"Well, speaking of which, how did Prince Pingyang end up in Lian’an Town? Wasn’t he supposed to have moved to Yu State last year? For almost a whole year, we didn’t hear a single word from him. I was starting to suspect that he and his princess had retreated to some secluded, scenic place. But who would have guess he ended up in our town."
"How is that any different from retreating? In a small place like our Lian’an Town, that would be equivalent to living in seclusion. Did you see the emblem on the carriage was the word ’Mu’? That must be their mansion. As for this Mu family... It seems unfamiliar."
"Actually, I don’t recall much about them either. But I remember their mansion when I passed by there once. It seemed pretty low-key. No wonder no one recognized it."
"Poor Song Ya Lan, she just hit a snag. And now, it seems she’s going to have a hard time afterwards."
"Well, she deserves it! Who told her to be so arrogant! She thinks too highly of herself. If Prince Pingyang doesn’t deal with her today, there will be plenty of other people to deal with her later!"
These discussions among the crowd couldn’t be quelled for a while.
The Great Prince’s carriage followed closely behind Mu Houchu’s, drawing quite a lot of attention on its way to his residence.
Not until the convoy stopped did the Great Prince lift his carriage curtain, revealing his surprise at the miniature mansion before his eyes. He looked astonished and paused. Had Mu Houchu really chosen to live in seclusion in such a small mansion in Yu State this whole year?
No wonder he couldn’t find Mu Houchu when he came to Lian’an Town secretly a while ago.
Mu Houchu invited the Great Prince into his mansion and ordered the servants to serve tea. The servants of the Mu Mansion were all flustered, but they finally managed to prepare everything and leave the room.
The Great Prince had a sip of tea and then chuckled, "I never expected Uncle Mu to be living such a leisurely life. No one in Yu State knew about Uncle Mu’s identity. My arrival seems to have disturbed the peace."
"It’s alright," Mu Houchu replied.
He wasn’t known for being talkative and was quite cold, a well-known fact. The Great Prince didn’t take it to heart and instead smiled, "Over the past year, there’s been almost no news about Uncle Mu in the capital. How have you been spending your days like an immortal, Uncle Mu?"
Xin He chuckled, "We idle away our time in Lian’an Town, planting flowers and occasionally visiting the scenic surroundings of the town, quite pleasantly at that."
"So it’s really an immortal’s life you’re leading," the Great Prince exclaimed with apparent envy. It was hard to tell if his envy was genuine or not.
Mu Houchu, somewhat impatient, proceeded to ask. "I heard your highness has come a long way to deal with the bandit menace. This epidemic has broken out on the border of Yu State. How much longer does your highness plan on staying in Lian’an Town?"
The Great Prince, embarrassed for a fleeting moment, nevertheless responded, "I will depart tomorrow."
"I initially planned on having your highness stay here for the night, but I was afraid that my humble abode might not provide adequate accommodations."
"No need, I’ve already made arrangements. Don’t trouble yourself, Uncle Mu."
Xin He twitched one corner of her mouth at the man’s obvious attempt at hinting his departure.
"But speaking of the bandit menace around Yu State, I wanted to consult Uncle Mu about some things..."
Mu Houchu flatly replied, "I’m afraid I can’t be of much help. I haven’t been in Yu State for long and have mainly spent my time aimlessly in the small town of Lian’an, so I’m not very clear about the bandit situation."
"Oh...alright."
After some more idle chat, the Great Prince, unable to endure the cold atmosphere any longer, excused himself and departed.
After the Great Prince had left, Mu Houchu let out a cold grunt, "I didn’t realise this youngster was so verbose."
Xin He massaged her forehead, "It has been a year since you two last met. It’s natural to want to catch up."
Mu Houchu added, "You think he came here to catch up?"
After a short pause, he continued, "He only wanted to make my identity public. Now that my identity has been disclosed as he wished, his purpose has been fulfilled. The rest is just nonsense."
Xin He was speechless. She knew that this man was not fond of wasting time or others wasting his time.
Mu Houchu put his arm around Xin He’s waist, and said, "I’m afraid the peace of these days is gone. If only he had arrived later, it would have been at least after Ah Guai’s birth."
Xin He chuckled, "Speaking of which, I almost forgot. He raised the issue of the bandit menace earlier. Are you really not going to intervene?"
"I can’t intervene. His coming this time is to spy on me for the Emperor. If I intervene in the bandit situation in Yu State, he would know that I already have at least a small base here."
Xin He nodded thoughtfully, "Hmm. Then you should be cautious these days."
----
Early the next day, the Great Prince did indeed depart as he said.
Upon hearing the news, Xin He inexplicably felt uneasy. The Great Prince left too straightforwardly. Had he really come all this way just to out Mu Houchu’s identity? Why would he make such a trip himself?
If he had other motives, why would he leave so abruptly?
Xin He felt that there must be more to it, and she believed Mu Houchu would not overlook it either.
Shulan consoled her, "Perhaps the bandit situation on the border of Yu State has really gotten out of control, and the Emperor is eager for the Great Prince to deal with it."
Xin He passively responded with a "hmm."
But Shulan’s words reminded her of something - the Great Prince was only going to the border of Yu State to deal with the bandits, he had not left Yu State yet. That meant he might have left some tricks up his sleeve.
Xin He felt that they should not to be rash, especially at this critical juncture.
While she was thinking, Xiaoyu came to report, "Madam, the Sun family is here. Madam Sun herself has come to visit."
Shulan grumbled, "How many waves have come today? When the identity was not announced in the past, everyone was arrogant. Now that the identity has been revealed, everyone is rushing to annoy us."
Xin He waved her hand and said, "Dispatch them."
"Yes."
Xiaoyu withdrew.
But not long after, Xiaoyu returned, "Madam Sun says she’s brought Song Ya Lan here to apologize. She says if you don’t want to see her, she’ll kneel outside and not leave."
Xin He scoffed, "It seems yesterday’s incident really frightened her. Madam Sun really knows no shame, she’s a generation older than me, kneeling in front of my door, what does that make her?"
"Which of the Suns ever cared about their reputation?" Shulan murmured.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
