Chapter 1004: Chapter 842, Embarrassing

Jiang Family’s next head and the well-cultivated eldest grandson were successively murdered, which tremendously pleased Gu Jian. When Daohua and Xiao Yeyang arrived at Four Seasons Manor, they could clearly feel this.

July was the hottest time of the year, but the sweltering weather did not hinder the old man’s good mood.

Elder Prince, due to his age, could not stand the heat, and he would come to the manor to escape the summer’s heat every year, often chatting and drinking tea with Gu Jian. The two seniors had grown quite familiar with each other.

During this period, the reputations of Daohua and Xiao Yeyang were not very good, but knowing that they were coming, the old prince still immediately sent someone back to the Prince Residence to call his grandson Xiao Yexuan over.

Xiao Yeyang saw through Elder Prince’s intention and did not comment on it. Although Xiao Yexuan’s abilities were not outstanding, he was still sincere, and Xiao Yeyang was willing to form a good relationship with him.

Being part of the Imperial Family, he still needed to establish his own connections.

Princes were not to be befriended, but it was somewhat permissible to associate with members of the Imperial Clan.

As there were no pressing matters, Xiao Yeyang arranged for the Hidden Guard to watch the Jiang Family and then settled down in the manor with Daohua.

The day before Qixi, Kang Naixin and Wu Xirong came together to Four Seasons Manor.

“Why have you come?”

Daohua looked at them in surprise.

Kang Naixin asked with a smile, “Don’t you welcome us?”

Daohua immediately laughed, “For Miss Kang and Miss Wu to grace my humble abode, it truly glows with splendor.” Saying so, she welcomed them into the house.

After drinking tea, Wu Xirong smilingly said, “Tomorrow is Qixi, and the ladies of Beijing have planned a Qiqiao festival gathering at Yunhe Building. Naixin and I do not enjoy such gatherings, so we escaped to the manor.”

“Gatherings with lots of people can indeed be quite dull.” Daohua had the servants serve chilled watermelon and grapes, laughing as she started talking about other topics with Kang Naixin and Wu Xirong.

Kang Naixin, eating a watermelon with a cheerful smile, said, “Xirong and I will stay in the manor for a few days, and we’ll come to play with you every day. You mustn’t scrimp on hosting us.”

Daohua laughed, “Watermelon and grapes are quite filling.”

After eating fruits for a while, Kang Naixin glanced at Wu Xirong and smilingly asked Daohua, “I heard Xiao Yexuan often visits this manor?”

Daohua nodded, “The old prince likes to chat and drink tea with my master, and he comes here with the old prince.”

At noon, Caiju came to announce lunch, and Daohua led the two to Gujian Courtyard. As soon as they entered the courtyard, she saw Xiao Yeyang standing alongside Xiao Yexuan and Wu Dingbo.

“Your brother also came?”

Wu Xirong nodded and said, “My father was fed up with my brother doing nothing at home and always scolding him. Knowing that Naixin and I were coming to the manor, he sneaked out with us.”

With several young people added, the dining table became lively immediately.

Everyone talked and laughed, and both Gu Jian and Elder Prince were quite happy.

Over the next few days, Kang Naixin, Wu Dingbo, and sibling Wu Xirong came to Four Seasons Manor daily, and through more interaction, Xiao Yeyang and Daohua grew to understand them better.

During this time, Daohua noticed that Kang Naixin and Wu Xirong always seemed to gravitate towards Xiao Yexuan.

She remembered that during the New Year, these two also visited her manor, coincidentally when Xiao Yexuan was there. As both were guests and knew each other, at that time she and Xiao Yeyang had even hosted the three in the pavilion.

One encounter could be a coincidence, but two or three times was not.

Daohua took a moment to assess Kang Naixin and Wu Xirong.

Both were about a year younger than her, with excellent backgrounds and looks, yet both were still unmarried.

She wondered which of them had taken a liking to Xiao Yexuan.

Time passed quickly while residing in the manor, and in the blink of an eye, it was July 16, with the Empress Dowager’s birthday the next day. Both Xiao Yeyang and Daohua, despite their reluctance, needed to return to their palace.

In the carriage back to the city, Xiao Yeyang saw that Daohua was not very spirited and thought for a moment before saying, “You got along pretty well with Miss Kang and Miss Wu?”

Daohua replied, “It was okay, both of them are quite straightforward and easy to get along with.”

Xiao Yeyang then laughed, “Since you get along with them so well, invite them to the Prince Residence more often to keep you company, lest you get bored.”

Daohua sighed, “Yuan Yao went back to her maternal home with Sun Changze, Shiyu went to Yuezhou with my fourth brother, and Jingwan is about to give birth. I hardly have anyone to confide in; it indeed is quite boring.”

Xiao Yeyang hugged Daohua and laughed, “Princess Huijia and the Wu family are both neutral Imperial Loyalists; it’s good for us to foster a relationship with them.”

Daohua uttered a “Mmm.”

July seventeenth, the birthday of the Empress Dowager.

Due to the death of Prince Jiang’s heir, this birthday celebration hadn’t been conducted on a grand scale, but had simply gathered the Imperial Clan together for a family banquet at Cining Palace.

Daohua and Xiao Yeyang obediently followed behind Prince Ping to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, who snorted dismissively, not even sparing Prince Ping a pleasant face.

Under the gaze of the Imperial Clan, Prince Ping, managing a stiff smile, took Daohua and Xiao Yeyang to their seats.

Compared to the buzz elsewhere, the spot where Daohua and his group sat seemed separated by a void.

Daohua and Xiao Yeyang didn’t mind much, but Prince Ping was somewhat uncomfortable.

After sitting for a while, Prince Ping went off to talk to King Rui.

Princess Huijia, too, had arrived with Kang Naixin. Seeing Daohua, Kang Naixin smiled and greeted her.

An ordinary greeting, yet it irked the Empress Dowager, who thereupon berated Princess Huijia and Kang Naixin on the spot.

“Huijia, Naixin is not getting any younger, why hasn’t anyone been mentioned yet? If you don’t have a suitable candidate, I can arrange a match for her.”

Upon hearing this, both Princess Huijia and Kang Naixin’s expressions changed.

The Empress Dowager’s proposal of marriage was surely based on interest, and it concerned the interests of the Jiang Family. What good match could she propose?

Princess Huijia quickly replied, “Your Majesty, I have already found a suitable match for Naixin.”

The Empress Dowager said, “Oh? Whose family is it? Tell me about it. Let me help you think it through.”

Seeing that the Empress Dowager seemed intent on making arrangements if she did not name someone, Princess Huijia hesitated–she knew her daughter’s heart was set on Wu Dingbo of the Wu family, but the Wu family had never formally approached them. How could she mention this?

Kang Naixin, noticing her mother’s difficulty, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, Naixin likes Governor Wu’s son, Wu Dingbo.”

She merely said she liked him and had not mentioned any settled agreement, so in the future, whether the Wu family wished to marry her or not, it could not be considered deception.

The Empress Dowager clearly had no intention of letting Kang Naixin off: “You like Wu Dingbo, but does Wu Dingbo like you?”

Asking such a question to an unmarried lady was indeed humiliating.

Princess Huijia clenched her fists in anger.

“Why so quiet?”

The Emperor, smiling, walked into the hall and glanced at Princess Huijia and Kang Naixin, who were still standing.

The Empress Dowager said with a laugh, “Your Majesty has arrived at just the right time. This girl Naixin says she likes Wu Dingbo from the Wu family. Would you like to…”

The Emperor, still smiling, interrupted the Empress Dowager. “Dingbo, eh? That young man is indeed outstanding.” Saying this, he didn’t give the Empress Dowager a chance to speak and turned to the Imperial Clan present.

“Have you all prepared your gifts for the Empress Dowager?”

Old Prince Yong immediately took up the conversation: “All prepared long ago, just waiting for Your Majesty to come so we can present them for the Empress Dowager to see.”

The Emperor said, “Then what are we waiting for? Come present them. Let me see what fine things you’ve all brought.”

Following Old Prince Yong’s lead, various members of the Imperial Clan began presenting their gifts, effectively diverting attention from the incident.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager was furious but could not confront the Emperor directly. She could only maintain a stern face towards those presenting the gifts, to express her displeasure.

Normally, Prince Ping would be the most enthusiastic in presenting gifts, but this time, he remained seated without moving.

He had previously brushed off the Empress Dowager’s curt treatment toward Prince Ping’s Residence, thinking her advanced age excused her conduct. But to publicly embarrass his niece just because she greeted Daohua–it was too much.

What was the Empress Dowager trying to accomplish?

Did she want everyone to ostracize and ignore the Yeyang couple?

Had she ever considered his feelings?

Thinking about all the years of appeasement, Prince Ping always felt that his efforts were misplaced.

The Empress Dowager, it seemed, truly didn’t care about him at all.