Ji Lingchuan was extremely tall, with straight and broad shoulders. Even through his outer robe, one could see the slightly bulging muscles of his arms. He carried an imposing and fierce aura that came from years of battle. The moment he stepped into the room, everyone in it couldn't help but feel a jolt in their hearts.
The Princess of Ningqin immediately put on a smile and rose to her feet, reaching out her hand to Ji Lingchuan. "Chuan'er, you're back."
Ji Lingchuan bowed to the Princess of Ningqin. "Your son pays respects to Mother Princess."
From the moment Ji Lingchuan appeared, Song Nanxin stood there in a daze, completely mesmerized by the man in front of her.
As the eldest legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Ding'an's mansion, Song Nanxin had been familiar with the nobles in the capital since childhood. In fact, this wasn't the first time she had seen Ji Lingchuan. When she was studying at the Women's Academy of the Imperial College, she had caught a distant glimpse of him there.
However, at that time, her impression of Ji Lingchuan was only that of a rigid and serious man, like an old pedant in the academy. Therefore, she always kept her distance.
She was actually not satisfied with this marriage. But since it was bestowed by the Empress Dowager, she had no choice but to accept it. She thought that after marrying Ji Lingchuan, life would be extremely boring. But when she saw him again in the prince's mansion yesterday, she was immediately attracted to this handsome and imposing man at first sight and couldn't take her eyes off him.
Four years was enough to polish an already handsome man into an even more outstanding one. Song Nanxin was glad that she had married Ji Lingchuan. But when she thought of her current situation, she felt endless remorse. Her eyes fell on the handkerchief with red plum blossoms held in Nanny Hu's hands, and a surge of jealousy welled up in her.
How could that little hoof, Song Yihuan, be so lucky to have such a good husband and such a good opportunity?
Coming back to her senses, Song Nanxin lowered her head to avoid Ji Lingchuan's aggressive gaze. A blush crept onto her cheeks. She rose and curtsied, saying in a sweet voice, "Nanxin pays respects to the Heir Apparent. May the Heir Apparent be well."
Ji Lingchuan's gaze fell on her face as he sized up his newly - wedded wife, whom he was finally able to look at directly.
Song Nanxin had a beautiful oval face and extremely delicate features. When she didn't smile, she looked gentle and virtuous. When she smiled, she exuded the sweetness of a young girl. Her behavior and manners also showed the grace of a noble family, indicating that the Marquis's mansion had spent a lot of effort cultivating her.
Perhaps it was because the light in the room was too dim last night during their wedding night that he hadn't been able to see her face clearly. Now, facing this wife who had just had intimate contact with him, he inexplicably felt that something was missing. This instantly cooled his eagerness to come and see her.
"Chuan'er, did you go to the palace this morning?" the Princess of Ningqin asked from behind.
Ji Lingchuan came back to his senses and replied, "Yes." He deliberately changed the topic. "What were Mother Princess and the Heir Apparent's Wife discussing just now? I seem to hear that someone is going to be sent away?"
Song Nanxin stiffened. She looked up at Ji Lingchuan in disbelief that he had ignored her greeting and was so cold to her.
The Princess of Ningqin pulled Ji Lingchuan to sit down and explained with a smile, "You have sharp ears. Even the casual words of Mother Princess were heard by you. Since the Heir Apparent's Wife married into the prince's mansion, she has been alone. Some time ago, she felt bored, so she invited her younger brother and sister to the mansion. Now that you're back, Mother Princess is afraid that she won't be able to take care of her younger brother and sister, making them feel neglected. So, Mother Princess thought it would be better to send them back to the Marquis's mansion."
His wife had a younger brother and sister in the mansion? Ji Lingchuan thought back for a while but had no impression in his mind. There were so many guests last night that he might have missed them.
Hearing the Princess of Ningqin mention this again, Song Nanxin had already thought of an excuse. Her eyes welled up with tears. She rose and knelt in front of the Princess of Ningqin.
"Mother Princess, your daughter - in - law still wants to keep her younger brother and sister in the mansion for a while longer."
The Princess of Ningqin frowned. "Why?"
"To be honest, your daughter - in - law's half - brother has a heart disease. Maybe it was because of the change in weather some time ago that his heart disease flared up. His body is still weak and he needs to rest. If he catches the wind at this time, I'm afraid his old illness will recur. The Marquis's mansion won't blame us, but I'm afraid that if someone with ulterior motives sees this, they will think that our Prince of Ningqin's mansion can't tolerate others."
The Princess of Ningqin frowned and pondered, as if weighing the pros and cons.
Thinking that they were his wife's younger brother and sister, Ji Lingchuan said, "Your son also thinks it's better to let them stay."
That's right. There was no reason to drive them away just because Ji Lingchuan had just returned. Wouldn't this clearly tell others that the Prince of Ningqin's mansion was petty and couldn't even tolerate the relatives of their in - laws?
The Princess of Ningqin compromised. "Alright, then let them stay."
Song Nanxin let out a sigh of relief and felt that her palms were sweaty.
The Princess of Ningqin and Ji Lingchuan still had things to talk about. Song Nanxin looked at Ji Lingchuan, who hadn't looked at her seriously from beginning to end. Reluctantly, she rose and took her leave.
After Song Nanxin left, the Princess of Ningqin pulled Ji Lingchuan and said, "You've seen it. Your wife is a polite, virtuous, gentle, and obedient woman. Since you've consummated your marriage with her, it means you don't resist getting close to her. In the future, get along well with her and have a child as soon as possible."
Gentle and obedient? Just from the look just now, it seemed so.
But last night, she wasn't so well - behaved. She even dared to scratch marks on his body.
"If you think it's a bit boring to be served by only her, Mother Princess can find a few more charming beauties for you..."
Coming back to his senses, Ji Lingchuan interrupted the Princess of Ningqin in time and said in a deep voice, "No need. Your son thinks this is enough."
The Princess of Ningqin wasn't surprised by his answer. She smiled and said, "Then go to her courtyard more often. The relationship between husband and wife is developed over time."
It was two incense sticks later when Ji Lingchuan left the Pine and Crane Courtyard. He subconsciously wanted to return to his own courtyard. His fingertips touched a small porcelain bottle in his sleeve. Remembering the extremely eye - catching handkerchief held by Nanny Hu, he changed his direction and walked towards Song Nanxin's courtyard.
After leaving the Pine and Crane Courtyard, Song Nanxin returned to the Yixiang Pavilion.
Recalling Ji Lingchuan's attitude towards her in front of the Princess of Ningqin just now, the more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. A fire was burning in her heart with nowhere to vent. Just then, Baizhi walked into the room and whispered in her ear.
"Miss, the Fourth Miss just left the prince's mansion and went out."
"What did you say?!" Song Nanxin was shocked for a moment. "How could she go out casually? What if someone notices something strange?"
The anger welled up and couldn't be stopped. Song Nanxin gritted her teeth and said, "Go, call that little hoof here! Just because she replaced me and consummated the marriage with the Heir Apparent, does she really think she's the mistress of the prince's mansion and can come and go as she pleases?!"
In the Tinglan Courtyard.
Song Yihuan put her younger brother's medicine into the cabinet and went to check on Song Yixuan. After confirming that her younger brother was sleeping soundly and breathing steadily, she let out a sigh of relief.
Back in her own room, she looked down at the hem of her skirt. A large area of mud was splashed on the apricot - flower pattern. She sighed regretfully.
When she went out to get the medicine this time, in order to return quickly, she specially chose a small path and walked in a hurry. However, this trip wasn't smooth. First, she bumped into someone in the pharmacy. On the way back, she also encountered a galloping ox - cart on the road. Unable to dodge in time, she was splashed with mud all over her clothes.
It seemed that when one was unlucky, even drinking cold water could choke.
Changing out of her green apricot dress, Song Yihuan slumped exhausted into a chair. She felt a sudden dizziness in her head, and the pain from various parts of her body became clearer than before.
Raising her hand to gently rub her elbow and shoulder, she couldn't help but mutter, "The person in the pharmacy just now was really hard - bodied, like a copper wall. He bumped into her so hard that her bones ached."
There was a knock on the door. Outside, Chunxing's voice came. "Miss, Sister Baizhi is here. She said the Heir Apparent's Wife wants to see you."
Song Yihuan opened her eyes. Her eyes were out of focus. It took her a moment to come back to her senses, and she couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
She had thought that she could go and come back quickly without being noticed, but unexpectedly, the news had reached her eldest sister so soon.
Forget it. She might as well go.