I deliberately looked at the roof of the car, and Xie Yuancheng used his sleeve to cover my face. The sleeve was so big that it could be used as a small blanket.
"Okay, I'll tell you, but it's not a good thing~" He covered my face, and I struggled to speak. Xie Yuancheng leaned close to my ear, and I wanted to scream in his ear, but I was afraid of hurting his ears, so I told him anyway.
I thought he would be furious after hearing this, since I had helped him in the first place, but he didn't say anything and just sat down.
"What's wrong with you now? Did you already know?" I waved my hand in front of him, and Xie Yuancheng grabbed my hand, startling me.
Where did you see it?
"It's right where you just turned the corner. I was just thinking about you, and then you came in."
"I told you not to lift the carriage curtain randomly, but you wouldn't listen!" Xie Yuancheng must have gotten the situation wrong. It wasn't me lifting the carriage curtain randomly; the focus was clearly on the Second Prince and Caiwei.
"I wasn't listening. The carriage curtain was opened, and you didn't answer when I called you, so of course I lifted it to take a look. Who knew they would be there?"
"Keep making excuses." Xie Yuancheng let me lean against him. I looked up at him. It was rare to see him thinking. If he were skillful, he could even draw it.
I didn't see him speak after we entered the mansion. The commotion was quite significant; there were people standing outside and many inside as well. There must have been a lot of people when I came last time, but I hadn't paid attention.
"Are they all here?" I was so curious. If there were so many people in the mansion, why didn't they come to live in the capital?
"You wish! This is just a stopover, not a place to stay."
"Hmph! Petty and stingy!" I wrinkled my nose. I shouldn't have asked him; it's the middle of the day, and I'm just making myself angry.
"My little Ying'er is angry again, you're the petty one~" She always picks me up when I'm not paying attention. If it weren't for my long arms, I would have really fallen to the ground.
"Put me down! This isn't Linyang where you can just carry me around like that." I saw people all around me and really wanted to cover my eyes. Even though I was wearing a veil, I still felt embarrassed.
"We're all from the household, what are you being shy about? You've been married for three years and you're still acting like a little girl."
"You're the little boy!" I should really pester him to go to the Ji family mansion. He dares to treat me like this at home. Dad should give him a good whack first and make him lose his way.
"Anything is fine, come inside quickly, aren't you cold in the middle of winter?"
I leaned against him, really wanting to ram my head into him. But I had to give him some face in front of outsiders, otherwise I'd be the one suffering in private. Xie Yuancheng led me to the central room. When I first entered, I thought I was in the Ji residence. No matter how similar it was, it was still just a different place.
"I already told you not to go back. If you keep thinking like this, don't even step out the door." Xie Yuancheng hugged me from behind, emphasizing how much effort he had put into everything he said. My ears were practically pounding.
"I know, I'm busy every day, I really don't know where you find the time to do these things. It's not like you have to go back. Even if you can't go back, you can stay anywhere."
"Hmm~ that's what you say, but that's not what you really think." He even poked me in the heart, and I almost slapped him away.
"Hehe, you're the one who thinks the best. Let me go and go do your thing. I'll wander around too."
"What's so interesting about it? It's not even a third the size of Linyang Prefecture."
I turned around and rubbed his face. "You're so good at talking. With so many things added to the manor, I'm worried there might be a flood!"
"Sigh~ Ying'er, you're always bullying people. I'm going to tell your parents on this."
"Pah! You can talk about it when you see them!" I was so happy that I messed up his hair and didn't even put the hair crown on him.
He tried to outsmart me when I was just twenty, so I decided to teach him a lesson. I was having a good time when he suddenly picked me up by the waist, and I was so startled that I almost threw my hairpin at his face.
"If you mess around again, I'll grab your hair out." He tried to pull off my veil, and even though I begged for mercy, I couldn't stand on the ground.
"Waaaaah~ Put me down, waaaah~ It hurts." My feet weren't touching the ground, my hair was tangled with his, and my scalp was sore from trying to sneak away, but Xie Yuancheng was still tying me up.
"Tell me, will you dare touch my hair again, Ah Li? Men don't touch heads, women don't touch waists~"
"Yes, yes, I won't argue with you, sir. I'm hungry, I want to eat!"
"Stop trying to be cute with me~ I'll tickle you first and make you laugh until you faint."
"Hahaha~ Stop it!" I couldn't protect either side. My hair was grabbed, and I had to dodge him. I was restrained, and even if I wanted to dodge, I couldn't find an opening.
After laughing for what felt like two incense sticks' worth of time, I was finally able to sit down in a chair. My stomach was sore from laughing, and my whole body was moving with it. That jerk! Next time, I'll tickle him when he's in a good mood, until his stomach hurts from laughing.
"You're much better behaved this time. I'm all ready to go to the palace. Who does Ying'er want to see? Should I go and pay her a visit?"
"No need, haha, stay away from me~" I moved to the other side and touched his stomach. "Are you going to the palace if you don't eat?"
"I'm not eating anymore, you've made me so angry I'm full. I'll eat with you when I get back for dinner." His hair-tying technique was so skillful, I could hardly believe it. Seeing him about to leave, I quickly hugged him from behind.
"No, my hair is still messy, I need Xiao Chengcheng to tie it for me~"
"Okay." I knew he would take up time. If he had known he was going to style my hair like a woman who hadn't gotten married, I definitely wouldn't have flirted with him; I would have just kicked him out!
"Ying'er~ Be a good girl and wait for me to come back in the manor. If I come back and see that you have changed your hairstyle, I will be very angry."
"This is no place to look!" I don't care, I'm not going to be able to go out and see anyone!
“What’s wrong with looking at you? You’re only twenty-two, and you have such beautiful hair. Look, we’ve been together for four years already, that’s wonderful.”
"Pah! That's the hairstyle for young ladies. I need to put my hair up in a bun, otherwise the maids will laugh at me."
"Don't worry, they won't laugh unless they're tired of living. Remember not to mess it up, I'll check it when I get back."
"That bastard!" I quickly covered my head with a cloth and told the maid standing outside to find a cloak. I needed to cover myself up, otherwise it would be too embarrassing for the Ji family to go out like this.
That's outrageous! Don't even think about touching my hair tomorrow morning, I'll stomp on his feet. I spent the whole afternoon in the mansion, walking all over the place, and the only place I recognized was the one Xie Yuancheng used to live in when he was a child; I didn't recognize any of the others.
This place has been renovated. I remember my mother telling me when I was little that most of the Ninth Prince's mansion was burned down. It's astonishing that a prince's mansion burned down right under the emperor's nose, yet there wasn't a thorough investigation. Just thinking about how the old emperor spoke to Xie Yuancheng like a patriarch makes me think this man is incredibly cunning; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold the throne for so long.
"Madam, the Marquis has returned." A maid ran over and said. I told them to fetch an umbrella. It had been snowing just now, so I asked them to go and check on the plum blossoms in the garden.
"But the Marquis wants to see you as soon as he enters the manor."
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