Chapter 99: Incense Offering (III)

Yin Qianhua, not receiving a reply from her son, couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Ah Chen, what’s wrong?”

What’s wrong? Isn’t it obvious? You scared me.

“Nothing, Mother. Please go inside.”

“In that case, Mother will go first. Don’t forget to check on your two cousins.”

Could you please forget about this matter? Yun Yichen reluctantly replied with a half-hearted “Mm,” then turned and walked away.

“Your Highness, do you know where the two young ladies of the Xiao family are?” Xiao Anzi asked softly.

I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.

“Why should I know where they are?” Yun Yichen glared at Xiao Anzi. I may tolerate my mother, but that doesn’t mean I have to tolerate you, you insolent servant. You know full well I dislike that little girl, yet you bring her up. Are you doing this on purpose?

Startled by the glare, Xiao Anzi immediately shut his mouth. Why is the young master so reactive? In fact, Xiao Anzi had a rather favorable impression of Xiao Yao. The little girl wasn’t just pretty—she had a certain liveliness that made her feel vibrant and dynamic, far more likable than many other young ladies from official families.

If only she were closer in age to the young master! Xiao Anzi mused. The young master was already eleven, and in four or five years, he could marry. But by then, wouldn’t the little girl still be only ten or eleven herself? The young master couldn’t possibly wait until she came of age. Even if the princess consort agreed, the prince might not, and the Empress Dowager would definitely oppose it.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Yun Yichen snapped, noticing that everyone around him seemed unusually strange today. It felt as though every encounter with that little girl brought an odd change to the atmosphere.

True to his nature as the grandson of Empress Dowager Han, Yun Yichen instinctively blamed any unpleasant situation on the person he disliked the most.

“Big sister, the snacks in this palace are so delicious!”

“They may be delicious, but you can’t keep eating them endlessly. Don’t you want to enjoy the vegetarian feast at Biyun Temple later?”

The voices of two little girls drifted over from nearby.

“Speak of the devil.” Yun Yichen muttered under his breath before turning in the opposite direction.

Xiao Anzi hesitated, wanting to remind his master about the princess consort’s instructions. But on second thought, he decided against it. Judging by the young master’s mood, any additional comment from him might have dire consequences—not something he was eager to imagine.

After walking a distance, Yun Yichen suddenly stopped in his tracks. Why should he avoid them? Biyun Temple wasn’t owned by the Xiao family, and he hadn’t done anything wrong. With that, he turned and headed back in the same direction.

What now? Xiao Anzi thought, struggling to keep up while trying to figure out his master’s change of heart. In his preoccupation, he failed to notice that Yun Yichen had stopped walking.

“Ow!” Xiao Anzi bumped into his master’s back, his nose stinging with pain and tears welling up. Panicking, he clumsily checked Yun Yichen to make sure he hadn’t hurt him. Thankfully, his master seemed unharmed—because if he were, Xiao Anzi knew he couldn’t atone even with a thousand lives.

“Your Highness, are you—”

“Shh. Be quiet.” Yun Yichen gestured towards a small pavilion ahead.

Inside the pavilion, Xiao Yao sat quietly with her back to them, while Xiao Yuan circled around her, nibbling on snacks.

“Ruyi, you’re making me dizzy. Can you stop moving around?” Xiao Yao pleaded.

“Fine. Once I’ve finished all these snacks, I’ll stop.” Xiao Yuan replied, still walking and eating.

“No more eating!”

“But you’re not eating them, and it’d be such a waste to leave them!”

“Ruyi, I think I heard a kitten meowing behind that bush,” Xiao Yao suddenly said.

“Really? I didn’t hear anything.”

“I heard it too,” their servant Qian Yu chimed in, backing up her young mistress. At this rate, if we don’t trick the second miss into leaving, she’ll eat too much and ruin her appetite for lunch—or worse, dinner.

“Where is it? I want to see!” Xiao Yuan, a known animal lover, couldn’t resist the mention of a kitten.

“I’ll take you to look,” Qian Yu offered, leading the way. Xiao Yuan eagerly followed, skipping along.

Once they were out of sight, Xiao Yao quickly pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and wrapped up the remaining snacks, stuffing them back into her sleeve without hesitation. I can’t let my sister eat any more; overeating like this is terrible for her stomach.

“Ha! Is this something a general’s daughter should be doing? Hiding snacks and lying—what a fine example of sisterly behavior!”

Startled by the sudden voice, Xiao Yao turned to see the Prince Jing’s heir, Yun Yichen, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, mockery and disdain written all over his face.

After a moment of surprise, Xiao Yao realized the young heir had misunderstood her intentions, assuming she was sneaking snacks while her sister was away. His derision and scornful tone were completely uncalled for.

How idle must this prince be to hide and spy on others? Xiao Yao thought, her mind racing. And that mocking attitude—who does he think he is?

Since childhood, Xiao Yao had never been treated with such contempt. She decided on the spot that she would avoid him whenever possible. If avoidance wasn’t an option, she’d simply bow politely and leave.

Feeling satisfied after venting his frustration, Yun Yichen’s mood lightened considerably. Seeing Xiao Yao speechless, he thought, As long as she doesn’t provoke me again, I’ll let bygones be bygones.

“Big sister, I didn’t find the kitten, but I’ve got good news—it’s time to eat!” Xiao Yuan ran back excitedly.

“Really? Let’s go together then,” Xiao Yao said, taking her sister’s hand and heading off calmly, as though nothing had happened.

“Your Highness, do you think she’ll complain to the princess consort?” Xiao Anzi asked nervously.

Reminded of this possibility, Yun Yichen started to worry. Based on what he knew about Xiao Yao, she might very well do just that. If she dares to make trouble for me, she’ll regret it. Even if it means angering my grandfather, I won’t let her off easily.

“Your Highness, the princess consort sent me to summon you for lunch,” Qiu Ying announced.

“Where will we be dining?” Xiao Anzi asked anxiously.

“Together with the Xiao family,” Qiu Ying replied. “The princess consort said the young ladies are still too young for strict gender separation, so it would be livelier for everyone to dine together.”

Yun Yichen and Xiao Anzi exchanged worried glances. Things seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. What should we do now?