Large flakes of snow drifted through the air on Pang Xiao"s way back. Since it was growing dark, Pang Xiao and Huzi decided to push their horses into a faster gallop. They made it back to the manor before the hour of the dog.
The prince strode quickly through the door, whip in hand. "Did anything happen at home today?"
The doorman was standing by the door, looking down. He immediately responded when he heard the question. "The Princess of Anyang came again today."
"Oh?" Pang Xiao paused. "What was she here for?"
"She said she wanted to see you, I responded that you weren"t here. The princess refused to leave, so Sir Xu came out for a bit. Unfortunately, I don"t know what happened after that."
"Mm. Well done." Pang Xiao clapped the young doorman"s shoulder. "The days are getting colder. Make sure you bundle up warmly so you don"t catch a cold."
The young man grinned happily and called out, "Understood! Many thanks to Your Highness!"
Pang Xiao nodded and turned to Huzi. "Have Sirs Xu and Xie wait for me in the study. I"ll pay a visit to Pinecrane Hall first."
"Understood." Huzi left with a bow, while Pang Xiao quickly dashed through the flower-hung gate and made a beeline for Pinecrane Hall.
When he reached the doors to the residence, Salt and Pepper came flying out. The dogs thumped their tails madly and circled him with glee. Pang Xiao patted them before entering the yard.
Née Yao"s steward lady, Steward Zhao, approached with a smile. "It really is you, Your Highness. Have you eaten yet?"
"I have." He"d ascended the stairs as he responded and waited for the young maids to lift the heavy door curtains and push open the door.
After entering, Pang Xiao tossed his cloak and whip in head maid Xunhe, then quickly stepped into the side room.
Yao Chenggu was was piping away on his pipe, cross-legged on the heated platform. Née Yao and née Ma were sitting on the other side of a warmed table, cracking peanuts and chatting.
Seeing her grandson"s return, née Ma smiled. "Dafu, have you had dinner?"
"I have." Pang Xiao bowed to his seniors and cut straight to the chase. "Did the princess give any of you a hard time today?"
Yao Chenggu"s lips curved upwards around his pipe. He took a measured puff. "No."
Née Ma"s words fired speedily in response. "Don"t worry, Sir Xu sent servants to have us close the doors and pretend we weren"t home when he heard that the princess was here. La.s.s Yi"s servants came with another reminder a short while later. Honestly, that princess doesn"t seem that scary to me. What, will she eat us?"
"Mom, the princess is n.o.bility in itself. Sir Xu and Yining were afraid that we would come off worse in the exchange if we received her."
"Worse off in what way? What can the princess do to an old woman like me? People truly change when they gain power. Goodness gracious!"
Yao Chenggu tapped his pipe absentmindedly against the edge of the platform. "The princess is royalty and we"re Dafu"s grandparents and mother. The princess quite likes our Dafu and wants to join the family. But I hear that she"s already engaged to the Marquis of Northern Stability. She"s certainly not in a good mood with her visit. Sir Xu and the Qin la.s.s were worried that princess would take her frustration out on us or aggrieve us in some other way."
Née Ma understood the subtleties that everyone was referring to. She nodded and turned to Pang Xiao again. "Didn"t the princess learn a lot of manners in the palace? Why would she visit us just to give us a hard time?"
Née Yao smiled. "Mom, even if she didn"t make things difficult for us and we were polite in kind, that doesn"t mean she wouldn"t have find some fault or another to pick at. She"ll still hold a grudge against us, so it was really to the best that we didn"t see her."
Pang Xiao sat down sideways on the platform and listened to his family"s conversation. He relaxed when he confirmed that his elders really hadn"t suffered from anything.
Née Ma smiled at her grandson. "You"ve got quite an eye for people. Sirs Xu and Xie sort things out perfectly for you, but that"s also because that"s their role as strategists. Even la.s.s Yi can see things so clearly. She"s talented and beautiful—more than a great match for you. Don"t you bully her, now."
Pang Xiao chuckled. "How would I possibly bully her?"
"You"ve grounded her," née Yao interjected. "How is that not bullying?"
"I did that because I had no choice to."
"You publicly berated a fragile thing like her, then grounded her. It"s already a grave hards.h.i.+p that her reputation"s been ruined—and the princess specifically requested her presence today." Née Yao explained solemnly to Pang Xiao. "Let me give you a word of advice. Since you like her, think more of her and care for her more. Our family raised no heartbreaker that says one thing but does another.
"You also need to be more attentive. The princess is a treasured jewel of heaven, she"s certainly used to throwing her weight around. She didn"t see your grandparents or me when she visited, so who knows how she made life difficult for Yining."
A bolt of enlightenment struck Pang Xiao. Here he was, concerned about his family elders, but he"d completely forgotten about Qin Yining!
Guilt crashed over him and he rose. "You"re very right, mom. I"ll go visit darling Yi right now."
"Hurry and go. Oh, wait." Née Ma rifled through the drawers next to the platform and fished out a large package. She shoved it at Pang Xiao. "Give this to her as well. Our winters are cold, and her little frame doesn"t look like it can withstand the cold at all. Make sure she doesn"t suffer from the cold."
Pang Xiao opened the package to find a purple sable cloak along with a purple sable-down hat. Three inches of black sable fur lined the edges of the hat and cloak. They were lined with thick padding that was both soft and warm.
My word, the author must"ve had a looot more time than usual for the next set of chapters. They"re long, so they"ll be coming out in halfsies. I"ll have the rest up tonight! Just a reminder, I"ll let you guys know at the end of the chapter if it"s a half one. If no word = that was the full chapter!