After hearing this, Xie Yuancheng put down his teacup. His eyes were hard to read. After a while, he spoke: "I see. From now on, the Prince Consort will be in Linyang City. Although my swordsmanship is not very good, if the Prince Consort wants to find someone to spar with, he is welcome to compete with me."
I nodded in agreement, thinking to myself, "I'd rather go out for a stroll than talk to you. You're unpredictable; you might get sold off any day now."
From then on, I stayed peacefully in the carriage with Wan'er and Xiren, only occasionally overhearing some gossip. It turned out that in this Great Zhao Kingdom, men all liked to travel long distances on horseback, and behind my back they called me "Pink-Headed Prince Consort," which meant effeminate.
As long as my identity remains hidden, I don't care what they say. It's the General's Mansion and the Princess who will lose face. If I go far away in the future, I won't care about all that.
Traveling in ancient times was slow. It took more than ten days of fast horse riding to reach Linyang City. When I opened the carriage curtain, I found it was not what I had imagined.
The city gate was very tall, built with neatly arranged large stones, and had a vermilion gate with some round metal nails on it.
It was only when we got to the city that things became lively. I always heard Granny Zhang say that Linyang was a small place, but it was comparable to the capital city, so how could it be a small place?
The place was bustling with activity, and there were neatly dressed people everywhere. I was enjoying the sights when Xie Yuancheng rode up on horseback and said, "Your Highness, you have come from afar to show your sincerity. Please stay at my residence for the time being."
I disagreed in my heart, but as the prince consort, I would definitely be freer than when I was in the palace, so I agreed for now and would find a reason to move out later.
Upon arriving at the Marquis's mansion, we lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down. We saw large, glittering characters on the plaque, large red lanterns hanging on both sides, and stone lions standing at the entrance.
Once I entered the mansion, I discovered that, unlike the grand outer gate, the interior was filled with calligraphy and paintings, clearly a place for scholars and literati. If one stayed there for too long, one would probably get bored and start to drift through life, just getting by.
However, I think Xie Yuancheng is quite clever. He appears calm on the surface, but he must have a lot of plans in mind.
Xie Yuancheng arranged for me to stay in the west wing. When Wan'er, Xiren, and I walked there, the servants we met on the way seemed to be trying not to laugh when they saw me.
I was puzzled. As soon as I entered the room, I saw that there was no one on either side, so I couldn't help but ask the two of them.
Xi Ren stood aside, avoiding eye contact, while Wan'er's face also showed an unspeakable difficulty: "Prince Consort, this is probably just that there are no vacant rooms in the east wing, so you are temporarily staying in the west wing."
I was even more confused: "What's the difference between these two rooms?"
Wan'er lowered her eyes: "It seems that the prince consort has been traveling a long way and has forgotten. In our Great Zhao, men live in the east wing and women live in the west wing."
I was drinking water when I heard this and choked. Wan'er quickly patted my back. Was Xie Yuancheng doing this on purpose? I only stayed in the carriage for more than ten days, why would he make such a fuss about it in the Marquis's mansion?
Xiren: "My lord, we are quite a distance from the capital. We are currently living under someone else's roof, so it's best not to cause any trouble."
I sighed and said, "Fine, let's leave it at that."
I'll find some time in the next few days to deliver the letter first, and then think about what happens next. I'll just let this little thing go.
I spent two days at the Marquis's mansion and got to know it all. Fortunately, the servants were all very kind, although Steward Wang was a bit serious, but that didn't stop me from wandering around.
While Xiren went to the kitchen, I closed the door, pulled Wan'er into the inner room, and whispered in her ear, "Wan'er, I'm going out tomorrow morning. You go and make the arrangements. Don't tell Xiren about this. You stay here and keep an eye on things. If anything happens, help me out."
Wan'er was very perceptive; it was obvious that Consort Ji had made arrangements: "Young Master, don't worry. I spoke with Steward Wang as soon as I came in, and no one will stop you tomorrow."
I patted Wan'er on the shoulder: "Well done. It's good that I brought you along this time. You've been helping with everything."
Before Wan'er could reply, the door was pushed open. I quickly took the jade pendant from Wan'er's right ear and went out.
Upon seeing the visitor, I said somewhat unhappily, "My lord, although this is your home, you should still knock before entering."
Xie Yuancheng glanced at the earrings on my hand and narrowed his eyes: "The prince consort has quite the refined taste, actually using a young lady's earrings. If Zhao Le finds out, she'll probably make a huge fuss."
Wan'er walked to my side and bowed. "Your Highness has misunderstood. My earring suddenly fell off just now, and the Prince Consort was helping me look for it."
Xie Yuancheng's change of expression was as fast as Li Zhaole's: "It seems I was rash, please forgive me, Your Highness."
I'm very magnanimous. I was going to say it's okay, but that seemed too advanced, so I changed my mind and said, "It's fine."
Xie Yuancheng handed me the document in his hand. "This is the plan for flood control in Beicheng. Your Highness, please take a look. We will need your help later." I took it and pretended to look at it several times. There were so many diagrams; it would be a miracle if I could understand them.
Xie Yuancheng sat to the side, waiting for me to finish reading and give him my opinion. I turned around slightly and pretended to hand the earrings to Wan'er. She gave me a reassuring look. She really is a female strategist.
After Wan'er finished putting on her earrings, she said, "My lord, the驸马 (the驸马) just complained of a fever, and he's probably dizzy from seeing anything. Let me help him change his clothes first, and after dinner, he can discuss things with you in the study, is that alright?"
Xie Yuancheng fiddled with the ornaments on the shelf: "Hmm, although it's autumn now, it's still hot. There's a hot spring in the backyard, and I'm feeling a bit sleepy, so I'll take the prince consort there."
My heart skipped a beat, and I clutched the document: "Thank you, Yuancheng!"
They both looked at me with surprise in their eyes, and I immediately corrected myself: "Uh, Lord Marquis, I was in a hurry just now and called you by your name directly. Please forgive me. I have never liked being close to people since I was a child, and I hope that you will grant my request."
Xie Yuancheng quickly regained his composure, nodded, and left.
Wan'er hurriedly came over: "Young master, Marquis Anle is unpredictable. Although the Empress has known him for many years, she still can't figure out what he's thinking. You should be more careful in your dealings with him in the future. Don't make the mistake of calling him by his given name like just now."
I handed her the document: "Wan'er, let's not talk about anything else for now. I'll be more careful in the future. You're smart, so please take a look at this and tell me how I should talk to him later."
Wan'er flipped through the blueprints and said, "I'm not good at blueprints, and I don't quite understand these. However, I've heard that the way to control floods is to combine dredging and blocking. If the Marquis asks later, just go along with what he says."
The servant girl said, "Wan'er, I've always considered you a friend. From now on, when we're all alone, please don't call yourself a servant girl anymore. It doesn't make me happy."
Wan'er blushed and said, "Yes, young master. The Empress bestowed me upon you that day, and I will certainly do my best for you from now on." My heart is bitter. You really must do your best for me, but I don't want to take you in. We can be sisters, but we probably won't be able to be husband and wife in the next life.
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