On the ninth day of the New Year, Yu Wan received an invitation from the Xiao Manor. Xiao Ziyue had held a tea party at home and invited her to play. Only such innocent children would write the word play on the invitation. The invitation also indicated that other ladies were present. Yu Wan had seen them at Prince Cheng Manor. She was afraid that Yu Wan would not like strangers and reject her.
The tea party was tomorrow. Yu Wan thought about it and happened to have nothing planned for tomorrow. At dinner, she told Yan Jiuchao about this.
There were no elders in the residence, and Yan Jiuchao had clearly said that she could make the decision herself. However, this matter concerned the Xiao Manor, so Yu Wan still wanted to hear what he had to say.
Yan Jiuchao nodded. “Uncle Wan isn’t around. You can choose your thank you gift.”
This meant that he agreed to let her go. Yu Wan confirmed that there was no forced expression on his face before letting Jiang Hai go to the Xiao Manor and tell Xiao Ziyue that she would be on time tomorrow.
After dinner, the two of them went for a walk in the garden as usual. After the weather became warmer, Yu Wan liked to walk to the pond. The breeze on the water slowly blew, making her feel very comfortable.
“Yan Jiuchao, is there something on your mind?” Yu Wan turned to look at her silent husband. He had always been a quiet person, so there was nothing strange about it. However, ever since the envoy from Nanzhao left, he had been in a daze from time to time. After all, they were husband and wife. She still had this bit of telepathy. “Are you worried about Helian Qi’s death?”
Helian Qi died in the Great Zhou. Although he died in an “accident”, it was a good excuse for Nanzhao to send troops.
“No,” Yan Jiuchao said. Helian Qi’s death was his own fault. If the people of Nanzhao did not want to lose face, they would not send troops to the Great Zhou.
“But I keep feeling that you have something on your mind.” Yu Wan thought about it carefully. There didn’t seem to be any major changes recently, other than the fact that he had been conferred the title of Princely Heir and entered the cabinet. It was unlikely that the matters of the court would disturb him. If he wanted to do it, he could do it. If he didn’t, he could leave. The Emperor couldn’t do anything about him. Then, what could it be?
“Do you miss Father?” Yu Wan asked softly. “I heard from Shadow Thirteen that you sent the armor to Grand Marshal Xiao.” Did he let his biological father down because he started to accept his stepfather?
It was indeed related to Prince Yan, but it was not the guilt Yu Wan had guessed.
Bai Xiaosheng was right. His father’s corpse was indeed strange. Not only had a servant discovered it back then, but he had also discovered traces of sand because he could not bear to see his father climb into the coffin.
At that time, he was too young to understand. When he grew up, he understood what was going on. Either his father’s cause of death was wrong, or the corpse did not belong to his father at all. He did not know which was the truth. He just kept dreaming that his father was standing at the bottom of the well, shouting for him to jump.
All these years, he had never been willing to inherit the position. It was because he always had a trace of hope that his father might not die and that he would come back one day.
“Young Master, His Highness might have been to Nanzhao.”
“The year Prince Yan passed away is the year the Little Princess married the Prince Consort.”
“The Empress said that someone in the royal family of Nanzhao wants your life.”
Yan Jiuchao clenched his fists bit by bit.
Father, are you the Prince Consort of Nanzhao?
—-
Xiao Ziyue’s small gathering was originally planned to be in the afternoon, but considering the hot weather, it was difficult to travel in the afternoon, so it was changed to in the morning.
Yu Wan had never participated in such a gathering and did not know what gift to give Xiao Ziyue. She asked Fu Ling to call Zi Su over.
“Princely Heir Consort.” Zi Su entered the room, dripping with sweat. This summer seemed to be hotter than usual. She had only washed a few handkerchiefs, but her clothes were already drenched.
She was glad that she had entered the Young Master Manor in the hot summer. Otherwise, she would have suffocated to death if she stayed in the place to buy and sell slaves.
Yu Wan looked at the invitation in her hand. “What did you give your friends when you gathered with them in the past?”
“Does the Princely Heir Consort want to give Miss Xiao a gift?” Zi Su thought for a while. “You can give her pearl hairpin jewelry if you want to give a much more expensive gift, and you can give her embroidery if you want to give her a thoughtful gift.”
It was too late for embroidery, but there were many ready-made ones in the jewelry manor. Yu Wan asked Zi Su to go to the storeroom to get a few sets of jewelry and chose a begonia pearl hairpin. This hairpin was spiritual and unique, and the style was new. It complemented Xiao Ziyue’s age and temperament.
This time, she had to visit Shangguan Yan at the Xiao Manor. Yu Wan had also prepared a small gift for her.
Yu Wan saw that Zi Su was about to have a heatstroke and asked her to rest in the manor, so she only brought Fu Ling.
“Madam, sit tight!” The journey was hot. Jiang Hai grabbed the reins tightly and tried his best to make the horse run faster. About an hour later, the group arrived at the Xiao Manor.
