Chapter 104: The Separate Residence (1)

Xiao Yao and Xiao Yuan did not expect to encounter such a situation, and now they couldn’t help but pay attention to the princess, even if they didn’t want to.

“How many siblings does the princess have?” Xiao Yao asked.

“Only the heir her older brother.” As for the two county princesses in the mansion, Qiuying didn’t even want to bring them up.

No wonder! Xiao Yao couldn’t help but think to herself. With an older brother like that, it’s a miracle if her personality is good. Perhaps the princess’s bad temper might even have a direct connection to someone.

After completing the task entrusted by the princess, Qiuying stopped speaking and sat there, quietly watching the two sisters interact affectionately, their heads close together.

About an incense stick later, the carriage slowly came to a stop.

Once they got out, the two sisters saw a vast, magnificent building unfold before their eyes. This was only a separate residence; one could only imagine what the royal mansion would look like!

Xiao Yao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. No wonder everyone wants to be above others, living a life of luxury with a noble status… but unfortunately, there was only one Jing Wangfu (Prince Jing’s mansion) in all of Tianyu, and only one Jing Wang.

Qiuying dutifully escorted the two to meet the Princess Consort, Yin Qianhua.

“Reporting to the princess consort, I’ve brought the two young ladies of the Xiao family here.”

“Come closer, let me take a look. Whose daughters are these? I don’t recognize them.” Yin Qianhua joked as she looked at the exquisitely dressed Xiao Yao.

“I am Xiao Yao, paying my respects to the Princess Consort.”

“Ruyi pays respects to Auntie, the Princess Consort.”

“Come over here, Ruonan. This is what your mother mentioned—your two cousins.”

The Xiao sisters raised their heads to look in the direction of the voice, and naturally, they saw Yun Ruonan, who was nestled beside Yin Qianhua, the legendary princess.

She was a slender girl, a bit smaller than Xiao Yao, with delicate features. Her complexion seemed unusually pale, likely from long periods without exposure to sunlight, making her look somewhat fragile. While Xiao Yao was looking at her, she also cast a glance over, a faint and indifferent look, but did not speak.

Thankfully, Qiuying had reminded them, so Xiao Yao was prepared, otherwise, she would have felt embarrassed.

“I, Xiao Yao (Xiao Yuan), pay respects to the princess.”

“Right, paying respects… is she my cousin, the princess?” After saying this, Xiao Yuan leaned close to Xiao Yao’s ear and whispered in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “Is this how I should call her? Will the princess get angry? She’s three days older than you, so she’s the older sister. Don’t you feel awkward?”

Hearing this, Yun Ruonan couldn’t help but glance at Xiao Yao again. It turned out this pretty little girl was of the same age as her, with their birthdays only three days apart. After looking a second time, she couldn’t resist looking a third time. Just then, Xiao Yao smiled back, and that smile was warm and natural, giving people a comforting feeling.

Yin Qianhua, who noticed her daughter’s reaction, knew that her daughter would definitely start to look at Xiao Yao differently.

“If the princess doesn’t mind, I would, of course, be happy to call you older sister.” Calling her sister wouldn’t take anything away. What mattered more was that Xiao Yao felt the princess wouldn’t respond immediately.

“I… are you really my cousins?” Yun Ruonan’s voice was soft, with a hint of hesitation.

This was such a surprise! Yin Qianhua never expected her daughter to react so quickly; she had thought it would take at least two or three meetings before her daughter would speak!

“You and my cousin are cousins.” Xiao Yao said, puzzled by how convoluted the titles and family relations were here. This was one of the things that bothered her the most—sometimes, the family titles and terms of address could really confuse someone.

“Will the older cousin be upset?” Xiao Yuan asked.

“This child, what silly thing are you saying? We’re all relatives. Ruyi is a cousin, and Ping’an is naturally a cousin too.”

Yin Qianhua turned to her daughter, her eyes full of hope as she encouraged her to continue.

“Oh.” Yun Ruonan responded in a barely audible tone, offering no further words.

Yin Qianhua felt regretful, thinking her daughter had made a little progress today. She would keep taking it slow.

“This is the birthday gift we prepared for the princess.”

Xiao Yao took an exquisite box from Xiying’s hand.

“Can we open it and take a look?” Yin Qianhua asked with curiosity.

“Of course. Inside, there are small animals embroidered with silk thread, and the designs are ones I drew. The tassels were chosen by Ruyi. We’ve just started learning embroidery, so we aren’t very skilled. Therefore, we asked an embroidery master to complete the sewing part,” Xiao Yao explained.

When the box was opened, ten adorable, lively, cartoon-like animal charms were revealed.

“They’re so cute! I want one too, what should I do?” Yin Qianhua said, fondly touching one after another, as though she wanted to claim them for herself.

Yun Ruonan also picked one up and examined it carefully. After looking at it, she couldn’t help but ask, “What is this for?”

“I’ll tell you, cousin. It has a secret compartment and can be used as a sachet. After removing the back layer, it can be used as a bookmark. It looks nice hanging by the bed. I have a slightly bigger one, a little dog, hanging on my bed.” Xiao Yuan said as she demonstrated with her hands.

“Ping’an, your idea is really clever.” Yin Qianhua praised sincerely. She had a good eye for talent, and this child was truly exceptional.

“Thank you for the praise, princess consort. We’re just happy that the princess doesn’t mind it,” Xiao Yao said.

“I also like it.” Yun Ruonan gently held the box, her first smile since the Xiao sisters arrived spreading across her face.

Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Yin Qianhua became even more pleased with Xiao Yao. She silently decided to make sure her daughter and the Xiao sisters spent more time together in the future.

“Reporting to the princess consort, Miss Li, Miss He, and Miss Yuan have arrived,” Qiuyue reported.

“Quickly invite them all in,” Yin Qianhua said with a smile. Among the guests were relatives and young ladies from families who were friendly with the prince.

“Mother, I… I want to… rest,” Yun Ruonan said nervously, holding tightly to Yin Qianhua’s sleeve. She wasn’t good at interacting with people and didn’t want to meet strangers.

“Didn’t you promise Father and me that you would be a good hostess today?” Yin Qianhua thought of how hard she and her husband had worked to bring their daughter out of the royal mansion. If she shrank back today, it would be even harder to get her to meet others next time.

“Don’t worry, princess. I’ll stay here with you and sister.” Xiao Yuan tried to reassure her.

Yun Ruonan shook her head and then shook it even faster.

“Princess, after greeting them, you can go rest. It will just be a few words. There aren’t too many people, right, princess consort?” Xiao Yao said, seeing her sister had spoken up. She felt she couldn’t remain silent now.

“Ping’an is right,” Yin Qianhua agreed with a nod, relieved. Once her daughter met with everyone, she could then go rest and ease her nerves. After all, almost everyone present already knew her daughter’s temperament.

This advice had the desired effect. Although Yun Ruonan still hadn’t let go of Yin Qianhua’s sleeve, the rest of her actions stopped.

It seemed that bringing the Xiao sisters here first was the right choice. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to persuade her daughter alone, Yin Qianhua thought to herself with satisfaction.

“Your servant, Li Yuer, pays respects to the Princess Consort.”

“Your servant, He Jinchi, pays respects to the Princess Consort.”

“Your servant, Yuan Min, Yuan Jing, Yuan Ying, pay respects to the Princess Consort.”

…

“Everyone rise. Ruonan, come and meet your cousins,” Yin Qianhua said softly, as though speaking a little louder might frighten her daughter away.

“You… you all sit down.” Yun Ruonan tried hard for a while and finally managed to squeeze out a few words.

To Yin Qianhua, those five words were already invaluable. Her daughter had finally made some progress.

“It turns out Xiao Yao and her cousin have already arrived. We were just saying we didn’t know if you two had come yet. We didn’t see Xiao Yao’s carriage on the way here.” Yuan Min said gently.

“Cousin, long time no see. Did you miss me?” Xiao Yuan wiggled her chubby body, hoping to get the attention of the Yuan sisters.

“The eldest sister may or may not have missed you, but our parrot certainly missed Xiao Yao. It keeps shouting, ‘Where’s the beauty? Where’s the beauty?’ What do you think, is that funny?” Yuan Jing said, smiling.

“Really? Haha, sister, you’ve been remembered by a bird. Haha, haha…” Xiao Yuan laughed as she spoke.

“What’s so interesting? Hurry and tell us!” Yin Qianhua asked with interest.

“Don’t tell them,” Xiao Yao bowed to Yuan Jing. It’s better not to tell the story of being teased by a bird!

Even Yun Ruonan, who was ready to leave earlier, had changed her mind. She sat still, preparing to listen.

“Cousin, let me tell it. If I don’t, I’ll burst,” Yuan Jing said, taking Xiao Yao’s hand.

“Go ahead, there’s no one but us girls here. Don’t be shy, sister.” Xiao Yuan said, eager to hear the story, as it was the highlight of her day.

Yuan Jing cleared her throat, then began to recount the story of the “beauty” and the parrot…

---

The Jing Wang and Yun Yichen had just entered the yard when they heard bursts of laughter coming from inside, hearty and joyous.

The Jing Wang thought to himself: Could it be that his daughter had done so well today that his wife was so happy?

Yun Yichen stopped for a moment, hearing both his wife’s laughter and the laughter of the girls. He turned and planned to leave.

“Ah Chen, where are you going?” Jing Wang asked.

“I’m going to walk somewhere else. You go in,” Yun Yichen replied.

“The hall is full of relatives and young ladies from families that are friendly with your father. You haven’t even shown your face. It’s a bit disrespectful. Moreover, you can avoid them now, but are you going to stay hidden all day?” Jing Wang said. “Your mother is thinking about having grandchildren soon. If you’re so passive and reluctant to meet them, how long will it take for our wishes to come true?”

Yun Yichen obediently turned back, walking by his father’s side with reluctance.

When they reached the door, neither of them entered right away. They wanted to know what was happening that made everyone inside laugh so much.

“We thought that once Xiao Yao went home, the bird would forget about it, but who knew it still calls out every day, ‘Where’s the beauty? Where’s the beauty?’ What do you think, is it funny?” Yuan Jing said, finally finishing the story, causing another round of laughter in the hall.