Chapter 24 (5+6 updates)

Chapter 24 (5+6 updates)

Xu Duanyi had no clue about what had happened in the study.

She didn’t realize Xie Qingya already knew she had just walked by the study.

After leaving Xie Qingya's study, Xu Duanyi followed Aunt Deng to the rooms of Zhang Ning and Peace, the two siblings, to get to know the way.

This would make it easier to visit in the future.

After they were done touring, Xu Duanyi, accompanied by Aunt Deng, headed back to Linfeng Pavilion.

"What’s this?"

After entering the room and sitting down on a chair, Xu Duanyi spotted a few booklets on the table.

She turned to Bixi and asked.

Bixi brought her some tea and replied, "A maid from the prince's mansion just dropped these off. She said Aunt Deng sent them over."

Xu Duanyi looked at Aunt Deng.

Looking surprised, she asked, "Aunt Deng had these sent over?"

Aunt Deng gave a nod and a smile, saying to Xu Duanyi, "Your Highness, have a look."

Unsure of what they were, Xu Duanyi grabbed the top booklet and began to read.

She didn’t expect it to be a ledger of the current assets of Prince Nan'an's mansion.

Prince Nan'an's mansion became prominent during the reign of Emperor Ming.

At that time, the patriarch of the Xie family had played a big role in growing the empire and was granted the title of Prince Nan'an by Emperor Ming, holding the rank of a first-class duke.

When Xie Qingya's father, the previous Prince Nan'an, took over the title, the Xie family’s status didn’t just hold steady but climbed even higher.

Not only did he marry the Grand Princess, but the title of Prince Nan'an also changed from being hereditary for one generation to three generations.

As long as the descendants of Prince Nan'an's mansion didn’t get into any serious trouble, the title would not be revoked.

Therefore, Prince Nan'an's mansion received annual monetary and grain rewards from the royal family.

This was a considerable sum.

In addition to the original estates, farmlands, and shops of Prince Nan'an's mansion, there were also those left by the Grand Princess...

Even Xu Duanyi found the amount quite impressive.

This was the accumulated wealth of two generations, plus the portion from the Grand Princess, naturally not to be underestimated.

But Xu Duanyi did not understand why Aunt Deng had given her these, as she had already discussed this matter with her before.

She did not want to get involved with these affairs of the mansion.

She was afraid that Xie Qingya would be even more displeased if he found out.

"Aunt Deng?"

She turned her face back to Aunt Deng, looking puzzled.

She silently wondered why she was doing this.

Seeing Xu Duanyi furrow her delicate brows, looking puzzled, Aunt Deng naturally knew what she was thinking and said, "Your Highness, I’ve taken note of what you mentioned last night, but I also have a few heartfelt words to share with you."

Hearing her speak this way, Xu Duanyi straightened up. She closed the booklet in her hand and prepared to listen attentively.

"Please, Aunt Deng, have a seat and speak," Xu Duanyi said politely.

She then asked Bixi to serve tea.

Aunt Deng gave a slight bow, thanked her, and took a seat. After sitting down, she said to Xu Duanyi, "You were properly and honorably wed to our prince, and you are the sole mistress of Prince Nan'an's mansion. Whether it’s me or the others, we all deeply respect you."

"You may not handle these matters, but you should still be aware of them."

Xu Duanyi was sharp.

She quickly grasped the deeper meaning behind Aunt Deng’s words.

She realized Aunt Deng truly saw her as the mistress of Prince Nan'an's mansion, doing everything to reassure her and show their respect for her as the princess.

They didn’t see her as an outsider.

Xu Duanyi couldn’t help but feel touched by this.

Before marrying into the mansion, she’d braced herself to be disliked by Xie Qingya and the others, and she never planned to compete or ask for anything.

Living quietly in her own space would have been enough.

But she never expected...

"Aunt Deng..." Xu Duanyi looked at Aunt Deng, her heart warmed, and her voice softened.

But thinking of Xie Qingya, Xu Duanyi grew worried again.

She feared Xie Qingya would be angry if he found out.

Seeing Xu Duanyi’s concern, Aunt Deng’s expression softened.

Knowing what she was thinking, Aunt Deng quickly comforted her, "Don’t worry, Your Highness, the prince knows about this too."

She couldn’t have brought these things without the prince’s approval.

After all, the one in charge of this household now is still the prince.

She’s just managing things for him.

Seeing the princess slightly dazed, as if she hadn’t expected this, Aunt Deng took the opportunity to speak well of her prince: "I know the prince has made many mistakes in handling matters these past two days. Actually, he wasn’t like this before, but too many things have happened in recent years, and the prince always feels it’s because of him, which is why..."

This was not something a servant should say.

But given the current situation in the mansion, if even she didn’t say anything, they could only watch as the prince and princess grew further apart day by day.

She truly hoped that they could be well together.

Hoping that their prince could find a soulmate to share his life with.

If it were the lady from the Xiao family sitting here today, she wouldn't dare to speak up.

But it was Princess Jiashun, who had a long-standing connection with the prince.

Only then did Aunt Deng dare to say these things.

"I know I have no right to ask you, and I know the prince has been acting foolishly, truly deserving of criticism, but I still want to shamelessly ask you to give the prince a bit more time, another chance. The prince used to be very good, and I believe he can return to his former self."

"You are the first girl the prince brought back to the estate, if..."

As Aunt Deng spoke, she couldn't help but shed tears, unsure if she was crying for the past or the present.

Xu Duanyi knew she genuinely cared for Xie Qingya but was unaware of certain things.

Her marriage to Xie Qingya was never simple.

She sighed and said to Aunt Deng, "Auntie, he and I..."

But Aunt Deng thought she was rejecting.

"Princess..."

She called out sadly.

She was about to kneel and plead with her.

Xu Duanyi was startled and quickly reached out to support her, calling Bixi and others to help, finally getting Aunt Deng back into her seat.

Seeing Aunt Deng still tearful, looking at her with sorrow and hope.

Xu Duanyi finally relented and shared what she had kept in her heart: "Auntie, rest assured, to me, the prince is always my husband, my one and only."

"I know the prince is a good man."

"I won't be mad at him, you can rest assured."

Aunt Deng had only hoped for a promise from the princess, never expecting her to say so much.

Seeing the princess's gentle yet firm expression, Aunt Deng was thrilled.

"Thank you, Princess, thank you so much!"

She thanked her while saying, "As for the prince, I will surely persuade him well, definitely make the prince..."

"No need for that."

Interrupted, Aunt Deng was taken aback.

Realizing what the princess meant, she asked belatedly, "...What do you mean?"

Xu Duanyi naturally did not want to burden Xie Qingya.

This was her own choice, with no intention of making Xie Qingya adapt to her.

If she said this, Aunt Deng would definitely not agree.

Afraid that she might go and talk to Xie Qingya like this, Xu Duanyi really did not want to make things hard for him, nor did she wish for him to be forced to interact with her.

Getting married was already hard enough for him.

As for other matters, let it go.

"Aunt Deng, you also know how the prince is. The more you push him, the more he hates it and wants to do the opposite," Xu Duanyi had already found a suitable reason, and she gently advised Aunt Deng, "Rather than making things worse, Aunt Deng, it's better to let things happen naturally and get along slowly."

Aunt Deng finally agreed.

She actually couldn’t understand the prince’s temperament now. Since what happened at home, the prince’s temperament had changed drastically. Not only did he rarely speak to them most days, but he also seldom visited the Third Young Master and the young lady...

But in the past, the prince was indeed like that.

Your Highness said that the prince was naturally rebellious; the more you wanted him to do something, the more he would do the opposite.

Thinking of this, Aunt Deng didn’t dare push further for a while.

Afraid that the more she persuaded, the worse things would get between them.

If it really came to that, she’d be to blame.

She quickly held back.

"Princess Consort, you are indeed thoughtful," she sighed.

"But..."

She looked at Xu Duanyi, full of apology: "This is really so unfair to you."

Xu Duanyi smiled, unbothered.

She smiled and said to her, "Let’s focus on what’s ahead, not what’s happening now."

With these words, she comforted Aunt Deng and won even more of Aunt Deng’s respect.

She felt that it was truly the old prince and Your Highness watching over them that had sent such a good princess consort.

Actually, if it weren’t for those incidents, Your Highness originally wanted to ask the Empress Dowager for the prince’s hand.

But at that time, Prince Wen Zhao had just passed away, and the Empress Dowager was still deep in mourning.

Your Highness, to avoid causing sadness and displeasure, naturally could not bring it up so soon.

Unexpectedly, later, the Empress Dowager went ahead and arranged the marriage between the prince and the young lady of the Xiao family.

The marriage decree came down first.

By the time they wanted to say anything, it was already too late.

When Your Highness was still around, she often said it was a pity; if only they had spoken up earlier.

Who would have thought that, after everything, the prince and the princess consort would still end up together.

It was truly a predestined match!

Aunt Deng was genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart.

She also genuinely wished that the two could live harmoniously and grow old together.

She was now all smiles, her earlier worries completely gone.

After that, they didn’t bring it up again.

Accompanied by Aunt Deng, Xu Duanyi reviewed a few more books.

The other books recorded the families that Prince Nan'an's mansion regularly associated with, as well as the details of gifts given and received each year.

These were all matters of social etiquette.

It was evident that—since the passing of the Grand Princess—the situation at Prince Nan'an's mansion had been deteriorating steadily. In the past, there were countless families they maintained ties with, but now only a few remained.

"The Shen family..."

Xu Duanyi murmured as she came across a particular entry.

She remembered that Xie Qingya's elder brother, Xie Jingfeng, had been betrothed to a woman from the Shen family.

She looked up and asked Aunt Deng, "Is this the family of Minister Shen, the Minister of Punishments?"

When Aunt Deng heard this, her smile faltered a little.

After a pause, she sighed, nodded, and spoke more softly, "Yes, it is Minister Shen's family."

Xu Duanyi inquired gently, "Is Sister Shen... still at the temple?"

The Sister Shen she referred to was Shen Fu's firstborn daughter, Shen Siyin.

Sister Shen and Brother Xie were a couple.

They were childhood sweethearts, the envy of the capital.

Had Brother Xie not met with misfortune, they would have married long ago.

Their wedding date had been fixed well in advance.

Xu Duanyi remembered they were to wed in the third year of Tianhe.

But before Brother Xie and Elder Xie could return triumphantly, news of their deaths arrived.

With their passing, the marriage was naturally called off.

But Sister Shen, deeply in love, would not relent. When Brother Xie's coffin was brought back to the mansion, she dressed in bridal attire and performed the wedding rites.

This incident sparked widespread scandal at the time.

Xu Duanyi had even heard of it in the palace.

She heard that Lady Shen was deeply distressed by this, and Minister Shen was furious.

But even so, they could not make Sister Shen relent.

Even at the risk of being disowned by her family.

At that time, after Sister Shen married into the Xie family by marrying Brother Xie's spirit tablet, she did not want to cause trouble for the Xie family and did not stay at the mansion. Instead, she moved to the nunnery herself.

Both were located in the capital.

Sister Shen had always been renowned for her talent and virtue.

Although Xu Duanyi was several years younger than her, they had met several times at banquets and could be said to have a good relationship.

However, since Sister Shen moved to the nunnery, Xu Duanyi had not seen her again.

After all these years.

Now in the capital, many have probably already forgotten her.

Xu Duanyi sighed.

She also noticed that in the ledger, gifts were sent to the Shen family every year without exception.

But there was never a return gift from the Shen family.

It was clear that Prince Nan'an's mansion was unilaterally maintaining this relationship, without severing it.

Knowing the reason, she naturally did not inquire further.

After finishing reading.

Aunt Deng briefly explained the situation at Prince Nan'an's mansion to her, as well as where Xie Zhangning and Xie Pingan were currently studying...

Xu Duanyi did not refuse and listened to all she had to say.

When Aunt Deng finished and was about to leave the ledgers behind, Xu Duanyi hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not decline.

After all, Xie Qingya was aware of it.

Since it was his intention, she saw no need to prolong this poor woman's sorrow.

However, Xu Duanyi's gesture clearly made Aunt Deng very happy.

She felt that the princess was gradually accepting their mansion, which was a positive development!

Even as she left, she could not hide the smile on her face.

"Madam, what should we do with these things..."

After seeing Aunt Deng off, Bixi glanced at the ledgers on the table and asked Xu Duanyi.

Xu Duanyi also looked at the ledgers and said, "It's her kind gesture; let's put them away for now."

Bixi nodded, and as she tidied up, she added, "Aunt Deng is really quite nice."

Even Shiyu, who had always been dissatisfied with the mansion, remained silent this time and quietly helped with the tidying.

Although Aunt Deng, after hearing Xu Duanyi's words, did not intend to pressure the prince and princess to become closer, after leaving Linfeng Pavilion, she still planned to head to the study first.

She might not pressure them.

But she still needed to convey the princess's words to the prince.

It would also let His Highness know what kind of thoughts the Consort truly harbors.

She didn’t go directly to him.

Instead, she first made a detour to the kitchen, took some pastries, and then carried the food box to the study.

When she arrived, Ling Ji was standing guard in the courtyard.

Changfeng was nowhere to be seen.

Deng Gu didn’t give it much thought, assuming Changfeng had been sent out on an errand by His Highness.

To her, as long as His Highness stayed in the mansion and didn’t go out chasing after other women, everything was fine.

As for what those two boys, Changfeng and Ling Ji, were up to, who cared?

Seeing Aunt Deng coming from afar, Ling Ji, who had been leisurely cracking sunflower seeds, suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He quickly brushed the seed shells off his hands and stood up.

He greeted Aunt Deng nervously, “Aunt.”

After being threatened this morning, how could he dare to obstruct her now? He greeted Aunt Deng respectfully and stood aside, politely saying, “His Highness is reading inside. If you want to go in, should I announce your arrival first?”

Aunt Deng was in a good mood and didn’t hold the morning’s incident against him.

“Go ahead.”

She didn't enter immediately either.

Seeing her nod, Lingji promptly entered.

After some time had passed,

He hurried out to invite her, saying politely, "Aunt Deng, His Highness would like to see you."

Aunt Deng nodded and went in, carrying the food box.

Before she entered, Xie Qingya casually picked up a leisure book and began flipping through it slowly. He didn't look up at the sound of her entry, continuing to read until Aunt Deng greeted him.

He nodded in acknowledgment.

Aunt Deng approached with the food box and set the pastries before him.

Xie Qingya glanced at the pastries—all his favorites. Without a word, he casually picked up a date paste pastry and began to eat.

He wasn't sure of Aunt Deng's purpose for visiting this time.

But Xie Qingya suspected it had something to do with Xu Duanyi.

Assuming she was here to persuade him to get closer to Xu Duanyi, he was ready to ignore her advice, when Aunt Deng said, "The princess just spoke to me, and I thought it important to inform you."

Xie Qingya looked up instinctively and asked Aunt Deng, "What is it?"

Aunt Deng then told him what the princess had said.

"The princess said, 'No matter what, you are her husband, her only husband.'"

As Aunt Deng spoke these words, she discreetly observed the prince before her. She noticed that after hearing her words, his expression faltered slightly, and the half-eaten date pastry in his hand remained suspended mid-air.

She pressed her lips together, concealing a smile, and then continued, "The princess also said she knows you’re a good man and won’t hold it against you."

Xie Qingya listened, his lips pressed together, and remained silent.

This time, the prince offered no reply.

Unlike before, Aunt Deng showed no sign of anxiety. Instead, she smiled, picked up the food box, and made to leave.

"Take your time with your meal; I’ll head back now," she said.

As Aunt Deng walked out, she stole a glance behind her.

She saw the prince still seated, the half-eaten date pastry still suspended in mid-air.

She knew her words had struck a chord.

And the prince’s reaction made it clear he wasn’t unmoved.

Indeed. It was best to heed the princess’s advice.

With someone like the prince, coercion and threats were pointless. He had to figure it out for himself.

She refused to believe the prince could truly turn a blind eye to the princess!

Aunt Deng casually averted her gaze, food box in hand, and left, her spirits visibly lifted.

Lingji had been waiting outside all along, clueless about what had transpired inside or what had been said.

When Aunt Deng emerged with a radiant smile, he wondered if he was imagining it.

"Aunt Deng, you’re leaving already?" he greeted her.

Aunt Deng gave a cheerful nod and walked off.

Leaving Lingji utterly baffled.

He couldn’t fathom how Aunt Deng’s mood had brightened so much in just half a day.

He peeked inside discreetly and saw the prince still seated.

His head was bowed.

His face was shadowed, his thoughts unreadable.