Chapter 533: Chapter 491, Monster_2
Yan Wenxiu raised her eyes toward the distance, her gaze somewhat profound, “In the matter of marriage, the command of the parents, the matchmaker’s word, one doesn’t talk about liking or not liking. However, given the background and upbringing of the second young mistress from the Han family, she indeed seems quite suitable to be our family’s eldest daughter-in-law. As long as she marries into the family and is filial to her parents-in-law and amiable towards her younger siblings-in-law, fulfilling her duties as a wife, I will certainly treat her well.”
Daohua’s lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.
To her eldest brother, an ideal scholar-official of ancient times, love was far less important compared to his career prospects and the prosperity of his family.
It was just as well, the Han family had also evaluated every aspect before settling on their family, both sides seeking what they needed, complementing each other quite well.
…
After returning to her own courtyard, Daohua continued walking her dog. In the midafternoon, Zhao Yongwang came over with the account books.
Daohua glanced at the numbers he had calculated; all correct, and she raised her eyebrows slightly, “Your speed is not bad, and your arithmetic ability is acceptable.”
Feeling validated, Zhao Yongwang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as Daohua was about to say something, she saw Guyu rush in, “Miss, the third master and fourth master are back.”
Daohua stood up quickly and strode forward. After a few steps, she looked back at Zhao Yongwang, “Go find Xiaoliu and have him take you to the rouge shop in Ningmen Prefecture City. You work there as an accountant and give me a summary of your work every month.”
After speaking, she hurriedly left.
Daohua headed straight to the front courtyard and soon saw the two men in Yan Wenkai’s courtyard, “Third brother, fourth brother.”
Yan Wentao showed surprise on his face, “Daohua, why are you here?”
Daohua waved her hand, signaling the servants inside the room to leave, then asked, “Third brother, fourth brother, have you seen Xiao Yeyang these past few days?”
Yan Wenkai replied matter-of-factly, “Of course, we’ve been with the Little Prince all along. Why do you ask?”
Daohua scrutinized the expressions of the two men, noting nothing amiss, her mind somewhat eased. She took a sip of tea to appear less anxious.
The fact that Prince had promoted his side consort to main consort was surely an embarrassing and infuriating affair for Xiao Yeyang, not something he would want widely known.
Therefore, whether the matter was true or false, she must not inquire casually and certainly not let the news spread from her.
After taking a couple of sips of tea, Daohua casually inquired, “Why hasn’t Xiao Yeyang visited our home in the last few days?”
Yan Wenkai replied in exasperation, “But he just came a few days ago.”
Yan Wentao glanced at Daohua and couldn’t help but say, “Daohua, the Little Prince already frequents our house enough, if he came more often, Great Aunt would have something to say.”
Daohua gave a sheepish smile, “Is that so? I was just asking. Last time he came, he said he would bring me newly-made glaze ware, and I thought he had forgotten.” She then asked nonchalantly, “Nothing unusual with him these days, right?”
Yan Wenkai looked puzzled, “Unusual? What’s unusual, the Little Prince is just as he always is… well, there are some differences. Now that he’s a Zhen Fu envoy, his official authority has been growing.”
Yan Wentao looked at Daohua, sensing her concealed worry amid their kinship from growing up together. He immediately said, “Daohua, why do you think the Little Prince is behaving oddly?”
Daohua laughed awkwardly, “No reason, I was just thinking about the new glaze ware.”
Yan Wentao looked at Daohua again, feeling she was a bit off today, but still said, “There’s nothing odd about the Little Prince, just that he’s been much busier than before.”
At his words, Daohua’s tension slightly relaxed.
It seemed that the news might not be true after all.
Xiaoliu had returned from Beijing after spending over ten days on the road. In such a long time, if there were really any movements in Beijing, Xiao Yeyang would have received the news by now.
Since he showed no signs of abnormality, he probably didn’t know about it.
“Third brother, fourth brother, since there’s nothing wrong, I’ll be going back then!” she said, turning to leave. After a few steps, she added, “I’ve made hot pot ingredients. If you’re not busy later, invite Xiao Yeyang over to our house, and let’s have hot pot.”
Yan Wenkai immediately grinned, “Sure thing, I’ll tell the Little Prince, and he’ll come running.”
In the following days, uneasy, Daohua would seek out Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai each day when they returned, engaging them in conversation to get updates on Xiao Yeyang.
Seeing that he truly was not showing any strangeness, she gradually put her mind at ease and focused on helping Madam Li prepare for the New Year gifts.
…
On the twenty-second day of the twelfth month, as soon as Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai arrived at the Jinling Guard’s office within Ningmen Prefecture City, they saw Xiao Yeyang furiously smashing a table to pieces with a dark expression.
“What happened?” Yan Wenkai got a shock and asked a colleague nearby.
“I don’t know. When we arrived, we saw Eunuch Defu give a letter to the Little Prince, and after he read it, he started to rage,” was the reply.
Another colleague interjected, “Probably some bad news. Plus, these days the Little Prince has us investigating something, and the lack of progress has left him quite irate.”
Yan Wenkai nodded, “Then we should tread carefully, better not provoke him.”
Approaching noon, Yan Wenkai saw Xiao Yeyang stepping out and immediately approached him cheerfully, “Little Prince, my younger sister made hot pot ingredients and has invited you to our home for hot pot.”
Xiao Yeyang paused, silent for a moment before replying, “I am busy with matters recently and will not be going for the time being.” He then left straight away.
Watching Xiao Yeyang’s retreating figure, Yan Wenkai stood there, stunned. Was he just rejected?!
Didn’t the Little Prince always enjoy the dishes made by his younger sister?
He always came whenever called!
“Is the sun rising from the west?”
Yan Wentao walked over with a frown, “Don’t you feel that there’s something not quite right with the Little Prince?” The Little Prince might have a bit of a temper, but it was rare for him to lose his cool so severely or to damage anything.
Yan Wenkai stroked his chin, “You’re right, the Little Prince does seem odd today, even rejecting younger sister’s hot pot. Perhaps later, we should ask Eunuch Defu about it.”