Five days later, at the Su residence.
When Su Tiyue returned to the Su residence, she learned that on the same day she returned home, Consort Wan had also received the Emperor's decree and left the palace.
"I heard that the Prince of Huainan bought a house in Yong'an City, and Consort Wan lives in that house, becoming his mistress." Qingwu said while eating a fried pastry, sharing the gossip she had just heard on the street.
Liu Wan chimed in, "Anyway, our mistress isn't a member of the palace anymore, and neither is Consort Wan. Even if we meet again, we'll have nothing to do with each other."
Liu Wan thought for a moment and said softly, "By the way, what was Consort Wan's name again? She's no longer a concubine in the palace, and I still don't know her name."
This was no challenge for Qingwu, who was out and about every day. She said with a smug look, "I know. This Consort Wan's original name was Xu Wanwan, and her ancestral home was Fangzhou."
After listening, Liu Wan looked thoughtful and said, "The name is nice, but the person isn't very good..."
Qingwu frowned and said, "Hmm. But I just can't figure it out. I've never seen Consort Wan and the Prince of Huainan have any contact before. This happened so suddenly, and the whole of Yong'an City is talking about it..."
"Hey, do you guys think these two might have already...done that thing in the palace?" Qingwu speculated exaggeratedly.
Liu Wan shook her head and didn't reply. She was reserved by nature and would never dare to say such things lightly.
...
Only Su Tiyue sat beside the carved table, her chin resting on her hands, gazing at the scenery outside. To be honest, she didn't care at all about how Consort Wan was doing.
Whether it's Consort Wan or Xu Wanwan, as long as she's content to be the Prince of Huainan's mistress, there won't be any problems.
But if she tries anything funny with Su Tiyue again, even a miracle won't save her.
Su Tiyue counted on her fingers... Hmm, it's been five days since she last saw Xiao Zhangyin.
She had just returned to the manor when the rumors circulating in the palace about her and Xiao Heye still reached the Su family to some extent.
In order to avoid arousing her parents' suspicions, Su Tiyue, though eager to sneak out and see Xiao Heye, refrained from doing so.
Who would have thought?
A loyal and devoted court official, Su Shangshu's most beloved daughter, actually fell in love with the powerful and ruthless Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial...
Her father, Su Sui, had also tried to probe her several times, but Su Tiyue had already devised a way to deal with it. She simply said that Xiao Heye had helped her in the palace, and that there had been no further contact between them.
The father naturally believed in Su Tiyue. After all, the Su family had strict family traditions, and Minister Su had served as an official for decades, remaining honest and incorruptible, serving the country without any disloyalty.
The eldest brother, Su Lin, was an upright general stationed on the frontier, a man of integrity and unwavering loyalty.
Except for the second brother, Su Lang, who is utterly useless.
However, now that his elder brother is back, Su Lang will probably not be allowed to continue his mischief.
Over the years, Su Sui has grown old, and dealing with all sorts of miscellaneous matters in the imperial court has taken a lot of his energy, so he doesn't care much about things at home anymore.
Su Tiyue's mother, Yang Wanzhi, had always been in poor health, and most of the household affairs were handled by her sister-in-law.
Ultimately, Su Lin should have been the head of the family long ago.
However, he has been far away on the frontier these past few years, and he has been unable to take care of things at home.
Most importantly, Su Tiyue and Su Lang have been under the control of this older brother since they were young.
When the older brother gets angry, the two of them are sure to have a rough time.
When I was a child, I was afraid of this older brother. Now that I'm older, I rarely see him, and my fear has turned into a longing.
Judging from what Xiao Heye said that day, his elder brother should stay in Yong'an for a while this time.
Now that a ceasefire agreement has been signed with the Rouran, there should be no security risks in the southern border region for the time being.
Thinking this way, she felt a surge of anticipation, hoping her older brother would come home soon.
Everyone in the family knew that their eldest brother was coming back, and they were all so excited that they couldn't sleep.
However, Su Tiyue noticed that her sister-in-law Hu Fengmei was acting strangely these past few days. She couldn't see any happy expression on Hu Fengmei's face, and her eyes were always red, as if she had been crying.
But Su Tiyue didn't think much of it; perhaps she was just crying tears of joy...
*
Two days later, General Su Lin finally returned.
He rode a fine steed and spurred it on to return to Yong'an. The King of Huainan and the Rouran envoy would arrive the next day.
No matter how dissolute Su Lang was, upon hearing that his elder brother was returning home, he would wait for him at home early in the morning.
That evening, the Su family prepared a banquet to welcome the eldest son of the Su family.
The entire mansion was filled with laughter and joy.
It's a long-awaited reunion of relatives, a brief separation that makes the honeymoon feel even better... and it's also a true family reunion.
Su Tiyue was so happy that she drank some sake, which had a high alcohol content. She started to feel dizzy after only three cups.
The banquet was only halfway over when Liu Wan helped her back to her room to sober up.
While Liu Wan went to fetch the hangover soup, Su Tiyue sat by the window, her face flushed, fanning herself with her fingers as she waited for Liu Wan to return.
Hearing the door open, Su Tiyue assumed it was Liu Wan. She yawned and said in a drunken voice, "Liu Wan, put the hangover soup on the table. I'll rest for a bit and then come back for some... If you're not full, go eat something else. I noticed you didn't eat much earlier..."
As she spoke, she tilted her head back and twisted her neck.
But the person behind her didn't speak or leave; instead, they approached her step by step.
Hearing footsteps, Su Tiyue covered her flushed cheeks with her fingers and turned around: "Liu Wan, what's wrong with you..."
Su Tiyue couldn't continue speaking. Because the person who was close to her wasn't Liu Wan at all, but clearly Xiao Heye.
He was dressed in black, with a belt embroidered by Su Tiyue herself around his waist, from which hung a jade pendant.
The man stood tall and elegant, a faint smile on his face, his dark eyes as gentle as jade. The tray in his hands held a hangover soup prepared for her.
"Master Xiao!" Su Tiyue exclaimed in surprise. Only after shouting did she realize that she was in her own home. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand and asked in a very, very low voice, "How did you get in?"
Xiao Heye put down the hangover soup in his hand, and like her, covered his mouth and answered very quietly, "I climbed over the wall to get in."
Su Tiyue frowned, then couldn't help herself and stumbled into his arms...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
