Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

After Princess Heyi left, the atmosphere in the room seemed to relax a bit. However, the reality was that the Marquis Qi’s mansion had already sided with the Prince Jing, and being in the same room as Prince Wen was indeed awkward.

This was evident from Luo Qiheng’s behavior, as he had been drinking tea silently since he arrived.

Fang Jinyu waved his hand, signaling the group of women to leave, and smiled wryly: “I apologize for the scene.”

Luo Yi’er and the others pursed their lips, not saying a word. Princess Qingya spoke up, “Oh, it’s not Fifth Imperial Brother’s fault. It’s all because of that Princess Heyi!”

She pouted and glanced at Luo Qiyan, swallowing some unrefined words.
She continued. “How much longer does Prince Wen need to indulge that princess? The capital city is not that big, and she’s been wandering around for over a month. Can’t she get tired of it?”

Fang Jinyu looked at her disapprovingly. “Ah Ya, be careful with your words. Accompanying the princess is an order from the Emperor. We can’t be careless.”

Qingya rolled her eyes, not taking it seriously. It was just a gesture of goodwill to send the princess as a gift for negotiations. She didn’t think much of it and didn’t say anything more.

She sat beside Luo Yi’er, close to Luo Qiyan, and in a place where others couldn’t see, she tightly grasped Luo Yi’er’s hand, leaning against her slender shoulder and quietly smiling.

Fang Jinyu shook his head slightly and noticed that Luo Yi’er’s tea cup was untouched. He hid the fluctuation in his eyes and said gently, “This tea is from a merchant team that brought it back from the country of Yu. It’s very popular among the people of Yu. Why don’t you try some, Yi’er?”

Luo Yi’er looked up and smiled slightly at him. Her slender fingers touched the tea cup, and after a moment, she picked it up and took a sip.
Fang Jinyu asked, “How is it?”

Luo Yi’er lowered her eyes and said honestly, “It’s pretty good.”
The country of Yu loved tea, but the tea leaves always left a slightly bitter aftertaste. Luo Yi’er wasn’t particularly fond of it and wouldn’t be amazed by the tea.

Fang Jinyu understood her meaning and rubbed the cup. Then, he heard Qingya say, “Prince Wen always favors others. He knows I love pastries, but he never remembers.”

Her words made everyone laugh, and Fang Jinyu shook his head helplessly. After laughing, he glanced at the tea cups on the table, and his smile faded slightly.

Luo Yi’er frowned slightly, looked aside, and nudged Qingya, reprimanding her softly.
“What are you talking about again?”

Qingya realized her mistake and slapped her own mouth, apologizing, “Yes, yes, I spoke wrongly again.”

However, she still smiled, clearly not taking it to heart. Luo Yi’er pursed her lips, feeling a bit helpless.
Qingya’s words might not have been meant maliciously, but they could be interpreted differently by others.

Just then, Luo Qiyan suddenly coughed violently, his face turning red. Luo Qiheng quickly stood up, poured a cup of clear tea, and handed it to him, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine… cough, cough…” Luo Qiyan barely managed to say a sentence before he turned his head and coughed again. His thin body trembled slightly, making those who saw him feel worried.

Qingya stood up, anxiously looking at him, her hand tightly grasping Luo Yi’er’s sleeve. She seemed at a loss for what to do.

Luo Yi’er walked over to support Luo Qiyan, concern etched on her face. Qingya followed, her voice barely above a whisper, “Young Master Luo, are you okay?”

Luo Qiheng could feel the grip on his arm tighten, and the coughing paused for a moment. He understood the situation and looked up to examine Qingya’s worried expression.
Then, he heard his second brother’s gentle voice, “Princess, don’t worry. Qiyan will be fine.”

Luo Yi’er stepped forward, bowed to Fang Jinyu, and apologized. “Sorry, Prince Wen. Please allow us to leave first.”

Fang Jinyu’s fingers tightened around the tea cup. He looked at her deeply and smiled: “Yi’er, you don’t need to be so formal. I’ll have someone escort you back home.”

“If needed, I’ll send someone to fetch the imperial physician,” he added.

Luo Yi’er lowered her head and said softly, “Prince Wen, you don’t need to go to such trouble. I’ll thank you on behalf of my second brother.”

After saying this, she didn’t wait for Prince Wen’s reaction and, along with Luo Qiheng, supported Luo Qiyan as they left the pleasure boat.

A small boat took the three of them back to the shore, and it wasn’t until they got into the carriage that Luo Qiyan’s coughing finally stopped.

Luo Yi’er clutched her handkerchief tightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I’m sorry to trouble you, Second Brother.”

Luo Qiyan leaned against the side of the carriage, and the redness on his face gradually faded. He smiled slightly and shook his head without responding.

Luo Qiheng realized what had happened and said disapprovingly to Luo Qiyan. “You two, what were you planning? Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you were really ill.”

Luo Qiyan explained with a smile. “It was after Princess Qingya said those words, and Yi’er looked at me. I understood what she meant, so I put on a show.”

“Our Marquis Qi’s mansion already has a rift with the other princes. Moreover…” Luo Qiyan glanced at Luo Yi’er, who was looking down without speaking, and didn’t continue.

Instead, he changed the subject, “In any case, whether for public or private reasons, we shouldn’t stay with Prince Wen for too long.”

Luo Qiheng nodded, sighing slightly. “Remember when Yi’er was still studying in the palace, our relationship with Prince Wen was quite good. Who would have thought it would come to this?”

Luo Yi’er lifted the curtain and looked outside, saying calmly, “Things change, why dwell on the past?”

Luo Qiheng and Luo Qiyan exchanged a look and didn’t say anything more. They were just worried about Luo Yi’er, remembering how Prince Wen had treated her in the past. However, they never knew what Luo Yi’er was thinking.

At Pan Lake, Qingya had already left. Fang Jinyu still sat in the same spot, thinking about Luo Yi’er’s actions. He suddenly smiled, his eyes gleaming with a hint of cold calculation.

He reached out for the tea cup, but just as it was about to reach his lips, he threw it down. The cup hit the ground with a crisp sound, rolled a few times, and then stopped.

An Chong knelt silently on the ground. Fang Jinyu leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes, lost in thought. When An Chong felt his legs going numb, Fang Jinyu spoke in a gentle tone, “Princess Heyi has been in the Ming dynasty for a while. How is it that she still can’t learn the proper etiquette?”

He seemed puzzled, sighing softly. “After all, I’ve spent over a month with her. I really don’t want to see her make mistakes in the future.”

He asked An Chong, “Do you have any way to help her avoid mistakes?”

An Chong’s forehead was slightly sweaty. He stabilized his voice. “I don’t know.”

He tapped on the table, and suddenly, his eyes lit up: “Yes, if she speaks less, she’ll be less likely to make mistakes.”

“Exactly, tell her to speak less.” Fang Jinyu turned his head, smiling at An Chong, his voice growing softer.

An Chong bowed low, his voice flat, “I understand.”

Fang Jinyu seemed to have resolved a matter, and a gentle smile returned to his face. He stood up and walked outside, but paused where the tea cup had fallen, noticing the water stain on the floor.

He glanced at it casually and said, “Get rid of the tea leaves in the mansion. Throw them away.”

An Chong looked up, puzzled, and Fang Jinyu sneered, “What’s the point of keeping useless things?”

As a maid lifted the curtain, Fang Jinyu stepped out. An Chong stood up, his face expressionless, thinking about Fang Jinyu’s order.

What was he talking about when he said he didn’t want Princess Heyi to make mistakes?

Apart from Miss Luo, when had he ever been so concerned about anyone else? Even with the Noble Consort, he hadn’t shown such interest.

An Chong furrowed his brow slightly, feeling a bit worried. Recently, the master’s temperament had become increasingly unpredictable.

After that, Luo Yi’er didn’t leave the mansion. She spent her days learning accounting from Madam Chu, and half a month passed quickly.

The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival, also Luo Yi’er’s birthday. The mansion had prepared mooncakes and new clothes for everyone. Since they would be attending a banquet in the palace the next day, Madam Chu told Luo Yi’er to rest early.

Luo Yi’er had heard rumors that Princess Heyi had fallen ill after returning home. She didn’t know what had happened, but apparently, the princess had been quieter since her recovery.

Qingya had secretly sent a message saying that she had seen the princess once after her recovery, and her beautiful voice seemed to have been affected by the illness.

After receiving Qingya’s letter, Luo Yi’er thought about it and knew it wasn’t a coincidence. Even though she knew, she couldn’t do anything about it and had to pretend she didn’t know.

Tonight, dinner was served a bit late in the mansion. The three siblings had dinner together in Fang Yun Hall. When they returned, Pan Si was holding several embroidered boxes.

Although they couldn’t have a birthday banquet at home tomorrow, the mansion hadn’t forgotten Luo Yi’er’s birthday. Every year, before the Mid-Autumn Festival, they would prepare gifts for her.

After returning to Yunxia Courtyard, Luo Yi’er sat on the soft couch, opening the embroidered boxes one by one. Pan Si and the others knew her habit and stood aside, waiting.

As Luo Yi’er opened the boxes, she thought about her past life. As an illegitimate child, even though her brother was kind to her, he wouldn’t remember her birthday, and she never received gifts. She thought she didn’t care, but after receiving gifts in this life, she felt a bit sentimental.

After opening all the boxes, she asked Pan Si to put the things away. Then, she deliberately messed up the chessboard on the table, smiled, and asked for a bath.

Linglong helped her take off her clothes and hung them behind the screen. A jade pendant unexpectedly hung down, swaying gently and occasionally hitting the smoke-blue screen. The candlelight shone through the screen onto the pendant, catching Luo Yi’er’s attention.

Her smile faltered for a moment as she suddenly remembered the year in the osmanthus forest when someone gave her this pendant as a birthday gift.

She recalled the time in the pavilion behind the Mingjing Temple when she saw a pendant almost identical to hers on his waist.

She thought casually: Would he be able to come back for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year?

However, he had been absent for three years. Even if he couldn’t come back this year, she had already gotten used to it, hadn’t she?

Luo Yi’er bit her lip lightly and suddenly remembered the faint crease between his eyebrows after the fire.

Linglong called out to her, and she pursed her lips slightly. Without showing any particular emotion, she stepped into the bathtub. Linglong asked softly beside her. “Is the water too hot, Miss?”