The handsome monk led Luo Qingyan and Yun Shang into the Princess Palace. As soon as they entered the door, Yun Shang perceived a smell of sandalwood, which, though very faint, made her frown slightly.
Since the Eldest Princess posed as a Buddhist, Yun Shang wouldn't feel strange if there were figures of Buddha or an odour of sandalwood. But it was the first time that she even could detect the smell in the yard of a Buddhist.
They walked across a yard full of bamboos, and entered an extremely elegant flower hall. There were only tables and chairs made of rosewood, a picture of Avalokitesvara and many pictures related to Buddha.
The handsome monk bowed to Luo Qingyan and Yun Shang with his hands folded and said gently, "Amitabha! Your Highnesses, please have a seat and wait for a moment. Her highness is praying in the Buddhist Prayer Room. I'll go to inform her."
"Praying? Yun Shang raised her eyebrows. Even the Eldest Princess had no faith in Buddhism, she had spent seven or eight years in the temple. Generally, Buddhists always prayed early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Now it was around 3 clock in the afternoon. It was too late for the morning pray and too early for the evening pray. How could she pray at this time?
After Yun Shang and Luo Qingyan sat down, a maid quickly served two cups of tea. Yun Shang glanced around the flower hall and saw another maid cleaning up the table nearby. It seemed the cup of tea on that table was not steaming.
Yun Shang withdrew her gaze, and thought to herself that there must have been another guest in the flower hall before they came. But, if the guest had left, the teacup must have been taken away by the maids. Since it was unmoved, it meant that the guest was still in the mansion. The guest hadn't left, but now the maid took away the teacup when they didn't notice. Perhaps the Eldest Princess didn't want them to know who the guest was.
Yun Shang picked up her teacup and blew on the hot tea. After taking a sip, she turned to Luo Qingyan and said, "The tea is very unique. It tastes bland, but has a delicate fragrance."
Luo Qingyan shook Yun Shang's hand with a smile, "if you like it, you can ask the Eldest Princess how to make the tea. Later you could ask someone in our mansion to make some for you."
"It's not easy to make good tea. I wonder if Her Highness is willing to give me her recipe." Yun Shang smiled and put down her teacup.
As soon as she finished speaking, a gentle voice was heard. "It is very simple. If you like it, I'll tell you how to make it."
Yun Shang and Luo Qingyan looked to the direction where the sound came from. The Eldest Princess came in and sat on the host seat. She smiled and said, "This tea is just made from new bamboo leaves that came out after spring rain. The Master in the Palace of Buddha likes to drink it. I got used to it when I was in the temple. Now I make it myself every year."
Yun Shang looked at the Eldest Princess with a smile. She lowered her eyes to hide the astonishment in her eye
ughing. "Liu Jin is almost sixty years old. Seems he is really vigorous. Even the butler in the Princess Mansion is so handsome, how could she be interested in the aging Liu Jin. She made such a big sacrifice!"
Luo Qingyan was also a little surprised, but he concealed it in an instant. After a moment of silence, he said, "The Seventh Prince has become powerful, so he wants to kick Liu Jin out. Liu Jin had a meteoric rise because of Lady Liu. The Liu family doesn't have a deep foundation. If the Seventh Prince tries to get him in trouble, it would be difficult for him to make a foothold in the court. That was why Liu Jin wanted to send Liu Yiyi into the Imperial Palace. He needed someone in imperial household to rely on. But in the end, Liu Yiyi was appointed to the Seventh Prince as his concubine by His Majesty. Liu Jin is cornered. He plans to unite with the Eldest Princess to gain a foothold in the court. The Eldest Princess also wants to have more support from the court. Although Liu Qingyan is already a spent arrow, he is still the Master of the court anyway. Moreover, he has Liu Yinfeng as his adopted son.The Eldest Princess must be pleased with that. "
Yun Shang nodded and sneered, "they collude with each other."
"I suppose the Eldest Princess was afraid that Liu Jin would regret, so she drugged him and slept with him. It seems that she is indeed an ambitious woman. You should be careful when you have any contact with her. I'm afraid nobody could be more scheming than her." Luo Qingyan said lightly.
Yun Shang nodded. She hesitated for a moment before she said in a low voice, "I think we should tell the Seventh Prince about it."
Hearing Yun Shang's words, Luo Qingyan's eyes lit up. Smiling, he lowered his head and patted her head, "you little fox. If the Seventh Prince knows it, I'm afraid there will be a good show to watch. "
Yun Shang curved her lips into a smile. They had always been framed since she came to the the State of Ning. Now it was time for them to watch the show.