It was indeed the painting talent that even Lord Sacred Hand was praising so much. The Xie Qingrong in the picture had a frown and smiled, as if she was a fresh character.
Emperor Xuanyuan praised in satisfaction: "Good painting, I am very pleased to be able to admire such a good painting and song."
He gave the Linglong Jade hairpin and the jade bracelet to the two of them.
Xie Qingrong placed the drawing and bracelet on the table and sneaked out of the banquet. However, she didn't see the look in Ye Ningyu's and Ye Jiaze's eyes, so she didn't understand what they were talking about.
Even now, she was still unable to adapt to it. These intertwined voices and concealed sharp auras were all over the banquet, so it was better for her to come out and take a breather. She casually strolled around the imperial garden, with all of the eunuchs and maids waiting by the side.
Xie Qingrong casually walked to a very remote corner. The place was overgrown with weeds, which was the complete opposite of the thriving imperial garden.
Xie Qingrong reckoned that she had walked until she reached the cold palace. When she turned around and was about to leave, she tripped over a furry thing beside his feet. Xie Qingrong squatted down and discovered that there was a snow-white kitten curled up beside his feet.
Just as he was about to pick it up, he heard a pleasant voice call out, "Huan Xue ~"
The snow white kitten meowed and ran far away. Xie Qingrong followed its footsteps and ran into the yard of the cold palace.
In the courtyard, there was a very old and dilapidated room. Inside, there was only a weak candle flame, which was faintly discernible. However, a beautiful side of the room was perfectly reflected on the window.
Xie Qingrong followed along and realized that she had actually barged into someone's courtyard. Just as she was feeling disturbed, she turned around and was about to leave when she heard Huan Xue's pleasant voice again, but she was being called, "Since Miss is here, why not come in and take a seat?"
Xie Qingrong turned her feet and walked back into the house. Once she entered the house, she realized that there was another world in the house.
The windows in the house were all made of fine mahogany, not to mention the pillars on the beams. No wonder the house was so old, it was still standing.
"I only have some green tea here, I hope Miss doesn't mind." The woman said coldly.
When Xie Qingrong heard this, she curled her lips and said with a light smile, "If I'm against it, then why would I step in here?" She moistened her throat with the simple green tea.
After drinking the tea, he saw a snow-white kitten sitting obediently on the girl's lap. Its pink lips were yawning, making it look extremely adorable. Xie Qingrong felt as if his cold heart was about to melt into a puddle of water.
The woman saw that Xie Qingrong was staring at the Huan Xue on her leg, and suddenly laughed: "This is Huan Xue, do you want to touch it?"
Xie Qingrong carefully extended his hand out, but she did not dare touch it, for fear that she would strangle the little kitten to death. When the lady saw this, she pulled Xie Qingrong's hand and touched it, it was soft, warm and small.
He touched the cat and saw that it was a bit sleepy. Only then did he reluctantly retract his hand.
The woman placed Huan Xue on the soft couch, and sat in front of Xie Qingrong, allowing Xie Qingrong to clearly see her face.
If the Queen Zhangsun was dignified and elegant while the Imperial Consort Ye was beautiful, then the woman in front of him was an absolute beauty of ice and snow. Her face was extremely cold, just like an unmelting ice.
However, it could still be considered a peerless beauty.
"How did you get here?" the cold beauty asked.
"I don't know either. As we walked, we arrived here. I didn't know that there was actually such a dilapidated place in the palace." Xie Qingrong said with a faint sigh.
Hearing this, the woman's cold eyebrows slightly moved as she took a sip of the green tea. With the elegant and noble movement of the tea, she forcefully drank the tea that tasted like it was the best green tea in the world.
"There are many things that you don't know in this palace. It's just that there are too many people here, please be careful." The woman reminded her with good intentions.
Xie Qingrong raised her eyebrows, as if she was surprised by the woman's sudden warmth.
"May I have your name please?"
But unexpectedly, the woman seemed to have heard some kind of pleasant joke. She bitterly smiled, and her face revealed a bit of resentment, "Look at me, can I even be called a girl? My surname is Duanmu, and as for my name, I have long forgotten it. "
Duanmu? Xie Qingrong suddenly remembered that this was once a favored concubine. She was ice-cold like a snowy mountain, causing people to look up at her in admiration.
Xie Qingrong probed: "Could it be Snow?"
A trace of unknown meaning flashed across Duanmu Xue's eyes, and he ridiculed, "What Snow, this is just a work of whim, when it comes to favors, even you will be forgotten."
Her tone was light, but Xie Qingrong could still hear Duanmu Xue's complaints about the Emperor Xuanyuan, and he sighed in his heart.
The person in the Emperor's heart at the moment is the Queen Zhangsun. Even the concubine that she once doted on is probably just a shield that she had to use to protect the Queen.
It's just a pity, Duanmu Xue.
Seeing the look of pity on Xie Qingrong's face, Duanmu Xue immediately pulled down her face, and said coldly: I do not need the sympathy of others, so, I ask you to leave immediately.
Xie Qingrong retracted the look of pity on her face, and a hint of praise flashed through her heart. Before she left, she reluctantly looked at the snowy white ball that was sleeping on the soft patch.
Duanmu Xue looked at Xie Qingrong's reluctant look, and could not help but say: "In the future, if there is a chance, you are welcome to come anytime."
Xie Qingrong nodded and walked out of the cold palace courtyard. She understood what Duanmu Xue had said just now, but she didn't feel that she was pitiful, so she didn't need the pity of others.
As for that blob of snowy white, he could only sigh. It was a pity that he would probably never set foot in the cold palace again. It would be just to satisfy his selfish desire.
Xie Qingrong entered the main hall and looked around, but she could not find any trace of Xuanyuan Chen. She was still suspicious, when she saw Zhangsun Wenyan returning to her seat and sitting down, she went over to Zhangsun Wenyan's side and asked: "Wen Yan, have you seen the Duke?"
Zhangsun Wenyan nodded, and said, "Prince Chen was supported in that direction by a small eunuch, it seems like they went to look for you."