The Liu family was merely a humble household, and Madam Liu, having grown up in a different region, found their daughter-selling act met with disdain from the people of the capital.
Madam Liu was aware of this, which made her all the more eager to establish herself within the Li family and assert her authority in the Marquis’s estate. Unfortunately for her, her life began as a widow the moment she was brought to the bridal chamber. She remained ignorant of the imperial decree issued the previous day, and thus of Li Man’er’s conferral as Princess Anning and her betrothal.
She merely felt that since she had married into the household, she was the mistress of the Marquis’s estate and the mother of Li Shu’s children. The lack of anyone paying her homage made Madam Liu feel slighted and neglected, prompting her to send her maidservant to summon Li Man’er.
Lüyi and Ziyan possessed contrasting personalities. Lüyi was rather spirited and dealing with a maidservant like Yuhe was as easy as drinking water for her.
“Are you blind or deaf? Yesterday, an imperial decree was issued, elevating our young lady to Princess Anning. The Empress Dowager also issued an imperial edict to betroth the Princess, and she will soon marry the Ninth Prince as his consort. Your young lady has just arrived, and her bottom is barely warm on the seat, yet she dares to boss around our Princess? When the Liu family sold her, didn’t they tell her she was here to ward off misfortune? Did she think she was here to be a mistress?”
“Furthermore, our Princess is going to the palace to offer thanks today. When would she have time to see some random cat or dog?”
Yuhe was both ashamed and furious upon hearing this, yet she dared not utter another word. She wished to leave but did not dare to.
She had initially thought that her young lady marrying into the Iron Gallant Marquis’s estate was a stroke of good fortune, never imagining that in the eyes of the Li family, she was merely a pawn to ward off misfortune.
Li Man’er said, “I dislike wasting words. Given that you are a new maidservant and ignorant of the rules, I will not dwell on this. Remember, this Qingping Courtyard is not a place you can enter and leave as you please.”
Her objective was to sow discord within the Li family. Now that she was a Princess, what was there to fear?
As it was nearly time, Li Man’er entered her chambers. After bathing and changing, she donned her court attire.
Just as she finished changing, a maidservant reported, “Your Highness, the Ninth Prince has arrived. His entourage and carriages are all prepared.”
Li Man’er had not expected Qi Yihan to come.
Since his return from Mobei, Qi Yihan had been exceptionally busy, primarily because the esteemed General Xiao was nearing his end. All matters concerning the Xiao family required meticulous reporting and verification, and the punishments for the Xiao family had to be meticulously implemented.
These matters required his full attention, and Li Man’er hadn’t anticipated his arrival today.
As Princess Anning, Li Man’er no longer needed to use the side gate when leaving. With her full ceremonial escort and court attire, the Marquis’s estate naturally opened its main gate.
Upon entering the carriage, Li Man’er saw Qi Yihan. After only a few days apart, he seemed to have lost more weight, his expression weary, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright.
“Why have you come?”
“To accompany you to the palace to offer thanks.” Qi Yihan held Li Man’er’s hand, not letting go for a moment. “Why did you send Ah Si to the Ning family?”
Li Man’er replied, “She was an old servant of my mother. I wanted to entrust her to the Ning family for disposal, so I sent Ah Si to deliver a letter.”
“Your fiefdom and Princess’s manor have already been selected. The Ministry of Rites is currently making arrangements. You will be able to move in on a chosen date.”
“There’s a Princess’s manor too?” She didn’t understand these matters and had never heard of it before.
Qi Yihan said casually, “It also depends on the rank. My imperial brother is not a foolish man. He resolved the major issue of the barbarians breaching the pass without bloodshed. If he didn’t grant you a Princess’s manor, I would have directly demanded one from him.”
Li Man’er found this astonishing. Hearing Qi Yihan say this, it seemed his relationship with the Emperor wasn’t as strained as she thought. But weren’t the brothers at odds with each other?
“What are you thinking about?”
“Oh, nothing…” As she spoke, something was suddenly pressed into her hand. Li Man’er looked down and saw a small slip of paper.
Since they were in the carriage, what couldn’t be said? Why was Qi Yihan being so cautious? Did it mean that the people around them couldn’t be trusted?
She opened the note and saw only four characters: “Be wary of the Empress Dowager.”
Be wary of the Empress Dowager?
Li Man’er was greatly surprised. She calmly glanced at Qi Yihan and threw the note into the charcoal brazier in the carriage.
She was told to be wary of the Empress Dowager, but not why, and he was passing her a note so furtively. Who was he trying to guard against?
Li Man’er had no time to ponder further, as the carriage stopped at the palace gate.
This time, they went to the Empress Dowager’s palace together.
“Aren’t we going to see the Emperor?”
“At this hour, the Emperor should be with the Empress Dowager.”
Li Man’er was thoughtful. They soon arrived at the Empress Dowager’s residence. Without needing to announce themselves, they were directly led to the side hall by a palace attendant.
As expected, Emperor Chenghua was also present.
The two immediately performed the kowtow ritual, paying their respects to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
“How does this Empress Dowager find the Princess Anning more beautiful and charming with each passing day?” The Empress Dowager was as kind as ever.
Though Li Man’er was filled with doubt, she showed no outward signs of it, maintaining her graceful demeanor. “The Empress Dowager is always so complimentary, it makes me quite embarrassed.”
Emperor Chenghua said nothing to her, only remarking to the Ninth Prince, “Ninth Brother has a good temperament, having the leisure to accompany Anning instead of helping me with state affairs.”
Li Man’er widened her eyes, listening as if she had discovered something incredibly interesting.
The Empress Dowager, however, said, “If you wish to discuss state affairs and politics, go to the front court. Here with me, let us speak of family matters.”
“Mother Empress is correct. Imperial Brother, I will discuss politics with you later.”
The Empress Dowager simply said, “Very well, you two go about your business. Anning, stay behind to chat with this Empress Dowager.”
Emperor Chenghua rose, and Qi Yihan also stood.
“Your humble son takes his leave.”
“I will visit Mother Empress again later.”
“Go, go!”
After the two had departed, the Empress Dowager said with a sigh, “As a ruler, one must have the nation at heart. Even a moment of leisure is hard-won.”
Li Man’er remained silent, as she was brainless and didn’t understand such matters.
“Anning, did you have any interesting experiences during your trip to Mobei? This Empress Dowager has never seen the borderlands in her life and is quite curious.”
Interesting? Curious?
Li Man’er suddenly understood.
“Empress Dowager, Mobei is a place with much sand and harsh cold. It’s not fun at all,” Li Man’er said. “There are vast deserts, only sand and grasslands, and wolves. Packs of wolves, their eyes glowing like lanterns at night. It’s not fun.”
The Empress Dowager’s eyelids twitched. “But this Empress Dowager heard from the Emperor that you and Little Jiu ventured into the mountains, even deep into the mountains. Isn’t that dangerous?”
So that was it.
Li Man’er replied, “What’s so good about the mountains? They are full of dangers, poisonous miasma, and many unknown venomous creatures. We searched for more than ten days without finding our way, and it was fortunate we brought enough medicine. Otherwise, who knows if we would have returned!”