Unaware that My Legitimate Sister is My Husband - Chapter 54
Chapter 54
(20.3)
The next day, Qing Yu had someone deliver a screen fan made of warm jade and gilt, held in a sandalwood box outlined with gold. Xi Xian heard that the embroidery on it was the handwriting of Zhou Gongwei of the former dynasty. The embroidery was a double-sided painting, and the handle of the fan was warm to the touch, delicate and soft.
Xi Xian felt very touched, although her legitimate sister was a bit mean, and sometimes had some mental problems, but she was really good to her. She didn’t know which string of Xi Heng’s heart she had managed to touch in this life for her to treat her so well now.
On the other side, in fact, when Qing Yu got Xi Xian’s request, it was impossible for her not to report it to the master.
No matter how small of a request the little miss had, it was still important.
The master had mentioned in the past, with a deep meaning, that she was restless, had a lot of strange ideas and little schemes, and that she was overall a troublemaker.
But she could hardly make the link between what she was told and the person she was seeing.
During this autumn, the crown prince closed his door and didn’t go out, on the surface, he wasn’t involving himself in political affairs, and was only recuperating from his injuries in the Eastern palace, while studying with the imperial tutor. When he heard of Xi Xian’s matter, he became thoughtful, and his long eyebrows slightly furrowed.
The crown prince remembered things from very early in his life, whether or not they were important, old things or simple details, he would not forget, and he almost never forgot something he saw. Since childhood, he had received the last wishes of his empress mother, so even if he was a natural genius, he never revealed his sharpness. Yet, despite his natural talent, every step was difficult when one’s wings are not yet fully formed.
As a crown prince, he was a living target for everyone who wanted that noble position in the royal family, and also an existence that the emperor guarded against.
Knowing that Xi Xian had requested for a fan, he quickly understood what she intended to do, deduced the cause and effects, and he even thought about all of her next steps.
The crown prince was wearing a deep-black narrow-sleeved brocade gown, his figure was slender with broad shoulders, with a distinct angular face and a high nose, but he appeared slightly cold and unreachable.
He closed his eyes and smiled slightly, as his jade-white fingers tapped carelessly on the table. His voice was hoarse and low due to his illness: “Give it to her, and look for the best.”
Qing Yu then understood that there was definitely some matter in this affair, but that His Highness was just too lazy to bother with the little miss, and that he was more or less letting her messing around blindly, as long as she didn’t mess around to death, he would indulge her and cover for her. Anyway he owed this little miss something.
It was the best fan in the crown prince’s treasury, so she could only hope that the little miss Xian would keep it for herself.
If she really had the boldness to take it and give it to someone else, she might perhaps scare the connoisseurs to death, who knew ?
(21.1)
Xi Xian naturally did not understand how precious it was, she had no interest in fans, but she had faith in her legitimate sister.
The items in her legitimate sister’s treasure were naturally first-class, so she did not think a lot about it.
But, Xi Xian understood a little about the famous Zhou Gongwei of the former dynasty. She made the effort to look for books and read all the commentaries on the paintings he did on screen fans. This way she would be sure of herself, and have something to say during her meeting with the third miss He.
The day of the Duke of Su’s banquet, Xi Xian and the Xi old matriarch arrived at the He residence in advance, for no other reason than the fact that Xi family was no longer as prestigious as it used to be. If they arrived late in a show of prestige, it would on the contrary make other people laugh at a joke. It was better to know where they stood, being neither haughty nor humble.
Xi Xian had not expected the old lady of the Duke of Su’s residence to be so close to the Xi’s old matriarch. As soon as née Zhou arrived at the residence, she asked someone to guide the two of them to the small flower hall to wait for a moment. Xi Xian looked at her grandmother with wide opened eyes, but the old lady just held her hand in a soothing manner.
The Duke of Su’s residence was built during the reign of the founding emperor of the dynasty, it was several hundred of years ago, hundred of years during which they had their ups and downs. In the last few decades, the He family rose again, so they renovated the garden in a simple and elegant way, the small bridge and the flowing stream, and the pavilions, they renovated everything, maintaining most of what was in the garden during their ancestor’s lives, and adding some new curved corridors that had become stylish in recent years.
The maidservant who welcomed them also said that on the eastern side, they bought the courtyard of the Zou family at the end of the alley, and turned it into a fruit garden, before opening a way to connect it to the residence.
During winter, white plums flowers blossomed, while in summer one could smell the overflowing fragrance of fruits, and then further inside there was a small lake. In late summer, the lake was crowded with emerald green lotus leaves, inviting the girls and ladies to ride boats and wind through, while bending down to pick the lotus flowers.
The Xi family’s courtyard was also a hundred years-old garden, but in recent years it did not look as good as the Duke of Su’s garden looked.
Translator : Laura
Other novels : His One Love & Ancient Eden & After Being Kidnapped by the Crown Prince
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