After rebirth, His Highness Xinshu was pampered by me.

Chapter 426 Things change and people change
Consort Wei tormented the people in the Imperial Household Department several times, and no matter how unwilling she was, she could only try her best to make arrangements for the Tenth Prince.

Since Empress Li was no longer causing trouble, things in the palace were going relatively smoothly.

Meanwhile, at the Twelfth Prince's residence, Jinse, who was eagerly waiting for the Twelfth Prince to leave the palace, did not see the Twelfth Prince. Instead, she was greeted by someone who had come specifically to see her.

"Someone is outside the manor saying they're looking for me. Who is it?"

Jinse couldn't think of anyone who would come to the Twelfth Prince's residence to find her.

After all, she no longer has any relatives living.

The messenger who came to deliver the message was a servant boy named Xiangzi who guarded the second gate.

Hearing Jinse's question, Xiangzi thought for a moment and said, "Reporting to Steward Jin, that woman said that she used to serve in the Imperial Tea Room with Steward Jin..." Tea basket.

Royal tea room?
Could it be that Cha Qing found some free time today and specially came out of the palace to visit the Twelfth Prince's residence?
Jinse was overjoyed, and a smile immediately appeared on her face.

Then Xiangzi, panting heavily, continued, "The woman said that when she was in the Imperial Tea Room, her name was Cha Lan."

Jinse's smile froze instantly, a look of confusion flashing in her eyes.

Why is Cha Lan looking for me here? Wasn't she at the Prince of Ankang's residence? How did she know I'd already entered the Twelfth Prince's residence?

Seeing Jinse's expression, Xiangzi felt a little uneasy. Could it be that the woman named Chalan wasn't an acquaintance of Manager Jin?

He glanced at the woman named Cha Lan. She seemed quite nice, with a smile on her face, unlike the concubine Ye from the Prince Yi's mansion last time, who said she was looking for Steward Jin but looked furious.

Jinse regained her composure, ignoring what Xiangzi was thinking, and nodded, saying, "I understand. Lead the person to the side hall."

Xiangzi responded and left. Soon after, he led the tea basket to a side hall and sat down.

Given Jinse's attitude, Xiangzi wasn't overly enthusiastic. After leading her there, he had someone bring her a cup of hot tea and then left.

Tea leaves touched the slightly hot teacup, their gaze deep and unfocused, lost in thought.

On the other side, Jinse finished what she was doing and got up to go to the side hall.

My steps were steady, but my mind was racing with thoughts.

Jinse couldn't help but wonder what Chalan had suddenly come to find her for...

Although they seemed to have a good relationship when they were in the Imperial Tea Room... it was mostly because of the tea leaves.

Jinse could sense that the friendship between Chalan and herself was somewhat different from the kindness Chalan showed to Chaqing.

In addition, Jinse already knew that Chalan had entered the backyard of the Prince of Ankang's mansion, and because of Empress Li's original plan, Jinse couldn't possibly think that Chalan came to see her today without any purpose.

Thinking of Jinse, I couldn't help but sigh in my heart.

She really doesn't like this kind of interpersonal interaction.

However, even though Jinse really didn't like it, she still walked into the side hall without stopping.

As soon as she entered, Jinse saw Chalan sitting in the side hall and was momentarily stunned.

The current Cha Lan is nothing like she was when she was in the Imperial Tea Room, and she is also somewhat different from how she was when she was bumped into on the street before.

Today's tea blue evokes a feeling in Jinse...

She was wealthy and beautiful, flamboyant yet restrained, with a hint of smugness in her eyes, yet also a touch of melancholy. This feeling was very complicated.

Jinse felt that Cha Lan, with this feeling, was a bit unfamiliar, and for a moment she almost didn't recognize her.

Hearing the noise, Cha Lan looked up and saw Jinse come in. She immediately stood up, with a familiar smile that was a bit mercenary. She stepped forward to greet Jinse and then reached out to take Jinse's hand, acting as if the two of them had not been apart for a long time.

“Sister Jinse, they really are talking about you. I was worried that I had mistaken you for someone else.”

Jinse remained silent for a moment.

She wasn't concerned about whether Cha Lan had mistaken her for someone else; she was more concerned about whether she herself had mistaken Cha Lan for someone else.

At this moment, Cha Lan seemed a bit out of place if she didn't speak, and once she did, she felt even more uneasy.

Cha Lan, who used to work in the Imperial Tea Room, was a bit aloof and proud, and usually had a serious and unsmiling personality. But when she was with Cha Qing, she was like a caring older sister.

But this person now, with a slightly mercenary smile on his face, still harbors a hint of pride in his eyes, yet also a touch of humility...

Jinse almost didn't recognize herself.

Seeing that Jinse remained silent, Chaqing smiled and said, "Sister Jinse, it's been a long time. Don't you recognize me anymore?"

As she spoke, Chaqing made a slightly sad expression at Jinse.

Thankfully it's a sweltering day, otherwise Jinse would be shivering.

Jinse slightly shifted her gaze and said softly, "Sister Chaqing is even more beautiful now. I was just a little stunned for a moment. It's not like I don't recognize Sister Chaqing."

Cha Qing immediately laughed again: "Jinse is getting better and better at talking. In my opinion, Jinse is still the prettiest."

Jinse wasn't used to communicating with Chaqing like this, so she smiled and quickly invited Chaqing to sit back down. She then changed the subject, saying, "Sister Chaqing, what brings you here today? Is there something you need to talk to me about?"

Cha Qing picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said, "Do I have to have something to say before I can come to see Sister Jinse?"

Jinse smiled, but didn't know what to say next.

Now that she's dealing with tea leaves, she no longer dares to act as she did in the Imperial Tea Room, so she cautiously refrained from responding.

Cha Qing, perhaps sensing something, smiled slowly and continued, "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've contacted my fellow sisters in the palace. I only learned by chance that Sister Jinse had left the palace to work at the Twelfth Prince's residence, so I thought I'd come here to see her."

She looked up at Jinse and said in a relaxed tone, "We used to work together in the Imperial Tea Room. Now that we've both left the palace, we're still in the capital. We can visit each other more often from now on, right, Jinse?"

Looking at Cha Qing's smiling face, Jinse suddenly thought of Cha Qing for some reason.

She recalled Cha Qing's solemn and doubtful expression when she first heard that Cha Lan was now working for the Prince of Ankang.

The expression on Cha Qing's face at that time made her suddenly feel a little wary when facing Cha Lan's smiling face now.

Even though Cha Lan didn't say anything particularly offensive or unusual...

Cha Lan waited for a while, but Jinse didn't respond, and the smile on her face faltered slightly.

She took a deep breath before smiling and saying, "Why are you so distracted today, Jinse? Have we grown distant since we last met?"

Upon hearing this, Jinse quickly composed herself.

She thought for a moment and said, "It's been a while since I left the palace. Seeing Sister Chalan now suddenly reminded me of Sister Chaqing, and the days when we worked together in the Imperial Tea Room. I'm a little dazed for a moment! Please forgive me, Sister Chalan."