Xie Lin turned around, with the Duke Duanhua’s carriage fading into the distance, wondering what business she could possibly have at the Eastern Palace. In the past, out of ten of her trips to the Eastern Palace, eight were plainly to pester Zhou Gu. Now, knowing well that the Crown Prince was not there, what could possibly make her willingly go and wait?
He suppressed the doubts bubbling inside him and rode away.
As Duanhua journeyed down the road, she was caught by an enticing aroma wafting from somewhere along the streets. A wave of craving hit her, and she instructed the coachman, "Stop the carriage."
The coachman promptly obeyed.
Duanhua asked the guard trailing behind her, "Quickly go and ask, which restaurant is this? Why does it smell so appetizing?"
A guard concurred and immediately went to inquire.
A moment later, the guard returned, informing her, "Princess, it is the Welcoming Guest Restaurant; they have introduced several new dishes."
"The Welcoming Guest Restaurant, huh?" The mention brought a glimmer to Duanhua’s eyes. She glanced at the sky. A spare moment away from noon, after all, the Crown Prince was not at the Eastern Palace. Why not gorge on a midday meal before meeting her contact?
And so, she immediately made a decision, "Park the carriage over there. I am going to dine at the Welcoming Guest Restaurant. You hurry and place orders for all the newly introduced dishes."
The guard nodded in acknowledgment and dashed away.
Duanhua alighted from the carriage and, followed by her maid, entered the Welcoming Guest Restaurant.
It was still early for lunchtime, but the restaurant was already bustling with guests. Leisure-seeking young masters were there for drinks, and young ladies who were tired from shopping adored the restaurant’s tea and snacks. The kitchen was stewing something new, a dish so aromatic it wafted down the entire street, much to the chagrin of rival restaurant owners. Alas, at this rate, all their clientele would be wooed away, spelling doom for their own businesses.
The Welcoming Guest Restaurant, originally known merely for its alcohol, gradually gained fame for its excellent cuisine and pastries. What appeared to be a modest shop turned out to have the powerful backing of the Duke Residence and the Rui’an King’s Residence, solving numerous troubles for them. Who would dare to cross the Welcoming Guest Restaurant now?
Ah, doing business is tough, and it is even harder this year.
Upon entering the Welcoming Guest Restaurant, Duanhua naturally chose a private room. After her departure upstairs, murmurs among a couple of tables of young masters and ladies began to circulate.
"I heard that Princess Qingping was choosing a county horse for Princess Duanhua, and from last autumn up to this spring, she pretty much inspected every handsome young master in the capital city, but none were chosen."
"I heard it too. It was said that the princess is very strict, looking for a match who rivals Zhou from the Duke’s Residence. But who can match Zhou’s looks?"
"Has she not gotten over Zhou Gu yet?"
"That must be it!"
"I heard that the hair of Princess Qingping has turned white with worry and she has fallen ill due to the stress. She has lately given up managing her and has been recuperating at home."
...
Although the windows of Duanhua’s private room were open and the conversations below were hushed, the whispers still found their way into her ears. Frustrated, she ordered her maid, "Close the windows."
The maid complied, swiftly closing the windows, marveling at how much the princess’s temper had improved. In the past, she would have certainly stormed downstairs to confront the gossipmongers.
With the chatter from downstairs silenced, Duanhua sighed, "Ah, I have become a laughingstock."
The maid wanted to say, princess, you’ve been mocked since you were young, especially during those years when you were chasing Young Master Zhou. These recent gossips are nothing in comparison.
Duanhua, leaning on the table lost in worry, murmured, "Mother advised me to keep quiet, but I secretly mentioned it to the Crown Prince. He should be able to keep a secret, right? Mother is pregnant now, I can’t let her worry about my marriage anymore."
The maid didn’t know what advice to give and could only say, "The Crown Prince knows how to prioritize matters."
Duanhua nodded, sinking back into her sullen mood.
The new dishes at the Welcome Inn were indeed so delicious that it had Duanhua tongue-tied with pleasure. Having eaten to her fill, she didn’t feel like moving, let alone going back into the bustling crowd after. So, she decided to take a rest in the elegant private room she’d rented. Unfortunately, she overslept, and when she finally woke up, it was already afternoon.
Duanhua stretched her back, full of energy. "Let’s go. The Crown Prince, my cousin, should be back at the Eastern Palace now."
She descended the staircase with her maid and the guard and gave the Welcome Inn a generous tip. The innkeeper beamed as he collected his reward and even packed up a jar of freshly brewed wine and two boxes of pastries—the results of his latest culinary experiment—for her.
Duanhua was delighted, "The people of Jiangning County sure know how to do business."
The innkeeper simply chuckled, thinking to himself that it was not the people of Jiangning County who knew how to run a successful enterprise. Instead, it was his boss who knew how to maintain a good relationship with the right people like Duanhua, and thus be generous to her.
So, Duanhua went directly to the Eastern Palace with the wine and pastries in hand. She figured that once he returned to the palace, it should be close to dinner time. If the Crown Prince was agreeable, and accepted her requests, she would leave the wine and pastries for him—a gift given on behalf of another. However, if he was obstinate, she would not give him anything.
When she arrived at the Eastern Palace, to her surprise, Yan Huisheng had not yet returned home.
Duanhua stood at the gate, having come this far, she had to at least try to speak to him. She asked the housekeeper, "When will my cousin, the Crown Prince, return?"
The housekeeper shook his head. "His Highness didn’t mention."
Duanhua immediately announced, "I have some business with my cousin, the Crown Prince. I will wait for him."
The housekeeper nodded and ushered Duanhua inside.
He realized that Duanhua had become much more respectful and steady than before. At least, when she visited the Eastern Palace, it was no longer with the recklessness and brashness of years past. Moreover, she even brought gifts this time—a gesture she had never made in the past.
Duanhua instructed her maidservant to hold onto the gifts, but did not give them to the housekeeper, thus her maidservant continued to hold onto them.
Duanhua was hosted in the reception room by the housekeeper. After she was served tea and snacks, she made small talk with the housekeeper. However, finding the conversation dull, she dismissed him, "You may go and attend to your duties. I will just wait here for my cousin."
The housekeeper nodded and left.
After waiting for half an hour without anyone coming back, Duanhua, who was never one for patience, decided to step out of the reception room.
Little Chengzi, a young eunuch assigned by the housekeeper to attend to Duanhua, immediately asked, "My lady, are you leaving?"
"No, I’m waiting for my cousin, the Crown Prince, I’m tired of waiting, I just want a stroll around the Eastern Palace." Duanhua began to walk further away. In the past years, when she barged into the palace, it had been solely to seek Zhou Gu and she had no interest in observing the beauty of the Eastern Palace.
Little Chengzi nodded and obediently followed her, ready to obey her commands at any moment.
As Duanhua leisurely toured the palace, she marveled at its beauty. It was incomparable to her mother’s Princess Residence. Although her mother was a favored princess, she still couldn’t compete with the Crown Prince in terms of wealth, thus the most precious flowers and plants were always first planted in the Eastern Palace.
Walking along, she suddenly recalled Ye Qiuying. Every time, she had sent someone to the Eastern Palace to escort Ye Qiuying to the Princess Residence, but she had never personally visited Ye Qiuying herself. She asked, "Where does Little Qiuying stay? I will go and find her to pass the time."
Little Chengzi immediately led the way.
The place where Ye Qiuying lived was very quiet. After walking for a while with Little Chengzi, they heard voices from behind a rockery. It seemed that two young eunuchs were having a chat while on the move. One of them curiously asked, "What do you think? Why did Young Master Xie come to see Lady Qin today? And why did they talk for so long?"
The other lowered his voice, "When Young Master Xie left, he didn’t seem too happy. I guess, he probably wanted to take Lady Qin out of the palace to make her his concubine, but she did not agree."
As they talked, they turned the corner and quickly disappeared from sight.
Little Chengzi, who had been attending to Duanhua, thought to himself that he must report this to the housekeeper. Recently, the discipline inside the palace had slackened. It was bound to cause a harsh punishment if the Crown Prince heard their loose talk. It would be better for him to report it himself and let the housekeeper mete out a lighter punishment. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
Duanhua, having overheard the conversation about Xie Lin and Qin Luan, thought back to when she had bumped into Xie Lin on the street earlier that day. She hadn’t noticed whether or not he seemed happy.
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