Early in the morning, General Qi received a letter from his subordinate on the border. He was sitting upright in his study, carefully choosing his words to write a reply. Just then, a servant came to report, "General, Her Royal Highness the Fifth Princess has come and is waiting at the gate."
General Qi was taken aback. After a moment of thought, he asked in a deep voice, "Which Fifth Princess?"
The servant replied respectfully, "It is said that she is a princess who was once living in the common people. She was just recognized by His Majesty today."
General Qi hesitated and asked, "What does the newly - recognized princess want in my General Qi's Mansion?"
The servant wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "The Fifth Princess claims that she received kindness from our General's Mansion when she was living among the common people. She has come to express her gratitude and bid farewell."
General Qi had been away from the capital for many years and knew nothing about the family's trivial matters. He thought that Second Master Qi should be aware of these things, so he waved his hand at the servant and said, "Go and inform the second in - charge. I'll come right away."
"Yes!"
So, General Qi and Second Master Qi quickly went to the gate to welcome the Fifth Princess.
The Fifth Princess, who was waiting at the gate, was exquisitely dressed. The style of her court dress was solemn and noble, and with her delicate makeup, she was so beautiful that one couldn't take their eyes off her. Behind her were a group of waiting maids and guards, and there was also a eunuch standing beside her.
General Qi took a closer look. Wasn't this Eunuch Cao, who served by the Emperor's side? Eunuch Cao had always been a favorite of the Emperor. Many people in the court wanted to curry favor with him, but he had politely declined them all. But now he was actually following the Fifth Princess to the General's Mansion?
It seemed that the Emperor must dote on this Fifth Princess extremely.
General Qi didn't dare to be negligent. He quickly led Second Master Qi forward, bowed, and said, "Your Royal Highness the Fifth Princess has honored us with your presence. We failed to welcome you from afar. We hope Your Highness will forgive us."
Wei Dongling quickly stepped forward to support them and bowed properly, saying, "It was this princess who came abruptly and disturbed General Qi. I hope the general will forgive me."
General Qi saw that she had a dignified bearing, a clear and melodious voice, and her face did bear a faint resemblance to the current Emperor. He couldn't help but feel a favorable impression. Just as he was about to invite her in for tea, he saw Second Master Qi standing there blankly, calling out in a daze, "Dongling?"
Immediately, a maid spoke out to stop him, "You must not be disrespectful to the princess! This is Her Royal Highness the Fifth Princess, Murong Wanlin, of our dynasty."
Wei Dongling waved her hand to stop the maid and said, "It's all right. This is this princess's cousin - uncle from her days among the common people. You must not be rude to your elders."
"Yes."
Eunuch Cao saw this and just smiled faintly without saying a word to stop them.
Second Master Qi was extremely shocked. He had only regarded Wei Dongling as the daughter of an old acquaintance. He never thought that her real identity would be the Fifth Princess of the current dynasty. Second Master Qi stood there stunned for a long time without saying a word. He didn't even notice General Qi's light cough as a reminder.
Wei Dongling quickly stepped forward to support him, nodded, and said with a smile, "If it weren't for cousin - uncle's kindness in taking me in, taking care of me, and teaching me so carefully, how could Dongling be what she is today? This princess has come today specifically to bid farewell to General Qi and cousin - uncle!"
Hearing this, Second Master Qi's eyes turned red. Even though Dongling had such good fortune today, she still remembered to come and see him. This made him both happy and sad. The sad thing was that now that she was a high - ranking princess, it might be difficult to see her again in the future.
General Qi noticed Second Master Qi's gaffe and quickly bowed forward to invite Wei Dongling and Eunuch Cao in for tea.
After they sat in the main hall and exchanged pleasantries for a while, Wei Dongling got straight to the point. She bowed to General Qi and said, "General, to be honest, this princess has always been bothered by something. When I was in the General's Mansion before, someone sneaked into the mansion and poisoned the food. At that time, a maid drank the poisoned thing, which saved this princess's life. Therefore, this princess has always remembered her kindness."
General Qi's face darkened. He turned to look at Second Master Qi and asked, "Is there really such a thing?" There was a faint hint of blame in General Qi's eyes. If something had happened to this princess in the General's Mansion before, she might have come today to blame the mansion for not protecting her well.
Second Master Qi said in embarrassment, "It's true." Not only that, but her room had also been set on fire. Fortunately, Dongling was blessed!
Wei Dongling smiled to smooth things over and said, "Everyone in the world knows that General Qi is loyal and patriotic and has no time to take care of family matters. But don't worry, the General's Mansion has very strict defenses. That time was just a rare oversight. In fact, it's not a big deal."
Hearing her praise, General Qi nodded and said with a smile, "What the Fifth Princess said is very true! Who is this maid you mentioned?"
Second Master Qi quickly bowed and said, "The maid who tasted the poison for the Fifth Princess that day was Luokou, a maid in the eldest miss's courtyard." Second Master Qi deliberately said it was "tasting the poison" to make it sound more decent. Anyway, Dongling wouldn't care about such details.
General Qi ordered the servant, "Go and call Luokou to come and pay respects to the Fifth Princess."
The servant took the order and left.
Half a cup of tea later, someone came. It wasn't Luokou, but Qi Jinxuan and Hongxiu.
Qi Jinxuan heard that the Fifth Princess had come and specifically asked to see Luokou. She was originally very puzzled. Then she heard from the servant that the princess was the former Steward Wei. Qi Jinxuan was greatly shocked and couldn't believe it, so she came here in person to take a look.
Qi Jinxuan was exquisitely dressed. Supported by Hongxiu, she held her head high and stepped into the main hall. When she saw Wei Dongling sitting in the main seat drinking tea at a glance, she was so shocked that she almost collapsed. Fortunately, Hongxiu held her up.
It was really Wei Dongling! She was exquisitely dressed and had a proper makeup. Sitting there upright, she really added luster to the place and was so beautiful that one couldn't take their eyes off her. Her bearing and dignity were even more noble and dignified than her, the eldest young lady of the mansion.
Why was Wei Dongling still alive? Wasn't she taken back to the Crown Prince's Mansion by the Crown Prince's people?
Hongxiu was also stunned. It had only been a few days, and Steward Wei was not only alive but had also turned into a precious princess. It was simply unbelievable!
The faces of this mistress - servant pair turned darker and darker. They stared at Wei Dongling without saying a word.
A maid scolded, "How dare you! How could you look at the royal princess like this? Hurry up and bow to pay respects to the Fifth Princess!"
Qi Jinxuan's face turned deathly pale.
General Qi thought his daughter was just being unruly. He waved his hand and said to her with a smile, "Jinxuan, I've long heard you talk about this close female friend. I didn't expect her to be Her Royal Highness the Fifth Princess now! It's really wonderful that you two have such a fateful encounter. It really makes your father very happy! However, there are differences between the monarch and the subject after all, and the necessary etiquette is indispensable."
A flash of hatred flashed in Qi Jinxuan's eyes. Her face flushed red, and then she led Hongxiu to bow her head and said, "This subject's daughter pays respects to Her Royal Highness the Fifth Princess."
Wei Dongling watched them bow silently. Qi Jinxuan's increasingly plump figure secretly surprised her, but on the surface, she said casually with a smile, "Miss Qi, I hope you've been well. This princess has come today to look for Luokou. Please let her come out."