Free Web NovelChapter 466: Helian Chen Comes to Bid Farewell
Madam Zhan couldn’t help but laugh, tapping the girl on the head. "You, silly girl. If you were a boy, you would definitely be a heartbreaker."
"No, that’s called wading through a sea of flowers without letting a single petal stick."
Ye Qianning’s flowery words sent everyone into another round of boisterous laughter.
"We haven’t seen her in two days, and our Pangtuan has become quite the scholar."
"That’s the truth. She’s so eloquent! If women could take the imperial exams, our General’s Manor would surely produce the top scholar."
Madam Zhan laughed softly in fond exasperation. "Such a silver tongue."
"Hehe." Ye Qianning grinned, revealing a row of small, white teeth.
"Pangtuan is being so thoughtful. You should all stop refusing and just accept them," Madam Zhan said with a smile.
The aunts looked at one another, and in the end, they no longer refused.
The jewelry gifted by the Emperor was made of the finest materials; they had never seen anything so magnificent.
’The little girl is so generous to us. From now on, we must protect our family’s little Pangtuan with all we have.’
Xi Fengying sat motionless on a chair at the back of the room. Her gaze fell upon one of the items gifted by the Emperor. She had also heard that the Beili Emperor had issued an imperial edict praising Ye Qianning.
’This little girl is really something else. To earn so many rewards just for delivering a letter... Truly incredible.’
"Why hasn’t Xi Yan sent word yet?" she couldn’t help but interrupt the group of celebrating women.
At the sound of her voice, the aunts all turned to glare at Xi Fengying. ’What a killjoy,’ they thought. ’We were having a moment here.’
Madam Zhan also turned around, her expression tinged with displeasure.
Ever since Xi Fengying had moved in, she had been on pins and needles every day. With so many people out searching, she didn’t dare let the woman leave her sight.
Although they had spent half a month together and occasionally made small talk, she could never bring herself to like this person.
More than anything, she was afraid Xi Fengying would bring disaster upon the General’s Manor.
When Xi Fengying saw everyone staring at her, a flicker of awkwardness crossed her face. "I just want to know when I can leave the city."
"If you’re so capable, just go out now. No one’s going to care."
"The main gate is right there. No one’s stopping you."
"It’s your problem, why are you asking us?"
"Does our Pangtuan owe you something?"
Ye Qianning remained silent, but the aunts were already furious. Their family had taken a huge risk for her for half a month, yet here she was, acting all high and mighty and making snide remarks.
"You don’t have to be so hostile toward me. We made a deal, remember?" Xi Fengying said, exasperated.
"The deal was only to keep you safe for a while. Now that there are fewer soldiers in the city and the gates have reopened, our transaction can be considered complete. You don’t need to stay in the General’s Manor anymore," said Madam Zhan, who knew about the IOU.
The aunts nodded in agreement.
Xi Fengying’s head was starting to ache. It was not a pleasant feeling to be on the receiving end of so much hostility from a group of women for so many days.
If the General’s Manor weren’t the safest place for her, she would have left long ago.
"Miss Xiang, can we speak privately?" Come to think of it, she had only seen Ye Qianning two or three times over the last half-month.
’The aunts were always watching her, usually in groups of three to five. They ate with her and even slept in the same room. She’d had no chance to get a handle on the little girl at all.’
’And the girl had those two Hidden Guards, Ying Ge and Ying Yuan, by her side. She didn’t dare use her Illusion Technique. These past two weeks have been utterly suffocating!’
"There’s nothing to talk about," Ye Qianning said coldly. "If you want to leave, be my guest. If you want to stay, then be patient. If Xi Yan had a way to get you out of the city, he would have sent someone long ago."
"But..."
"Xi Yan’s official request to depart has been held up. He can’t leave for the time being, so do you really think he has a way to get you out of the city?" Ye Qianning cut her off.
Xi Fengying was stunned. Minister Qian had been right.
’So the Beili Emperor really is using the princess’s marriage to detain the Crown Prince of Xi Yan. But why on earth did Xi Yan agree to this engagement in the first place?’
’Back in the palace, Xi Yun was often around her. Even as a child, she had an incredibly stubborn personality.’
’If she hadn’t personally agreed to this marriage, not even her own imperial brother could have done anything about it.’
’However, judging from Minister Qian’s attitude, the Crown Prince doesn’t seem to like that girl, Xi Yun.’
"I want to see the Crown Prince of Xi Yan," Xi Fengying said.
Madam Zhan’s face paled at her words. "What do you think this place is? If you want to get yourself killed, no one is stopping you. But if you try to drag my child down with you, I will never forgive you."
Peony’s brow furrowed instantly. ’I’ve never met someone so shameless. Does she not understand the situation she’s in?’
’The risk of trying to see the Crown Prince of Xi Yan would be enormous.’
The other aunts also understood the implications and glared at Xi Fengying with open hostility.
Xi Fengying belatedly realized how outrageous her request had been and lowered her gaze.
Ye Qianning sneered. ’Impatience really makes a person lose all sense of proportion.’ "You were locked up for so many years without going mad. You’ve only been out for half a month, and you’re already this impatient?"
"I’m just uneasy because I can’t get any news," Xi Fengying said, looking up. "If something were to happen to the Crown Prince in Beili, how could I possibly face the Xi Yan Imperial Family, even if I did make it back?"
"You should be glad you haven’t received any news." At a time like this, no one would risk passing along information.
Xi Fengying looked at her. "The General’s Manor is perfectly aware of the situation outside."
’This little girl clearly knows a lot, but she refuses to reveal a single thing to me.’
Ye Qianning laughed. "Is the General’s Manor just a tool for you to gather intelligence?"
’She really thinks too highly of herself. The intelligence of our General’s Manor isn’t something she can just demand at her leisure.’
Xi Fengying knew she was being mocked but didn’t seem to mind. "How much? Name your price."
"Are you trying to make me an empty promise?"
"What?"
"Pay off your previous IOU first. Then we can talk about other matters."
"I am the grand Eldest Princess of Xi Yan. Do you really think I would renege on a debt to you?"
"Life is unpredictable. Even if you get out of the Capital City, there’s no guarantee you’ll make it back to Xi Yan alive. Taking two gambles on something so uncertain is more than enough."
Xi Fengying was choked speechless.
"No matter your status, you have to read the room. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter if you’re a princess or an emperor. When you’re on someone else’s turf, you’d best lie low," Ye Qianning said, her soft, sweet voice delivering the harsh reality of the situation.
Madam Zhan was immensely relieved. Her greatest fear was that Ye Qianning would take risks for this woman. Hiding Xi Fengying was already the absolute limit of what she could endure.
’And now she wants someone to pass messages for her? Utterly delusional.’
Xi Fengying was shocked by her words—not out of anger, but because she realized the girl seemed to have absolutely no reverence for imperial authority.
Whether she spoke of Xi Yan or Beili, there was no change in her tone. It was as if she were mentioning nothing more than an ordinary person.
’In nations ruled by monarchs, she doesn’t even fear the Imperial Family. Who, then, could she possibly hold in awe?’
"Eldest Miss, the young Prince of Nanyuan is outside the courtyard requesting an audience," a maidservant reported as she entered.
"Understood."
Ye Qianning replied, casting a brief glance at the pensive Xi Fengying before her gaze landed on Sixth Aunt. "Helian Chen is here to fetch the zither from you."
"The zither is ready. I’ll go get it now," Huaihua said, stepping forward.
"I’ll go with you."
Huaihua nodded and led Ye Qianning out the door.
The moment Ye Qianning left, everyone in the room turned to glare at Xi Fengying.
Peony, Xinghua, and a few others walked over to sit down right next to her. The other aunts also found seats nearby.
"Madam Zhan, please sit on the couch. You can take a short rest if you feel tired," Sansan said, having prepared the couch and gesturing for Madam Zhan to come over.
