Chapter 4, "Bathing".
==Chapter Four: Meals==
In April, the peach blossoms in the courtyard are in full bloom, like a shy and timid young girl, with a gentle spring breeze.
Mu Ziyi, a smile playing on his lips, swaggered in from outside, holding a folding fan in his hand. "Since His Highness got married, he's been very busy with important matters and doesn't like to get together with us friends anymore."
Besides Xiao Yu, Luo Qi and Xie Cheng were already in the large study. Luo Qi thought this man wasn't very bright and gave him a cold look. "Your Highness and the Princess Consort are newlyweds, deeply in love. If Your Highness has time to spend with the Princess Consort, are you going to spend it with you?"
“That’s true.” Mu Ziyi nodded in deep agreement and turned his gaze to Xiao Yu at the head of the table. “Does Your Highness like this Princess Consort from Nanqiong? I’ve recently heard rumors that no one in the capital can match Princess Consort Cheng’s beauty.”
Mu Ziyi and Luo Qi talked until their throats were dry in the study, while Xiao Yu remained silent the whole time. However, when Mu Ziyi asked this question, Xiao Yu spoke slowly and deliberately: "I am not a person who judges people by their appearance."
Mu Ziyi and Luo Qi exchanged a glance. They had forgotten that this man was indifferent to women. The capital was full of beauties, and they had never seen him look at any woman before. It seemed that the rumors in the capital about "newlyweds being inseparable" were just an act for others to see. His Highness had no feelings for this newlywed princess at all.
The logic is sound. Before the marriage, His Highness and the Princess Cheng he was to marry were complete strangers. Naturally, they wouldn't fall deeply in love just because they got married. Even storybooks wouldn't dare to write something like that.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door from the outside. After receiving permission, the person entered. It was a guard dressed in black armor. "Your Highness," the guard said, "the mastermind behind the salt smuggling operation in the Fuzhou area has been apprehended. However, he claims he is not the mastermind and is willing to stake his life on it, saying that the mastermind is a high-ranking official in the court. I tried to get him to talk, but he would rather die than speak. He says he will only talk if he sees Your Highness in person. I have come to ask Your Highness whether we should escort him back to the capital."
Selling smuggled salt is a capital offense. Since the other party claims that the mastermind behind it is a high-ranking official in the court, this official must hold a high position in the court, otherwise he would not dare to be so bold.
Further speculation suggests that the true mastermind was either the Crown Prince's faction or the faction of the Seventh and Eighth Princes.
Xiao Yu's expression remained unchanged, a cold smile appearing on his lips. "Send the person back to the capital immediately, but do not let a word of it leak out."
Mo Yu dared not be careless and accepted the order with clasped hands.
"Your Highness suspects something?" Xie Cheng frowned, put down the plum blossom glass cup in his hand, and was about to ask when a maid's whisper came from outside, "Your Highness, Prince Xiang has arrived."
The Prince of Xiang, Princess Weiyang's elder brother, must be here to bid farewell to Xiao Yu. Judging by the time, the envoy from Nanqiong should be leaving the capital soon. Mu Ziyi and the others understood the priorities and got up to say goodbye to Xiao Yu.
As the three of them went out, they bumped into Prince Xiang and exchanged greetings. Before leaving, Xie Cheng glanced back at the well-mannered Prince Xiang. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that Prince Xiang and Princess Weiyang didn't really look like siblings. Yet, their eyes and brows seemed somewhat similar. Perhaps he was just overthinking it.
In a corner where no one was watching, Prince Xiang secretly concealed his hand in his sleeve. Prince Cheng was formidable, and the people around him were no less so. This Lord Xie appeared to be refined and gentle, and didn't talk much, but in reality, he had been secretly observing them all the way, and was probably a ruthless character as well.
A moment later, a maid dressed in a green dress led Prince Xiang inside, saying, "Your Highness, please come in."
Upon entering the study, he was greeted by a faint scent of sandalwood. The sandalwood fragrance was calming and soothing, which made Prince Xiang realize once again how unassuming Prince Cheng was. "Your Highness Prince Cheng."
"Brother Wang, please have a seat."
The Prince of Xiang sat down and said to Xiao Yu with a smile, "The reason I came here today is to bid farewell to Your Highness. We have been in the capital for so long, and it is time to return to Beili to report to my father. Before leaving, I came to say goodbye to Your Highness, and there is also something I would like to entrust to Your Highness."
Xiao Yu's eyelashes were as white as raven feathers, and his expression was gentle as he gestured for the other party to speak.
"I only have one younger sister, Weiyang. She was raised by my mother since she was a child, so she is inevitably spoiled. I hope Your Highness will be more tolerant of her."
Xiao Yu took a sip of tea and nodded slightly. "That's natural."
The atmosphere quieted down again, and Prince Xiang tentatively asked, "I have informed His Majesty that I will be leaving the capital in three days. I wonder if I may see my sister one last time before I leave?"
To put it bluntly, Prince Xiang was still worried about his little cousin Su Wanyue. Even though he could hear every day from the post station that His Highness Prince Cheng and Princess Cheng had a very close relationship, he couldn't feel at ease until he saw it with his own eyes.
If they don't meet this time, they probably won't see each other again until the end of the year.
"Go and invite the Princess over."
Meanwhile, Su Wanyue was checking the account books of the Chengwang Mansion's properties. When she turned to one of the account books, she frowned and asked someone to bring her an abacus. The old woman waiting nearby wasn't stupid; if even the Princess Consort needed to recalculate with an abacus, there must be a mistake behind it. The old woman brought Su Wanyue the abacus, and Qin'er brought over a bowl of lychee drink. Seeing that Su Wanyue had circled several entries, the old woman asked, "Does Your Highness think these accounts are wrong?"
Su Wanyue sensed something was amiss. She closed the ledger and pondered for a moment: "Who is in charge of the Pearl Pavilion's accounts?"
The old woman recalled in her mind, "The business of Pearl Pavilion is mainly managed by Manager Li, but the accounts should be handled by his wife, Granny Sun."
"Then tomorrow you should go and invite Manager Li and Granny Sun over."
Qin'er noticed the weariness in Su Wanyue's eyes and guessed that she was probably too tired from looking at the account books. "Your Highness, you must be tired after looking at the account books for half a day. This is a tea made with fresh dew and lychees. Your Highness may have a taste."
Before Su Wanyue could even take a bite, someone claiming to be a maidservant of Prince Cheng requested to see Su Wanyue, saying that Prince Xiang was about to leave the capital and wished to see the Princess Consort before leaving.
***
The servants arranged for Su Wanyue to see Prince Xiang off at the Begonia Garden. To avoid disturbing their farewell, the servants presented the finest pastries and Yuhu Longjing tea before discreetly withdrawing. Prince Xiang smiled gently and asked, "Is Weiyang doing well at the Prince's residence?"
"Thank you for your concern, Brother. His Highness treats me very well."
"Then I can rest assured, brother. Now that you have entered the palace, you should take on the responsibilities of Princess Cheng, assist His Highness Prince Cheng, and live in harmony with him. Do not be as spoiled and willful as you were in the palace."
Only after seeing the dark figure leave out of the corner of his eye did Prince Xiang breathe a sigh of relief, his face stern. "After your brother leaves, take good care of yourself. If you encounter any difficulties, send someone to inform us. Neither your brother, nor Father Emperor, nor Mother Empress will turn a blind eye."
At least the younger sister in front of them was their father and mother's niece. Su Wanyue had helped them and all the people of Nanqiong in this marriage alliance. Otherwise, how could they explain themselves?
When she arrived, her younger sister seemed dazed. Sometimes, when Prince Xiang looked at her, she seemed ethereal, as if she were about to ride the wind away. He couldn't hide his guilt. During the time she had been married to Prince Xiang, her complexion was as rosy as a sunset, and she looked more vibrant. It seemed that she was not having a bad time in Prince Cheng's residence.
Su Wanyue nodded gently, but something else was on her mind: "Has my cousin been found yet?"
The Prince of Xiang shook his head, as if afraid she still harbored illusions. When he said "the situation is settled," he emphasized the words, "not yet, but Father and Mother have already sent people to search. Whether they can find it or not, the situation is settled, and there is no turning back. Do you have any message for my uncle?"
To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, the Empress Dowager did not allow Su Wanyue to meet her uncle before her marriage. Considering that his aunt had passed away early and that his uncle only had this one daughter, Prince Xiang felt guilty.
Su Wanyue took out a letter from her Shu embroidery sleeve. The letter was addressed to "Father." The Prince of Xiang understood her meaning and quickly stuffed the letter into his purse. "Then I'll be leaving now. Take care of yourself. I'll take care of everything. Your brother, Father, and Mother are here for you."
"There is one more thing. Because Weiyang has been weak since childhood, she has no martial arts skills. Also, although few people know that Weiyang is not good at dancing, you must not let anyone find out."
"As an envoy, Zhou Heng will remain in Beili with two thousand personal guards. If you encounter any problems that you cannot solve, you can go and find Zhou Heng."
On the pavilion, a gentle breeze lifted the hem of Su Wanyue's light green skirt as she watched the Prince of Xiang depart.
As Prince Xiang approached the post station, a guard dressed in black cloth hurriedly stepped forward and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Your Highness, a secret report from the royal family."
The Prince of Xiang's expression changed. At this time, the secret report meant either Wei Yang had been found, or the Imperial Uncle and Lu Qingchen knew that the person who had married into the family was Su Wanyue and wanted an explanation or justice. "Let's go."
The shadowy figure that had been hiding in the dark came to the study and told His Highness everything about the conversation between Prince Xiang and the Princess Consort. Xiao Yu listened while reviewing official documents. Finally, he closed the memorial in his hand and said, "Give this memorial to the Left Censor-in-Chief. He knows what to do."
"Yes, I will take my leave now."
A young maidservant stepped forward to serve tea to Xiao Yu, and cautiously asked, "Would Your Highness like to rest for a while?"
Xiao Yu did not take her cup of tea. He smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle on his sleeve and stood up. "No need. Go to her place."
The "she" in this context must refer to the Princess Consort, and the little maidservant quickly stepped aside.
Su Wanyue's residence was in a refined courtyard, with pine trees brushing against the eaves and willow leaves swaying. Several swallows perched on the windowsill, flapping their wings. Several old women guarded the outermost courtyard, while Qin'er stood guard outside the innermost main house. When Qin'er saw Xiao Yu, she curtsied and said, "This servant greets Your Highness."
Xiao Yu glanced at the tightly closed door, remaining expressionless, and asked, "Where is your princess?"
Qin'er looked troubled and replied, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort is taking a bath inside."
The princess used to have a habit of taking a midday nap when she was still in her boudoir. She would take a bath before each midday nap. Who knew that His Highness would come over at this time? I wonder if the princess inside heard the noise.
Xiao Yu waved his hand and slowly walked in. Behind the brocade screen, steam rose, and what came into view was a section of fair and tender skin.
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