This time, he didn’t take her to the backyard, but to the main courtyard, the place that he stayed in. The first woman to enter the Prince Hao Residence was Ye Qingzhu. She entered as a maidservant, and liked Wu Ling. However, the only woman who could enter the main courtyard of the Prince Hao Residence was Su Xi-er.
Su Xi-er noticed that the courtyard was different. It was wide and spacious, with simple decorations and bright rooms with tidy interiors. All the rooms were painted with dark and mature colours, and fit in well with the background.
This must be the main courtyard of the residence. She stopped in her tracks. “Prince Hao, you brought this servant here…”
Before she could finish, Pei Qianhao pulled her hand over. “Let this Prince ask you, what happened yesterday? This Prince didn’t think of you as someone who enjoys playing around, yet you followed His Majesty out of the palace.”
Su Xi-er told him the truth. “His Majesty came to the Imperial Library to practise his calligraphy, and the Third Imperial Prince came afterwards. As the brothers are close, His Majesty thought of the Second Imperial Prince, and yearned for the freedom that the latter possessed. In the end, he begged the Third Imperial Prince to let him out of the palace to play.”
“Nonsense.” Pei Qianhao’s were slightly knitted, and his tone icy cold.
“The Third Imperial Prince was unwilling at first, but Commandery Prince Xie later came and said a lot of things that changed his mind. As for this servant, His Majesty forced me to go with him.”
When Pei Qianhao heard the words ‘Commandery Prince Xie’, his gaze became deeper. He grabbed Su Xi-er’s hand. “Xie Yun is gentle on the surface, but hides a scheming mind. You should stay away from him.”
“This servant will remember. More importantly, Prince Hao, why have you brought this servant here?”
Pei Qianhao raised his eyebrows and started looking at her with a trace of flirtiness. “We are in this Prince’s main courtyard; what do you think this Prince means by bringing you here?”
“This servant has said…” Su Xi-er knew what he meant. If I enter the residence and become his woman, I must enter as Princess Consort Hao.
Before she could finish, Pei Qianhao assured, “This Prince won’t treat you badly. This Prince will give you everything you want.”
Everything I want includes the status of Princess Consort Hao. Su Xi-er’s heart skipped a beat. Will he really do it?
Pei Qianhao chuckled when he saw the surprise in her eyes. “What? Are you scared that this Prince is lying?”
Su Xi-er shook her head. “No, I just don’t dare believe it. Your current situation…” A person who thinks about the big picture won’t do something like this so recklessly.
“You even care about this Prince’s situation?” Pei Qianhao smiled and slowly walked towards his room. “Follow.”
Su Xi-er was rooted to the spot for a moment before deciding to follow him.
The main room was spacious, but sparsely decorated. It seemed a bit lonely and bleak.
“This Prince has always stayed in this room, so the decorations are simple. If you think that it’s a bit barren, you can add whatever you’d like to make it more to a woman’s liking…” Before he could finish, Pei Qianhao felt his hand being grasped by one that was far more small and delicate.
“Prince Hao, how are you going to face all the court officials? How will you deal with the Pei and Xie families?”
“The Xie Family?” Pei Qianhao’s gaze became profound. I can understand that I need to face the court officials and the Pei Family. But the Xie Family? Could it be that she already knows?
Su Xi-er’s eyes curved into a smile. “You were engaged to Commandery Prince Xie’s younger sister, Xie Liuli. This servant knows that what was written in that Poetry Classics book was true. Why else would you secretly go out at night to destroy it?”
Pei Qianhao stared at her for a long long while before he replied, “Jealous?”
“Prince Hao, was what you told this servant today sincere?” Su Xi-er gazed at him for a long time. Her heart suddenly became soft as she thought about everything that he had quietly done for her. He could easily have taken me by force, but he has been controlling himself all this time.
