[Channing Palace]
He Xuan decided to stop in front of Channing Palace instead of going to his own palace. He strode in casually as usual and went straight to He Yu's study. He found Jun Jie standing outside.
"Jun Jie, it's been a long time", he smiled.
Jun Jie bowed to greet him, "Prince Ning"
"No need for formalities", he said walking past him and of course entered the study without permission. He saw He Yu reading a scroll by the shelf.
"You're back", He Yu said without looking up.
"Granduncle, did you miss me?" He Xuan teased him.
He Yu walked past him and went to sit down. He Xuan followed him.
He noticed the token on the table, "the Phoenix Archive Token?"
"You know it?" He Yu asked although his voice didn't sound like he was asking. He knew there was hardly anything He Xuan didn't know.
"I've seen it in Yanxue Palace many times. It is said to contain the secrets of every minister in court. Her Highness had given it to First Brother", He Xuan explained before asking, "it's really surprising he gave it to you. Did he exchange it for the Wu army token?"
"It seems you are not as lazy as before. You can now fish for information", He Yu said.
"Doing things and knowing things are two different things", He Xuan defended himself.
"You sure are proud of your reputation. Why didn't you go pay respects to His Majesty first?" He Yu asked as he opened the scroll and set it down.
"That old man will first criticize me for arriving late.Besides, he has exempted me from all those formalities. I would rather not do it", He Xuan said.
"It's protocol to greet the emperor first"
"It is but I don't need to do it", he paused for a while to look around, "Where's grandaunt?"
"She's in Lotus Fragrance Pavilion", He Yu answered.
"Lotus Fragrance Pavilion? Is that a new hall?" He Xuan asked.
[Duke Su's Residence]
Sang Xue'er alighted her carriage and looked at the plaque for a long time.
The plaque that once read 'Sang Residence' had been replaced by 'Duke Su's Residence'.
It had been more than ten years since she entered the residence. There was hardly anything memorable to remember as she had only lived there as a child. But, she could still clearly hear the voices of the harmonious family.
"Greetings, Commandary Princess Anning", all the servants were standing at the entrance as they greeted her.
She walked through the gates. Everything was very much the same but the people that were meant to be there were no longer there.
"Rise" They did.
Then suddenly, she saw a familiar face, "Uncle Wen?"
Butler Wen bowed, "Your Grace".
Sang Xue'er immediately held his hand to stop him from bowing. She looked overwhelmed with emotion.
*******
"That year, I had barely escaped with First Miss and Qin Yan", he recalled the past event of the Sang family execution. Of course, the First Miss he referred to was Lingxi.
They were seated in a small pavilion.
"When the execution happened, Master Sang led us through a safe passage. However, when we got out, we were caught by some guards. I thought it would be the end of everything. Then suddenly, a young man appeared. He saved the three of us. He took First Miss and Qin Yan to the Mo Residence. Later, Censor Mo appealed to the emperor to spare both of them. He adopted First Miss and she became part of the Mo family as her bodyguard. I was afraid she would be mistreated so I watched her for a while but it turned out Censor Mo truly took her as his daughter", Butler Li explained the entire situation.
Sang Xue'er's expression had never been so soft. Her eyes were very moist but she was not about to cry. She recalled how close she was with her uncle and aunt and how they treated her well. She also recalled the memories she made with Lingxi in this residence.
"Your Grace was quite fortunate. Luckily at that time, your father was sent to guard the frontier and he took you and your mother with him. That saved your family", Butler Wen said with quiet relief.
"How and why did you suddenly return?" she asked.
"I was working as a courier to make a living. Then First Miss suddenly invited me. She said you would be returning to the capital and barely had anyone of your own and wouldn't know much about the capital. She asked me to return back here and I did"
"Sister has suffered", Sang Xue'er said softly in a barely audible voice.
"As per her instructions, I tried my best to make sure everything in the mansion looked exactly as it was ten years ago"
"Uncle Wen, you've worked hard"
[Fengyin Hall]
"Commandary Princess has entered the Capital?" Shen Ruihua asked for confirmation.
"Yes, she has reached Duke Su's Residence", the servant passed the message.
Shen Ruihua signaled her to leave and she bowed and left.
"Her Highness didn't go to pick up Her Grace. It seems there is hardly any familial affection. After all, they've been apart for ten years", Lady Mao commented.
"No", Shen Ruihua did not seem to agree with her deduction, "She did not go to see her because she was worried I would use familial ties against her. It seems I underestimated Mo Lingxi. She is smarter than I thought"
There was a short pause for a second. "How is everything going?" she asked.
"Your Highness, everything is going according to plan", Lady Mao answered.
'Let me see if you are really smart enough to escape this', Shen Ruihua thought as she took a sip of the tea Lady Mao handed to her.
[Channing palace]
[Lotus Fragrance Pavilion]
He Xuan announced himself as he walked in, "your favorite grandnephew arrives"
Lingxi was amused by his behavior.
"Prince Ning, can you act more like a prince?" she asked.
"You should say more of a grandnephew", he said as he sat down opposite her.
Qin Yan had stood up and was standing behind Lingxi.
"Qin Yan, it's been a while. Your face is as stern as ever", he greeted Qin Yan but there was no response.
"He still doesn't speak, how consistent", he commented.
Lingxi could only smile at his words. She was busy making a fragrant pouch.
"Did you come here just to tease Qin Yan?" she asked.
"I came to give you a gift"
"A gift? Where is it?" She did not see him with any gifts.
"I've already sent it to your room", he said.
Lingxi found him unbelievable, "then why are you here?"
"I came to see my grandaunt. Do I need a reason for that?"
Lingxi thought for a second, "You're right"
He Xuan was about to give a victorious smile but Lingxi added another sentence, "since you're here, you might as well help me"
She reached for a small bowl and placed it in front of him.
"While working, I accidentally dropped some benzoin resin into the cloves. Separate them for me", she instructed.
He Xuan felt his whole word crumble. He had come to while away time not to work. However, he grudgingly started separating them with chopsticks. Lingxi smiled as she watched his expression.
After a while, He Xuan noticed the scented pouch she was working on. The fragrance was soft but sharp. It felt familiar.
"This fragrance seems familiar", he said.
Lingxi paused what she was doing and looked at him, "have you met someone with a similar fragrance?" she asked.
"I think so", he thought for a while and then it clicked, "Yes, I saw a beautiful lady on my way to the palace. She was wearing the exact same fragrance"