It was just a betrothal ceremony. For the emperor to show up on such an occasion was already a great honor for the Second Princess.
He was in poor health and would feel exhausted after standing for a while. So Xie Lingyun escorted him back to his palace. On the way, they ran into Xie Yan.
Xie Yan bowed and said, "Greetings to Your Majesty and Elder Sister."
The old emperor nodded coldly and tried to walk past him. It was the Eldest Princess who smiled and nodded at him. "It's been a long time. Second Brother is as charming as ever."
She was about to say more when she heard the emperor call out, a hint of annoyance in his voice, "Yun'er."
Xie Lingyun remained calm. "Father is not feeling well. We're on our way back to the Zichen Palace. Would Second Brother like to come with us?"
The emperor's displeasure was quite obvious. Xie Yan didn't want to invite trouble, so he said with a smile, "Elder Sister is always so considerate. With you accompanying Father, I'd better not go and cause any trouble. I see there's a lively scene up ahead. I'll go and join in the fun."
Xie Lingyun smiled. "That's perfect. The third young master of the Chu family is giving out wedding candies. Second Brother can go and get some good luck. I hope you'll find a beautiful bride soon."
They exchanged just a few pleasantries, but the old emperor's face grew darker and darker.
After Xie Yan left, she quickened her steps and walked back to the old emperor. She pouted and said, "Father is getting more and more childish. Second Brother just came to pay his respects. Father's attitude will hurt his feelings."
The old emperor snorted. "He's very capable. How dare I show him a bad face?"
"Father—" Xie Lingyun drawled, disapprovingly. "There's no overnight feud between father and son. Second Brother used to respect you so much. For the sake of the old days, you should at least give him a smile when you see him. A smile can make one ten years younger. Maybe if Father smiles more, he'll become as young as Second Brother."
Her words always had a touch of playfulness in their seriousness. Even the self - centered old emperor couldn't help but take them to heart. He said helplessly, "You. I don't know what kind of spell he's cast on you to make you speak up for him like this."
Xie Lingyun snorted. "I'm not speaking up for Second Brother. I'm doing it for Father, hoping Father will be happy. Otherwise, I don't care who he is. To me, Father is the most important person in the palace. Everyone else doesn't matter."
The old emperor was pleased by her words. He let out a few hearty laughs and entered his palace.
He loved this daughter the most, not only because she was smart but also because she knew who her real backer was.
He would never want to see her get too close to anyone. Just now, when Xie Yan came to say hello, he couldn't help but feel vigilant.
But Xie Lingyun's few words dispelled his concerns. He knew that Xie Lingyun had never been very close to her younger siblings, and now even less so. He didn't want his daughter to have her own hidden agendas as she grew up.
This was just fine.
After seeing the emperor off, Xie Lingyun returned to the betrothal ceremony site. By now, it was almost over, and the two children had been taken away by the princess's husband.
"Second Brother." Xie Yan was still standing there watching. She walked over and softly called out to him.
When Xie Yan saw it was her, he nodded slightly. "Elder Sister."
He had no ill - will towards this elder sister, but he didn't have a very deep impression of her either. He only vaguely remembered that she was a very smart and gentle person.
Xie Lingyun smiled. "I heard you added some dowry items for Lingqiao?"
Since Xie Lingqiao had asked him to help with her wedding and had also helped him a great deal, he decided to be a good Samaritan. Seeing that the dowry prepared by the queen was a bit inappropriate, he added some things to it.
It wasn't a big deal anyway, just a matter of a single word.
He nodded. "I also heard that Elder Sister gave your mansion to her as the princess's residence?"
Xie Yan couldn't help but click his tongue when he thought about this.
He was really shocked. The queen didn't even bother to pretend anymore. Since Xie Lingqiao wasn't her own daughter, she was too lazy to even do the surface - level things. It was really hard to know what to say.
A hint of melancholy appeared on Xie Lingyun's face. "Yes. Lingqiao is getting married. It wouldn't be good if she didn't have a proper princess's residence. Although the queen has prepared one, that mansion..."
She gave a bitter smile. "I'm even a bit afraid to live in it."
Xie Yan was suddenly stunned. He looked up at her, but saw that her face still had that flawless look of melancholy and gentleness. He frowned slowly in his heart.
What was Xie Lingyun up to? Was she trying to curry favor with him?
That mansion was left by the Song family. The queen probably wanted to give this mansion to Xie Lingqiao with the intention of monitoring her in the future.
Xie Lingqiao's stupidity could sometimes be used as a weapon.
But Xie Lingyun's intervention had completely disrupted the queen's plan. On the surface, she was doing it for the good of both sides. On one hand, the Song mansion was really inauspicious, and it would be embarrassing to use it as a princess's residence. Replacing it would save the face of the emperor and the queen. On the other hand, the emperor would probably be happy about her intervention.
Didn't the emperor know what the queen was up to?
It was just that at that time, he had been in a coma and in poor spirits, and the queen had already made the decision. Moreover, Xie Lingqiao wasn't really a useful person, so he had turned a blind eye and said nothing.
But now, Xie Lingyun had intervened.
She had single - handedly overturned the chessboard. She was currying favor with the emperor, helping Xie Lingqiao, and although she had actually disrupted the queen's plan, she had also saved the queen's reputation on the surface.
It was really admirable that she could achieve three goals with one move.
Xie Yan was silent for a long time before he slowly came back to his senses under Xie Lingyun's gaze.
Xie Lingyun was really smart. He couldn't figure out her thoughts, so he didn't dare to speak casually. He just complimented her with a smile, "Elder Sister is really thoughtful. I really didn't think of this."
Xie Lingyun smiled faintly. "It's already very kind of Second Brother to add some dowry items."
Although they didn't say much and were only talking about Xie Lingqiao's marriage, their conversation seemed to be full of hidden meanings.
Xie Yan found it a bit tricky. She was another person who liked to play guessing games, just like Chen Tingfeng.
Speaking of Chen Tingfeng, Xie Yan suddenly frowned. There had been a lot of excitement in his mansion recently. He had been tied up with palace affairs and hadn't had a chance to go and see.
At this time, the princess's husband walked over. He had a gentle and elegant appearance, and his eyes looking down at Xie Lingyun were full of tenderness. He asked softly, "Are you tired?"
Xie Yan watched as the mysterious Xie Lingyun instantly softened. It was as if she had retracted all her thorns. She smiled and replied, "I just sat there watching. How could I be tired? But you, you accompanied Chu Changhe through the whole process. Are you tired?"
The princess's husband smiled softly. "Maybe it was too lively. I didn't even feel tired. This scene makes me recall our own betrothal ceremony..."
Back then, Xie Lingyun was the most favored daughter of the emperor, and the emperor was still in his prime. He naturally didn't have a good attitude towards the princess's husband, who was about to take his daughter to the south of the Yangtze River. He had made things difficult for him throughout the whole process. Fortunately, the princess's husband was well - educated, and he had managed to complete the betrothal ceremony without making a fool of himself.
The princess's husband whispered a few words to Xie Lingyun and then looked up with a smile and greeted Xie Yan. "Greetings to the Second Prince."
Xie Yan played with his fan and joked, "Brother - in - law is being too formal. In front of Elder Sister, just call me Second Brother."
The princess's husband smiled softly, then looked down at Xie Lingyun. Seeing that she didn't object, he kindly called out, "Second Brother."