Chapter 5

Outside, the scene was unknown to Xie Qingya and Mei Xuezhen, who were deep in discussion inside the room.

Since the matter was irreversible, neither of them dwelled on it further. Xie Qingya quickly relayed the letter sent from the southern region that day.

As they were discussing, suddenly, an anxious voice and a series of hurried footsteps broke the conversation.

“Third Young Master, Third Young Master, the master is sleeping now. Why don’t you come back later?”

“I don’t care if he’s asleep!”

Xie Qingya and Mei Xuezhen exchanged a glance.

Mei Xuezhen reacted swiftly, immediately standing and moving behind a screen.

Xie Qingya quickly hid Mei Xuezhen’s tea cup on the table.

Almost as soon as they finished, the door was forcefully pushed open, revealing a twelve-year-old boy dressed in blue standing in the doorway.

He looked somewhat similar to Xie Qingya.

However, while Xie Qingya resembled the eldest princess, their mother, the boy outside looked more like the Prince of Nan’an.

Lingji was trailing behind him.

When Lingji saw that only the master was inside, he felt a bit relieved and lowered his head apologetically. “Master, I…”

Xie Qingya knew what he was about to say.

“Go downstairs,” he cut in before Lingji could finish. Otherwise, with his younger brother’s temper, he might take the opportunity to vent his anger.

Lingji obeyed and retreated.

Before leaving, he still looked at the two brothers with concern, clearly worried they might start arguing again.

Xie Qingya remained silent, simply watching the boy at the door.

The boy standing there was his younger brother, Xie Ping’an.

The child who used to follow him around calling “Second Brother, Second Brother” and asking to be carried, now looked at him with nothing but disdain.

He didn’t even want to step into the study. Panting heavily, he stood in the doorway, looking like an angry little wolf, baring his teeth and glaring at him fiercely.

“Since you’re not drunk, why didn’t you go receive the edict?”

“Don’t you know, because of you, our Prince of Nan’an’s household is already being criticized enough!”

Xie Qingya lowered his gaze, leaning back slightly with an indifferent expression. “If you don’t want to go, then don’t.”

“You!”

Xie Ping’an clenched his fists, his anger growing.

Just as he was about to speak again, a faint, anxious female voice called from behind. “Third, Third Brother!”

Xie Ping’an paused, his anger momentarily subsiding. He turned around to see a girl in a pink cloak hurrying toward him with an umbrella.

The snow made it difficult to walk, and the girl, in her anxiousness, had run over herself, fearing that Third Brother and Second Brother would argue again.

She held the umbrella with one hand, stumbling and almost falling several times as she struggled forward.

Upon seeing this, Xie Ping’an became anxious.

He put aside his quarrel with Xie Qingya and immediately turned to help the girl.

At first, Xie Qingya, who had been keeping his eyes lowered and appeared uninterested, slightly changed his expression. He immediately sat up straight, looking at the young woman in pink standing outside the open door. He wanted to stand up and approach her, but in the end, his hands gripped the armrests tightly, his body frozen, and he did not rise.

Outside, the voices of the siblings could be heard.

Xie Ping’an and Xie Changning were fraternal twins, and they had always been close, having built a strong bond since they were in the womb.

However, after the family’s upheaval, the three siblings of the Xie family changed a lot.

Now, Xie Ping’an did not even acknowledge Xie Qingya as his older brother, but he was still very good to Xie Changning, perhaps even better than before.

Two years ago, the eldest princess, Liu Yuan, fell into deep sorrow after the deaths of the Prince of Nanan and her eldest son. Eventually, she could not endure it and passed away on the memorial day for the Prince and her son.

After that day, Xie Changning developed a high fever, which lasted for three days. When she woke up, she fell into a prolonged state of sadness and refused to speak.

By the time others realized something was wrong, she could no longer speak properly.

She had seen many doctors, but even now, she still stammered. It was unclear if it was due to her illness or if her heart was still bound by sorrow.

Outside, the voices of the siblings continued.

Xie Ping’an’s temperament now was even more impulsive and rash than the younger Xie Qingya. He was like an unruly wolf or leopard, using a fierce and aggressive side to protect himself and his family.

But in front of Xie Changning, he was always obedient.

“I told you there’s something wrong with him! Didn’t you see how the palace eunuchs looked at us just now? The family is already like this, and he’s still acting like that! Is it a grievance to receive the decree? So what if he has such a temper? If he’s got the guts, he shouldn’t marry at all!”

“Third… third brother!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore. Don’t be upset.”

As the siblings were talking, after a while, Xie Changning led Xie Ping’an into the room.

“Second… second brother.”

Xie Changning, with Xie Ping’an beside her, spoke quietly to Xie Qingya.

She had always been a soft-hearted person, and after the family’s misfortune, she became even more cautious in her speech and actions.

Now, standing at the desk with Xie Ping’an by her side, her round, shiny black eyes revealed a look of concern and anxiety as she gazed at Xie Qingya.

“You… don’t be angry with third brother, okay?”

Xie Qingya looked at her with a sense of guilt. His voice softened. “Second brother isn’t angry.”

“Then… then that’s good. That’s good.” Xie Changning sighed in relief. What worried her the most was the relationship between her two brothers.

But she didn’t know how to mediate it.

Just like now, after saying a sentence, she wasn’t sure what else to say.

She blamed herself for being clumsy with words but didn’t know how to change it.

The room fell silent.

Xie Qingya was about to speak and suggest that she go rest, as the cold weather wasn’t good for her health.

But before he could say anything, Xie Ping’an, who had been quiet until now, spoke first, his tone irritable.

“Let’s go!”

He was done staying.

His younger sister was there, so he couldn’t argue with Xie Qingya. If she saw, she would worry and possibly end up in tears.

But he didn’t know what to say to Xie Qingya. He loathed what Xie Qingya had become!

This wasn’t the elder brother he had always admired! His elder brother wasn’t like this!

He clenched Xie Changning’s hand.

Before leaving, he glared at Xie Qingya and said, “I don’t care who you marry, just manage your woman well. If I find out that she dares to bully Changning, I won’t let her off!”

After speaking, he didn’t care about Xie Qingya’s reaction. He just grabbed Xie Changning’s hand and turned to leave.

“Th-third brother, slow down.”

As they left, Xie Changning turned back to greet Xie Qingya. “Second… Second brother, we’ll leave first.”

The siblings quickly disappeared from sight.

Lingji had returned at some point and went out to apologize to Xie Qingya, saying, “Master, it was my fault for not stopping Third Young Master!”

Xie Qingya was still looking at the figures of the siblings as they left. Upon hearing Lingji, he simply said, “It’s not your fault.”

Mei Xuezhen came out as well; he had been hiding behind a screen just moments ago.

“Your third master’s temper… Why don’t you just tell him the truth? So he doesn’t misunderstand you like this.”

Lingji left after Mei Xuezhen spoke and stood outside the courtyard.

Xie Qingya gave a self-deprecating smile. “It’s not really a misunderstanding. In the past, my father and elder brother went to that place to pursue me, and they ended up falling into someone else’s trap.”

Mei Xuezhen furrowed his brow. “But if not for the strange armor, with the abilities of Prince Nan’an couldn’t have fallen into that situation so helplessly!”

Xie Qingya’s gaze dimmed, and his hands clenched again.

Mei Xuezhen knew he was recalling the past and sighed inwardly. He quickly changed the subject. “Is Changning still like this? Haven’t you found a doctor who can treat her?”

Xie Qingya shook his head, his voice hoarse. “She’s been drinking lots of medicine, but it hasn’t helped.”

Mei Xuezhen sighed again. “Mother has been trying to find a doctor for Changning. Once we get news, I’ll have someone deliver it immediately.”

Xie Qingya looked up at him. “I won’t say thanks, but tell Aunt to be careful.”

Mei Xuezhen smiled. “Don’t worry.”

After Mei Xuezhen left, Xie Qingya received the imperial edict, personally delivered by Aunt Danfeng.

Aunt Danfeng had been with his mother for many years.

After his mother passed away, she, along with Steward Sun, managed the inner and outer affairs of the house.

When it came to the change in the princess, Aunt Danfeng was quite happy.

“I’ve always thought that the girl from the Xiao family had too much of a temper and was too proud. She wasn’t someone easy to get along with, and I had been worried about that. But now, things are better. Princess Jiahui is a famous noble lady in the capital—graceful and virtuous.”

Aunt Danfeng had no idea about the underlying matters; she simply thought that he had married a gentle and virtuous wife, so their future would not be filled with daily arguments.

Xie Qingya couldn’t be bothered to say more and let Aunt Danfeng enjoy her excitement while going off to stir things up.

After she left, Xie Qingya finally opened the imperial edict to read.

The words praising the perfect match between the couple, he didn’t read a single one. He only looked at the signatures at the end.

One was Xie Qingya’s, the other was Xu Duanyi’s, with the male name on the left and the female name on the right, placed together.

Xie Qingya’s gaze lingered a moment longer on the name Xu Duanyi.

But it was just a moment. Quickly, Xie Qingya tossed the imperial edict aside, no longer paying attention to it.

—–

The news that Xie Qingya and Xu Duanyi had been granted marriage spread quickly throughout the streets and alleys of the capital, and even the officials in the court heard of it.

At first, everyone thought this was a rumor.

But the next morning, during the court session, Emperor Shao, Liu Xie, personally confirmed the news… The truth was that Xiao Baozhu had wanted to break off the engagement and had already made arrangements with Liu Xun, but of course, that couldn’t be said openly.

Not only could that not be said, but they had to praise the Empress Dowager Zhao Yu.

So they invoked the Bureau of Astronomy to make a statement.

It was said that the Bureau had calculated that the fates of the daughter of the Xiao family and the Prince of Nan’an were incompatible and would bring great misfortune, so Empress Dowager Zhao Yu, recognizing the merits of the Prince of Nan’an’s family, decided to marry Princess Jia Shun to him.

The officials in the court weren’t fools, and no one would believe such talk of fate.

Moreover, Xiao Baozhu and Liu Xun had been meeting openly without any secrecy. Xiao Baozhu had even repeatedly said in public that she would never marry the Prince of Nan’an.

But knowing something was one thing; saying it was quite another.

Compared to the sharp tone used in the morning court session, today’s session was unusually peaceful. No one dared to speak ill of the Xiao family or Empress Dowager Zhao Yu.

After all, with Princess Jia Shun’s reputation, her marriage to the Prince of Nan’an could indeed be seen as a downward marriage.

Therefore, today’s session was full of praise for the actions of Empress Dowager Zhao Yu.

When this news spread outside, it created a stir.

There were countless people in the capital who admired Xu Duanyi. If not for Xu Duanyi’s special status and her former engagement to Prince Wenzhao, they wouldn’t have had the courage to approach the Empress Dowager to ask for her hand. Otherwise, the doors of the Duke of Wu’an’s residence would have been trampled by matchmakers long ago.

Over the years, there had been noble families who had tried to speak to Empress Dowager Zhao Yu about the matter, seeking to arrange marriages for their sons or nephews to Princess Jia Shun.

But Empress Dowager Zha Yu had never given in.

—-

On good days, she would reply with “reluctant,” and on bad days, she wouldn’t even bother to speak.

After several attempts, people had stopped asking, simply believing that Princess Jia Shun would remain loyal to Prince Wenzhao. As for the suitors who liked Xu Duanyi, they naturally saw her as an unreachable goddess in the clouds, only daring to admire her from afar.

Who would have thought that such a celestial-like woman would now marry the Prince of Nan’an?

How could everyone not be shocked and angry?

On that day, someone even tried to stop Xie Qingya to settle the score with him.