Their eyes met, Xia Tong's back felt numb from being stared at, but she didn't say anything wrong. It was rare to find a wife as magnanimous as herself.
She retracted her neck and simply dived into the water with her head. The water surface with floating flower petals was rippling and her black hair gradually sank into the water.
There were some water stains on his fingertips. The man flicked his fingers and looked at the rippled water with deep eyes. The fair skin seemed to be looming under the water. His eyes dimmed and he suddenly walked away silently.
Not hearing any footsteps, Xia Tong thought the other person had not left yet. But she could not hold it in any longer, and her head suddenly emerged from the bottom of the water, splashing a lot of water stains. But when she looked carefully, there was no figure in front of her.
While the other person was gone, Xia Tong naturally got out of the bathtub immediately.
The people outside the room were listening to the noise inside. Everyone knew that the prince did not spend the wedding night with the princess last night, and no one knew whether he would stay overnight. But when the door of the room suddenly opened from the inside and they saw the figure coming out, they immediately bowed their heads and saluted respectfully.
The night was as dark as ink. There was no light in the winding corridor. The man walked slowly and steadily, as if he was not bothered by the darkness.
"Master, do you want to sleep in the study tonight?" Xifeng at the back couldn't help but asked tentatively.
Looking at the crescent moon looming in the sky, Gu Qin's expression was calm, and he opened his thin lips slightly, "Find a room tomorrow and move the person out."
Xifeng: “…”
Looking at the lonely and cold figure in front of him, he lowered his head silently and stopped talking. In fact, he didn't understand what his master thought of the princess now?
——
One advantage of being married is that you don't have to get up early in the morning to pay your respects to the old lady. You can sleep until you wake up naturally. The first thing Xia Tong heard when she woke up was that she was asked to move out.
"This was originally the prince's room. Today, Steward Lin has selected a quiet courtyard for you. It's not far from the prince's place. I just went to see it. I'm sure you will like it." Fang Yu said respectfully while helping her dress.
The maids who were tidying the room nearby couldn't help but want to laugh. It was obvious that the prince was disgusted with the princess, so he had her move out. Otherwise, why didn't he let her stay overnight?
Xia Tong did not miss the maids' expressions, but nodded calmly, saying calmly, "I'll go take a look later."
After breakfast, she went to the yard that Fangyu mentioned. It was indeed not far away and the environment was very quiet. In fact, this was the best. Since the villain was distancing himself from her, she didn't have to worry about him having any other ideas.
When all the things were moved in, the housekeeper also came over. When he saw Xia Tong, he immediately handed over a stack of account books respectfully, "These are the account books of the mansion in recent months, as well as some of the mansion's expenses. If there is anything that Princess does not understand, please feel free to ask me."
Xia Tong was pruning the new potted plant. She was immediately startled when she heard the words. She glanced at the stack of account books and even wondered if she had seen it wrong.
"Your Highness... do you know?" she asked calmly.
The butler still bowed and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty knows it."
He also asked the prince, but the prince did not say anything. However, Lord Xifeng said that the prince agreed, so he had no choice but to send the things over immediately.
Hearing this, Xia Tong immediately put down the scissors, suppressed her surprise, reached out to take the thing, and flipped through it for a few seconds.
But the more she looked at it, the more she understood why the other party was so kind to let her be the housekeeper. It turned out that this was just an account book with all the income and expenditure in it very clean. She said how could the other party dare to give her such an important thing. But even so, the palace was obviously rich!
Suppressing her inner restlessness, she handed the things to Qing'er, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and glanced at the housekeeper calmly, "Thank you for making this trip. If there is anything I don't understand, I will definitely send someone to ask you."
Seeing this, the butler smiled and nodded, "Then if there is nothing else, I will not disturb your rest."
Xia Tong glanced at Fang Yu, who immediately handed over a purse. The housekeeper was stunned for a moment, but still politely took it.
The purse was very thin. After leaving the yard, the housekeeper opened it and took a look. Wow, it turned out to be a silver note worth five hundred taels!
He was not short of money, but he did not expect that the new princess would be so generous. The butler could not help but look back at the yard behind him. He felt a little complicated. It was really unpredictable. He still remembered that when the princess came to the palace with Lord Xia a few months ago, she almost drowned in the pool. He did not expect that she would become the princess now. However, he thought that the prince treated the princess differently. He would wait and see in the future.
As soon as the others left, Qing'er in the room couldn't help but said happily: "Master, look, the prince actually gave you the power of stewardship, which shows that he must trust you very much."
Taking the stack of account books, Xia Tong immediately leaned back on the couch and looked through them. The more she looked, the more shocked she became. It turned out that this villain was so rich that he even opened taverns and teahouses in prosperous areas all over the place. It was really different to have power. He could approve any piece of land he wanted, and maybe he didn't even have to pay for it.
She was horrified by the net profit of these shops in a year, not to mention the secret sources of income. Every checkpoint in the court could make a lot of money, especially the villains who had the power to cover up everything. Just look at the Grand Tutor, who took away 40% of the profits in trade tax alone. It was too much. If they continued like this, the national treasury would be drained dry sooner or later.
But the villain opened so many restaurants, it must not be just to make money, the outside world must not know these things. She looked at the records and found that the Jinyue Teahouse in Beijing was also owned by the villain. No wonder she said why she was caught every time she showed up, but this information should be very important. Isn’t he afraid that it will be leaked?
"Sister Qing'er is right. No matter what, if the prince is willing to give you this kind of thing, he must trust you." Fang Yu also said seriously.
Xia Tong slowly closed the account book, with a complicated look on her face. She now couldn't understand this villain. What on earth did he mean?
"I'm not a spy. At most I'll just make some money secretly, but I won't do anything treacherous." Xia Tong curled her lips and took a sip of the hot tea beside her.
Qing'er chuckled softly, thinking that there was nothing wrong with her master marrying the prince. Maybe she would not be so comfortable in the East Palace.
Fang Yu, on the other hand, glanced at the maids sweeping fallen leaves outside the courtyard with a strange look on her face, and whispered to Xia Tong, "You have just arrived at the palace, and the people below don't think so."
Naturally, she knew what she meant. She had seen many people who took advantage of others’ misfortunes. She would take action against those snobs after she returned home!
"I understand. I have to go back home tomorrow. We'll talk about it when I get back." She said softly.
Hearing this, Fangyu stopped talking and went to make her a pot of hot tea.
To see whether a married woman is favored in her husband's family, the first thing to see is whether her husband is willing to accompany her back home three days later. On the second day after the marriage, Lin Yi took Xia Ning to Shanxi to take up a post, so they did not return home. However, Xia Tong did not expect the villain to accompany her back, so as not to scare her mother.
She prepared return gifts for her mother and the old lady early in the morning, but before she left the house, she heard Xifeng asking her to wait, saying that their master would go back with her after the court session.
Xia Tong was a little flattered at first, thinking that this villain was sometimes quite reasonable, but she waited until the hour of Si without even seeing a shadow of him.
She suspected that the other party was playing a trick on her. She usually left court so early, but today she didn't see anyone there so late. This time it was already past the gate time, and her gossipy aunts would definitely say it was unlucky.
The weather is cold now. Xia Tong has been standing at the door blowing in the cold wind for a long time. Finally, she saw the carriage approaching slowly. Her mood at the moment is described as "looking forward to it".
"There must be some important business in the court today, so the prince was delayed for a while." Xifeng on the side couldn't help but explain a few words for his master.
Xia Tong didn't say anything. She watched the coachman lift the curtain to let her in. She was already late, so it was better than not going at all. She took a deep breath, gathered her cloak, and walked up on the step stool while lifting her skirt.
"This." Xifeng hurriedly handed over a dark-colored gown with golden silk patterns. Even though he knew his master would never wear it, it was always good to have it ready.
Xia Tong frowned, picked up the cloak and got into the carriage.
The carriage was very large, with a woolen carpet on the floor and a super large soft couch. There were some tea and snacks on the side, and the air was filled with the aroma of fruits and vegetables, which was refreshing.
The man was half leaning there with a cold posture, holding a book with a pure black cover. He was not wearing court robes, which showed that he usually did not wear them when attending court.
Xia Tong sat down with her back bent, and handed the cloak in her hand to him. She didn't dare to ask him why he was late. Yes, she was such a coward.
The man glanced at the cloak in her hand with a cold expression.
Seeing that the other party didn't answer, Xia Tong couldn't help but frown slightly. She felt that the villain was so arrogant that he even insisted on being helped by others to put on clothes.
People have to bow their heads under the eaves, so she had no choice but to move closer, put the cloak on him, and "thoughtfully" tied it up for him, saying softly, "Anyway, thank you for today."
She half-knelt in front of the couch, her fair hands tying the cloak around his neck, her fingertips slightly cool, her pretty face quite focused.
She was wearing a thick moon-blue floral outer dress. It was such a weak day and yet she looked so frail. Women are indeed very delicate.
"I always repay evil with kindness. You just need to behave yourself and be a good princess." He frowned slightly and casually pulled open his cloak.
Xia Tong: “…”
The carriage had already started moving, but it was only shaking slightly. She squatted there for a long time, but in the end she still kept smiling, sitting quietly by the side and acting like a good person.
The hawkers' shouting gradually became loud and harsh outside the carriage. Xia Tong leaned against the carriage, playing with her handkerchief out of boredom, not daring to talk to anyone. But at this moment, the carriage suddenly stopped. She jerked forward and her forehead hit the wall of the carriage hard. The pain made her cry.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me..."
The driver was trembling outside and apologizing, as if he was afraid that the people inside would take his head, and there was a hint of fear in his voice.
Gu Qin glanced at the woman's red eyes and frowned, as if he had never seen such a delicate person.
At this time, Xifeng outside also said, "Master, there is the prince's carriage in front."
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