Chapter 70: Did Your Highness Miss Me?

The Fourth Princess watched Xue Qingyin and her cousins leave the Heron Garden.

A flash of envy crossed her eyes, but it quickly faded into silence.

King Xuan was still sitting beside her.

“Second Brother… are you not leaving with them?” the Fourth Princess asked softly.

King Xuan turned his head and glanced at her: “Are you waiting for King Wei?”

The Fourth Princess didn’t dare to look up, she just asked softly: “Brother Wei… he…”

“He’s kneeling before Father now, are you going to keep him company?”

“No, no.”

King Xuan finally stood up. It seemed that he had come here only to take a look at Xue Qingyin and to give the Fourth Princess a few words of warning.

The Fourth Princess saw him about to leave and hurriedly asked: “Second Brother… are you going to marry Xue Qingyin?”

She swallowed, saying: “Father won’t agree.”

“That’s not your concern, next time you see her, remember to call her sister-in-law.” King Xuan’s tone was cold. He said this and then left without hesitation.

The Fourth Princess’ heart was racing.

Xue Qingyin hadn’t agreed yet!

She was truly skilled!

Otherwise, how could someone like Second Brother… want to marry her? Second Brother had always been too lazy to compete with Brother Wei!

“Your Highness.” The palace maid beside her quickly stepped forward to support her.

The palace maid thought she would be angry.

But the Fourth Princess seemed extremely calm today.

The Fourth Princess just clenched her fingers.

She had only recently learned the truth about her mother’s death… if she wanted revenge, she had to become smarter.

She must, she must!

On the other side, Xue Qingyin strolled around with the Xu family cousins.

On this side, the maid Zhishu had brought the cook who could make oil cakes to the manor.

Zhishu didn’t dare delay, she immediately went to see He Songning and told him about the recent events in the mansion.

He Songning, however, appeared very calm. He said: “I know.”

Zhishu’s heart trembled. She thought, as expected of the eldest son, he already knew everything that happened in the mansion without her reporting it.

“Did Qingyin ask you to come?” He Songning asked.

Zhishu replied: “I brought it up to the young lady, and she asked me to come. She also brought a cook, saying she wanted him to stay at the manor to make food. She also said that if she wasn’t sure how much to pay him, she would ask the eldest son to decide.”

He Songning’s expression immediately became more complex: “She trusts me so much.”

Zhishu was puzzled: “Blood ties, the eldest young lady naturally trusts you very much.”

He Songning chuckled, not commenting.

Zhishu then mentioned the matter of King Wei’s wife and concubine.

He Songning’s face instantly turned gloomy.

His biological father, the current Emperor, was truly kind to his beloved son!

One Qiao Xinyu, one Liu Yuerong, both from noble families.

That stupid King of Wei, he couldn’t even get the woman he loved…

He Songning pressed his temples, quickly regaining his composure.

He had underestimated Xue Qingyin before. Now that she had gotten close to King Xuan, she had unexpectedly opened up another path.

But the old woman in the palace valued King Xuan highly, so she probably wouldn’t be willing for Xue Qingyin to marry him.

He Songning quickly changed his approach. He said to Zhishu: “When you return to the city, ask your brother to do something for me.”

“Just give your orders, sir.”

“Two days later, I want to hear news of Liu Yuerong falling ill.”

“…Yes.”

“Also, have Xique take another personal item to Jiang, the chief steward of King Wei’s mansion. Tell him it’s from the eldest young lady.”

Zhishu looked up in surprise.

The last time she had made a deal with Jiang Da Zongguan, the chief steward, it was this maid named Xique.

Zhishu knew about this.

But she couldn’t understand: “Why does the eldest son want to…”

Although she knew in her heart that the eldest son would do great things in the future, she was still shocked. After all, it was his own sister!

He Songning said: “There’s an embroiderer brought back from Huainan Road, named Jinniang. She’s skilled in both ‘qiangzhen’ and ‘chanzhen’ embroidery. Have her use those techniques to embroider a ‘yi’ character on that personal item, hidden within the pattern.”

Zhishu opened her mouth wide and nodded in agreement.

She vaguely understood the eldest son’s intentions, but she couldn’t quite grasp them.

“Go back.” He Songning said.

“Then… that cook…”

“I’ll see him later.” He Songning paused, saying: “He’s just a cook, not worth her staying at the manor for.”

“How should I answer the young lady?” Zhishu worried.

He Songning said with a complex tone: “Tell her I’ve taken care of everything.”

Zhishu breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the eldest son wasn’t nice with his words, he would still do things for the eldest young lady.

Zhishu was about to leave.

He Songning stopped her and added: “There will be some trouble these days. Keep a close eye on the eldest young lady, don’t let her have any accidents.”

Zhishu’s heart skipped a beat: “Yes!”

She left the manor and got on the carriage back to the city. She had already gone quite a distance when Zhishu suddenly realized… the eldest son seemed to have forgotten to ask about the second young lady!

At the same time.

In King Xuan’s mansion, a young man stood before a desk, bowing and saying: “King Wei told the Emperor that he has a personal item of Xue Qingyin’s in his possession. Now that he has returned to his mansion, he will probably present that personal item to the Emperor.”

King Xuan’s expression didn’t change: “Hmm.”

It was Li Wenhui beside him who couldn’t help but frown: “Did Xue Qingyin really…”

King Xuan glanced at him.

Li Wenhui shut his mouth.

“This is not hard to guess. King Wei is used to taking all kinds of beauties into his inner house. If he can’t get them, he will inevitably resort to some means. And Xue Qingyin’s eldest brother is his close friend. With this kind of inside help, it’s not surprising that he could get one or two personal items, even three or four would be no surprise.” King Xuan said coldly.

He had figured it out perfectly!

“Three or four?” Fang Chengzhong, who was listening, felt a surge of anger.

“Does Your Highness… not have any resentment in your heart?” Li Wenhui still couldn’t help but ask.

“This matter has nothing to do with Xue Qingyin, where would resentment come from? King Wei is used to entrusting private matters to the chief steward of his mansion. Just chop off that man’s hands.”

Li Wenhui was speechless: “…Your Highness is right.”

King Xuan said: “Tomorrow, have the Liu family girl fall ill. And tomorrow, when He Ji lectures, have him mention the Lu family girl to the Emperor.”

The “He Ji” King Xuan mentioned was the prince’s teacher.

At the same time, he also had another identity, he was from the same hometown as Lu Shuyi’s father.

“Yes.” Li Wenhui replied.

He knew that this was King Xuan trying to push the Emperor Liang De to issue the decree soon.

It was like this for those born into the royal family, their marriages couldn’t be easily decided by themselves. It often involved a lot of bargaining between different parties before a final outcome was reached.

If it was just about taking in a couple of concubines like King Wei, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

But Li Wenhui couldn’t understand: “Why does Your Highness insist on the Xue family girl? If the Lu family girl were to marry into King Xuan’s mansion, wouldn’t that be a greater help to the mansion? Now that Xue Qingyin has acknowledged the young master of the Zhao family as her adoptive father, if she marries in, wouldn’t that make the Emperor wary? The Zhao family still holds some military power.”

King Xuan didn’t speak.

Fang Chengzhong, who was standing beside him, smiled and said: “I have some superficial insights. I think, the Zhao family is focused on the young master, so it doesn’t matter. But the Lu family girl, her father is in the Ministry of Personnel, holding the reins of government, most of the civil officials respect him as their leader. One Lu Shilang can control the civil officials, and Your Highness holds the military power, this kind of combination of civil and military power, wouldn’t that be even more terrifying? More worrisome?”

Li Wenhui sighed: “But the Emperor still wants the Lu family girl to marry Your Highness. Maybe he’s sincere, maybe he’s testing. No matter which it is, Your Highness can’t accept it. The Emperor is suspicious…”

King Xuan stood up and ordered the attendant to bring him a cloak.

It was already moonlit.

Li Wenhui had to stop what he was saying and quickly asked: “Is Your Highness going to the palace?”

King Xuan said: “Going to the Xu family.”

Li Wenhui thought to himself, which Xu family?

Fang Chengzhong smiled: “Is Your Highness going to see Xue Qingyin?”

Li Wenhui was quite surprised: “But it’s already late.”

Fang Chengzhong bowed to King Xuan.

After King Xuan left.

Fang Chengzhong straightened up and pondered: “Maybe Your Highness just wants the Xue family girl, there aren’t so many complicated reasons. Maybe… Your Highness truly has a bit of affection for her?”

True affection?

Li Wenhui shook his head, he didn’t believe it.

On the other side, Xue Qingyin had just fallen asleep when she heard someone report that something urgent had happened at the silk shop.

Even Xue’s wife was woken up. She was annoyed: “Don’t these fools know to report during the day?”

Xue Qingyin put on her clothes and thought to herself, could it be another conflict with the Zhao family?

It shouldn’t be.

Her thoughts had just reached this point when she suddenly paused, remembering that day when King Xuan arrived, the people outside also said that someone from the manor had come to see him.

Xue Qingyin raised her eyes to look at the moonlight outside and quickly put on her cloak, without turning back, she walked out, saying: “Mother, I’ll be back soon. It’s probably another misunderstanding with the Zhao family, just go back to sleep.”

The maid Zhishu held a lamp for her.

Nongxia held a small hot water bottle, following closely behind.

Although it was already spring, the young lady was weak, so they were afraid of the night wind catching her cold.

The Xu family gate was already open for Xue Qingyin, there weren’t as many complicated rules as the Xue family.

Xue Qingyin lifted her skirt and stepped out gracefully.

She saw a carriage parked there.

She went forward familiarly, rolled up the curtain, and got in: “Didn’t we just see each other during the day? Why did Your Highness come again?”

She giggled: “Did Your Highness miss me?”

A midnight date, how exciting. Xue Qingyin thought to herself.

Zhishu and Nongxia, who were outside the carriage, were shocked when they heard this.