The Princess Consort of Pingyang looked at the Prince of Pingyang with great indignation.
"Your Highness, why don't I just sell this estate? Out of sight, out of mind, and it won't cause you any more trouble."
The Prince of Pingyang shook his head.
"Since we are here, just take Duoduo out to have a good time. Leave everything else to me."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang wanted to say more, but Duoduo tugged at her sleeve.
"Mother, you pwomised to fly a kite with me."
Duoduo looked up at the Princess Consort of Pingyang with a face full of expectation.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang sighed inwardly.
Forget it. It was rare for Duoduo to come out on a trip, and she had promised to accompany her.
"Alright! Mother remembers!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang dotingly tapped Duoduo's nose, and the little girl revealed a shy smile.
The carriage came to a halt.
"Your Highness, we have arrived," Ling Feng reported from outside.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pushed the wheelchair out of the cabin, and Ling Feng, along with another guard, carried it down.
The estate manager bowed with an obsequious look, leading the way.
The Prince of Pingyang observed the manager's residence.
"Your Highness, my humble abode is rather simple. Please do not mind it."
Though the manager said this, his face was actually full of pride and showing off.
The residence before them featured carved beams and painted pillars, with mythical beasts guarding the upturned eaves.
Just from the exterior, its grandeur was not much inferior to that of the Prince's manor.
The Prince of Pingyang nodded.
"This house is not bad!"
The smile on the manager's face instantly became radiant.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness! It is just a humble home! Not worth the praise!"
Ling Feng pushed the wheelchair into the manager's residence.
With pavilions, terraces, and deep winding corridors, it actually possessed quite a bit of charm.
Along the way, the manager introduced the sights to the Prince of Pingyang, pointing out the types of stones here and the landscaping there.
The Prince of Pingyang nodded frequently, which made the manager increasingly smug.
He thought to himself that his residence was no worse than the Prince's manor.
The manager led the Prince of Pingyang into the reception hall in the outer courtyard.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang and Duoduo were led by a maid to the backyard.
"Your Highness, are you passing through on your way to handle some official business?"
The manager asked probing.
The Prince of Pingyang shook his head. "I brought my wife and daughter out for a trip and happened to pass by."
"I see the furnishings here are quite fine as well."
Seeing this, the manager hurriedly began to show off the room's decor.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang held Duoduo's hand and arrived at the backyard, where a woman dressed in silk smiled and curtsied to her.
"This commoner, Madam Jia, greets the Princess Consort!"
Her curtsy was rather awkward and improper.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang gave a distant but polite smile. "Please rise. Apologies for the intrusion."
Madam Jia stood up and somewhat clumsily pointed the way for the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"Please follow me this way, Your Highness."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded, held Duoduo's hand tightly, and walked forward.
Before long, they arrived at the flower hall in the backyard.
They all took their seats, with Duoduo sitting closely beside the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
Madam Jia smiled obsequiously at Duoduo. "This must be the young miss? She is so beautiful, just like a fairy from a painting."
Duoduo pursed her lips and smiled faintly.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang knew Duoduo's temperament and looked at Madam Jia.
"This child has been thinking about flying her kite!"
Madam Jia's face lit up with joy.
"Girls always love these sorts of things, do they not?"
"As it happens, my daughters have been clamoring to fly kites too."
"Why don't we let them take the young miss along?"
"You need not worry, Your Highness. We have a spot in the backyard that is large and spacious, a perfect place for flying kites."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang's curiosity was piqued.
"Oh? We can go take a look then. This child has been pestering me the whole journey."
Madam Jia hurriedly sent someone to call her daughters, and then she stood up to lead the way.
Shortly after, six girls came over.
The oldest girl was about thirteen or fourteen, while the youngest was roughly the same age as Duoduo.
A trace of envy flashed through the eyes of the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
Madam Jia looked at the girls. "Xiangyu, hurry up and bring your younger sisters over to greet the Princess Consort."
The girl named Xiangyu walked over with a restrained expression and bowed to the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"I... this commoner... this commoner Xiangyu, greets... the Princess Consort!"
The more nervous she was, the more she stuttered.
By the time she finally finished speaking, her face was completely flushed.
Madam Jia glared at Xiangyu, frustrated by her ineptitude.
"Your Highness, please excuse the embarrassment."
"This is my disappointing eldest daughter, Xiangyu, and this is my third daughter, Xiangqin."
Madam Jia pulled over another girl who looked somewhat like her.
Xiangqin gave a quick, superficial bow to the Princess Consort of Pingyang and then hid to the side.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang smiled faintly. "They all look like well-behaved, good children."
Six girls had come in total, yet Madam Jia only introduced these two.
It seemed the others were children born to concubines.
Madam Jia was delighted that her own children had been praised by the Princess Consort.
"Your Highness, look, over there is where they play."
Duoduo looked in the direction Madam Jia pointed and was immediately captivated.
Because not only was there a very spacious courtyard,
But near the corner of the wall, there were also two swings.
The ropes of the swings were wrapped in different colored silk ribbons that fluttered in the wind, looking incredibly beautiful.
"Xiangyu, Xiangqin, take the young miss to fly her kite."
Madam Jia nudged her two daughters.
This time, the maid who had come out with Duoduo was Lüluo.
Lüluo walked over, holding the butterfly kite that the Princess Consort had made for Duoduo.
Xiangqin suddenly tugged at Madam Jia's clothes.
"Mother, her kite is so pretty. I want it!"
Panicked, Madam Jia quickly covered her daughter's mouth.
She looked at the Princess Consort of Pingyang with an awkward smile.
"Please forgive her, Your Highness. Xiangqin was just praising how beautiful the kite is."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang smiled faintly without saying a word.
Duoduo looked at the Princess Consort of Pingyang. "Mother, can I go pway?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded.
"Go ahead. Be careful and do not fall."
"Mhm!"
Duoduo agreed cheerfully and pulled Lüluo away.
Madam Jia scolded Xiangqin in a low voice, and then Xiangyu led the other girls to help Duoduo fly the kite.
"Your Highness, why don't we go inside for some tea?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang hesitated for a moment and pointed to a stone table nearby.
"Why not have someone bring the tea out here?"
Madam Jia nodded repeatedly. "Your Highness is truly elegant."
Shortly after, servants brought cushions and placed them on the stone stools.
They also prepared the tea set and began brewing tea.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang had merely been worried about Duoduo earlier, but looking at it now, she found it quite charming.
Over here, Duoduo's kite had already taken flight with Xiangyu's help.
"Wow, my kite is fwying so high!"
Duoduo jumped up and down with joy.
The butterfly soared freely and leisurely in the wind.
Suddenly, a large sparrowhawk kite drifted over from the side.
The sparrowhawk flew straight toward the butterfly, making Duoduo very anxious.
"Quick! Reel in the line quickly!"
Xiangyu hurriedly scrambled to help reel in the line, but it was too late.
The sparrowhawk and Duoduo's butterfly became tangled together.
The two kites wound tighter and tighter, looking as though they were about to plummet together.
Both angry and heartbroken, Duoduo looked toward the line of the sparrowhawk kite.
