As Commandery Princess Qingjiang heard Prince of Zhao explaining the ins and outs, she twitched the corner of her mouth and said, “However, I brought Wuying and Yixiao here yesterday, intending to live in Buyue Villa for a few days.”

“Cousin Shaoge asks nothing but quietness. Cousin Qingjiang, since your Zhanchun Venue is so large and vast, you can just lend a room of modest size to him and his book boy.” Prince of Zhao said unreservedly, “He doesn't necessarily have to live nearby the hot spring. In that case, he won't defame your reputations, right?”

“Sure!” Commandery Princess Qingjiang sighed with relief in secret. Although one of her junior brothers had married Prince of Zhao's half-sister and another one of her brothers had made his position clear and stood by the side of Prince Crown early, she took after her mother, Jinguo Grand Princess, and didn't get involved in the political issues.

So since she had allowed the Yuan Siblings to enjoy the hot spring here, of course, she wouldn't refuse the request from the legitimate nephew of the Empress to live here temporarily. Moreover, the Empress had requested verbally in person and Prince of Zhao had sent Su Shaoge here by himself.

Although Commandery Princess Qingjiang didn't care about the guests' political standings, she had to be responsible for her sister-in-law and junior sister. It was appropriate for Yuan Xuepei, who couldn't even get up without being supported and counted on the hot spring in Zhanchun Venue to alleviate the pain in his bones, to live nearby Buyue Villa. When it came to Su Shaoge, who was healthy and with string limbs, his situation was surely different!

Since Prince of Zhao had promised that she could arrange Su Shaoge to live somewhere faraway, she nodded, “Lunong Building is less than ten meters away from Buyue Villa, which was vast as well as bright. The scenery surrounding it is quite good. Although there is no hot spring, it was located to the south of the mountain and faced toward the sun. The heating from the earth is warm and gentle. Moreover, there is heating under the floor. It was quite an ideal place for academic study!”

Prince of Zhao thanked her for her help in a hurry and added, “Cousin Shaoge brought many books here. I have to help him with that. So I will also disturb you here for a few days, Cousin Qingjiang!”

“Even if you like to leave right away, I won't allow that. The weather is so freezing. And you ride all the way here from the imperial capital. How old are you now? Don't you dare to leave here without resting for one or two days. What should you do if you are tired on the way?” Commandery Princess Qingjiang leaned forward slightly and stretched her hands out to help him draw the lining of his coat closer smilingly as she said, “Have lunch at Buyue Villa together!”

Glimpsing at Su Shaoge, who was still standing straightly faraway, she said, “Let Su Shaoge come with you together. After all, we are relatives. It is reasonable for us to have lunch together on the first day here. Even if it is leaked, n.o.body will say anything nonsense!”

Seeing that Prince of Zhao left to inform Su Shaoge, Commandery Princess Qingjiang asked the servants surrounding her to let down the curtain of the carriage. Taking over the handwarmer handed over by a servant maid, she said somewhat emotionally, “In a blink, Prince of Zhao could ride here alone from the imperial capital!”

A servant maid replied with a smile, “Prince of Zhao is 12 years old, who can be counted as a half grown-up.”

“I always thought he was just two to three years old a few days ago. He looked so tiny, who looked like a s...o...b..ll, and asked for hugging whoever he saw.” As Commandery Princess Qingjiang spoke, the look on her face was dull. Her cousin, who was six years old junior to her son, was a grown-up now. After the Spring, he could even serve in the court and compete with his senior brother by blood, Crown Prince. However, her son would never grow up all his life!

Suppressing down her gloomy mood, Commandery Princess Qingjiang smiled at Song Yixiao, “If you hang out with Wuying for fun in the future, don't go to Lunong Building.”

Song Yixiao nodded and agreed with her, “The reason why Su Shaoge requested to stay here is for quietness. Of course, we shouldn't disturb him!”

By the time they went back to Buyue Villa, Nie Wuying hadn't woken up yet. They chatted with each other for quite a while in the hall. As it was almost time for lunch, Nie Wuying walked in hurriedly with her servant maid, saying she had got up so late today. Upon glimpsing that there were two men in the hall, she exclaimed in panic. As she was about to retreat, she fixed her eyes and pointed at Prince of Zhao as she said, “Well, is it you?”

Commandery Princess Qingjiang frowned slightly and winked at Song Yixiao ambiguously.

Song Yixiao, who didn't quite get her Sister's point, stood out and eased the atmosphere right away, “Wuying, you don't need to retreat. They are both our relatives. He is Prince of Zhao, who we saw in the palace on Wanshou Festival; He is Su Shaoge, Duke of Ji's son and the Empress's nephew, who is sort of our cousin.”

Hearing Song Yixiao's words, Nie Wuying walked in and greeted them. However, the look on her face was somewhat peculiar. She had been absent-minded after taking a seat.

“Place the dishes on the table!” As Commandery Princess Qingjiang saw Nie Wuying's reaction, she found the situation more difficult to handle and diverted the topic directly, “Zhiyong, Hegu, you must be hungry after riding in the snow field for a long time. The chef I brought here this time isn't good at cooking Qingzhou dishes. I wonder whether you are used to the dishes or not, Zhiyong?”

Su Shaoge said quickly that he was not particular about food and the cooking skill of her chef surely was quite good.

After they exchanged a few formalities with each other, all the dishes were placed in the drawing room. The servants came to ask them to take seats and start having lunch. After having lunch and brus.h.i.+ng her teeth, Commandery Princess Qingjiang picked up a teacup and indicated to her two cousins, who had been here without her invitation, to retreat.

After sending Su Shaoge and Prince of Zhao away, Commandery Princess Qingjiang rubbed her forehead and glimpsed at Nie Wuying, who was still lowering her head and twisting her clothing belt out of the corner of her eyes, feeling that she was in a dilemma.

Unfortunately, as her mother had been hit hard by the bad news from Youzhou, who didn't have time to take care of her youngest daughter temporarily, however difficult she, as a senior sister, felt, she had to stand out!

Commandery Princess Qingjiang glimpsed at the servant maids by her side and indicated them to all retreat. Song Yixiao stood by her side, who would help her later. She waved her hands and asked Nie Wuying to come to her side. Holding her hands, she said amiably, “Wuying, based on how you looked at Prince of Zhao a moment ago, you seemed to have met him privately, right?”

Nie Wuying replied somewhat uncomfortably, “Sister Yixiao just explained, didn't she? On the day when Empress Dowager held a birthday party, I… I was careless at that time…”

“Except for that time, you came across him later, right?” Commandery Princess Qingjiang's tone was amiable, gentle, and yet firm. “When you ran out of the mansion the day before yesterday, it was Prince of Zhao you came across rather than the Su Sisters, right?”

Feeling astounded, Song Yixiao stared at Nie Wuying subconsciously. As expected, the look on Nie Wuying's face changed dramatically. She pursed her lips and replied quite a while later, “Yes.”

Both Commandery Princess Qingjiang's and Song Yixiao's hearts sank. They asked unanimously, “How?”

“Sister, Yixiao, what do you mean?” Unexpectedly, upon hearing their words, Nie Wuying turned hostile, withdrew her hands all of a sudden, and said sharply, “I didn't intend to look up to him. I know my position well! It was just that I hadn't expected others would be here when I had walked in a moment ago. Moreover, I met one of them before. So I was somewhat surprised. That's all. Based on your reaction, could it be that you are afraid that I will embarra.s.s Jinguo Grand Princess?”

Commandery Princess Qingjiang didn't expect her junior sister, who wasn't dumb and silent, would turn hostile all of a sudden. She said hurriedly, “Wuying, don't misunderstand me! I am just asking…”

“Why are you asking?” Nie Wuying sneered, “Based on your previous conversation, Sister Yixiao also saw Su Shaoge in private before! Sister, I didn't even see you sending the maids away and questioning her alone. Why did you question me only? That is because you thought I would embarra.s.s you!”

Nie Wuying gritted her teeth and added, “If you want to know the details, why don't you ask Prince of Zhao, who is at Zhanchun Venue now? Why are you questioning me? Do you treat me lightly or see me as someone to be easily bullied?”

Her words made Commandery Princess Qingjiang almost burst into tears. If she didn't treat her junior sister sincerely, she wouldn't have rushed to live here temporarily along with her junior sister-in-law and her disabled son in a freezing weather like this!

However, her junior sister now treated her as an enemy. Commandery Princess Qingjiang felt that she was almost heart-broken!

Song Yixiao had no choice but to stand out and speak to ease the atmosphere, “Wuying, there are some things you don't know about. After you ran out of the mansion the day before yesterday, your mother was so frightened. We were all worried about you! That's the reason why the Senior Sister wanted to ask you some questions upon sensing that you had met Prince of Zhao before. She did so out of her concern for you. She surely didn't have other intentions! As for embarra.s.sing your mother, what you said is nonsense. Everybody knows you are the apple of your mother's eyes. Mother said directly yesterday that if something did happen to you, she wouldn't reconcile with any of us, who were her children and daughters-in-law.”

It might due to the fact that Nie Wuying had been learning dancing from Song Yixiao for a while or it wasn't Song Yixiao who had taken the initiative to ask the maids to retreat and talk with her in private that Nie Wuying didn't get angry at all upon hearing Song Yixiao's words. Instead, she said coldly, “Anyway, I knew my position on my birthday date! You don't need to be concerned about me because of the words Mother said when she was furious!”

Commandery Princess Qingjiang wiped her tears away and was about to say something. Nie Wuying stood up and said, “I'm tired. I will retreat first!”

Seeing Nie Wuying leaving without any hesitation, Song Yixiao couldn't help feeling gloomy.

It took Commandery Princess Qingjiang quite a while to stop sobbing. She smiled at Song Yixiao with her red eyes and said, “Do you know that? I took a fancy to my husband when I just turned 12.”

Song Yixiao got her point. Both Nie Wuying and Prince of Zhao were suitable to get married. The former one had been confined inside Jinguo Grand Princess's mansion and rarely saw the outsiders, who even didn't see her half-brothers frequently. In that case, it would be easy for her to fall in love with a male at first sight, whom she just met first. However, based on Prince of Zhao's social status, he wouldn't even marry an illegitimate daughter.

“When it comes to this kind of thing, whether it is true or not, we can't deal with it in a rush.” Song Yixiao thought for a while and considered her wordings discreetly as she said, “After all, Wuying is timid. She was hurt on her birthday date. And she hates both of us now. If we talk to her in a rush, I am afraid that she won't hear us…”

Commandery Princess Qingjiang said depressedly, “I surely know. However, based on how Wuying acted abnormally a moment ago, Prince of Zhao and Su Shaoge surely knew something, let alone us… I am afraid that…”

She was silent for a while and continued, “The outsiders now know what Mother said the day before yesterday. Although Wuying is said to be my mother's foster daughter, she treats her as her own daughter and pampers her, whom she gave birth to when she got old! You also know that Uncle respects Mother constantly.”

Of course, Prince of Zhao, who was plotting for the position of the heir to the emperor, wouldn't let Nie Wuying go. Because she was a pus.h.i.+ng force coming to his door voluntarily. Although people with normal intellect knew that based on Nie Wuying's family background, it would be impossible for her to be a prince's concubine, never should the girls falling in love be judged by reason and common sense. After all, there had been quite many silly girls, who were willing to be their lovers' anonymous wives and sacrifice for them incessantly, from the ancient times!

“Wuying was quite obedient before. It might be due to the fact that she had been so heart-broken the day before yesterday that she reacted so violently right now.” Song Yixiao played the bracelet on her wrist and sighed deeply, “After all, Prince of Zhao will be here for a few days temporarily. However, Lunong Building is quite far away from here. Then we won't take Wuying in that direction. If Prince of Zhao takes the initiative to approach Wuying, you can just find an excuse and send him away. Based on his status, he will surely feel ashamed to be refused from time to time. If they can't see each other, they will forget each other gradually as time goes by!”

Commandery Princess Qingjiang said bitterly, “We can only do so now. However, as for what is happening in the royal court, if there is a chance, we should keep Wuying informed, which will be better!”

At least, they couldn't allow Nie Wuying to be taken advantage of by Prince of Zhao in vain!

Song Yixiao nodded, “Sister, I get your point!”

As they were worried about Nie Wuying, “Bang!” Nie Wuying, who had gone back to her room, closed her door and inclined her ears to observe the sound outside carefully. After confirming that n.o.body was outside, she changed the look on her face right away and stretched her arms out to stroke her chest. She said somewhat frightenedly, “Fortunately, Sister and Yixiao didn't chase after me to go on questioning me. Otherwise, I couldn't hang on anymore!”

Her servant maid, Wanxiang, said awkwardly, “Your Ladys.h.i.+p, the way I see it, Her Highness and Madam Song are quite concerned about you. Should we stop before going too far?”

“I also wanted to do that!” Supported by Wanxiang to the side of the table, Nie Wuying drank a cup of hot tea, trying to calm herself down. After that, the look on her face was somewhat rosy. She said aggrievedly, “However, he, Prince of Zhao, reminded me a few times that my mother, brothers, and sisters had almost turned the whole imperial capital upside down while searching for me! In that case, if I had gone home directly and admitted my mistake, they would have reproached me for a long time! In the future, never can I be confident in front of my brothers and sisters-in-law. So I had no choice but to go on playing mischievously till they forget about how they searched for me and all they ask at that time is to let bygones be bygones. At that time, if I apologize gently, they will only think I am doing it to settle disputes and bring about peace. None of them will have time to pick faults with me.”

She said anxiously, “Two days have just pa.s.sed since I ran out of home. If I stop messing around, will they get even with me?”

Upon hearing her words, Wanxiang agreed with her, “Your Lady, in that case, you shouldn't go out from now on. If Her Highness and Madam Song are here, I will say you are still angry, OK?”