The Princess Consort of Pingyang was momentarily stunned. "Your Highness, do you mean..."
Her mother's letter had indeed only mentioned sending over a niece, but it did not specify who it would be.
Xiao Yi's lips curled into a faint smile.
"What do I mean? I mean that if she can arrive before we depart, then we will take her with us."
"If she cannot make it in time, then you should just pretend you never received this letter."
Looking at the slight curve of Xiao Yi's lips, the Princess Consort of Pingyang felt a bit dazed.
"My Princess, do you think what I said makes sense?" An indescribable gleam flashed in Xiao Yi's slightly narrowed eyes.
As if under a spell, the Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded. "You are right, Your Highness."
"Since you also agree, then this matter is settled."
"By the way, my Princess, do you have any other matters to discuss?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang shook her head blankly. "No, nothing else."
"Since there is nothing else, you should hurry back to your room and rest."
"We are departing in two days. Take this time to rest well, as it will be hard to get a good rest on the road."
"Very well, Your Highness. I shall take my leave."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang stood up, curtsied to Xiao Yi, and walked out.
She closed the door behind her and turned to leave.
It wasn't until a gust of wind brushed past her cheeks that the Princess Consort of Pingyang seemed to awaken from a dream.
She had actually just left the room like that?
What was she thinking just now?
For some inexplicable reason, the Princess Consort of Pingyang blushed and quickened her pace back.
Inside the room, listening to the Princess Consort of Pingyang's gradually fading footsteps, Xiao Yi looked down at his hands resting on his thighs, tightly clenched into fists.
He slowly unclenched his hands and wheeled his chair over to the window.
The night breeze blew in gently, carrying the fragrance of the flowers from the garden.
In the past, there used to be a particularly pungent flower growing right beneath the windowsill.
The later it got in the evening, the more vibrantly it bloomed, emitting an overwhelming scent.
Whenever Xiao Yi tried to sleep while smelling that scent, not only would he suffer from insomnia, but he would also wake up with a splitting headache the next day.
Xiao Yi had always thought it was due to his own poor health.
It wasn't until the original gardener disappeared and he had someone investigate the steward that an old servant woman in the manor revealed the flower was poisonous.
He had always left the management of the manor's affairs to his Princess Consort.
But to think that poisonous plants would appear in the manor, and that one was planted right under his window...
Xiao Yi thought about how, ever since his health deteriorated and he returned to the manor, he spent almost all twenty-four hours of the day inside his room.
In other words, he had been living with poison this entire time!
At this thought, his hands tightly clenched into fists once again.
He had given Su Xian a chance; he had offered her a divorce paper to set her free.
He also understood that it was hard for a woman to endure years of loneliness in an empty room.
He had already given her a chance!
Since she didn't cherish it, she couldn't blame him for being ruthless!
Once he found the evidence, he would personally...
Another gust of wind blew in from the garden.
Xiao Yi stood up from his wheelchair. As he walked, he pulled a handkerchief from his chest and vigorously wiped his hands.
After wiping them, he casually tossed the handkerchief onto the floor and stepped over it.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang walked back in a fluster, and soon arrived outside Duoduo's courtyard.
She hesitated for a moment, then changed her direction and walked inside.
Lüzhu, who was guarding the door, hurriedly bowed, but the Princess Consort of Pingyang raised her hand to stop her from speaking.
"Has the Princess gone to sleep?" the Princess Consort of Pingyang asked softly.
"To answer Your Highness, the Princess took a bath right after she returned and has already gone to rest," Lüzhu replied in a hushed voice.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang thought for a moment, then pushed the door open and went in.
Hearing the noise, Lüluo, who was keeping watch on the footstool, sat up.
When she saw clearly that it was the Princess Consort of Pingyang, she hastily draped a coat over her shoulders and stood up.
"Your..."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang raised a finger to her lips and waved her hand at Lüluo.
"You may leave. You don't need to keep the night watch tonight."
Lüluo hesitated for a second before dropping to her knees with a thud.
"Your Highness, please forgive this servant for disobeying your orders!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was taken aback. "What?"
Lüluo lowered her head, not daring to meet the Princess Consort of Pingyang's eyes.
"Nanny Li taught me that as the Princess's maid, I only take orders from the Princess alone. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
Lüluo's voice was a bit loud, and Duoduo was awakened.
"Lüluo?" Duoduo called out with her eyes still closed.
Lüluo hurriedly turned around on her knees. "Princess, this servant is here!"
"Why aren't you sleeping? What are you whispering about?" Duoduo rubbed her eyes.
"To answer the Princess, Her Highness has arrived," Lüluo confessed.
Duoduo opened her eyes and saw the Princess Consort of Pingyang standing by the bed, looking helpless.
"Mother, weren't you discussing matters with Father?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded.
"We've finished talking. I want to sleep with you tonight, is that okay?"
Duoduo blinked, and in an instant, her face lit up with joy.
"Of course you can! Mother, come up quickly!"
Duoduo's small body rolled quickly to the inner side of the bed like a little loach, making room.
She patted the bed with her little hand. "Mother, come quick!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang took off her shoes and outer garments and got into bed.
"Lüluo, you don't need to keep watch tonight. You and Lüzhu can go back and rest!"
Duoduo ordered as she happily rolled into the Princess Consort of Pingyang's embrace.
"Yes, Princess."
Lüluo agreed, rolled up her bedding, and quickly left the room.
Holding Duoduo's milky-scented little body, the Princess Consort of Pingyang felt her earlier sense of loss vanish.
Sensing that something was wrong with the Princess Consort of Pingyang, Duoduo looked up at her.
"Mother, are you unhappy?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang looked down and met a pair of bright, burning eyes, shining like obsidian.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang forced a smile and deliberately sighed.
"Alas! I can't even command your maid. Am I a huge failure?"
Duoduo blinked her big eyes, then flashed an obedient smile.
"Mother, that is Lüluo's fault. Please don't be angry."
"Tomorrow, you can beat or punish her however you like."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang teased Duoduo, "Will you be able to bear it?"
Duoduo reached out and hugged the Princess Consort of Pingyang's waist.
"Everything I have was given by Father and Mother. If they can't recognize who the true master is, they deserve to be punished!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang gently patted Duoduo's back, stroke by stroke.
"I was just teasing you! They did the right thing. Tomorrow, not only will I not punish them, but I will also reward them!"
Duoduo looked surprised. "Mother, they say a prime minister's heart is broad enough to pole a boat, but your magnanimity is even greater than a prime minister's!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was amused.
"Are you flattering me just because I didn't punish them?"
Duoduo pressed her face against the Princess Consort of Pingyang's body.
"My mother is the best person in the whole world. I could spend days and nights praising you and still not finish!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was overjoyed. She shifted her position to lie down more comfortably.
"Huh, what is this under the pillow? Why does it feel so lumpy?"
