“Thank you, Commandery Princess.” The two junior royal maids said as they straightened their bodies.
“Is His Highness inside the study?” Commandery Princess Yi’an smiled faintly with an indescribable gentleness and refinement.
The two royal maids exchanged a glance before one of them plucked up the courage to answer, “Yes.”
“Could you send someone to relay to His Highness that Yi’an requests to see him.”
“Yes.” The other royal maid hurriedly ran off to the junior eunuchs’ workroom.
Commandery Princess Yi’an just stood outside the Eastern Palace’s courtyard wall as she waited quietly, revealing not a whit of impatience or agitation.
Soon, the eunuch Xiao’xi’zi strode over quickly and saluted Commandery Princess Yi’an. “Commandery Princess, His Highness has to deal with some pressing matters, so he is unable to spare time to receive you at the moment. It is best if you return.”
Giving a serene nod, Yi’an handed the small food box in her hands to Xiao’xi’zi. “If you would please deliver this food box to His Highness. These are pastries that Yi’an made for Her Majesty the Queen Dowager. Her Majesty the Queen Dowager was very pleased with them after having a taste, so she instructed Yi’an to deliver some to His Highness.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you to Her Majesty the Queen Dowager, thank you to Commandery Princess.” Xiao’xi’zi quickly and respectfully extended his hands to take it as he smiled at Commandery Princess Yi’an. “Take care, Commandery Princess.”
Commandery Princess Yi’an nodded with a faint smile before turning to board a sedan chair, going back the same way she came.
Xiao’xi’zi peered at that sedan chair before breathing in relief. He then mumbled to himself, “Fortunately she didn’t badger about it! Hm, at least she’s tactful.”
“Eunuch Xiao’xi’zi, why is His Highness not seeing the commandery princess?” A royal maid dressed in green couldn’t resist inquiring quietly in puzzlement.
The commandery princess held quite the esteem before Her Majesty the Queen Dowager, afterall. Accordingly, His Highness shouldn’t be treating the commandery princess this coldly even if only on account of Her Majesty the Queen Dowager.
“Shoo, shoo, what do you understand.” Xiao’xi’zi waved his hand at those two royal maids gruffly. “His Highness is busy. How does he have the spare time to see this person today and that person tomorrow. Alright, alright, hurry and go do your own work. Our Eastern Palace doesn’t need mouthy servants. Remember to just do what your master instructs you. There is no need for so many whys and wherefores.”
After that royal maid got chastised by Xiao’xi’zi, she promptly shut her mouth abashedly and curtsied with a quiet “understood.”
Meanwhile, the sedan chair cut through a small garden outside the Eastern Palace and made a detour to Her Majesty the Queen Dowager’s bedchamber.
“Commandery Princess.” A young servant girl with an oblong face couldn’t resist pursing her lips as she remarked, “His Highness is too unreasonable. Commandery Princess went to deliver pastries on Her Majesty the Queen Dowager’s orders, yet the crown prince will not even see you…”
“Shut up.” Commandery Princess Yi’an’s frigid voice passed through the curtain. “Is an unruly minor servant such as you able to thoughtlessly invent stories about His Highness’s matters? If you keep spouting nonsense tactlessly like this, I will send you out of the palace tomorrow and back to the Marquis of Su’an’s Estate.”
“Ah?” That young maidservant gaped in horror before grovelling on the ground in fright. She pleaded while kowtowing repeatedly, “Miss, please do not send this servant back! Yes, this servant had spoken out of turn, it is this servant’s fault! Miss, this servant will not dare to do so again in the future.”
Tepidly ordering the sedan chair to stop, Commandery Princess Yi’an lifted an inch of the curtain and bent over to step out. Subsequently, she walked up to the young maidservant gracefully.
While sighing lightly at the young servant girl’s look of fear and trepidation, Commandery Princess Yi’an stooped down to help her up.
