"If you wish to go, then go. Bring a few people with you and take good care of Young Master Liu and his companions. Make sure nothing goes wrong." Ji Xinhe instructed.
"Yes!"
"What about Ah Nan? Take him with you." Xin He said.
Xiao Bei replied, "He doesn’t want to go."
Xin He furrowed her eyebrows and said, "I see."
Xiao Bei turned around and left. The peopled in the warmed chamber began to chatter.
"Young Master Ji’s betrothal with the Song Family has been settled. I suppose the princess must be starting to concern herself with Young Master Li’s matrimonial affairs? I heard that Young Master Li and Young Master Ji are the same age. Now after celebrating the new year, they must be seventeen. I think it’s time to start planning for his marriage," a noble wife laughed.
The meaning of her words were clear. Everyone in Man Yu State was aware that the royal household had another young master besides the princess, and this was the princess’s younger brother Ji Bei, and another one, Li Nan.
Although Li Nan does not have a formal title of a young master, everyone inside and outside the mansion knows that the princess had raised him since he was young and she treats him as well as she does to Ji Bei. No one dares to treat him as a servant, and they respect him as Young Master Li.
Now that Xiao Bei’s marriage has been settled, everyone naturally started to focus on Li Nan. He has a great advantage over Xiao Bei: he has the complete trust of Ji Xinhe; a significant number of the princess’s tasks are undertaken by him; he is a trusted servant. This undoubtedly shows that he has quite a great deal of power, and this power alone makes him very attractive to many people.
Because he was born a commoner, prestigious families aren’t willing to marry their legitimate daughters off to him, but their illegitimate daughters are perfectly eligible to marry him. Hence, quite a few people want to find out more information.
After thinking for a bit, Xinhe swept a glance over the East Warm Chamber and noticed that many girls had come today. They were likely here intentionally to meet Li Nan. Xinhe thought of this as a good opportunity. These girls were all of high standing, and they were also around Li Nan’s age. If he took a liking to one of them, it would be a good thing.
Xinhe then said to Xiaoyu, "Go call Ah Nan over."
Xiaoyu naturally understood Xinhe’s thoughts and nodded her head, "Yes."
She then retreated.
Not long after, Li Nan strode in, bowing and saying, "Princess."
He isn’t as outgoing as Xiao Bei, his expression also held no superfluous emotion and is instead, indifferent. But because of this, he gives an impression of being mature.
Xinhe laughed and asked, "Why didn’t you go out and play with Xiao Bei today?"
Li Nan replied evenly, "I don’t like crowded places."
Xinhe glared at him faintly, but in the end, she helplessly relented, "If you don’t want to go, then don’t. We have many distinguished guests today. At least greet them."
Li Nan looked up at Xinhe, his eyes a complex mix of emotions. Still, he obediently greeted the crowd, "Greetings, madams."
"We cannot accept Young Master Li’s courteous gesture. It’s a pity that we rarely see such an outstanding young man like Young Master Li in public." A noble wife laughed, her eyes filled with satisfaction.
Xinhe laughed, "He’s just a bit more reserved by nature. But his temperament is the best. Ever since he was young, he’s always been sensible and has rarely caused trouble."
"Yes, just by looking at Young Master Li, I can tell that he’s indeed outstanding among his peers."
Everyone chatted away. Some of the girls had already started to blush and discreetly observe Li Nan, clearly showing some interest. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Xinhe, seeing this scenario, felt quite relieved. If Li Nan could find a good girl early and start a family, perhaps he would no longer be as unapproachable as he is now.
Wasn’t Marquis Mu like this, too?
Li Nan’s personality was nothing like Marquis Mu’s, but one aspect of their personalities was strikingly similar: their inaccessibility. Ji Xinhe often sensed this aloofness from him. She thought that the reason for his insularity was that he hadn’t found a girl he truly loved yet. If he could find one, then perhaps he would open up more and not live as lifelessly as he did now.
Li Nan stood quietly, not saying a word. His downcast eyes betrayed a hint of loneliness.
Xin He noticed the change in Li Nan’s emotions and furrowed her brows. Her confusion was growing. Why was he suddenly so upset?
Li Nan, being very intuitive, surely understood why she had called him over: she wanted to introduce him to a girl. The room was full of girls, and even just saying hello would do, it wasn’t like she was forcing him to go to the execution ground. If it were Xiao Bei, perhaps he would be secretly delighted at this moment.
Unable to figure out the reason, Xinhe decided to drop it, saying, "Alright, you can go."
"Yes." Li Nan bowed his head in acknowledgment and then turned around to leave.
With the guests around, Xinhe redirected any further discussion on this matter, as she did not want to force him if he was not willing.
——
By the time the guests had left in the evening, Xinhe was quite tired, but she couldn’t help but think of the uncertainty that had occupied her mind earlier. As she felt no intention to rest just yet, she ordered, "Call Li Nan over."
Now, whenever Shulan heard the princess asking for Li Nan, he knew nothing good was going to come of it. Before, Li Nan would always listen to the princess, but recently he seemed to enjoy contradicting the princess’s wishes, which often annoyed her.
Without any more comments, Shulan admitted it and left to fetch Li Nan.
When Li Nan came in, Xinhe stared at him, her face displaying complicated emotions, her voice icy, "Can you explain your behaviour to me today?"
This manner of hers was clearly an indication of anger.
Li asked,"Why does the princess say that?"
Xinhe glared and reprimanded him, "Don’t try to dissimulate with me, you know what I’m implying. I merely asked you to look at a few girls, why were you so resistant? Li Nan, are you that against getting married?"
With his head down, Li Nan replied, "I don’t want to."
"I didn’t ask you to get married immediately. Look at the girls, and if you like one, that’ll do. If you don’t like any of them, just let it be. But why are you refusing when you haven’t taken a glance at all?"
"I don’t like it."
"You haven’t even taken a look!"
"I don’t need to look to know that."
Xinhe bit her lip, her gaze growing more complicated. The changes in her gaze made the air of the entire room go quiet. After a long silence, Ji Xinhe reluctantly asked, "Why?"
Li Nan skipped a heartbeat at the question, turned his face away to avoid her gaze, and remained silent.
Ji Xinhe came a step closer, grippingly staring at Li Nan. After brewing her thoughts for a while, she uncomfortably asked him, "Li Nan, honestly tell me, are you...are you"
"Attracted to men?!"
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