Chapter 199: King Qing Returns to the City

Chapter 199: King Qing Returns to the City

The cage door opened, and Xin You waved to the monkey huddled inside: "Come out quickly."

The monkey tilted its head and eyed her, tentatively emerging from the cage.

Xin You thought that once the monkey was free, it would dash into the forest, but instead, it nimbly climbed onto the cage and jumped around, banging about.

Xiaolian chuckled, "Miss, this monkey is venting its frustration."

Xin You also laughed, "It certainly has a temper."

She remembered when two guards from Shaoqing Mansion accompanied her to the cliff bottom, and the monkey had doused the guards with water as they left.

It wasn’t convenient to mention these incidents in front of Captain Yang and the others.

The monkey seemed to have tired of jumping and climbed down from the cage, looking up at Xin You and chattering.

Xin You pointed to the sprawling mountains, "Find a new home and don’t let yourself be caught again."

"Chatter—" The monkey kept looking back as it left.

Xin You smiled and waved.

The monkey actually stopped and waved its paw to Xin You.

Xiaolian was surprised, "Miss, this monkey is really clever!"

Xin You wasn’t surprised, "Monkeys are naturally intelligent. It’s said that some particularly intelligent monkeys are as smart as ten-year-old children."

When she was little and listened to *Journey to the West*, she was also fascinated by the Monkey King, pestering her mother with endless questions.

"No wonder." Xiaolian was no longer surprised.

What's so strange about a child of ten or so greeting someone?

"Miss, the monkey has jumped up into the tree!"

Xin You’s gaze followed the monkey as it leaped several times, looking back once more before quickly vanishing from sight.

She stood silently for a moment, then turned and walked toward the carriage.

On the way back, Xiaolian felt a bit regretful: "Miss, we could have kept the monkey. Our courtyard is so large."

"It might not get used to it."

Xiaolian didn’t react immediately: "People in the courtyard would grow fond of it after a few days."

Xin You smiled: "I mean the monkey wouldn't get used to it. It's not like a cat or a dog; a creature born in the mountains should be free in the mountains."

She herself had found it hard to adjust from living freely to being confined in the capital city for revenge, let alone a monkey.

"You're right, Miss, you think things through thoroughly."

On the Lantern Festival, Xin You and Xiaolian didn’t go to the lantern fair because they were busy sending off the monkey. The bustling atmosphere of the Shangyuan Lantern Fair wasn’t diminished by their absence. Those around Emperor Xingyuan noticed that His Majesty’s interest in viewing the lanterns was low this year, and he returned to his palace early from the viewing tower.

The Empress Dowager, seeing this, felt a pang of sympathy and sighed to the attendant beside her: "His Majesty is worried about the disaster in Dibei."

In truth, Emperor Xingyuan was concerned about the relief efforts in Dibei, but even more anxious about He Qingxiao’s progress in the south. Reports from Dibei came every few days, informing him of the progress and smoothness of the relief efforts, but there had been no news at all from the south.

Will He Qingxiao find Xinxin?

On the Lantern Festival of the twentieth year of the Xingyuan era, Emperor Xingyuan couldn't sleep.

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Qingsong Bookstore put up a notice announcing the release of the second volume of *Journey to the West*.

By this time, officials had returned from their New Year holidays, and students had gone back to school. The festive atmosphere of the New Year gradually faded. After a brief lull following the New Year, many shops resumed business as usual. Qingsong Bookstore, with its new release, immediately drew a long queue, and Hu Boss had to call in additional staff to barely manage.

By the next day, when the news spread, even more people came to buy the new book by Mr. Songling.

Hu Boss spent several days calculating with his abacus and compiled a special ledger for Xin You to review. “Boss, these estates each purchased over a hundred copies.”

How did Hu Boss know which estates these buyers were from? They had asked for the books to be delivered to their homes, naturally revealing their family names.

It was clear these buyers had ulterior motives, but whether to reciprocate these favors in the future would be up to the boss to decide.

Xin You took the ledger and glanced through it, surprised by the number. The ledger was divided into three major categories: imperial relatives, civil and military officials, and wealthy merchant families.

“You’re very good at bookkeeping,” Xin You couldn’t help but praise.

The old shopkeeper, looking at his beautiful boss, sighed, “This comes from experience.”

Inspiration gained from dealing with those young men who had designs on the boss!

Xin You first examined the section on imperial relatives and wasn’t surprised to see the Eldest Princess’s residence. She also saw Prince Xiu’s mansion and some estates she had never interacted with, and could only silently acknowledge the significant impact of the He Garden banquet.

By the end of the month, as the bookstore’s business stabilized, Xin You received an invitation from the Eldest Princess’s residence.

“I’ve been meaning to invite you over for some time, but there were many matters to attend to during the New Year, and I thought Miss Kou must be busy at the bookstore too. That’s why I delayed until now,” Princess Zhaoyang said with a faint smile, showing no imperial presence in front of Xin You.

If at first, she had treated Miss Kou differently because she had saved her daughter, over time, her gratitude grew into admiration for Miss Kou’s actions.

After keeping Xin You for a meal and tea, as the atmosphere became more relaxed, Princess Zhaoyang asked tentatively, “After this New Year, Miss Kou will be seventeen. Do you have any plans for the future?”

“To focus on managing the bookstore and other businesses,” Xin You replied casually.

Princess Zhaoyang asked directly, “Miss Kou has reached the age for marriage. Does the Shaoqing Mansion have any thoughts on this?”

Xin You remained calm, “After the New Year’s court congratulations, my grandmother and the others shouldn’t have any plans for this matter.”

Princess Zhaoyang, unable to directly criticize a young girl’s mother, reminded her tactfully, “The Empress Dowager is getting older, and her memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be. If we wait for her to arrange your marriage, who knows when that will be.”

Xin You thought it was precisely because she saw that the Empress Dowager’s words were offhand that she felt so at ease.

But with Princess Zhaoyang raising this—

“I’m not in a hurry about marriage.”

Princess Zhaoyang looked at Xin You steadily and realized from her open expression and clear eyes that she was sincere. There was none of the usual shyness or coyness that young girls typically displayed when discussing this topic.

“It’s good that you’re not in a hurry.” Princess Zhaoyang didn’t press further.

She pitied the child for being unnecessarily troubled by the Empress Dowager but realized that if she, under the guise of pity, meddled, how would that be any different from the Empress Dowager?

Originally, Princess Zhaoyang had wanted to test Miss Kou’s attitude toward her son. If Miss Kou had been interested, she could have mentioned it to the Empress Dowager. Since Miss Kou wasn’t in a hurry, she decided to wait. Anyway, her son wasn’t in a hurry either.

Xin You, being perceptive, understood that the princess was considering her well-being. Although she couldn’t accept it, her heart was warmed.

They shifted the topic and chatted for a while longer before Xin You excused herself.

As she was about to leave, Princess Zhaoyang suddenly said, "King Qing will be back soon."

Xin You was taken aback.

"Miss Kou's reputation has spread far and wide. From now on, you will likely have to interact with royal and noble families. Be cautious when dealing with such individuals."

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. I will bear it in mind."

In February, King Qing had returned to the capital.

King Qing's return was grand. Residents of the capital lined the streets to greet him. Among the banners and umbrellas, a few victory umbrellas were especially prominent.

"Those are the victory umbrellas, aren't they? King Qing has been kind to the people, making significant contributions to disaster relief!" They exclaimed.