrant.
Amidst the laughter and cheers, the Crown Prince reminded the Seventh Prince: "Eat less than two skewers, it will cause internal heat!"
The Seventh Prince said as he ate, "Thank you for your concern, my brother!"
There were only three people on the women's side. The Seventh Princess and Qian Zining were talking in soft voices and seemed to be very familiar with each other. The atmosphere between them was even more harmonious. The Crown Princess looked at them with a hint of unnaturalness in her eyes. Looking at a beauty under the lamp, this daughter of General Qian was so beautiful. She grew up with the Crown Prince since she was a child. Her family was powerful, but why didn't she run for the Crown Princess?
The Seventh Princess was exclaiming in admiration at the deliciousness of the mushroom soup: "It's so delicious, Sister Zi Ning, please try it!"
Qian Zining: "I tried it, it's really good, it's all thanks to the Crown Princess's hard work."
Qian Zining put down the soup spoon, and the Seventh Princess said coquettishly again: "Sister Zining, you have to accompany me to the back garden tomorrow. There are peacocks I raise there. The peacocks are so beautiful when they spread their feathers!"
Qian Zining doted on the Seventh Princess very much. Looking at the Seventh Princess's sparkling eyes, a smile spread across her face. The Crown Prince said, "Sister Zining, please don't spoil this girl."
The Seventh Princess stuck out her tongue and said, "Brother Crown Prince, venison is delicious. Eat more."
The Second Prince couldn't help but laugh: "Seventh Princess is asking Your Highness the Crown Prince to shut up!"
The eldest prince shook his head helplessly, "Only this girl is so bold."
King Yu looked at the harmonious brothers and sisters and thought about himself. He really had few relatives. Since he returned to the Sea Kingdom, brothers had been killing each other and fathers and sons had been suspicious of each other. From this perspective, this prince was much more fortunate than himself!
Prince Yu drank a glass of wine and looked at the Crown Prince. "To be honest, I was protected by the Empress when I was young and grew up in Qingciyuan. I'm also an old acquaintance of... Miss Qian. I'd like to ask, how is Qingciyuan doing?"
The Crown Princess didn't expect to hear about Qingciyuan at this time, and was stunned for a moment.
Qian Zining said, "Qingciyuan remains the same. If His Royal Highness Prince Yu has time, you can go and have a look."
The Crown Prince also said, "General Qian's wife has been managing Qingciyuan. My mother has poured so much effort into it and will not let it fall into decline. Sister Zi Ning has also taken over some of the affairs. Your Highness Prince Yu can revisit the old place!"
The Crown Prince and Qian Zining were the only ones who knew about Prince Yu's relationship with Qingciyuan. The Seventh Prince and Princess were immediately curious. The Seventh Prince asked, "How did His Royal Highness Prince Yu grow up in Qingciyuan?"
The Seventh Princess also said, "Didn't His Royal Highness the Prince of Islet grow up in the sea?"
The eldest prince and the second prince also had doubts, but they kept them in their hearts. However, the Crown Princess looked at Qian Zining, who looked like she knew the truth, and felt uncomfortable. It seemed that both Miss Qian and the Crown Prince knew about this matter.
Qian Zining smiled lightly: "Seventh Princess is still young, it's not good to worry too much, drink the soup."
Prince Yu glanced at the Crown Prince and said, "I still remember how Miss Qian played with her friends at Qingciyuan when she was a child, playing with stones and throwing sandbags. Miss Qian would frown when she lost."
Qian Zining said openly, "I still remember that when His Royal Highness Prince Yu saw me lose, he immediately ran over to help me and beat those little friends to the ground!"
The prince smiled when he thought of that scene: "It's a pity that I was a few years younger and had never left the palace at that time. Otherwise, I could have helped Sister Zi Ning!"
Qian Zining smiled and said, "With His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's words, no one dares to bully me now! Your Royal Highness Prince Yu, if you see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's entourage, you will feel familiar. Many of them are our childhood friends."
Prince Yu was still thinking about his childhood friends, but he heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this: "It seems they have all caught the eye of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
The prince simply said, "I only want someone with ability!"
The Crown Princess felt choked up and suffocated. Since Qingciyuan was so important, providing the Crown Prince with talented personnel and the most loyal subordinates, why didn't the Empress and the Crown Prince just come clean? Thinking of how she had intentionally or unintentionally rejected Qingciyuan so many times, the Crown Princess's face turned pale. Her fingers tightly gripped the wine glass, and it took a while for her to let out the anger in her chest.
The Crown Prince, Prince Yu and Qian Zining talked about their childhood stories in detail, and the others listened with great interest.
The Crown Princess listened to the Crown Prince affectionately addressing her as "Sister Zi Ning," with such unconcerned familiarity and obvious trust, and felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. Trust! How rare! This was the benefit of a childhood friendship, yet she still had to work so hard and painstakingly to obtain it.
Prince Yu stayed in the Wenquan Royal Manor for two days and returned to the Bafang Pavilion in the evening of the second day. The prince and others also returned to the palace.