Dan Yu Yan alighted from the carriage and immediately saw Xiang Huan Er and her maidservant standing by the door, appraising her with their eyes. She immediately performed a polite bow. "You must be Miss Xiang, correct?"
Xiang Huan Er returned the bow. "It is said that Miss Dan is as beautiful as a flower. Truly, hearing of you is not as good as meeting you."
"Miss Xiang flatters me."
"I have also just arrived. Shall we go in together?"
"Alright."
The two women, accompanied by their maids, headed towards Xiao Man's Shui Yue Xiao Zhu. On the way, they encountered Xiao Xiang on her way to pay respects to He Qing Yi. Ling Xuan quickly lowered her head, terrified that Xiao Xiang might recognize her.
Xiao Xiang's gaze swept over Xiang Huan Er and Dan Yu Yan. She performed a polite bow and walked away. Xiang Huan Er's eyes followed Xiao Xiang until she disappeared from view, then she withdrew her gaze.
"The young ladies of the General's Mansion are all so radiant and beautiful. Truly lovely," Xiang Huan Er teased. "Don't you agree, Miss Dan?"
Dan Yu Yan smiled and nodded. "The General's Mansion is a place of exceptional talent and spirit. Both the sons and daughters are truly remarkable."
Xiang Huan Er's smile crinkled her eyes into slits. Upon entering Shui Yue Xiao Zhu, she couldn't help but exclaim, "I've always heard that Shui Yue Xiao Zhu, where Princess Yong Ning resides, is a place of great beauty. Seeing it today, it truly is."
"Miss Xiang, Miss Dan, please come inside." Qiu Tong immediately welcomed them in. A table had already been set up in the courtyard. Xiao Man and Bai Ling Long were chatting and rose to greet them upon seeing their arrival.
"You two have finally arrived."
"Today, I finally get to meet two people I've wanted to see. I am truly fortunate," Xiang Huan Er said, grasping Xiao Man's hand and stroking it repeatedly. "Are you feeling better? Such a beautiful person, it's a pity to always be sickly and frail."
"Thank you for your concern. I am much better now. Please, have a seat."
Xiang Huan Er did not stand on ceremony and sat down without hesitation. Dan Yu Yan then sat opposite her. Xiang Huan Er looked at the other empty seat and couldn't help but ask, "Is someone else expected?"
"We sent an invitation to the Ninth Princess, but we don't know if she will come. After all, she is often in the palace and may not be able to come out."
"Who says I'm not coming? You invited me for drinks, how could I not come?" Nangong Wu's voice rang out as the steward led her in. "A Man, I've missed you terribly."
"I thought Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was unwell, and you wouldn't have time to come out," Xiao Man said, pulling Nangong Wu to sit down.
"Grandmother is much better. She heard you were hosting a flower viewing banquet and let me out of the palace." Nangong Wu picked up the wine on the table and drank it in one gulp. "What wine is this? It's quite delicious."
"It's fruit wine. Since we are all young ladies and I fear you might not handle alcohol well, I've prepared fruit wine. Plus, as the weather has grown cold, drinking it warm has a unique flavor."
"Your arrangements are always so thoughtful." Nangong Wu looked at Xiang Huan Er. "Huan Er, today you must drink with me until we drop."
"Alright, if the Ninth Princess commands it, we shall certainly not return until we're drunk." Xiang Huan Er squinted and smiled, her gaze falling on the plum blossom tree blooming beautifully in the courtyard. "Plum blossoms haven't bloomed yet this season. I didn't expect to see them this early at Princess Yong Ning's residence."
Xiao Man covered her mouth and chuckled.
"This is all for today's flower viewing banquet. They weren't supposed to bloom yet, but I thought, if I invited you all to admire flowers and there were none to see, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
"Then how did these plum blossoms bloom? Are they not real?"
"Of course, they are real?" Xiao Man said with a smile. "After I sent out the invitations, I saw a few plum blossoms had opened. My heart rejoiced, so I had people wrap the trunk of the plum blossom tree with blankets and hang lanterns on the tree at night. It was not in vain for my efforts; they all bloomed this morning."
"You can do that?"
"Naturally, you can. Miss Dan, please don't be so formal. Make yourself at home."
Dan Yu Yan smiled and nodded, picking up a piece of pastry to eat. At that moment, a maidservant placed a bowl of wontons on Dan Yu Yan's table. Seeing the wontons, Dan Yu Yan looked surprised and raised her eyebrows towards Xiao Man. Xiao Man was currently eating, while Nangong Wu was engaged in a drinking contest with Xiang Huan Er.
Dan Yu Yan's gaze swept across everyone's tables. Although the maidservants had brought food to every table, only her table had a bowl of wontons placed on it.
Dan Yu Yan picked up a wonton, took a bite, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears. It was a taste she hadn't had in many years. She never expected to taste the same flavor after so many years. She never expected that he still remembered her preference.
Dan Yu Yan looked up at Xiao Man, only to see Xiao Man looking back at her with a friendly smile.
"Miss Dan, you don't know, but you were the first girl my Fourth Brother brought into the Prince's Mansion," Nangong Wu said, raising her wine cup. "Are you two about to tie the knot?"
"The Ninth Princess jokes. His Highness merely allowed me to temporarily reside in Prince Qin's Mansion because I am the orphan of a former official and have nowhere to go," Dan Yu Yan said softly, her face adorned with a near-perfect smile.
"Miss Dan, my Fourth Brother is a blockhead. Many of the old subordinates he lost were veterans. Have you ever seen the daughter of an old subordinate live in his mansion?"
Xiang Huan Er's gaze shifted from Xiao Man to Nangong Wu. People of the royal family were not to be trifled with. Nangong Wu was telling Xiao Man that Dan Yu Yan was about to become Prince Qin's consort.
Dan Yu Yan merely smiled and did not reply. Nangong Wu didn't expose her, but with a smile, she turned to Xiao Man and said, "I heard from my Empress Dowager that she intends to arrange a marriage for Fourth Brother. I suspect it will be Miss Dan."
"A talented man and a beautiful woman. It would be most fitting."
"Indeed. By the way, A Man, your health has also recovered considerably. When will you begin discussing marriage?" Nangong Wu asked, winking slyly.
"I am not in a hurry. However, my brother received a letter from Yun Zhong City, stating that they have reached a truce with Yun Qi. Yun Qi has proposed a marriage alliance, saying that the young emperor of Yun Qi wishes to select a princess for marriage."
Nangong Wu's face instantly turned pale. Currently, she was the only unmarried princess of the Yu Sheng imperial family. If a princess was to be married off, would she be sent to Yun Qi?
"Is this true?"
"It is absolutely true. Yun Qi has sent word that they will welcome our princess with the status of Empress. Therefore, the identity of the person sent from our side for this marriage alliance cannot be low; it must be a direct descendant princess at the very least," Xiao Man said while eating. "You must be mentally prepared."
Nangong Wu now had no appetite for drinking or admiring flowers. The young emperor of Yun Qi was cruel and merciless. He could hesitate to kill even those who helped him build his empire and raised him. How much less would he spare a foreign princess? Moreover, he was unpredictable. If he changed his mind and started another war with Yu Sheng, she would become a sacrificial offering to ignite the war!
"The only adult princess in our imperial family is the Ninth Princess. Originally, there was the Fifteenth Princess, but she tragically passed away..." Xiang Huan Er looked at Nangong Wu. "Ninth Princess, isn't it true that you are the only candidate for this marriage alliance?"