Marquis Mu Houchu managed to maintain his composure, "Originally, I was going to report my arrival to father immediately but was afraid of distracting him from his sleep, so I chose to wait in Xinhe’s room before meeting father together. After all these years, is father still in good health?"
Marquis Mu’s water-tight excuse left Le Yuanhou at a loss for words. Although he knew it wasn’t very trustworthy, he couldn’t find any flaws in it, leaving Le Yuanhou with no choice but to drop the matter, grunting, "I’m doing well."
Only then did Marquis Mu smile, "This is because of your good fortune, father."
Xinhe laughed, "Dad, it’s getting late. Ah Guai is waiting for you back at the royal mansion, we should hurry back."
Upon the mention of Ah Guai, Le Yuanhou’s mood immediately improved. He agreed happily, "Alright! Let’s head back."
And, just like that, the strange appearance of Marquis Mu in Ji Xinhe’s room were casually dismissed.
Xinhe chuckled at Marquis Mu, whispering, "I didn’t expect you to be so adept at making things up without a hint of embarrassment."
Marquis Mu looked at her, "Naturally, I learned from my wife."
Xinhe narked at him and ignored him. With the help of Le Yuanhou, she climbed onto the horse carriage.
Having not seen Le Yuanhou in many years, Ji Xinhe had a lot to talk about. Marquis Mu tactfully chose not to board the carriage, instead mounting his horse to follow alongside. Of course, another important reason was that Marquis Mu knew that Le Yuanhou was not too fond of him, so he did not want to upset his father-in-law by being overly intrusive.
The horse carriage embarked on its journey while Xinhe’s mood differed greatly from before, feeling much lighter and more relaxed. How wonderful!
----
Royal Mansion.
"His Highness has entered the city, he should be arriving soon!" A boy who had been posted at the city gate to monitor came running back with the news.
The gateway immediately bustled with activity, with maids and female servants announcing the news. Suddenly, Ah Guai rushed out: "Are mom and dad home?"
"Oh my heavens, slow down child, be careful not to fall!" The trailing nannies and maids couldn’t keep up, warning her repeatedly.
But Ah Guai, with her tiny legs, continued to run without pause: "I need to wait for mom!"
She finally stopped at the mansion gate.
The servants managed to catch up with Ah Guai, panting, "Young master, don’t fret. In a while, the princess and His Highness should be back. We will be waiting here."
Ah Guai puffed up her cheeks, "No. I promised mom I would wait for her obediently. When mom returns, I need to be the first thing she sees."
The servants could not argue with her and responded, "Alright, alright. Wait here then, but you can’t venture out, lest you encounter a philanderer."
Ah Guai knew they were just cajoling her. Who in Man Yu State would dare lay a hand on the beloved princess of the Yuwang Residence? But Ah Guai agreed nonetheless; although she knew better, she would never leave without permission, avoiding causing worry to her mom and dad.
In no time, the carriage carrying Ji Xinhe arrived.
Just as the carriage came to a halt, Ah Guai elatedly greeted, "Mom’s home!"
Xinhe immediately descended from the carriage, catching the eager Ah Guai in her arms, "My little Ah Guai, were you waiting for me? You seem to have grown a bit!"
Ah Guai made a face begging for praise, "When mom was gone, Ah Guai missed you a lot, but Ah Guai was good. I behaved myself and waited for mom. Am I a good girl?"
Xinhe kissed her on the cheek, "Our Ah Guai is such a good girl!"
Le Yuanhou, who had descended from the carriage just behind Xinhe, his face beaming as he observed the tender scene unfolding before him, "This must be Ah Guai?"
Xinhe beamed at Ah Guai, "Ah Guai, say hello to your grandfather."
Ah Guai blinked at Le Yuanhou, then called out in her soft voice, "Grandpa."
"Oh, what a well-behaved child." Le Yuanhou was grinning from ear to ear.
Xinhe handed Ah Guai over, "Let grandpa hold you."
Surprisingly, Ah Guai did not show any signs of timidity. She allowed herself to be carried and looked around with her big eyes, showing no signs of fear.
"This child is so good. She’s not shy, bold, just like her mother," Le Yuanhou chuckled.
Xinhe smiled at Marquis Mu, then suggested, "Dad, shall we proceed into the residence?"
"Alright!"
Xinhe then took Ah Guai from Le Yuanhou, who was becoming tired from the long journey and from the wounds he bore, making it hard for him to hold Ah Guai for too long.
Marquis Mu, afraid Xinhe would tire, reached out to take Ah Guai from her arms.
However, surprisingly, Ah Guai resisted. She clung to Xinhe’s robes, puffing out her cheeks, "Daddy went to see mom without taking me, daddy is too bad, Ah Guai doesn’t like daddy anymore."
Shulan and Xiaoyu forced back their laughter. They hadn’t expected the young master to hold a grudge over something like this.
Marquis Mu’s lips twitched in a smile, "Didn’t daddy go to bring mommy back? Are you still angry with daddy?"
Ah Guai stuck out her lips and turned her head away, "Ah Guai is angry, daddy is unfair!"
Xinhe, incapable of holding back laughter, said, "Yes, yes, yes, it’s all daddy’s fault. Do you want mom to teach daddy a lesson next time?"
After some hesitation, Ah Guai nodded, "Alright!"
Then, she leaned toward Xinhe’s ear and whispered, "Mommy, don’t be too harsh when teaching daddy a lesson, daddy missed mommy too when you were gone."
Xinhe burst into laughter, rubbing Ah Guai’s head affectionately, "Our little Ah Guai, you truly are the kindest."
With Marquis Mu’s cultivation, hearing this whispered conversation was effortless. The smile on his face widened by a few degrees. There’s no doubt about it, his daughter took his side deep down.
Le Yuanhou being tired from the journey, finally accessed the residence and Xinhe led him to rest.
Le Yuanhou’s courtyard had long been arranged, so Xinhe didn’t have to worry about it.
However, only when Xinhe finally arrived home, did she truly begin to feel exhausted, so much so that she wanted to stay home and not go out for half a year.
Ah Guai clamorously insisted on Xinhe sharing the interesting things from her trip to the capital. In actuality, Xinhe didn’t find anything entertaining during her trip, but she still chose some interesting stories to share with Ah Guai, to her great delight.
Just in time, Shulan came in laughing, "Princess, Young Master Xiaobei has arrived."
Xinhe laughed, "Why is he here again?"
"He said he rushed over as soon as he heard that you arrived. Little Charcoal has also come," Shulan informed.
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