Chapter 54: Three Years

At the beginning of autumn in the seventeenth year of Tianyu, the common people lived in peace and contentment, and the capital was more prosperous than ever.

In the courtyard outside Xiao Jingkang’s study, ginkgo trees stood tall and graceful, exuding elegance, while purple nanmu emitted a faint and enchanting fragrance. Below the steps, rows of vividly colorful flowers bloomed extravagantly in their pots.

A young girl, about five or six years old, dressed in a pale yellow gauze dress, stood in front of the rows of flower pots. She was inspecting and selecting them—debating which flower to pick.

Xiaofu and Xiaohui, her two attendants, accompanied her on either side. They never offered advice until their young mistress made her decision. Having served her for four years, the trio had developed a deep sense of understanding and rapport.

“Miss… you’ve come again,” stammered the gardener, who was responsible for taking care of the plants. Of all the masters in the household, the most troublesome were the old general and the eldest young lady. The former was unpredictable—no one could ever tell when his temper would flare, and his intimidating aura kept people at bay. The latter, however, was the family darling. What others were forbidden to do, she could do freely. What others dared not touch, she could handle at will. Thankfully, neither of them ever mistreated the servants. Yet, the occasional challenges they posed could be nerve-wracking.

Wasn’t it just a couple of days ago that she wanted a pot of green peonies? Although she didn’t succeed—or rather, didn’t get her way—Xiao Yao couldn’t stop secretly laughing at the memory of her father’s pained expression.

“If you won’t give me a pot of green peonies, then I should at least be allowed to pick one flower, right?”

That was a rare and prized flower. Miss, do you even understand how precious it is? The gardener thought silently. The master had just held a ceremony for a dying orchid a few days ago, and now here she was again.

“Miss, perhaps you shouldn’t pick it; it would be such a shame,” Xiaohui advised. If the young lady plucked a flower now, the master probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

Xiao Yao tugged at her small bun—a habit she’d developed whenever she was hesitating or deep in thought. It was strange. Xiao Yao considered herself smart; she picked up writing and memorizing texts effortlessly. Yet, when it came to cultivating plants, she was utterly talentless—every plant she cared for seemed to wither.

Her father, Xiao Jingkang, had sighed to the heavens more than once, lamenting why his daughter hadn’t inherited his talents. He imagined how beautiful it would be to see a young lady delicately tending to a rare plant. Alas, it seemed he would never witness such a scene.

“Ping’an, are you here to torment your father’s plants again? Which one have you set your sights on this time? I’ll help you take it back,” said Xiao Jingyan, who had just arrived. Despite being 24 years old, he remained a charming and elegant bachelor.

The gardener almost collapsed in despair. It seemed the two masters were determined to make life difficult for him. So, he turned around and left silently, opting to let fate take its course.

Seeing the gardener leave with such resignation, Xiao Yao felt a twinge of guilt. She was tempted to call him back and promise not to pick any flowers, but was it worth getting so upset over this?

“See, you scared him away,” Xiao Jingyan said with amusement.

“Uncle, you’ve got it wrong,” Xiao Yao retorted, rolling her eyes. Clearly, it was your words that scared him off; why blame me?

“Grandmother was asking about you this morning. How about I take you to visit her?”

“Not today. I just came back to grab something and will be leaving soon. Whatever you do, don’t tell Grandma you saw me. Got it?” Xiao Jingyan looked around nervously, clearly afraid of being caught.

“Why not?” Xiao Yao blinked innocently, feigning curiosity. Inside, she chuckled. Her uncle’s greatest fear was running into Grandma, who always pressed him about marriage. Xiao Yao, having experienced such pressure in her past life, deeply sympathized with him. She often helped cover for him, though that didn’t stop her from teasing him occasionally.

“Ping’an, you’re getting naughtier,” Xiao Jingyan said, taking advantage of her distraction to ruffle her hair before leaving with a laugh.

“We still need to see Madam. You can’t go like this. Find a place to tidy up, or we’ll be late,” Xiaofu urged, dragging her young mistress along.

“Let’s just do it here,” Xiao Yao said, stopping Xiaofu. She sat in a nearby pavilion, and Xiaohui retrieved a small comb from her pouch, gently tidying her mistress’s hair.

“Ping’an, there you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” called Li Jiaoying as she approached. “Second Aunt has come to warn you—have you upset your mother lately? She’s been complaining about you all morning. You’d better think of a way to smooth things over.”

Li Jiaoying, still as radiant as ever, had an even healthier complexion now. Ever since she’d started using fresh milk for skincare—thanks to her niece’s suggestion—her skin had become much smoother. The two of them had even explored other beauty treatments together, like honey and egg white masks or medicinal baths. This had brought them closer over time.

Xiao Yao thought hard. She couldn’t recall doing anything out of the ordinary recently. She looked at Xiaohui for confirmation, hoping the attentive maid might remember.

“Reciting The Admonitions for Women,” Xiaohui whispered.

“Oh no! Today is the day Miss is supposed to recite in front of Madam, and we’re already late! This is a disaster!” Xiaofu exclaimed, wringing her hands in regret for forgetting such an important task.

With her two maids reminding her, Xiao Yao finally remembered her unfinished task for the day. But was Xiaofu’s “disaster” comment really necessary? Was she predicting her doom before she even started?

“Reciting, huh? Ping’an, are you ready? Would you like Second Aunt to help?” Li Jiaoying teased, winking conspiratorially. By “help,” she meant prompting her or having the maids create a diversion.

Xiao Yao had enough confidence in herself, though she felt bad for wasting her aunt’s efforts.

“Do you want Second Aunt to accompany you?”

Xiao Yao quickly reviewed the text in her mind and confidently replied, “Second Aunt, don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

“Ping’an, you’re so clever.”

As they strolled toward the back courtyard, they chatted about family matters. Second Uncle and Second Aunt were living a happy life. Their eldest son had secured a job as a palace guard, and their youngest was starting his studies. The only thing troubling them was their younger brother’s refusal to marry, which indirectly delayed their eldest son’s marriage prospects.

How should she comfort Second Aunt? It wasn’t anyone’s fault. She couldn’t force her uncle to marry just to pave the way for her brothers, who were already sixteen. In some families, boys their age were already married with children. No wonder her mother likely sighed in secret too.

“How about this: in a few days, I’ll take you to a banquet,” Li Jiaoying suggested.

Ping’an rarely went out. Aside from family gatherings, she usually stayed at home. This was partly due to her sensitivity to crowded and noisy places and partly because of her reserved nature.

She looked pleadingly at her aunt, hoping to avoid the event.

“No way. All the ladies in the family will be attending. I’ll have your cousin accompany you—she’ll keep you safe and comfortable. Alright?”

Her cousin? That was her aunt’s niece and her eldest brother’s intended bride—a perfect match of childhood sweethearts. Such pairings were common in ancient times. Luckily, her cousins were much older than her, so there was no need to worry about similar arrangements for herself. Her shy younger cousin wasn’t suitable anyway, and her parents didn’t seem to favor him, so that was a relief.