Chapter 296: Acceptable Socializing
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Su Ying rubbed her nose and replied without batting an eyelid. “No, 1 didn’t.”
Aunt Zhao was surprised. Then Su Ying heard her mutter, “Why not? It’s really a pity…”
Su Ying was utterly speechless.
“After all, this is the Mistress’s dowry from back then. The value of any one of these items is enough to buy a small house in the suburbs of the capital.”
Su Ying knew that these things were expensive, but she didn’t expect them to be so valuable. “Then we have to store them properly.” In reality, she wanted to sell them. These things were only good to look at but functionally useless. It was better to sell them for silver. However, Xiao Jin had just returned. If she started selling her assets brazenly so soon, people would inevitably suspect that Prince Qi’s Manor was plotting something.
Aunt Zhao looked at the dowry items with a sigh. Back then, she had followed Madam Jiang after her marriage and later became Su Ying’s nurturing nanny. It could be said that she had the deepest feelings for Su Ying and her mother.
“Just now, 1 have checked and found that only 30 to 40 percent of the things have been brought back this time. They are mostly antiques and ornaments. There were also the bed, tables, chairs, and closets that were given when Mistress got married. After Mistress passed away that year, Little Madam Jiang had people put these things away. 1 don’t know where they went.”
“I’ll get them to send all the stuff over later.”
Aunt Zhao glanced at Su Ying. With her understanding of Little Madam Jiang, how could that woman send the things over meekly?
“Your Highness, you really did not take action?”
“I took some action. There were guards who blocked me. I simply sent them flying.”
Aunt Zhao nodded and instructed the servants to carefully pack away the items that had been checked before returning to the courtyard with Su Ying.
Bai Shuang knew that Su Ying was hungry, so she went to the kitchen to urge the staff to prepare food immediately after she returned.
After Su Ying ate her fill, she napped with the two little ones, but she didn’t sleep for too long. She woke up after an hour.
Su Ying had just walked into the outer room when Lin Zhuyu walked in with snacks.
“Your Highness, have some snacks to refresh your mind.”
Su Ying took a sip of tea. She liked the tea in the capital. It was slightly astringent, but it always left a lingering fragrance in her mouth. This drink could improve her appetite.
“Your Highness, Marquis Changan’s Residence has sent you an invitation.” Bai Shuang walked into the house with an invitation.
Su Ying munched on her snacks and casually accepted the invitation. “Marquis Changan’s Residence?” As soon as she read out that name, a memory flashed through her mind.
“She” had a bad reputation, and all those noble young ladies in the capital looked down on her and were unwilling to be friends with her, except for the Third Young Miss of Marquis Changan’s Residence, Li Qinlan.
As Su Ying’s memories flashed past her mind, she threw the invitation on the table. “Not going.”
This Li Qinlan was a nondescript, insignificant character. From what she had done with “her” in the past, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her.
However, Su Ying had no obligation to deal with the original host’s former friends.
Madam Zhao happened to enter the room, and upon hearing Su Ying’s words, she picked up the invitation and read through it. “This kind of banquet is nothing more than those young ladies and young masters eating and drinking to pass the time. It’s fine if Your Highness doesn’t go, but I heard that the Marquis Changan’s Residence has brought back quite a few lambs, and tomorrow they’re going to hold an all-lamb feast at the residence.”
Su Ying’s expression froze slightly. “There are so many people. How can a few lambs be enough?”
Aunt Zhao said with a smile, “Didn’t you see them when you went to the palace banquet, Your Highness? Those mistresses and young ladies are all very reserved. They only take two bites of food before putting down their chopsticks. If Your Highness went, wouldn’t all those lambs belong to you?”
Su Ying fell silent. It was just a few lambs…
“Marquis Changan is a person who likes to enjoy himself. For tomorrow’s banquet, he has even specially hired a chef from the Western Liang region over. Your Highness, have you tasted the cuisine from the Western Liang region before?”
Su Ying shook her head.
“The Western Liang cuisine has very mild flavors as the emphasis is on the original taste. Such a culinary style happens to be Old Hea’s weakness, so it’s normal that Your Highness has never tasted Western Liang cuisine. It’s such a pity. The chicken is just quick-boiled in water and then one simply dips it in those jade plates filled with dipping sauce. One mouthful down and it’s just heavenly.”
Su Ying subconsciously gulped. She wasn’t a glutton. She was just a little curious about the Marquis Changan’s Residence, that was all.
“Inform the fellow from Marquis Changan’s Residence. I will attend tomorrow.”
“Your Highness, it’s better that you don’t go. It’s quite boring.”
Su Ying shook her head gravely. “Aunt Zhao, you don’t understand. This is called acceptable socializing.”
Aunt Zhao pursed her lips and snickered. She wanted Su Ying to go all along. She wanted those people who didn’t take Princess Consort Qi seriously in the past to see that their Princess Consort had changed!
Besides, she also wanted to take this opportunity to let Su Ying understand more about the people in the capital. After all, she didn’t know how long they would be staying here.
When Xiao Jin returned to his manor at night, he heard Zhang Shuming tell him what had happened during the day.
Xiao Jin nodded. When he walked into the courtyard, he was told that Su Ying and the kids were at the training hall.
There was a huge training hall in Prince Qi’s Manor. In the past, Xiao Jin would go to the training hall to practice for an hour every day. This was also the place where the guards of the manor trained daily.
Xiao Jin looked at the darkening sky and wondered what Su Ying was doing at the training hall with the kids.
Xiao Jin walked into the training hall. It was very dimly lit inside, and he could only vaguely see a few figures standing in the hall from afar.
A few candles were lit in the hall. Xiao Jin had just walked over when the few candles were instantly extinguished by a gust of wind.
Following that, the two little ones cheered. “Mother is awesome!”
The guard stepped forward and lit the candles.
The faint light shone on Su Ying’s face, adding a certain degree of gentleness to her expression.
“It’s actually not difficult to extinguish the candle with a stone. It’s just like the game of hitting the bell that Mother taught you two before, except that we are now doing it in the dark.” This training could sharpen one’s vision. Even in the dark, one could accurately hit the target. Most importantly, it could train one’s concentration.
The older toddler Ji tried picking up a sandbag, concentrated hard, and aimed at a candle not far away. He suddenly threw it out.
Pow! The sandbag hit the candle holder.
“I didn’t hit it.”
“You guys have just started, so don’t be impatient. Practice slowly.”
Xiao Jin picked up the sandbag at the side and threw it out gently. The sandbag didn’t even touch the flame but the candle went out.
“Father?”
Only then did the two little ones know that Xiao Jin had returned.
Xiao Jin patted their tiny heads. “Peerless martial arts can’t be mastered in a day. Take it easy. First of all, master the energy cultivation technique your mother taught you.”
The two little fellows nodded obediently.
The family of four then returned to the house.
“Did they make things difficult for you when you went to the Prime Minister’s Residence today?”
Su Ying sat down at the dining table and wiped Ji’s face with a handkerchief. “Who are you referring to? Who’s making things difficult for whom?”
Xiao Jin raised his eyebrows. “I heard that Prime Minister Su fell ill.”
Su Ying lifted her eyelids. “Probably due to anger. 1 didn’t hit him hard.”
Xiao Jin took a sip of tea. “He still has his pride.” Xiao Jin wasn’t worried that this matter would spread. After all, it wasn’t something to be proud of for a grown man to be slapped by his daughter until his face swelled up.
“Are you going to Marquis Changan’s Residence tomorrow?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Nothing. Eat more.”
Su Ying was utterly speechless..