The Royal’s Little Lady

Chapter 93

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Xiao Heng was wearing a violet robe today, with the pearl white pouch embroidered by Gu Sui’er hanging at his waist. Donning the fine clothes, his handsome and gallant profile looked even more dignified and refined.

His expression was cold as usual, as if he was standing all alone on a high mountain, without getting affected by the worldly distractions.

Such an indifferent man was now standing before the red Palace wall, holding a chubby little baby in his arms.

The baby was wearing a golden silk outfit. On his head was a little red knitted tiger hat. He had bright black eyes and a tiny red mouth.

The baby tilted his head a little and stared at the third Prince with his large pearl-like eyes full of curiosity.

Because he was too focused on this task, drool dripped from his little mouth.

The cool and aloof man like a secluded bamboo, and the soft and fair little child created a striking yet harmonious contrast.

When Gu Sui’er saw Xiao Heng and her family’s Ah Chen, she instantly felt relieved and couldn’t help but smile: “Your Highness, you finally came.”

Xiao Heng nodded at Gu Sui’er and then walked towards the third Prince while holding little Ah Chen.

“Third imperial brother.” He said calmly in a light tone.

These words startled the third Prince. He choked, causing him to cough a few times.

“Heard that third imperial brother’s serious illness has left you weak. You should not have come out, you might fall ill again.” His voice was cold, as if he hated the thought of the third Prince getting sick once more.

The third Prince coughed for a while and looked at the baby in Xiao Heng’s arms.

“This… Is this the child born back then?” He couldn’t help but stare at little Ah Chen with envy. None of his own children were as adorable as this little one.

“Ah Chen, say ‘third imperial Uncle’.” Xiao Heng looked down, grabbed Ah Chen’s little hand, and gently instructed.

But of course, Ah Chen couldn’t speak yet. So he smacked his lips and turned his face away.

The third Prince suddenly felt dejected. Did this child not like him? From his expression, he seemed quite disdainful of himself.

“Don’t force him… he’s still young. He doesn’t know how to speak.” The third Prince said but immediately felt awkward about his own words.

“That’s right, he indeed doesn’t know how to speak.” Xiao Heng said calmly, then he called out to Gu Sui’er.

Gu Sui’er quickly stepped forward: “Your Highness.”

Xiao Heng instructed her: “This is my third imperial brother. From now on, you should also address him as such.”

She paused for a moment to comprehend the situation and quickly said respectfully: “Sui’er greets third imperial brother.”

The third Prince’s face turned green upon hearing her words.

He understood it now. Xiao Heng was doing it on purpose. He deliberately let Gu Sui’er call him third imperial brother. That way, she would be his younger brother’s woman while he would become her elder brother-in-law.

It was acceptable for an elder sister-in-law to joke around with her younger brother-in-law. But in the case of an elder brother-in-law and a younger sister-in-law, it was strictly taboo.

Upon seeing Gu Sui’er, if he had approached her and chatted, that would have been a violation of etiquette and very improper.

“Y-you may dispense with the curtseying…” The third Prince replied faintly in a weak voice.

The chill of despair gripped his heart.

He was completely disheartened.

Stepping out of the Palace, Xiao Heng accompanied Gu Sui’er into the carriage. Little Ah Chen, on the other hand, was carried to another carriage by Guizhi.

When she left with the child in her arms, Gu Sui’er felt a bit uneasy.

Normally, little Ah Chen would have been with her. But now that he had to leave with the maid, the meaning couldn’t be any clearer.

Because this kind of thing usually happened when two people wished to be intimate.

Gu Sui’er was somewhat unwilling. She shot a glance at Xiao Heng, expressing her protest.

But in Xiao Heng’s eyes, even that glance seemed delicate and charming.

Once they finally entered the carriage, Gu Sui’er leaned against the window and looked outside. The carriage had two layers of curtains, one made of thin gauze and the other was padded thickly with cotton. Presently, the thin gauze curtain was down, allowing her to see the street outside. However, it was difficult to see inside from the outside.

She looked curiously at the vendors, the pedestrians and the numerous shops lining the roadside, recalling the time when she first stepped into Yanjing City.

It had only been a short year, but she felt like she had been living here for half her lifetime already.

“What are you thinking about?” The man sitting beside her asked suddenly.

“It’s nothing… I just remembered the first time I came here.” Gu Sui’er responded.

Xiao Heng fell silent for a moment, then reached out to Gu Sui’er.

Gu Sui’er looked at his large hand a bit reluctantly, wanting to turn her face away and pretend looking outside.

However, Xiao Heng obviously didn’t want her to do so. He directly placed his hand on her waist and lifted her gently.

He brought her into his embrace.

She instinctively raised her hand and gripped his arm.

He looked tall and slender. His arms also didn’t seem particularly muscular but when she grabbed him, it was nothing but firm and solid.

Holding the woman in his arms, Xiao Heng looked at her blushing face which glowed like jade.

“When you see the third Prince later, don’t be polite. Just tell him to roll as far as possible.” Xiao Heng said in a rare crude tone.

Gu Sui’er couldn’t help but look at him in surprise.

She never knew he could speak like this.

Xiao Heng sensed it and raised his hand, pinching her cheek with his cool fingers and whispering: “I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

Gu Sui’er was dumbfounded.

After a long time, she wrapped her arms around his waist and said: “He didn’t mean anything. He just happened to see me and muttered a few things. I’ll avoid him from now on, alright?”

“Alright.” Xiao Heng answered righteously.

Gu Sui’er wanted to laugh, but she didn’t dare, so she could only bury herself further into his embrace.

There was a refreshing fragrance on him; she couldn’t describe what it was, but it was very comfortable.

Xiao Heng gently stroked her hair. It was just how he liked it- soft, smooth, and shiny. He took off her phoenix hairpin and placed it aside.

“These are too cumbersome.” He actually didn’t like too much jewelry on her.

“En, I’ll wear less of these in the future.” Gu Sui’er replied, her voice sounding quite compliant.

“The hairpin you wore that day was actually quite nice.” He remembered it was made of white jade with delicately carved small white flowers, giving off a rosy hue. It complemented her quite well.

“Then I’ll wear that one.” She pursed her lips and smiled. She hadn’t expected him to pay attention to these things.

“What about the new maids who were brought to the residence? Are they useful yet?” Xiao Heng suddenly asked.

“They’re alright… They seem to be more obedient and organized than the ones brought from the Marquis residence. It seems they have been trained well.” Gu Sui’er replied.

“En, take your time. I looked for a steward to assist you in managing the matters of the residence.” Xiao Heng’s fingers grabbed a strand of her hair, and gently twirled it. “That person has a slight disability in his legs, but it doesn’t hinder his daily movements. He has been loyal to me after I saved his life in the past.”

“I trust Your Highness’ judgment. If you think he’s good, bring him in. I’m not very good at managing the affairs of the residence, so having someone to help is naturally a good thing.” She naturally hoped for someone to lend her a hand.

“We will have to invite the Old Madam and the others to the residence in a few days. A good deal of preparation needs to be done to entertain the guests without any mishaps.”

“Yes, I know this. I’ll start preparing as soon as we return.” Gu Sui’er suddenly remembered something. “I got to know a few Madams in the Palace today. They were all very nice and kind. Should we invite them later?”

Xiao Heng asked: “Which families are they from?”

Gu Sui’er counted with her fingers: “There’s the Madam from Marquis Jinan’s family, the Second Young Madam from Marquis Taiping’s family and Old Madam Han from the Zhenguo ducal family. There’s also the Madam from Minister Yu’s family…”

Gu Sui’er had a good memory. She slowly listed all the people she had met today.

Xiao Heng nodded: “Okay, invite them all.”

He wasn’t someone who liked socializing too much, but the only women Gu Sui’er knew in the capital were from Marquis Ruiding’s family. So she had to slowly get to know more people, learn how to interact with them, and form her own circle of friends.

The two of them continued talking as they made their way home, and by the time they arrived at the residence, they had discussed everything regarding the household.

Gu Sui’er enjoyed these moments quite a lot. It reminded her of the time she was young and lying on the kang, listening to her parents discussing the family’s grain and wheat harvest, as well as how to spend and save money.

Every household had its own worries, be it a peasant’s or a noble’s. Even in the imperial family, everything had to be carefully planned and discussed.

She liked discussing these little matters with him at leisure. They talked about one thing and then another, and the time passed like this as the carriage moved forward.

Soon, they arrived at the princely residence and got off the carriage.

Xiao Heng held Gu Sui’er’s hand as they entered the residence.

Reaching the second gate, they were supposed to ride the sedan chair, but Xiao Heng interrupted: “Come with me, we’ll go back later.”

Gu Sui’er was confused: “Where are we going?”

Without any explanation, he led her along the nearby stone path, passing through a grove and by the lake, until they arrived at a certain place.

They found themselves surrounded by trees on all sides, with a large open space in the middle covered in green grass and small flowers. There were also several hitching posts nearby.

The air was filled with the fresh fragrance of flowers and grass, as well as the smell of horse dung.

“This is…?”

Just as she asked, she heard a neigh.

A horse?

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