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Chapter 119: Efficiency

Such version of General Xiao was rarely seen by anyone. Zhao Mian, who had followed him for a long time, had never seen him like this, and the Ninth Prince and the others had even less of an opportunity to witness it.

Yun Yichen was still shocked that the little girl didn’t report him. It was as if nothing had happened between them. For a moment, he even thought that the unpleasantness earlier had been just his imagination.

Even though he owed the little girl a favor, if the old man really pursued it, as a man, he would be in the wrong for quarreling with a young girl. At this point, he didn’t even realize that, because of his status and position, only Xiao Yao feared and respected him. He should never have felt indebted. Over time, some things had subtly and gradually changed without him noticing.

Since the old man had left, the rest of the group returned to their respective paths and set off for their destinations.

The youngest son of Qi Junwang, Yun Can, lazily crawled into the carriage. His legs were still weak, and if Yun Yichen hadn’t quarreled with the old man’s granddaughter, he would have surely been pulled out. The little girl had a nice face, a good personality, and was really something, but her name was a bit rustic. Maybe the old man had named her, Yun Can thought randomly. He was actually right about that!

“Achen, do you have a grudge against little martial sister? You both seem to have this ‘I don’t like you’ expression,” Mu Fengwu said, shaking his head as he analyzed the situation.

“No.” Did I have a grudge? It didn’t seem like it. Yun Yichen wasn’t sure why, but every time he saw that girl, he felt emotionally unstable.

“I never expected that Old Master Xiao would have such an outstanding granddaughter.” Yun Yifan never imagined that a rough man like General Xiao would have such an elegant and beautiful granddaughter.

“I’m telling you, little martial sister, our Mu family has decided that no one can snatch her away,” Mu Fengwu said boastfully.

“Why? I say, Master Mu, how old are you? By the time little martial sister grows up, your son will probably be running around the streets!” Yun Can’s head poked out from behind the carriage curtain. He was getting angry just hearing Mu Fengwu’s words.

“You…” Yun Yifan didn’t know how to respond. Mu Fengwu was thirteen, and the little girl was only six or seven—there was such a big age gap.

Yun Yichen also glanced at Mu Fengwu. This guy was never reliable and was always thinking about irrelevant things.

“I’m telling you, don’t forget that my real younger brother, Xiao Qi, is only eight years old, and he and little martial sister would be a perfect match in age, a match made in heaven! What do you think? My idea is good, right?” Mu Fengwu said proudly.

“Next time, can you finish speaking in one breath?” Yun Yifan rolled his eyes. His cousin’s way of speaking was really unbearable. He was probably going to drive him crazy one day.

Yun Yichen remained silent. Whether someone cared about the little girl or not was not his concern. He didn’t care who Xiao Yao married in the future either. What mattered to him was how to maintain a peaceful relationship with the old man for the next few months and avoid any further conflicts with that little girl.

The road back was smooth and unobstructed. After all, who would dare to make trouble with the Prince or the heir? A group of bodyguards escorted Yun Yifan back to the palace. After Mu Fengwu and Yun Yichen dropped Yun Can off at the Junwang Mansion, they were each preparing to return home.

“Brother Chen, when is the next martial arts training? Hehe, I want to join too,” Yun Can asked as he said his goodbyes.

“You, aren’t you the one who hated learning martial arts the most?” Qi Junwang asked curiously. Just a few days ago, his son had used all sorts of tricks to avoid martial arts training. Plus, with the old lady pampering him, he had barely gone to the Imperial Academy.

“I want to learn now. Can I?” Yun Can said. Without the old man, he had no excuse to avoid the little martial sister!

“We don’t know because the old man hasn’t returned yet,” Mu Fengwu replied. He didn’t have a good impression of Yun Can, who had been spoiled. How dare he covet his little martial sister? It was like a toad dreaming of eating swan meat.

When Yun Yichen returned to the Jingwang Mansion, he first inquired about the situation at Jinxiuyuan. Upon learning that they were still staying at the Qingguo Duke’s mansion, he breathed a long sigh of relief. As long as these three women didn’t return, there would be no trouble at the mansion.

“Mother, I’m back.”

“Achen, I thought you would be back in a few days! Wait, you’ve only stayed in the other villa for five or six days, including a few rainy days. Did you also practice martial arts during the rainy days?”

“Of course not. We’ll make up for the lost days when the old man returns.”

“Has General Xiao not returned?”

“I heard that Mrs. Xiao is staying at a nearby village, so they probably won’t return for a few more days,” Yun Yichen said. Based on today’s situation, it seemed that the Xiao family didn’t intend to leave the mountain villa.

“I don’t know. I wonder if Ping’an and Ruyi have gone there yet.” Since Concubine Han had returned to her family and her husband was away, Yinqianhua was managing the entire mansion alone. Her free time was getting shorter and shorter, and she no longer had the leisure to invite the two little girls over as guests.

“Ahem, how has Ruo Nan been recently?” Yun Yichen didn’t want to answer this question. Some things would lead to a chain reaction. If his mother found out that the Xiao sisters were there, there would be many questions waiting for him to answer, so he chose to avoid the topic.

“Ruo Nan is doing well. She especially loves the rabbit doll that Ping’an gave her. She carries it around all the time. I had the seamstress make a few more copies, but your sister still likes that original rabbit the most.”

“How about I go find a live rabbit for my sister to raise and play with?” Didn’t the little girl say that an elder brother should take care of his sister? He hoped this time he wouldn’t be wrong, and he also hoped his mother wouldn’t find him a martial artist wife in the future.

“Why are you grinning? Did something good happen?” Yinqianhua was surprised to see a smile on her son’s face, even if it was just for a brief moment.

“If nothing’s going on, I’m heading to the front yard,” Yun Yichen said. Did I smile? His mother must have mistaken it.

“Achen, wait a moment. There’s a message from Fengxiang Palace asking you to go to the palace once you return.”

“Let’s do it tomorrow,” Yun Yichen replied, not looking back. He really didn’t want his mother to see his current expression. Going to the palace, the Empress Dowager probably wanted to persuade him to bring Concubine Han and her daughter to the mansion or promote one of Han family’s granddaughters, but he had nothing but disgust for both of those things. He wouldn’t follow the Empress Dowager’s orders.

The next day, after Yun Yichen finished handling his tasks, he set out for the palace. Little Anzi was anxious but didn’t dare to show it. Having such a willful master meant that his life was always in danger, and maybe one day the Empress Dowager would take her anger out on him.

“Can you show some ambition? If you didn’t know better, you’d think this prince was sending you to your death. Don’t worry, with me around, you won’t die.”

“You make it sound so easy. The royal family is the least concerned with the lives of servants. If you really cared about Anzi, could you hurry up and leave?” Anzi secretly complained in his heart.

Outside Fengxiang Palace, Yun Yifan, dressed in prince’s attire, was already waiting. When he saw his cousin, who was more late than himself, he wanted to ask whether being a prince was more prestigious or being an heir. Even without that question, how could an elder brother wait for his younger brother? And wait for nearly an hour? Who follows such rules?

“I thought you were going to arrive in the afternoon!” Yun Yifan punched his cousin. He was almost being treated as a guard standing at Fengxiang Palace. Was this guy always so slow when entering the palace, or did he intentionally do so today because he knew he would be here?

“If I had known you were here too, I would have seriously considered that suggestion.” Yun Yichen replied calmly.

The two brothers walked into Fengxiang Palace together. Even though Yun Yifan complained about the long wait, in reality, he would rather have stayed outside the palace than go in.

The Empress Dowager had originally planned to make Han Guifei the Empress, but when the Emperor saw through her scheme, he hastily made the Mu family’s daughter the Empress instead. It was easy to imagine how frustrated the Empress Dowager must have felt. For so many years, she had been suppressing Empress Mu, and even her two sons, the princes, were caught in the backlash and had been despised by her.

If it weren’t for the injury to Han Guifei’s son, Yun Yibo, who lost the opportunity to inherit the throne, and if the Emperor hadn’t made Empress Mu’s eldest son the Crown Prince, the Empress Dowager would have long since forgotten that she had two grandsons born of the two Empresses—both of whom were much more esteemed than Yun Yibo.

“Grandmother, we’re here to pay our respects,” the Yun brothers said in unison after kneeling.

“Xiao Jiu and Achen, get up,” the Empress Dowager said kindly, motioning for them to rise.

“Greetings, Ninth Prince. Achen, your two younger sisters made you shoes, socks, and pouches. Let’s see them,” Consort Han said warmly, trying to please him. She knew that only by winning over the heir would she have a chance to return to the mansion.

The Empress Dowager’s gaze shifted between her niece and grandson. She didn’t think her grandson would be swayed by small favors. This child had his own opinions, his own temper, and he never liked the three women from Jinxiuyuan. The Empress Dowager feared her niece’s efforts today would be in vain.

“Today, I have a matter for you two to help with. In a few days, Fengxiang Palace will host a flower-viewing banquet, inviting some young ladies from noble families and young men from prestigious houses. You often go out, so you must know how to arrange a venue that will be well-received. Since Xiao Qi is unwell, you two will be responsible for the boys, and Yujiao and Yuyan will take care of the girls.”

Yun Yifan winked at his cousin, asking if he knew who these people were.

Yun Yichen smiled bitterly. It seemed that the Empress Dowager was pretending to consult them about the event but was actually trying to matchmake his cousin with Han Yujiao and him with Han Yuyan.

“Yujiao, greetings, Ninth Prince,” a girl in pink said, bowing softly.

“Yuyan, greetings, Cousin,” a girl in blue approached Yun Yichen.

It didn’t take long for everyone to take their places. The efficiency of the Empress Dowager and the Han family was really impressive. It seemed that they would never give up until they achieved their goals.