After listening to Qing'er's description, Saiya remained silent for a moment, while the usually quiet Anke almost fell asleep. "You all like people like that, so I like people like that too," Saiya said enthusiastically, her eyes shining as she looked at Anke and Qing'er.
Anke felt utterly exhausted, her eyelids almost drooping. Hearing Saiya's words, she instinctively responded with a "Hmm, good, not bad," and then drifted off to sleep.
Seeing this, Qing'er nodded to Saiya and whispered, "Saiya, you should rest early."
Saiya also noticed that Anke had fallen asleep, but she didn't say anything, only nodded in acknowledgment.
The three girls drifted off to sleep, each with a smile on their lips, filled with hope for the future.
*
Shufangzhai
After the banquet, Xiao Yanzi ran back to her bedroom and closed the door, shutting out anyone who was concerned about her or asking about her situation.
Ziwei and Jinsuo looked at each other speechlessly. They hadn't been allowed to attend the banquet and had no idea what had happened there. For a moment, they were unsure how to comfort Xiaoyanzi.
After closing the door, Xiao Yanzi climbed into bed and silently shed tears. She felt that everyone had betrayed her.
Her former father, the Emperor, doted on her, but now he always gave her the cold shoulder. Yongqi used to care for her deeply, but today he didn't even spare her a glance. And Benjamin? Since the tour, she hadn't stepped foot in her Shufangzhai.
Even when she went to Ruyi Pavilion to find him, Hong Lv Lan always made up various excuses to fob her off. Xiao Yanzi felt that her life now was completely different from before. She felt that everyone had betrayed her.
Ziwei and Jinsuo kept watch over her for half an hour, but Xiaoyanzi showed no sign of opening the door. Jinsuo, seeing Ziwei's red eyes, also advised her to go and rest early.
Ziwei glanced at the closed door again, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards her own room.
Little did they know, Little Swallow had already cried herself to sleep in her bedchamber.
*
The next day, the first breeze of dawn blew the wind chimes hanging from the beams outside the sleeping quarters.
Hearing the sound, An Ke slowly yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes. As she prepared to get up, she realized someone was lying in her bed.
Then her muddled brain was forcibly restarted, and Anke remembered that she had invited Saiya and Qing'er to her room for a chat last night.
Looking at the two sleeping faces, An Ke quietly got out of bed, afraid of waking them up. She put on her clothes by herself and didn't ask anyone to fetch water to wash up.
After carefully stepping outside, I bumped into Xingxing, who had filled a basin with water. Xingxing's hand slipped from the impact, and she dropped the basin.
Anke grabbed a handful of stars, then caught the basin with her other hand. She let out a soft breath, turned her head to look at the two still sleeping, and considerately closed the door.
Anke has her own biological clock. At this time, she can't fall asleep anymore, and her body reacts instinctively, so she gets up on her own.
After washing up outside, An Ke pulled out the sword hanging on the pillar, his eyes sharpening.
Her pace quickened, and her swordplay grew increasingly rapid, eventually becoming dazzling. It seemed as if Anke and her sword had become one.
The sword moved with the same agility as Anke's hands, as if she were performing a finger-sword dance. Anke swung the sword faster and faster, stirring up a gentle breeze, and by the time she stopped, the fallen leaves on the ground had piled up into small heaps.
Just then, a burst of rapid applause rang out. "An'an, I didn't expect your sword to be so good." Without turning around, everyone knew that the person who came was Saiya.
Anke turned her head and looked over, her serious expression softening somewhat. "When did you get up?" When Anke was focused, there was nothing else in her eyes.
Anke took the invitation from Xingxing, wiped the sweat from his brow, and casually tossed his sword back into its sheath. As if guided by a telescope, the sword returned to its original position.
"I didn't mean to disturb you, but I didn't expect to disturb your peaceful dreams." After wiping her face, An Ke looked at the two people in front of her who had already tidied up.
"You still have the nerve to say that?" Qing'er glared at An Ke. "We clearly agreed that whoever got up earlier would wake up the other two, but you, on the contrary, quietly came out by yourself."
"I just saw you were sleeping so soundly." An Ke scratched her head sheepishly, a rare blush appearing on her face.
Qing'er didn't really blame An Ke; she knew An Ke was doing it for their own good. It was just that the weather was getting colder. Qing'er felt sorry for An An, having to go out so early to wash up.
Ignoring everything else, Saiya strode up to Anke, looking at her with adoration. If her eyes held stars, they would probably have blinded Anke by now. "An'an, you're so amazing! Can you teach me?"
Saiya was obsessed with martial arts and had been pestering Anke ever since she saw his extraordinary skills.
An Ke, unable to resist her pestering any longer, said helplessly, "Alright, alright, I'll teach you. But for now, let's go have breakfast first. We'll talk after breakfast."
Saiya then realized her stomach was already rumbling and protesting. She wholeheartedly agreed to Anke's suggestion to have breakfast first.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they entered the dining hall hand in hand. There they saw the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Princess Consort of Prince Rui all sitting at the dining table, seemingly having been waiting for them for quite some time.
After greeting the three of them, Anke and the others sat down to have breakfast.
That morning, because Saiya was chattering away wittily, the Empress Dowager and the Queen laughed heartily, and the two of them ate more than usual for breakfast.
Just after breakfast, Prince Rui came eagerly to pick up Princess Rui.
Qing'er felt a deep warmth in the scene before her, and she was filled with envy. If her future husband were like Anke's father, she would be content.
Anke: Seriously? Last night, watching you two being lovey-dovey wasn't enough, and today you've come all the way to Cining Palace?
Saiya didn't show any particular expression, because Saiya's family was very harmonious, and she, like Anke, was already used to it.
Just then, Princess Rui took An Ke's hand, patted it gently, and said softly, "An An hasn't been back to the manor for several years, has she? Why don't you come back with your mother today?"
Seeing the expectant glint in Princess Rui's eyes, An Ke couldn't bring herself to refuse. Before An Ke could even react, she had already nodded.
The princess was naturally overjoyed. Although it was nice to travel and enjoy the scenery, her roots were ultimately in Beijing, and her daughter was also in Beijing. So no matter where she went, she always kept Beijing in her heart.
Now that we're going back to the manor, it's only natural that the whole family should go back together. No one can be missing.
Anke looked behind her and saw Qing'er and Saiya with longing expressions. An idea immediately came to her mind, and she cleverly moved closer to the Empress Dowager.
Although Prince Rui had been away from the capital for several years, he was fully aware of his daughter's cunning schemes. Recalling the way his daughter had looked at the two young ladies just now, he knew that she must have asked the Empress Dowager to allow these two young ladies to accompany her out of the palace.
No one knows a daughter better than her father. An Ke smiled ingratiatingly at the Empress Dowager, then massaged her shoulders and whispered, "Grandmother, you see, since we came back from our trip, Qing'er hasn't gone out of the palace to play. Now, An'an wants to go back to the mansion to see if she can take Qing'er with her."
Upon hearing this, Qing'er looked at the Empress Dowager with expectant eyes. Although the palace was wonderful, she also wanted to breathe in the fresh air outside the palace and embrace that long-lost but brief freedom.
The Empress Dowager looked at her two beloved daughters with the same expression in her eyes, and naturally couldn't bear to refuse. "Alright, then we'll go together. But remember to come back before the palace gates are locked."
"Yes," Qing'er and An Ke said in unison.
Needless to say, accompanying this Mongolian princess was one of the Emperor's biggest headaches. Now, with Anke and Qing'er accompanying Saiya, it's a relief for the Emperor.
So when they left the palace, Prince Rui and his wife had three little tails growing behind them.
The women all boarded the carriages, while Prince Rui rode a horse beside them to protect them.
Although the carriage was very understated, its interior was extremely luxurious. The seats were made of cashmere wool, and the backrests were made of Sichuan brocade, which were cool and refreshing, not hot at all.
The carriage even had a small sandalwood table with an exquisite incense burner on top, burning a soothing pear scent. Every single item exuded luxury.
However, it's also clear that Prince Rui cares deeply for his princess. After all, everything in the carriage was specially customized for her by the prince.
The four people inside the carriage were chatting and laughing, and Prince Rui outside the carriage was also smiling happily.
And so, they arrived at the gate of Prince Rui's Mansion in a very low-key manner.
Everyone in the Prince's mansion had already learned that the Prince and Princess would be returning this morning, and they came out early to greet their masters. Leading the group was Steward Jin, who had served in the mansion for decades. Steward Jin was an honest and kind man who had been by the Prince's side since childhood, and his status was extraordinary.
But Butler Jin was unaware that the young master would be returning with the others today.
The moment Butler Jin saw the prince and princess, tears streamed down his face. The next moment, three beautiful young women stepped down from the carriage, and upon closer inspection, they discovered that their young master was also among them.
Butler Kim had watched Anke grow up step by step. Although the princess was taken to the palace to be raised after she grew up, Butler Kim always thought about that delicate little mistress.
Seeing that Butler Jin was still about to kneel, the prince quickly stepped forward and helped him up. Looking at the white hair at Butler Jin's temples, Prince Rui sighed at the passage of time, "Alright, didn't I tell you this morning? You don't need to kneel when you see us anymore."
Butler Jin was the same age as the prince, but because Butler Jin had so many things to do, he looked much older than the prince. The prince still preferred to call Butler Jin "Little Jin," after all, Butler Jin had been his loyal servant since he was eight years old, and this bond was extraordinary.
"This servant knows that Your Highness is considerate of this servant, but etiquette cannot be disregarded, and outsiders must not be allowed to speak ill of Your Highness." Butler Jin remained as stubborn as ever.
The prince sighed helplessly and pulled the man up after Steward Jin finished bowing. "We haven't been home for years, and you've really taken good care of everything in this mansion."
"This is all my duty, but now that I see my masters return safely, I am overjoyed." Butler Jin felt that no words could express the excitement in his heart.
In the end, it was the princess who interrupted their conversation. Otherwise, Anke and the others might have had to stand there with them for who knows how much longer in this busy street.
Once inside the manor, Anke, like a frolicking rabbit, led Qing'er and Saiya on a tour of the estate. The prince and princess were pleased with this and let them play as they pleased. After all, it was safe within the manor.
The couple also had things to take care of, so it was good that the three of them went out to play. Otherwise, the two of them would be too busy looking at their accounts to pay attention to the three little girls.
Seeing that the steward was hesitant to speak, the prince said, "Little Jin, if you have something to say, just say it. Why hesitate?"
"This servant is foolish and did not know that the young master has also brought Princess Saiya. Should we send someone to accompany him?" Butler Jin asked worriedly, after all, there was a map of the capital's defenses in the palace.
Therefore, this distribution map is from several years ago, but if it falls into the hands of unscrupulous people, it will not be a good thing for the Prince's Mansion or the Qing Dynasty.
Prince Rui narrowed his eyes for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "It's alright, An'an knows what she's doing." Prince Rui trusted his daughter; she had the ability, the strength, and the discernment.
Seeing this, Butler Jin said nothing more. He had witnessed his young master's strength firsthand.
While the scenery within the Prince's Mansion may not possess the extravagance of the Imperial Palace, it is still unique in the capital. It features not only northern landscapes but also southern scenery.
"I've long heard that the scenery of Prince Rui's mansion is divided into northern and southern styles, and seeing it today, I can confirm it's true." Qing'er looked at the scenery inside the mansion with great excitement. Although she had never been to Jiangnan, seeing the layout of the mansion made her feel as if she had arrived in Jiangnan.
“Because Mother especially loves the scenery of Jiangnan,” Anke said, her face beaming with happiness. “So, Mother decorated the mansion according to the scenery of Jiangnan, so that Mother could experience the landscape of Jiangnan without actually going there.” Qing’er’s eyes lit up even more as she finished speaking.
"Wow, An'an, you even have a martial arts training ground in your residence!" Although Saiya was very interested in the customs and scenery of the Qing Dynasty, she was even more interested in martial arts. "Wow, you have so many weapons? And targets too. No wonder you're proficient in all kinds of weapons, An'an."
Saiya's eyes lit up as she touched the weapons on the rack, and she said cautiously, "Ah, could I make a complete set like this?"
Anke didn't care at all, after all, she also loved practicing martial arts, so she naturally understood Saiya's feelings at this moment. "Of course you can, take it if you want to fight."
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