Chapter 471: Chapter 440, Second Test_1
Daohua held the Mountain Deed in her hand and ran swiftly towards the pavilion in the back garden. Seeing that Xiao Yeyang was still sitting in the pavilion drinking tea, she slowed her pace.
“Yo, what brings Miss Yan here again?”
Xiao Yeyang smiled as he watched Daohua.
Daohua walked into the pavilion and waved the Mountain Deed in her hand, “What’s the deal with this mountain top?”
Xiao Yeyang smiled faintly without speaking, glanced at the empty teacup on the table, then at Daohua.
Seeing this, Daohua was somewhat speechless. She gave him a sidelong glance, then stepped forward to fill his teacup, “Now, can you talk?”
Xiao Yeyang still didn’t move and shook his head dissatisfiedly.
Daohua gritted her teeth, placed the Mountain Deed on the table, picked up the teacup, and handed it to Xiao Yeyang, “May I ask the esteemed Little Prince, is this mountain top a gift from you?”
A smile appeared on Xiao Yeyang’s face. He took the tea with a smile and slowly sipped it, “Good tea,” he said, then smiled at Daohua, “Won’t Miss Yan sit down and enjoy it with me?”
Daohua, frustrated, sat down and glared at Xiao Yeyang.
Xiao Yeyang remained unperturbed and spoke leisurely, “I cannot afford to give away the peak of Tangyu Mountain; someone had made meritorious services, and this is a reward.”
Daohua’s expression flickered, “Could it be that the Emperor rewarded it to me?”
Xiao Yeyang smiled without saying a word.
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Daohua pursed her lips and muttered, “What’s the use of rewarding me with a mountain top? It’s so far away, and not very large, less than three hundred acres; even growing vegetables would be a hassle.”
Seeing Daohua look disdainful, Xiao Yeyang was at a loss for words, “Do you not know how famous Tangyu Mountain is in Beijing?”
Daohua rolled her eyes at him, “I’ve never been to Beijing, how would I know?”
Xiao Yeyang, “Don’t you love reading travel tales and stories?”
Daohua, “Those travel tales and stories wouldn’t possibly record every place in Daxia in detail.”
Xiao Yeyang nodded, “That’s true. Those who write such stories are usually talented people who have yet to find their place, and they can’t get close to a place like Tangyu Mountain.”
Daohua said impatiently, “Alright, enough beating around the bush. Just tell me.”
Xiao Yeyang smiled, “The most famous thing about Tangyu Mountain is its hot springs.”
Daohua’s eyes lit up, “Hot springs?” She said as she grabbed the Mountain Deed, “There are hot springs on this mountain top?”
Xiao Yeyang loved seeing Daohua’s eyes sparkle; he felt as if the whole world dimmed in comparison to the light in her eyes. He said with a smile:
“There are not many peaks on Tangyu Mountain, and each one has natural hot spring pools. In Beijing, where land is worth its weight in gold, even royal relatives can’t buy such land, and my royal uncle rarely gives it out as a reward.”
Daohua’s eyes curved, “Turns out, the Emperor isn’t as stingy as I imagined.”
Seeing Daohua describe his royal uncle as ‘stingy’, Xiao Yeyang could not help but chuckle. He nudged her arm with his elbow, “How about it, do you feel any better now?”
Daohua tilted her head back and said with stubborn pride, “I’ve always been in a good mood.”
“You!”
Xiao Yeyang reached out to tickle Daohua’s nose, his eyes full of affection.
Daohua slapped his hand away and looked around nervously. Seeing that there was no one around, she said fiercely, “You damned man, do you still want to come to my house in the future?”
Remembering how strictly Madam Li had raised Daohua, Xiao Yeyang straightened up quietly.
Just at that moment, voices could be heard from afar, and Daohua immediately stood up: “I’m heading back, you should also go look for my big brother and the rest, don’t make them search too much.”
Xiao Yeyang nodded and stood up as well: “Alright then.”
The two of them walked out of the pavilion side by side.
The front courtyard and Daohua Pavilion were not in the same direction; after leaving the rear garden, they would have to part ways.
Before they separated, Xiao Yeyang asked: “When will you visit old Granny and the others again?”
Daohua: “…I’m afraid I won’t be going this month, my grandmother has her birthday at the end of the month, and my aunt is bringing my cousins back to celebrate, there’s a lot going on at home.”
Xiao Yeyang furrowed his brows: “Doesn’t that mean I have to wait until your grandmother’s birthday celebration to see you again?”
Daohua’s expression froze for a moment, and with a humph she said: “What’s so good about seeing me? And you, always loafing around, do you really have that much free time?”
Xiao Yeyang glared: “I’m very busy, but to see you, even if I don’t have time, I still have to make time.”
Daohua turned around to face Xiao Yeyang squarely and scrutinized him: “Xiao Yeyang, I’ve noticed you’ve become more and more eloquent. Have you said such things to many others?”
Xiao Yeyang instinctively sensed danger, he glanced at Daohua’s facial expression and saw no signs of anger before he spoke: “Besides you, there’s no one else.”
Not convinced, Daohua started walking ahead and prodded: “Haven’t you comforted your cousin Wan Ying with sweet words like that? Wasn’t she frightened just a few days ago, didn’t you go to console her?”
Xiao Yeyang quickly said: “Why would I need to comfort cousin Wan Ying? The Jiang Family was attacked, I did visit, but only sat with Advisor Jiang in the front courtyard before leaving, not even seeing cousin Wan Ying.”
Daohua pressed on: “Not seeing cousin Wan Ying, were you disappointed?”
Xiao Yeyang hurried forward to block Daohua, with a gloomy expression: “We’re talking about us, why do you keep bringing up cousin Wan Ying? I wasn’t disappointed when I didn’t see her for several years when I was away from Beijing, so why would I be disappointed because she was startled?”
Daohua fell silent for a moment: “I was just asking, why so serious?” she said, and then walked on, bypassing Xiao Yeyang.
Xiao Yeyang followed her: “You’re the one who brought it up. Because of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, the Jiang Family tends to be a bit arrogant. If you don’t like them, just keep your distance in the future.”
Daohua didn’t deny it, speaking bluntly: “Don’t even mention it, I really don’t like your cousin Wan Ying. Don’t ask me why—if you do, it’s simply because our auras clash.” She paused and then turned her head to ask, “Tell me, if one day I get into a dispute with your cousin Wan Ying, whose side will you take?”
Without a second thought, Xiao Yeyang said: “Isn’t that obvious? Obviously, I’d take your side.”
At his words, a smile crept onto Daohua’s face: “Are you serious or just kidding? I’m just a Magistrate’s daughter, while your cousin is the Empress’s niece, a genuine royal relative. Her status is countless times nobler than mine.”
Xiao Yeyang asserted solemnly: “In my heart, no one could be more precious than you.”
Hearing this, Daohua was taken aback and looking into the seriousness in Xiao Yeyang’s eyes, she felt a stir in her heart and fell silent for a moment: “What nonsense are you spouting? Don’t you think before you speak? Where have you placed your parents and elders?”
Without waiting for Xiao Yeyang’s response, she quickly walked away.
Watching Daohua leave, Xiao Yeyang looked puzzled: “Everything was fine, why did she leave all of a sudden?” Then, somewhat annoyed, he walked toward the front courtyard.
On the way, with a furrowed brow, he glanced back at De Fu and couldn’t help but ask: “What do you think, why did Daohua suddenly shift the topic to cousin Wan Ying earlier?”
De Fu pondered for a moment before replying: “Master, this servant believes that Miss Yan’s questions were likely because she doesn’t like it when you sweet-talk other young ladies.”
Xiao Yeyang was somewhat at a loss for words: “Besides her, Yan Yiyi, who dares to show me attitude and needs me to apologize when she gets angry? The other young ladies don’t even dare to breathe too loudly in my presence, let alone expect me to sweet-talk them, what are they thinking?”
After a moment of silence, he added: “Daohua normally seems so clever, how can she think of such a foolish thing?” Shaking his head, he strode forward.
De Fu followed behind him, his lips twitching. In his eyes, Miss Yan could act this way simply because the master spoiled her.
In his memory, whenever there was a conflict with Miss Yan, the master had never come out on top.