Chapter 103 Prince Xiu

Chapter 103 Prince Xiu

Zhaoyang, the Princess Royale, showed a serious expression: "Miss Kou, please share your thoughts."

"I heard that the young wild boars were brought back. I wonder how they were arranged?"

The Princess Royale glanced at Lady Liu who was accompanying her.

Lady Liu hurriedly replied, "No arrangements have been made yet; they are temporarily kept in the western garden."

Hearing that the young wild boars had not been disposed of, Xin You suggested, "Your Highness, if you are worried that your daughter cannot completely overcome her fear, why not try fighting fire with fire?"

"Fighting fire with fire?"

Xin You nodded slightly: "To your daughter, wild boars are like monsters. But most young animals are adorable. Your Highness could choose a gentle young boar to raise and often bring your daughter to see it. By watching the wild boar grow from a youngling, your daughter's fear might naturally dissipate."

The Princess Royale looked at Xin You with admiration: "Miss Kou's idea is good. I will give it a try later."

The Princess Royale invited Xin You to stay for lunch, accompanied by her eldest son, Kong Rui.

After the meal, Xin You offered her farewell: "Lady Kong cannot leave Your Highness, so I won't disturb you any further."

The Princess Royale escorted Xin You outside and instructed her son: "Rui'er, please escort Miss Kou out for me."

Kong Rui walked with Xin You towards the exit, followed by Lady Liu.

"Thanks to Miss Kou, my sister is safe now. If there is anything you need help with in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I thank you in advance, Lord Kong."

Kong Rui watched as Xin You boarded the carriage of the Eldest Princess’s Residence until it turned a corner and disappeared.

Lady Liu cleared her throat: "Lord Kong?"

Kong Rui retracted his gaze, turned around, and asked while walking: "Lady Liu, what was my sister's reaction when she saw Miss Kou?"

Lady Liu thought of Kong Fu and sighed with concern: "My lady reacted differently to Miss Kou. She held onto her tightly and talked more than usual."

"It seems she feels reassured seeing Miss Kou." Kong Rui was also very worried about his younger sister but had no good solutions for her excessive fright.

"Indeed, Miss Kou is exceptional. Seeing my lady's reaction, she even came up with an idea."

Hearing Lady Liu's words, Kong Rui became interested and headed straight to the western garden to see the piglets.

Lady Liu: "..." What has happened to the usually aloof eldest son!

Back in the main courtyard, after hearing Lady Liu's report on Kong Rui's whereabouts, the Princess Royale was surprised.

Why is Rui'er acting so unusually? Could it be—

Thinking of a possibility, the Princess Royale felt a sense of anticipation.

If that admirable young lady could become part of our family, it would be quite nice.

Xin You returned to Shaoqing Mansion and unsurprisingly faced inquiries from the matriarch about whether she had behaved properly and how the Princess Royale's daughter was doing.

Xin You answered each question and smiled, saying, "Grandmother, I'm going back to the bookstore. Please arrange for some people to move the items sent from the palace and the Eldest Princess’s Residence to the bookstore."

The matriarch regretted that those imperial gifts couldn't remain in Shaoqing Mansion, but since they were given to her granddaughter, she couldn't insist on keeping them.

"Alright, let your two cousins escort you back."

"My two cousins are busy studying, so I won't bother them."

"The Qingsong Bookstore isn't far, so it won't be a bother. With so many valuable items, only having servants accompany you wouldn't be reassuring for me."

Xin You did not refuse further.

Everything else was secondary; moving these valuable items to her own place was the priority.

Upon receiving the news that he needed to escort his cousin back to the bookstore, Duan Yunchen felt conflicted. On the way, he couldn't help but focus on the carriage Xin You was riding in.

Duan Yunlang patted Duan Yunchen on the shoulder: "Elder Brother, look, there's still a long queue at Qingsong Bookstore. Cousin has really done a great job running the bookstore."

"Hmm." Duan Yunchen felt inexplicably displeased and responded coldly.

Xin You lifted the curtain of the carriage to glance at the bookstore and instructed the driver to head directly to the eastern courtyard gate.

Mama Fang greeted her along with Xiaolian and directed the servants to properly store the items brought over.

Xin You politely invited Duan Yunchen and Duan Yunlang to have tea.

"Sure—"

Before Duan Yunlang could finish, Duan Yunchen tugged him.

"I see the bookstore has a lot of work to do, so we won't disturb Cousin."

"Then, goodbye, Elder Brother and Second Brother."

Xin You escorted them out of the eastern courtyard and was suddenly pulled aside by Duan Yunlang.

"Cousin, look at the manager of the opposite bookstore peeking around. Be careful he might cause trouble because of your bookstore's success."

Following Duan Yunlang's reminder, Xin You glanced over and indeed saw Manager Gu of Yaxin Bookstore with a grim face.

"I understand, thank you for the warning, Second Brother."

After they left, Xin You walked towards Qingsong Bookstore. Just a few steps away, a voice suddenly called out from behind.

"Miss Kou."

Xin You paused, turned around, and gave a curtsey. "Greetings, Your Highness King Qing."

King Qing, dressed in brocade, looked at Xin You with interest. "The other day, I thought Miss Kou was just a well-bred young lady, but it turns out you're also a heroic woman who can save lives."

He must have been muddled. Seeing Miss Kou and then his father, he found them similar, yet he forgot about the aunt who also resembled his father.

King Qing detested Princess Royale Zhaoyang. Everyone in the court treated him with respect, except for this aunt who never spared him any courtesy.

"Your Highness flatters me," Xin You replied without showing any emotion.

Since Princess Royale Zhaoyang disliked Consort Shu, it was clear that Consort Shu and her son would not have any good feelings toward Princess Royale Zhaoyang. Thus, it was understandable how King Qing felt about her, the one who had saved the princess's daughter.

King Qing stared at Xin You for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Miss Kou, don't be nervous. I'm just here to buy a couple of books."

As he spoke, he glanced at the long queue. "Hmm, do I need to wait in line?"

"Your Highness is joking. Please follow me."

King Qing felt like his punch had hit cotton, finding it rather boring. "Never mind, I'm not in a hurry to read them. I'll come back when it's quieter."

Even the Emperor had heard about this girl and bestowed rewards upon her; for now, he wouldn't cause trouble for her.

King Qing left leisurely.

Xin You, seeing the bustling bookstore, dismissed her previous thoughts and returned to the eastern courtyard through the side gate. She waited until evening, estimating there would be fewer customers, before heading to the front.

Manager Hu was busy with the abacus, moving the beads so quickly they blurred. He didn't stop even when he heard the staff greeting Xin You.

Xiaolian quietly asked Liu Zhou, "Is Manager Hu doing the accounts?"

"Yes, he's calculating how many books we've sold." Although Liu Zhou's voice was low, it was full of energy.

The little maid propped her chin and sighed sincerely, "How much money must we be making!"

Xin You didn't disturb Manager Hu. She walked between the bookshelves, scanning the rows of books, and immediately looked toward the door when she heard footsteps.

To her surprise, the person who entered was neither the familiar vermilion figure nor the lightly-moving King Qing, but a young man with a deep and solemn demeanor, seemingly not yet of age.

With the sharpness she had developed from saving Princess Royale Zhaoyang's daughter, Xin You subtly observed the newcomer and deduced his identity from the faint dragon pattern on his shoes.

This must be another princely brother, Crown Prince Prince Xiu.