From the fifth day of the seventh month, people constantly bustled back and forth at the Marquis Dingxi household, bringing continuous news that the Prince had entered Zhuolu City, then left the city. By the tenth of the seventh month came word that he had entered Yong’an Prefecture territory. From that time on, the household had virtually no distinction between day and night, with people coming and going around the clock, lights blazing throughout, and Madam Xie’s courtyard being particularly lively.

When Su Mei led the little maids in, Concubine Zhou and Concubine Song were taking their leave from Madam Xie.

“Concubine Zhou, Concubine Song,” Su Mei stepped aside and curtsied.

Concubine Zhou didn’t even glance at her, while Concubine Song gave her a look.

“How come we don’t see your concubine? She certainly shouldn’t be absent at a time like this,” she said with a half-smile.

“Our Concubine has been suffering badly from morning sickness these days. Madam won’t let her come out and wants her to rest well,” Su Mei replied.

Concubine Song made an “oh” sound.

“Then Miss Mei will certainly have to work hard,” she said with meaningful laughter.

“It’s this servant’s duty,” Su Mei answered with lowered head.

“Enough, why waste so many words on her? Let’s go,” Concubine Zhou said indifferently.

Concubine Song smiled and followed her.

Only then did Su Mei raise her head, looking at the two retreating figures with a curl of her lip, showing disdain. Meanwhile, a maid in the room had already announced her arrival inside.

“Instead of staying in your room to attend to that one, what are you doing here again?” Madam Xie was looking through account books, keeping her head down without looking up as she spoke.

Su Mei saw that in addition to several steward women in the room, there were also four maids of sixteen or seventeen standing there, each with their heads lowered but unable to hide their joy.

She glanced around while curtsying and answering with a smile.

“Concubine has prepared tea soup, thinking that Madam has been working hard these past days, and specially had me bring it,” she hurriedly took the food box from the little maid’s hands and said.

“She can’t even eat well herself, yet she’s making tea soup for me,” Madam Xie said indifferently, slightly raising her head to glance at her.

Since she hadn’t given permission, no one dared to receive it, leaving Su Mei holding it somewhat awkwardly.

“The Marquis has arrived,” the maids outside called.

Before the words had finished, Marquis Dingxi strode in with large steps.

Su Mei, unable to worry about the food box in her hands, smiled with delighted surprise as she moved forward. Madam Xie sat on the kang without moving, a mocking smile floating at the corners of her mouth.

“What are you doing here?” Marquis Dingxi asked with a smile upon seeing Su Mei.

“Our Concubine made tea soup and had me bring it,” Su Mei said in a sweet voice, looking at Marquis Dingxi with eyes full of tender affection.

“Why is she still doing this? Didn’t they say she wasn’t feeling well?” Marquis Dingxi said, sitting down on the kang and beckoning. “Bring it here, let me taste it.”

Su Mei was overjoyed and stepped forward. While serving it to him, she practically leaned her entire body against Marquis Dingxi.

Marquis Dingxi just smiled and took it to drink a sip.

“Ping’er makes excellent tea soup, famous on the street,” he said to Madam Xie with a smile.

Madam Xie looked up at him. Marquis Dingxi also felt it was somewhat inappropriate to mention Concubine Zhu’s former background, so he smiled and quickly stopped talking.

“It was our Concubine who taught me. I made this,” Su Mei hurriedly took the opportunity to say.

“You made this?” Marquis Dingxi was very surprised and nodded. “Not bad, not bad.”

Madam Xie smiled.

“With Concubine Zhu as such a good master, naturally everything is learned quickly,” she said.

Su Mei pretended not to understand her words, only smiling at Marquis Dingxi with both shyness and expectation. She and Concubine Zhu lived in the same courtyard, so if Marquis Dingxi didn’t visit them, she couldn’t see him, let alone serve him in bed. These days, Concubine Zhu’s morning sickness had been severe, and Marquis Dingxi, being somewhat fastidious, hadn’t visited. It had been many days since she’d seen him.

A young woman who had just come of age as a minor wife expressing her feelings so boldly made Marquis Dingxi’s heart tingle.

“Tell your concubine I’ll come see her later,” he said, taking the opportunity of passing the bowl to squeeze Su Mei’s hand.

Su Mei’s face flushed like morning clouds as she joyfully curtsied in thanks.

“The people for Cheng-ge’s room have been selected. See what you think,” Madam Xie said indifferently.

The four maids in the room hurriedly curtsied to the Marquis.

Marquis Dingxi looked them over seriously one by one.

“Not particularly pretty,” he evaluated with a sharp eye.

The four maids lowered their heads somewhat shamefully.

Madam Xie smiled.

“These are all honest and simple ones. You know Cheng-ge’s temperament,” she said.

“What man doesn’t like beautiful women?” Marquis Dingxi shook his head.

Madam Xie’s expression darkened, but before she could say anything, Marquis Dingxi nodded again.

“But then again, with Yueniang there, our household doesn’t have anyone prettier than her. For Cheng-ge, one person is sufficient,” he smiled.

Madam Xie’s heart skipped a beat.

“Yueniang? Why bring her up? A few days ago I had someone ask, and they said she still wasn’t well and didn’t want to come out to see people,” Madam Xie asked casually.

“Oh, I just encountered A’Hao on the road…” Marquis Dingxi smiled, adjusting his clothes to sit cross-legged on the kang. “A’Hao, that little maid, when she smiles she has two tiger teeth…”

What time he encountered what person, Marquis Dingxi’s attention was always on what they looked like. Madam Xie sneered inwardly.

Nanny Su very perceptively waved her hand, leading the several maids to retreat. Su Mei hesitated, but when Madam Xie coldly swept her with a glance, she hurriedly lowered her head and left.

“She was catching fish by the lake, really mischievous. When I called out to her, she got scared and ran away,” Marquis Dingxi continued with a smile, as if he could still see the young woman fleeing like a startled rabbit.

Madam Xie didn’t find this amusing at all. She made a “mm” sound and pushed the account book to Marquis Dingxi, asking about expenses to change the subject.

Marquis Dingxi had never cared about household affairs, and after a few words felt restless and left. After he departed, Nanny Su had just led the maids back in when Madam Xie, who had been smiling moments before, suddenly darkened her face. Without saying a word, she violently threw the account book in her hands to the floor with a crash, frightening all the maids in the room to quickly kneel down.

“Are you all dead? Your hands have reached right in front of the Marquis, and you’re still here grinning at me! If you have that energy, go smile at your new concubine!”

These harsh words were severe enough that even Nanny Su half-knelt.

“This old servant will investigate immediately, this old servant will investigate immediately,” she said, kowtowing.

She got up and hurried outside, but before she could exit, she heard commotion outside.

“Madam, Madam, the Prince has returned!” Servant women and maids ran in laughing, shouting as they ran.

Madam Xie suddenly stood up from the kang, nearly falling from getting up too quickly, but Nanny Su had already turned back and caught her in time.

“Madam, the Prince has returned,” she cried out.

“Quickly, quickly…” Madam Xie wept with joy, leaning on Nanny Su as they hurried outside.

The entire Marquis Dingxi household erupted in excitement.

“What’s happening?” A’Hao emerged from behind flowering trees carrying two small fish when she heard the commotion. Seeing rough-work maids running past in the distance, she hurriedly called out to ask.

The maid didn’t even turn her head.

“Hurry up, the Prince has returned! They’re giving out rewards in front,” she said, disappearing in a flash.

A’Hao cried out in alarm, dropping the fish and running toward Qiu Tong Courtyard.

In Qiu Tong Courtyard, Qi Yue and A’Ru were sitting and talking when A’Hao burst in with a crash, startling both of them.

“Who bullied you?”

“What happened?”

Seeing A’Hao looking as if she were being chased by a vicious dog, they both asked anxiously.

“No…” A’Hao gasped with her hands on her knees. “The… the Prince… has returned.”

Qi Yue and A’Ru both changed color simultaneously, though differently – Qi Yue showed alarm and fear, while A’Ru showed alarm and joy.

“The Prince has returned?” A’Ru ran down incredulously to grab A’Hao and ask, “Did you see him?”

“No, everyone’s running to Madam’s courtyard. The whole household is in uproar, saying they’re giving out rewards,” A’Hao said breathlessly, patting her chest, then exclaimed, “Oh my, my fish…”

Fish? A’Ru temporarily couldn’t worry about where the fish came from, but turned joyfully to look at Qi Yue, about to speak.

“Close the door, close it tight. For the next few days, no one is allowed to go out or see anyone,” Qi Yue said with a serious expression. “Say that I’m ill. If there are rewards, accept them. If there’s celebration, acknowledge it. But no one is allowed to go out, especially not to join the festivities at Madam’s and the Prince’s.”

A’Ru and A’Hao were stunned for a moment, but quickly both nodded.

The slightly ajar main door of Qiu Tong Courtyard clicked shut with a bolt, isolating the household’s sky-high revelry outside.