"Where did County Princess Linghui go?" As the weather grew colder after the onset of winter, she wouldn't have left the palace at all if it weren't for her desire to see Brother Liuyun. The Song family had no relatives in the capital, so it was surprising that Song Jinzhao was not at home in such weather.
Standing respectfully five steps away from Princess Yongjia, Song Shixue replied, "My eldest sister wants to buy a few shops in the capital. She made an appointment with the manager of the brokerage to look at properties this afternoon and left at the hour of Wei."
Xiao Yongjia frowned in confusion, her slender willow-leaf eyebrows knitting together. "Is a County Princess's stipend not enough for County Princess Linghui to spend? I remember my Imperial Father also rewarded her with a thousand acres of fertile land. The annual rent is quite a substantial amount, so why does she still need to buy shops and engage in commerce?"
She had heard that Song Jinzhao used to set up street stalls and even opened a shop to do business in Anyang Prefecture. But now that she held the noble title of County Princess, doing such things would inevitably invite criticism and mockery.
Song Shixue kept her eyes lowered submissively and said, "Our family has been farming for three generations and truly doesn't have much wealth. His Majesty bestowed this County Princess estate upon us with great grace, and now there are over forty servants just for cleaning and serving. The capital is not like our hometown; if my sister doesn't make money, things will inevitably become tight over time."
She couldn't possibly tell her that they couldn't even collect ten percent of the rent from the thousand acres of fertile land rewarded by the Emperor.
Besides, they didn't think commerce was lowly. Farming could never bring in money as quickly as doing business. None of the shops her sister opened ever failed to make a profit. Of course she had to open them; no one would ever complain about having too much money.
Xiao Yongjia didn't know Song Shixue's true thoughts. Hearing her helpless and resigned tone, and thinking about how they had lost their parents at a young age and relied solely on a teenage Song Jinzhao to support the household, she couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.
She offered comforting words: "Once your brother passes the imperial examination and becomes a Jinshi in the future, you won't have to worry anymore. Having two people to support the family is always better than your sister doing it alone."
The shops being viewed that afternoon were scattered all over the inner city, so the people Lan Xi sent out couldn't find Song Jinzhao right away.
After waiting for a short while, Xiao Yongjia stood up to leave. "Since County Princess Linghui is not at home, I will come back another day."
She had originally used the excuse of seeing Song Jinzhao as a cover to visit the Duke Zhenguo's estate.
Now that the person wasn't home and she had sat for a while, it was the perfect time to leave and come back in a couple of days.
Song Shixue was momentarily stunned. Leaving already? Wasn't she here to look for her sister? It hadn't even been the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Despite her doubts, she still escorted the guest out of the estate gates.
Watching the carriage gradually move away, Lan Xi asked, "Second Miss, should we still have the County Princess come back?"
Song Shixue looked up at the slightly gloomy sky. It had been getting colder these past few days; it looked like it was going to snow.
"No need. Go call our people back."
After leaving the County Princess's estate, the carriage headed straight for the Duke Zhenguo's estate in the eastern part of the inner city. Seeing that the driver and the attendants walking alongside were all from the palace, the guards standing at the door hurriedly sent someone inside to report.
"Greetings to Princess Yongjia." A crowd of people knelt down at the entrance.
The wife of Duke Zhenguo came out to welcome her, accompanied by maids and older servant women. "This subject's wife pays her respects—"
Just as her knees were about to bend, Xiao Yongjia caught her arms. "Madam Duke Zhenguo, there's no need for such formalities. I just came from the County Princess's estate, but unfortunately, Song Jinzhao wasn't home. I remembered hearing my Imperial Mother say yesterday that the Old Madam had caught a slight chill and summoned an imperial physician, so I decided to drop by and check on her."
The smile that spread across Madam Duke Zhenguo's face was as steady as calm waters. "The imperial physician came yesterday, and my mother's illness has improved greatly. She will be absolutely delighted to know you've come."
Xiao Yongjia smiled while her gaze swept past the madam's shoulder. Not seeing Chu Liuyun anywhere, she felt a bit disappointed.
"Auntie, are neither Duke Zhenguo nor Duke of Qing at home?"
Madam Duke Zhenguo replied, "The weather is getting colder, and it looks like it will snow in a few days. The father and son went to the military camp this morning. Prince Ying went as well."
Thinking of what happened at the birthday banquet, Xiao Yongjia nodded in silence.
It was best that Duke Zhenguo could go. With him there, her Second Imperial Brother wouldn't be able to give Brother Liuyun a hard time.
In the western suburban military camp, fifty kilometers outside the city, Prince Ying's backside was completely numb after being jolted in a carriage for hours. The biting cold wind scraped against his face like blades.
"Duke Zhenguo, a trivial matter like distributing winter clothes can be left to others. Do we really need to keep watching over it?"
The cold wind howled outside the city, making it much colder than inside the capital. Xiao Rongyan wanted to go into a tent to warm up.
Standing nearby, Chu Liuyun said, "Your Highness might not know, but this is the final distribution of winter clothes before winter fully sets in. Once it's finished, we must adjust the defense deployments. The weather is poor, so it must be completed before the snow falls."
Xiao Rongyan took a deep breath. Even though he was wearing a heavy cotton coat under his armor, he couldn't help but shiver several times in a row.
Duke Zhenguo swept a dissatisfied glance over his trembling legs. With such delicacy, could he really be trained into the commander-in-chief of the three armies?
The Emperor was simply blind.
By the time the supplies were distributed, it was already getting dark. Hearing that they had to spend the night at the military camp, Xiao Rongyan's face darkened, and he nearly ground his back teeth to dust.
He walked into the tent Chu Liuyun had arranged for him. It was almost the same size as the commander's tent, yet Xiao Rongyan still found it too crude and unworthy of his noble status as a prince.
He demanded coldly, "Change the quilt cover to silk. I am not accustomed to sleeping on such coarse cotton."
