“As Grandmother can see, I am foolish. I admire His Majesty, and my heart is only for His Majesty. I cannot do the things you ask me to do well…” Ning Wanyin refused calmly.
“I knew I couldn’t count on you!” Old Mrs. Ning glanced at her disdainfully.
Then she looked at the young girl supporting her beside her and said kindly, “This is your cousin. If you bring her into the palace, she will naturally help you share the burden.”
“Mother, you didn’t say anything about letting Ziyin enter the palace…” Cheng Shi was shocked.
Old Mrs. Ning glared at Cheng Shi warningly.
Then she looked at Ning Wanyin and said, “Although you are currently favored by the Emperor, no woman can maintain that favor forever. Your cousin’s entering the palace can also help you secure his favor. Your grandmother is doing this for your own good…”
“How can this be! Others will surely criticize Wanwan! If Ziyin wants to enter the palace, she should wait for the imperial concubine selection three years from now.” Cheng Shi objected in astonishment.
Although the Emperor can take women into the palace whenever he wants, only the imperial concubine selection is the legitimate way; other times it’s considered ‘offering’.
If Ning Wanyin were to offer her sister to the Emperor, she would be condemned by countless people as a bewitching enchantress.
“Cheng Shi, you’re becoming more and more unruly! You even dare to talk back to me.” Old Mrs. Ning glanced coldly at Cheng, her eyes filled with anger.
Cheng Shi bowed and said, “That’s not what I meant… Mother, please calm down, but having Wanwan offer her cousin by herself is really damaging to Wanwan’s reputation!”
Ning Wanyin said softly, “Mother, don’t worry. Compared to my reputation, family is the most important. If Grandmother thinks that Cousin entering the palace will benefit the family, then Wanwan will naturally help Cousin.”
“Sister, are you willing to let me enter the palace?” Ning Ziyin was somewhat surprised.
“As long as you’re willing, I will certainly lend you a hand.”
A faint smile flashed in Ning Wanyin’s eyes.
Ning Ziyin was half-convinced, her words carrying a hidden meaning, “Sister, I’m going to the palace to help you. I’m just afraid Sister won’t want me to gain favor…”
“Sister, you are overthinking it. But even if I present you to His Majesty, if he doesn’t approve of you, then Grandmother’s good intentions will be in vain.” Ning Wanyin stated.
Ning Ziyin was about to say, ‘His Majesty will surely take a liking to me…’, when she heard her sister continue.
“To ensure my sister catches His Majesty’s eye, I have a suggestion. Why don’t you paint a picture to attract His Majesty’s attention? His Majesty is skilled in painting, and he’ll likely look at you more closely.”
“Of course, His Majesty has extremely high standards and has seen countless masterpieces. If your painting skills are not yet outstanding, why not let me, your elder sister, serve as a foil? With my humble work before you, your painting will naturally appear as a masterpiece.”
“Sister can also adorn you with my jewelry, all of which was bestowed by His Majesty and is more beautiful than those outside the palace. I will certainly dress more simply to make room for my sister’s makeup and to highlight her beautiful face.”
Cheng Shi was getting anxious.
Wasn’t her daughter being outshone?
Even if her cousin were to enter the palace, there was no need to make her look like this. What if the Emperor became fickle and she fell out of favor?
Ning Ziyin’s eyes lit up as she eagerly looked at Old Mrs. Ning, “Grandmother, my sister’s painting…”
She needed to confirm whether Ning Wanyin’s painting skills were truly poor, lest she be tricked.
Old Mrs. Ning nodded firmly, “You’re better than her.”
The two tutors who taught Ning Wanyin painting and chess in the mansion were specially hired by Old Mrs. Ning at great expense.
Ning Wanyin’s chess skills were passable, but she was slow to grasp painting.
“Since you’ve helped me so much, I’ll definitely take care of you in the future.” Ning Ziyin finally felt relieved and spoke very politely.
In reality, she had no intention of taking care of Ning Wanyin.
Seeing Ning Wanyin gain favor, she was almost dying of jealousy.
Why did she have such good luck?
She wasn’t any worse than Ning Wanyin!
She was worried about suffering in the palace and thought that it would be better to become a wife in an official’s family, which was why she didn’t participate in this year’s imperial concubine selection.
Seeing Ning Wanyin so favored now, she was filled with regret.
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Meow meow On TPH Chapter 26.1