Chapter 116: The Villa (Part 2)

Xiao Jingtai, riding alone with a few attendants, was on his way back to the capital when he met the Ninth Prince and others coming towards him halfway through the journey. He quickly dismounted and bowed to the Ninth Prince.

“Subordinate greets the Ninth Prince, greets the Young Master, greets Young Master Mu.”

“Lord Xiao, there’s no need for so much formalities, please rise,” said Yun Yifan, the Ninth Prince, as he pulled on the reins, smiling gently at Xiao Jingtai and nodding.

Yun Yichen stood quietly to the side, his expression unchanged. He gave a slight nod to acknowledge the greeting. Mu Fengwu, holding a folding fan, stopped twirling it and clasped his hands in return. He was quite self-aware—he knew the greetings were directed at the Ninth Prince and the Young Master of the Yun family, not at him, a nameless person.

“Lord Xiao, where are you headed?” Mu Fengwu asked, trying to start a conversation.

“I am escorting my parents to the mountain villa. I would not dare to delay the Ninth Prince’s journey, please, go ahead,” Xiao Jingtai said, bowing again and stepping aside, intending to return to the capital after the Ninth Prince’s group passed.

“Shouldn’t we pay a visit to the old master and old madam?” Mu Fengwu resumed twirling his fan, leisurely speaking.

Xiao Jingtai, not fully understanding Mu Fengwu’s tendency to speak just for the sake of it, thought they were genuinely planning to visit his mountain villa and quickly stopped them. “The villa is in disarray, it’s not suitable for receiving distinguished guests. I ask for your understanding.”

Someone was rejecting them, Mu Fengwu widened his eyes and stared at Xiao Jingtai. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him! But his boldness had clearly inherited the General’s true teachings—when it came to refusing others, he was direct and straightforward, not in the least bit subtle.

“Let’s set off,” Yun Yifan commanded. He could tell that Xiao Jingtai was being somewhat perfunctory, but did not probe into it. Now was not the time to discuss such matters; once everything was settled, they could revisit the idea of visiting the old madam.

Their trio now had an additional tail, Yun Can, the youngest son of King Qi. He had heard there was a chance to stay at the royal villa and would not miss it. He shamelessly followed them.

Because they had only just arrived at the villa, their martial arts practice was postponed for a day. Both the Ninth Prince and General Xiao enjoyed a rare half-day of relaxation, followed by a restful sleep to recharge for the new day.

Xiao Yao was awakened from her sleep by someone shaking her. When she saw the person before her, she instinctively rubbed her eyes—could it be that she was dreaming again? Or was it an illusion?

“Sister, wake up, the sun is already up, you can’t sleep in anymore, you know?” Xiao Yuan, who had never woken up early in her life, mimicked the tone and attitude that others usually took with her every morning, shamelessly urging Xiao Yao to get up.

“Ruyi, did you sleep in a different bed last night and are not used to it? Is that why you’re awake so early today?” If there were no reason, Xiao Yao would never believe that her lazy sister would wake up early.

“Of course not! I wanted to wake up early to enjoy the scenery, take a walk, and exercise. I woke up on my own, didn’t I, Qian Yu?” Xiao Yuan winked at her maid. She certainly wouldn’t tell her sister that she woke up early just to eat flower cakes and drink flower tea.

“Stop winking! Be careful, you might hurt your eyes, and then you won’t be able to enjoy the scenery or walk around,” Xiao Yao teased, using Xiao Yuan’s own words against her.

“Ah! Get up quickly! After breakfast, let’s go see the flowers and the lake.”

“We can’t go out today.” The royal relatives were staying in the opposite royal villa. They were all important figures in Tian Yu, and if they ran into them while playing, it could cause big trouble.

After her unpleasant encounter with Yun Yichen, Xiao Yao became afraid of dealing with nobles because their thoughts couldn’t be predicted logically. One careless move could bring trouble. To this day, she still didn’t understand what she had done wrong to Yun Yichen to provoke him to treat her with sarcasm and disdain. The more she thought about it, the more puzzled she became.

The two sisters quickly had breakfast, and their first stop was the flower garden. They saw crape myrtle, hibiscus, peony, and roses… Xiao Yao also noticed her beloved jasmine, which was swaying in the wind and releasing its fragrance.

“It smells so good,” Xiao Yuan closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

“This is peony, right?” After being pulled by Xiao Yao to a flower bed, Xiao Yuan guessed after taking a few deep breaths.

“No, it’s wrong,” Xiao Yao said, her gaze clearly reflecting the purple-red hibiscus.

“Your turn to guess, sister,” and so the two swapped roles.

After playing for a while, Xiao Yao was much better at guessing than Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan was wrong about seven or eight times out of ten.

“How about we pick some petals to take back and cook some porridge with them?” Xiao Yuan always had a way of turning any topic towards food.

“Some flowers can’t be eaten raw without proper processing,” Xiao Yao kindly reminded her. She then thought about writing down the ingredients that complement or contradict each other, so her family wouldn’t accidentally eat something harmful in the future.

“What flowers do you ladies like? Please feel free to tell someone to pick them for you. There’s no need for you two to pick yourselves!” A woman who looked like a stewardess flattered them.

“Some things are more enjoyable when you do them yourself. What’s the point of living a life where others wait on you all the time?” Xiao Yuan disliked the stewardess’s words and simply turned away, ignoring her.

“Do you have any rare and exotic varieties here?” Xiao Yao asked. After looking around the garden, she saw mostly common flowers, which left her slightly disappointed.

“Miss, you’ve asked the right person. There’s nothing in this villa that I, Huang, don’t know,” the stewardess puffed out her chest, boasting.

“What is your status, to speak to us like that? You’ve got quite some nerve!” Xiao Fu, the head maid, scolded her, showing her authority.

“I would never disrespect the ladies, it’s just that I’m used to speaking this way. I couldn’t change it right away. Please forgive me, ladies,” Huang stewardess said, frightened, and tried to kneel, but Xiao Yao stopped her with a hand.

“Don’t let it happen again. Let’s move on. Please answer my question.”

“Yes, Miss.” Huang stewardess, who had realized how beautiful and pleasant Xiao Yao was, and hoped that she would marry into a good family, said with a smile, “There’s a woman named Xue, who escaped the calamity. She can grow exquisite lotus flowers in small pots. Even Zhao Guan Shi praises her skills.”

“What are bowl lotuses?” Xiao Yuan asked, confused.

“They are lotus flowers grown in porcelain or ceramic bowls, only for ornamental purposes.”

Xiao Yao and Xiao Yuan were intrigued by this. It was a rare sight to see such a thing, which proved that Tian Yu had talented people everywhere. The two sisters were very interested in the bowl lotuses and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see them. Eventually, they both received two pots of delicate and exquisite bowl lotuses from Xue.

The sisters then accompanied Madam Qin to the medicinal herb fields. To their surprise, Madam Qin knew a lot about the herbs and could list their uses and characteristics.

“Grandmother, you know so much!” Xiao Yuan said in awe, her eyes sparkling.

“From now on, when we don’t know a herb, we can come to you for help,” Xiao Yao said with a smile.

“You two girls!” Madam Qin knew very well that her little granddaughter was just trying to make her happy.

General Xiao completed his teaching duties and returned to the villa, where he saw his old wife with his little granddaughter, flipping through flower ropes. His eldest granddaughter was standing by a table, seemingly drawing something, while Nanny Ruan occasionally offered advice.

Spending time with his wife and grandchildren was the life he had always wanted. Day in and day out, he had to worry about and teach a group of unruly young men, and on top of that, he had to be cautious around them, for even the smallest mistake could lead to trouble. Just like today—Mu’s son had wanted to visit the villa. While the Ninth Prince seemed not to oppose the idea, there was no way he was going to let them succeed! After much negotiation, he finally managed to dissuade a few people, and it felt like it took more brainpower than a battle.

When Xiao Yao and Nanny Ruan were done with their work, they left to develop a new fragrance, since this place was perfect for it, with flowers and herbs readily available. It was the ideal environment for such a project. At times like this, Xiao Yuan would leave her sister and not try to eavesdrop on Nanny Ruan’s secret recipes. She wasn’t good at delicate tasks, so she just waited to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

On the third day at the villa, the two sisters accompanied Madam Qin to observe the labor of the men, the busy women, and the children who fished in the river or climbed trees to fetch birds.

Since , Madam Qin was getting older, she insisted on staying out in the morning but by afternoon, she refused to go out again. So the sisters took turns massaging her legs and fanning her as a dutiful granddaughter should.

“How many more days until we can go out and have fun?” Xiao Yuan asked, bored of the villa. She had seen enough and wanted to see the lake and the forest.

Madam Qin glanced at Xiao Yao, wondering if she felt the same. If so, she could help further her plans. The old master had gone to visit an old friend, leaving no one to advise her.

With a look of encouragement, Madam Qin silently urged her granddaughter to go out, though she didn’t dare speak openly against her husband.

“Three more days, we’ll go see the lake then,” Xiao Yao said while comforting her sister, not noticing the disappointed look that flashed across her grandmother’s face.

“That annoying Young Master, why couldn’t he have gone back to the capital today?” Xiao Yuan muttered, unaware that other royal relatives were staying at the villa, so she only mentioned Yun Yichen, the one she knew best, and spent the whole afternoon talking about him.

“Eh, Ah Chen sneezed several times this afternoon. Maybe your cousin from the Han family is missing you,” Mu Fengwu teased, throwing his arm around his friend’s shoulder.

Yun Yichen ignored him completely, thinking that a fool like Mu was not even worth responding to.

“Why are Lord Xiao and General Xiao not letting us visit the old madam at the villa? Could there be something they’re hiding?” The Ninth Prince was confused by the Xiao family’s behavior.

“Maybe Old Master Xiao has hidden a stunning beauty at the villa,” Mu Fengwu speculated, his imagination running wild.

His remark earned two slaps on the head from the Yun brothers, who were eager to make it clear that this idiot was not their friend and that they were not familiar with him at all.