"Lower the sails!"
Following a series of commands, the ship docked steadily at the pier.
The guards drove the carriages and disembarked.
Ling Yu and Ling Feng, who had been waiting at the pier for a long time, saw Xiao Yi and the others. They knelt on the ground, too excited to speak.
Xiao Yi looked at his subordinates. "Rise. We will talk when we get back."
Ling Yu and Ling Feng lifted the wheelchair onto the carriage. Duoduo and Su Xian also got on.
Li Jin's family boarded the carriage behind them.
Li Jiangyu watched the carriage leave with great reluctance.
Accompanying them on this journey, he had also gained a lot.
Duoduo carefully lifted the carriage curtain and looked out.
On the pier, there were many people carrying heavy sacks, hurrying along in silence.
Foremen holding leather whips scolded those who walked slowly.
There were also peddlers by the roadside, selling all sorts of goods.
The bustling crowds and the mixture of various sounds were unfamiliar and novel to Duoduo.
After traveling for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they finally saw the city gates.
At this moment, the carriage suddenly stopped.
"Yun Xiao, why did we stop?" Xiao Yi asked coldly.
"To answer Your Highness, the convoy ahead belongs to Prince Ling," Ling Yu replied from outside.
Duoduo was stunned, and she couldn't help but look at Xiao Yi.
A cold sneer curled the corners of Xiao Yi's mouth.
What a coincidence!
"Your Highness, Prince Ling is coming over."
As soon as Ling Yu's voice fell, Duoduo heard a somewhat gloomy voice ring out.
"Big Brother, it seems we two brothers truly share a deep affinity! To think we would arrive on the exact same day."
Xiao Yi pushed his wheelchair to the entrance of the carriage. Looking at the person outside, he twitched the corners of his lips.
"Did Second Brother wait here specifically for me?"
Prince Ling looked at Xiao Yi sitting in the wheelchair, a smile appearing on his face.
"Of course. The moment I saw your guards, I knew Big Brother was bound to arrive."
"Therefore, I specifically waited here to go with Big Brother. Big Brother, it's been a long time. Your younger brother has missed you very much!"
Xiao Yi nodded. "Thank you for the sentiment. Is this little girl Commandery Princess Funing?"
"It seems the rumors that Second Brother dotes extremely on Commandery Princess Funing are not false!"
Prince Ling was on horseback, and sitting in front of him was none other than Song Shuyu.
Xiao Yi noticed that Prince Ling's son, riding a horse nearby, had a fleeting look of hatred flash through his eyes.
Hearing Xiao Yi's words, Duoduo, inside the carriage, walked up behind him and sized up Song Shuyu on the horse.
Song Shuyu was dressed in magnificent bright red robes. She wore a golden collar around her neck, golden hairpins on her head, and jade pendants adorned her body. Even the tips of her embroidered shoes were inlaid with pearls the size of thumbs.
At this moment, she was looking down at Duoduo from her high vantage point.
For convenience during the journey, Duoduo had been dressed as a young boy the entire way.
She wore a cyan short tunic, her hair tied in a bun. She had not a single piece of jewelry on her, and her shoes were ordinary cyan cloth shoes with multi-layered soles.
Because Duoduo liked to play at the bow of the ship with Li Jiangyu and the others, her hair was still a bit messy.
Earlier, everyone was so immersed in the joy of arriving in the capital that they forgot to tidy Duoduo up.
However, no one would have thought that they would run into an acquaintance before even entering the city.
Seeing Duoduo, Prince Ling burst into laughter.
"Yes! This is my beloved daughter, Commandery Princess Funing!"
"Funing, this is the Prince of Pingyang, who is also your eldest uncle. Greet him!"
Seeing the disheveled Duoduo, a proud expression appeared on Song Shuyu's face.
Hearing Prince Ling tell her to greet him, Song Shuyu lifted her chin and called out arrogantly.
"Eldest Uncle."
Xiao Yi nodded. "She is a clever one."
He fumbled in his sleeve for a long time and took out a jade pendant of very average quality, handing it to Yun Xiao.
"This is a meeting gift from your eldest uncle. Please do not disdain it."
Yun Xiao offered the jade pendant to Song Shuyu with both hands. Song Shuyu looked disgusted and turned to look at Prince Ling.
Prince Ling took the jade pendant and examined it up and down.
Then, he sized up Xiao Yi and his party.
"You should accept it. This is probably the best thing your eldest uncle can produce!"
Pouting, Song Shuyu took it.
Prince Ling looked at Duoduo and called out to her with interest.
"Big Brother, this must be my niece, right? What is her name? Duoduo? 'Duo' as in 'superfluous'?"
"Hahaha! Big Brother, I didn't get it wrong, did I?"
Xiao Yi pursed his lips. "Duoduo, this is your second uncle. Greet him!"
Duoduo stepped forward and curtsied respectfully.
"Duoduo greets Second Uncle."
Prince Ling laughed aloud again. "Dispense with the formalities. Come, come here. Second Uncle will also give you a meeting gift."
Duoduo looked back at Xiao Yi. Seeing that he didn't object, she walked up to Prince Ling.
Prince Ling casually took a jade pendant from his waist and stuffed it into Duoduo's hands.
"How can a girl not have some jewelry? Here, the quality of this jade pendant is not bad. Take it to keep up appearances, so as not to lose face for our royal family."
Duoduo gripped the jade pendant tightly, desperately wanting to smash it into Prince Ling's face.
Suddenly, she noticed the jealousy in Song Shuyu's eyes.
It seemed this jade pendant was quite valuable!
Duoduo gave Prince Ling a well-behaved smile. "Thank you, Second Uncle!"
Prince Ling was extremely smug. He waved his hand.
"Move our carriages to the side of the road and let the Prince of Pingyang's carriage enter the city first!"
Xiao Yi remained expressionless. "Thank you, Second Brother."
As Xiao Yi spoke, he signaled Duoduo to push the wheelchair back inside.
Duoduo pushed the wheelchair back into the carriage. The curtain fell, cutting off the smug faces of Prince Ling and Song Shuyu.
The carriage soon started moving.
Before long, they entered the city gates and headed towards their residence.
"Father, did I embarrass you just now?" Duoduo felt very guilty.
She hadn't expected to run into Song Shuyu as soon as they arrived in the capital.
If she had known, she would have dressed up grandly too, and definitely wouldn't have lost to Song Shuyu.
The corners of Xiao Yi's lips curled up.
"No, you did very well!"
Xiao Yi took the jade pendant from Duoduo's hand and examined it.
"Keep this safe. It is a good item!"
Duoduo was very puzzled. "Father, I saw that when Song Shuyu looked at this jade pendant just now, her eyes were full of jealousy."
"Is this jade pendant very valuable?"
A smile touched the corners of Xiao Yi's lips. "This jade pendant was a wedding gift bestowed upon Prince Ling by the Emperor. Tell me, is it precious or not?"
Duoduo was very curious. She picked up the jade pendant and looked at it from all angles.
"Father, do you have one too? Why haven't I seen you wear it?"
Xiao Yi nodded. "I also have one. It was carved from the same piece of jade as this one."
"By the way, since Prince Ling said to use it to keep up appearances, wear it when you enter the palace tomorrow."
"If anyone asks, tell them the truth. Remember?"
Duoduo didn't understand.
"Father, this is a man's jade pendant. Would it be inappropriate for a girl to wear it?"
"That's right, Your Highness. I have already prepared Duoduo's clothes. They absolutely won't lose you face!" Su Xian blamed herself.
"There's no need. When entering the palace tomorrow, Duoduo will wear nothing but this jade pendant."
