Chapter 24

Xu Duanyi had no idea what had happened in the study.

She didn’t know that Xie Qingya already knew she had just passed by the study.

After leaving Xie Qingya’s study, Xu Duanyi was led by Aunt Deng to the rooms of the siblings, Changning and Ping’an, to familiarize herself with the layout of the place. This would make it easier for her to navigate in the future.

After exploring for a while, Xu Duanyi returned to the Linfeng Pavilion with Aunt Deng.

“What’s this?”

As soon as Xu Duanyi entered the room and sat down on a chair, she noticed a few booklets on the table.

She asked Bixi.

Bixi poured tea for her and, hearing the question, replied, “These were just brought by the maid from the palace. She said they were sent by Aunt Deng.”

Xu Duanyi looked at Aunt Deng with surprise. “Aunt Deng sent these?”

Aunt Deng nodded with a smile and said to Xu Duanyi, “The princess should take a look.”

Xu Duanyi, unsure of what they were, picked up the top booklet and started reading.

To her surprise, it was a booklet detailing the current assets of the South An Prince’s residence.

The South An Prince’s residence had been established during the reign of Emperor Ming.

At that time, the patriarch of the Xie family had greatly contributed to expanding the empire’s territory, earning him the title of South An Prince and the honor of a first-class duke.

When Xie Qingya’s father, the previous South An Prince, succeeded the throne, the family’s status didn’t decline; instead, it rose even higher.

He married the eldest princess, and the title of South An Prince’s residence was not only hereditary for one generation but extended to three generations.

As long as the descendants of the South An Prince’s family didn’t commit any grave offenses, the title would not be revoked.

Thus, the South An Prince’s residence received annual royal grants of money and grain.

This was quite a considerable sum.

In addition to the estates, land, and shops originally owned by the South An Prince’s residence, there were also those left behind by the eldest princess…

Even Xu Duanyi felt the amount was quite impressive.

This was the accumulation of two generations of family assets, with the addition of the eldest princess’s portion—naturally, not to be underestimated.

But Xu Duanyi didn’t understand why Aunt Deng had given her these, especially when she had already mentioned she didn’t want to deal with the Prince’s affairs.

She feared that Xie Qingya would be even more displeased if he found out.

“Aunt Deng?”

She turned her face back to Aunt Deng, looking puzzled.

She silently asked why Aunt Deng had done this.

Seeing Xu Duanyi frown in confusion, Aunt Deng immediately understood what she was thinking. She said, “The princess mentioned last night that you were feeling unwell. I understand, but there are a few things I wish to say.”

Xu Duanyi, hearing this, straightened her posture and closed the booklet, listening attentively.

“Aunt Deng, please sit and speak.”

Xu Duanyi politely invited her.

She had Bixi prepare more tea.

Aunt Deng nodded and sat down after thanking Xu Duanyi. She then said, “You are the official wife of our prince and the only lady of the South An Prince’s residence. Whether it’s the servants or the people below, we all deeply respect you.”

“You may choose not to concern yourself with these matters, but you cannot remain unaware.”

Xu Duanyi, being quite perceptive, immediately understood the underlying meaning.

She realized that Aunt Deng was truly treating her as the lady of the South An Prince’s residence, trying her best to make her feel at ease and also showing that they acknowledged and respected her as the princess.

They didn’t see her as an outsider.

Xu Duanyi was truly touched by this.

Before marrying into the South An Prince’s residence, she had already prepared herself not to be liked by Xie Qingya or the people in the residence. She never expected to fight for anything.

Living a quiet life in a corner seemed perfectly fine to her.

But unexpectedly…

“Aunt Deng…”

Xu Duanyi looked at Aunt Deng, feeling warm inside, and her voice became softer.

But when she thought of Xie Qingya, she couldn’t help but feel worried.

She was afraid that if Xie Qingya knew about this, he would be angry.

Seeing Xu Duanyi’s concern, Aunt Deng’s expression softened even more.

Knowing what she was thinking, Aunt Deng quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, His Highness is aware of all this.”

Without His Highness’s approval, I wouldn’t be able to bring these things to you.

In the end, this household is still led by the prince. She is only the caretaker.

Seeing the princess pause in thought, seemingly not expecting this, Aunt Deng seized the opportunity to speak well of her master: “I know the prince’s actions these past few days have been quite inappropriate. He wasn’t like this before; it’s just that too much has happened in recent years, and the prince feels it’s all because of him, which led to this…”

These words were not something a servant like her should have spoken, but in the current situation of the manor, if she didn’t speak up, she might only helplessly watch as the prince and princess drift further apart day by day.

She truly hoped for them to be well, for the prince to have a confidant to spend his days with.

Had it been the young lady from the Xiao family sitting here, she would never have dared to speak these words. But it just so happened to be Princess Jia Shun, who had a deep connection with the prince.

Thus, Aunt Deng courageously spoke her mind.

“I know I’m not in a position to ask, and I also know the prince’s actions are wrong and should be scolded. But, still, I hope you’ll give him a bit more time, another chance. The prince was once a very good man, and I believe he can return to that.”

“You are the first girl the prince brought back to the manor, and if…” Aunt Deng’s voice trailed off as tears filled her eyes. She wasn’t sure whether she was crying for the past or the present.

Xu Duanyi understood that Aunt Deng truly cared for Xie Qingya, but she also knew she was unaware of the full truth.

Her engagement with Xie Qingya had never been simple.

She sighed and said to Aunt Deng, “Aunt, I… I’m with him…”

Aunt Deng thought she was refusing.

“Your Highness…”

She called out in sorrow, even trying to kneel to plead.

Xu Duanyi was startled, quickly reaching out to support her, and with the help of Bixi and others, they helped Aunt Deng back to her seat.

Seeing Aunt Deng’s tearful eyes, looking at her with such sorrow and earnestness, Xu Duanyi finally relented and said what she had been hiding in her heart: “Aunt, rest assured, to me, the prince will always be my husband, my only husband.”

“I know the prince is a good man.”

“And I won’t be angry with him, don’t worry.”

Aunt Deng had only hoped for a promise from the princess, but hearing her speak so much, and seeing her calm yet firm expression, Aunt Deng was overjoyed.

“Thank you, Your Highness, thank you!”

She kept thanking, saying, “I will also persuade the prince well, I’ll make sure the prince…”

“No need.”

She was interrupted, and Aunt Deng froze for a moment. Realizing what the princess meant, she hesitated before asking, “…What?”

Xu Duanyi didn’t want to make things difficult for Xie Qingya.

This was her own choice, and she didn’t expect Xie Qingya to accommodate her.

But if she said it this way, Aunt Deng certainly wouldn’t agree.

Fearing that Aunt Deng might go to speak with Xie Qingya later, Xu Duanyi truly didn’t want him to feel pressured to interact with her.

Getting married was already hard enough for him.

As for everything else, it could be forgotten.

“You know the prince’s temperament. The more you push him, the more he resists,” Xu Duanyi said softly, “Instead of making things worse, it’s better to let things develop naturally, to take time.”

Aunt Deng was indeed persuaded.

She had been unable to understand the prince’s temperament lately. Since the family events, he had changed drastically, rarely speaking to them and even less with the third son and daughter.

But in the past, he had been like this.

The princess had said the prince was born with a rebellious streak, the more one asked him to do something, the more he would go against it.

Thinking about this, Aunt Deng didn’t dare act hastily.

She feared that the more she persuaded, the worse their relationship would become.

If that happened, it would be her fault.

She quickly collected her thoughts.

“Your Highness, you’ve really thought things through,” she said, sighing.

“But…”

She looked at Xu Duanyi, filled with apology: “This is really too much to ask of you.”

Xu Duanyi smiled, not feeling aggrieved.

She smiled and said, “We’ll look at the future, not the present.”

Her words soothed Aunt Deng and made her admire Xu Duanyi even more.

She truly believed that the old prince and the princess must have worked their magic to bring such a wonderful princess into the manor.

Actually, had it not been for those events, Princess Jia Shun originally intended to ask Empress Dowager Zhao Yu for a marriage proposal for the prince.

But at that time, the death of Crown Prince Wen Zhao was still recent, and the Empress Dowager was still grieving.

To avoid further upsetting her, the princess didn’t bring it up immediately.

Unexpectedly, later on, the Empress Dowager directly arranged the marriage between the prince and the girl from the Xiao family.

The imperial decree arrived first, and by the time they wanted to speak, it was already too late.

Princess Jia Shun often said it was a pity; if she had asked earlier, it might have been different.

Who would have thought that in the end, the prince and the princess would end up together?

It truly felt like fate!

Aunt Deng was genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart.

She truly hoped they could live a happy and harmonious life together.

Her face now beamed with joy, and there was no trace of her earlier worry.

Afterward, the two of them didn’t mention the matter again.

Xu Duanyi, accompanied by Aunt Deng, looked through a few more books.

The other books recorded the families with whom the South An Prince’s residence maintained regular relations, as well as detailed accounts of the gifts given and received each year.

These were all part of social interactions.

Clearly—

Since the passing of the Grand Princess, the situation at the South An Prince’s residence had declined year by year. In the past, they had dealings with countless families, but now only a few still maintained contact.

“Shen family…”

Suddenly, Xu Duanyi muttered as she saw a certain section.

She remembered that the wife her brother, Xie Jingfeng, was supposed to marry had the surname Shen.

She raised her head and asked Aunt Deng, “Is this the family of the Ministry of Justice’s Senior Official, Shen?”

When Aunt Deng heard this, the smile on her face stiffened slightly.

After a while, she sighed and nodded, her voice softening, “Yes, it is Lord Shen’s family.”

Xu Duanyi softly asked, “Is Miss Shen still in Guan Zhong?”

The Miss Shen she referred to was Shen Siyan, the eldest daughter of Shen Fu.

Miss Shen had once been engaged to Brother Xie.

They were childhood sweethearts, the pair everyone in the capital envied.

Had it not been for the incident, they would have been married long ago.

Their wedding was already planned.

Xu Duanyi remembered they were supposed to marry in the third year of Tianhe.

But before Brother Xie and his father, Xie Bo, could return victorious, they received news of their deaths.

With the loss of the groom, the wedding was naturally called off.

But Miss Shen, deeply in love, could not let go. When Brother Xie’s coffin was sent back to the prince’s residence, she wore a wedding gown and married his spirit.

At the time, the incident caused quite a stir.

Xu Duanyi had heard about it even in the palace.

She heard that Lady Shen was heartbroken, and that Lord Shen had gotten very angry.

However, even this could not stop Miss Shen. She was even willing to be exiled from her family.

After marrying Brother Xie’s spirit, Miss Shen did not wish to cause any trouble for the Xie family. She did not stay at the prince’s residence but moved to Guan Zhong instead.

They were both still in the capital.

Miss Shen had a reputation for both her talent and virtue.

Although Xu Duanyi was a few years younger than her, they had met a few times at banquets, and their relationship had been cordial.

But since Miss Shen moved to Guan Zhong, Xu Duanyi had not seen her again.

Years had passed, and now it seemed many in the capital had already forgotten her.

Xu Duanyi sighed.

She saw that in the book, there were gifts sent to the Shen family every year, without fail. But there was never a return gift from the Shen family.

She understood that the South An Prince’s residence had maintained the relationship unilaterally, without severing ties.

Since she understood the reason, she didn’t ask further.

After reading, Aunt Deng briefly summarized the situation of the South An Prince’s residence for her, including where Xie Changning and Xie Pingan were currently studying.

Xu Duanyi listened to her attentively without refusing.

After Aunt Deng finished, she planned to leave the books with Xu Duanyi. Xu Duanyi hesitated for a moment but did not refuse.

Since Xie Qingyao knew about it, there was no need for her to keep this poor woman feeling sad.

This action obviously made Aunt Deng very happy.

She felt that the princess was slowly accepting the prince’s residence, which was a good sign! Even when leaving, a smile could hardly be hidden from her face.

“Your Highness, what about these books…”

After sending Aunt Deng off, Bixi looked at the books on the table and asked Xu Duanyi.

Xu Duanyi also looked at the books. “She meant well. Let’s keep them for now.”

Bixi nodded. As she was putting the things away, she added, “Aunt Deng is quite a good person.”

Even Shiyu, who usually complained about the prince’s residence, didn’t speak, quietly helping with the tidying.

Although Aunt Deng had decided not to pressure the prince to grow closer to the princess, she still planned to visit the study first after leaving the Linfeng Pavilion.

There might be no need for pressure, but the princess’s words should still be conveyed to the prince.

She didn’t go straight there.

Instead, she stopped by the kitchen to get some pastries, then took the food box to the study.

As she approached, Lingi was guarding the courtyard.

Chang Feng was nowhere to be seen.

Aunt Deng didn’t think too much about it, assuming Chang Feng had been sent out by the prince for some task.

As far as she was concerned, as long as the prince stayed at home and didn’t engage in any improper activities, it was fine.

What Chang Feng and Lingji did was of no concern to her.

From afar, Lingji, who had been leisurely snacking on seeds, suddenly felt a chill run down his back when he saw Aunt Deng approaching. He quickly slapped the seed shells off his hands, stood up, and awkwardly greeted her, “Aunt Deng.”

After being threatened by her this morning, he dared not stop her. He obediently greeted Aunt Deng and stood aside, respectfully telling her, “The prince is inside reading. Would you like me to announce your presence?”

Aunt Deng, in a good mood, didn’t argue with him about the earlier incident.

“Go ahead.”

She didn’t rush in.

Lingji, seeing her nod, quickly went inside.

A while later, he came back out and politely said, “Aunt Deng, the prince has asked you to come in.”

Aunt Deng nodded and entered with the food box.

Before anyone entered, Xie Qingya took a book and casually flipped through it. Hearing the sound of someone coming in, he didn’t raise his head, continuing to read until Aunt Deng entered to pay her respects.

He merely hummed in response.

Aunt Deng brought over a food box and placed the pastries in front of him.

Xie Qingya glanced at them; they were all his favorites. He didn’t say anything and casually picked up a date paste pastry, beginning to eat it.

He wasn’t sure why Aunt Deng had come over, but he understood it was likely related to Xu Duanyi.

Thinking she was probably going to try to persuade him to get closer to Xu Duanyi, he was ready to let the words go in one ear and out the other. But instead, Aunt Deng said, “The princess said a few words to me just now, and I felt it necessary to share them with you.”

Xie Qingya instinctively raised his gaze and asked, “What did she say?”

Aunt Deng repeated what Xu Duanyi had said earlier.

“The princess said that, no matter what, you are her husband, her only husband.”

As Aunt Deng spoke, she secretly observed the prince. When he finished listening, he appeared stunned, even stopping halfway through eating the pastry, holding it frozen in midair.

She suppressed a smile, then continued, “The princess also said she knows you are a good man and won’t be angry with you.”

After Aunt Deng finished speaking, Xie Qingya pursed his lips and fell silent.

There was no response from the prince this time.

Aunt Deng didn’t seem as anxious as before. Instead, she smiled as she picked up the food box and prepared to leave.

“Take your time eating. I will go back first.”

As she walked out, she sneaked a glance back at him.

Seeing that the prince was still sitting there, the half-eaten pastry frozen in midair, she knew that he had heard everything she said.

It was clear that the prince was not indifferent.

Indeed.

She was right to listen to the princess.

For someone with the prince’s personality, nothing could be gained by force or threats. It all depended on him realizing things on his own.

She didn’t believe the prince could ignore the princess for long!

With that, Aunt Deng contentedly turned away and left, visibly in a good mood.

Lingji, who had been guarding outside, had no idea what had happened inside or what had been said. When he saw Aunt Deng come out smiling brightly, he thought he might be seeing things.

“Aunt, are you leaving already?” he greeted her.

Aunt Deng smiled and nodded, walking away.

Lingji was left puzzled.

He couldn’t understand why Aunt Deng’s mood had improved so much in such a short time.

He quietly glanced inside and saw the prince still sitting there, his head lowered.

His face was in the shadows, and it was unclear what he was thinking.