Xiao Wei was now burning with anxiety and had no mood to pursue Yun Wenfang’s troubles. After convincing Wu Yiyu, she immediately had people pack up to return to Ningxia.

Her visit to find Prince Yanbei to discuss Ningxia garrison matters ultimately came to nothing – she hadn’t had any opportunity to speak with Xiao Yan at all.

When Old Princess Consort learned the reason Xiao Wei wanted to return to Ningxia, she was also furious and severely scolded Wu Xiaohe, but could only let the Xiao Wei mother and daughter leave.

The princess consort had people prepare three large carts of gifts for the Xiao Wei mother and daughter to take back to Ningxia, making a perfect show of propriety. However, when the Wu family’s carriage left Prince Yanbei’s mansion, the princess consort claimed illness and didn’t see them off, only sending a nanny from her side to make a brief appearance. Xiao Jinglin was nowhere to be seen at all. This again angered the old princess consort considerably.

Actually, the old princess consort hadn’t considered that as the mistress of Prince Yanbei’s mansion, the princess consort had the right and qualification to dislike anyone she didn’t want to like. The princess consort had always given the old princess consort face in the past, only enduring the Xiao Wei mother and daughter to avoid awkward scenes.

But the princess consort was still the princess consort. If you insisted on falling out with her, there was no reason to expect her to still flatter you. Even if she didn’t mind, the dignity of Prince Yanbei’s mansion couldn’t tolerate it.

Xiao Jinglin sat by the window on the second floor of a wine house in Yunyang City, expressionlessly sipping the sweet wine in her cup while watching the Wu family’s carriage procession grandly depart from Yunyang City, then turned her head back expressionlessly.

“Too sweet!” Xiao Jinglin put down the wine cup in her hand.

The man in dark clothing sitting across from her smiled upon hearing this, then picked up the jade pot beside him and refilled the wine cup in front of Xiao Jinglin, his movements elegant and natural – from a distance, it looked like an refined ink wash landscape painting.

“But you like it,” he said with a smile. “However, you can’t drink too much. Stop after finishing this small pot.”

Xiao Jinglin frowned, somewhat dissatisfied: “I already said it’s very sweet, not like wine at all.”

The man across from her remained unmoved: “Not being like wine doesn’t mean it isn’t wine, and it has quite an aftereffect. If you go out alone in the future, don’t drink this kind of peach blossom brew. Without someone watching you, you’ll get drunk without realizing it.”

Xiao Jinglin drained the cup in one gulp, licked her lips, and changed the subject: “Xiao Jingxi, was the Ningxia situation your doing? I was still worrying about how to get revenge on that poisonous spider Wu Yiyu, and you’ve sent her away – how am I supposed to vent my anger?”

Xiao Jingxi gently pushed away Xiao Jinglin’s hand, reaching for the wine pot, and poured her cup only half full: “How do you want to vent your anger? In a fight, she might not be your match. But if you want to compete in scheming and plotting… It’s better to give her an opponent worthy of matching her. You don’t need to waste unnecessary thoughts on such matters. After all, everyone has their battlefield, and attacking others’ strengths with your weaknesses isn’t advisable.”

Xiao Jinglin thought about it and felt Xiao Jingxi made sense. The most direct method she could think of was to beat Wu Yiyu black and blue on some dark and windy night. But with Yun Wenfang’s incident as precedent, although she wasn’t afraid of the Xiao Wei mother and daughter, she was afraid the princess consort would be troubled by the old princess consort.

“Is Ningxia’s Di Hao your man?” Xiao Jinglin asked.

Xiao Jingxi put down the small jade pot in his hand and chuckled softly: “What does it matter whether he’s my man or not? Those who can be used don’t necessarily have to be one’s people. You’ve read military treatises and history books – you should know that whether subjects or generals need timely transfers and rotations, because staying in one place too long easily breeds changes. The Wu family has continued in Ningxia for four generations now, hasn’t it?”

Xiao Jingxi picked up the wine cup in front of him, smelled it, then took a light sip: “Each new emperor brings new ministers. It’s time for Ningxia’s blood to be refreshed as well.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinglin thought for a moment and frowned: “But Father might be concerned about Old Princess Consort and Aunt. Prince Yanbei’s mansion is, after all, Aunt’s maternal family.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi smiled slightly with some mockery: “Oh? Hasn’t Aunt always believed her maternal family is in the capital, and that the one sitting on the golden throne is her maternal family’s backing?”

Xiao Jinglin was silent for a moment, then picked up her wine cup and took a sip, saying expressionlessly: “You’re right. Maybe Father is overthinking it himself.”

So it was time to let certain people understand where her maternal family truly was, and see clearly whether the distant waters of the capital could save the nearby fire. Otherwise, they’d always be jumping out now and then to cause trouble – how idle they must be!

“Did your master send you a letter?” Xiao Jingxi ignored Xiao Jinglin’s gaze and had Tonghe take away the empty wine pot, picking up chopsticks to place a piece of bean curd roll on the plate in front of Xiao Jinglin.

Xiao Jinglin shifted her gaze to the pastries and said casually: “Mm, there’s been some movement from the Liao people recently.”

“Are you returning to Jiajing Pass?” Xiao Jingxi raised an eyebrow and asked.

Xiao Jinglin finished the bean curd roll on her plate in two bites, then reached out to pick up another piece herself: “Not necessarily. It’s not yet time when I absolutely must return.”

Xiao Jingxi asked patiently: “Then, when would be the time you absolutely must return?”

Xiao Jinglin thought for a moment: “Mother definitely wouldn’t want me to leave now.” If not for the princess consort’s intervention, she would have left Yunyang City long ago. Fortunately, she had made friends with Ren Yaoqi this time, otherwise, she didn’t know if she could have endured so long among a group of women who appeared kind on the surface but were fierce at heart.

Thinking of this, Xiao Jinglin suddenly said: “When shall we go to Bailu Town to see Yaoqi?”

Xiao Jingxi’s chopsticks, picking up pastries for Xiao Jinglin, paused, and the piece of pineapple cake on top nearly fell off. Fortunately, Second Young Master Xiao had strong psychological fortitude, so to outsiders, apart from his chopsticks trembling very slightly, nothing else seemed amiss, and his smile remained perfect without obvious flaws: “We?”

Xiao Jinglin’s gaze slowly moved away from Xiao Jingxi’s chopsticks, then she proactively picked up her plate to catch Xiao Jingxi’s pastry, saying expressionlessly: “Oh, I was just speaking casually. I meant, when should I make a trip to Bailu Town to see Yaoqi?”

Xiao Jingxi: “…”

Xiao Jinglin’s mood suddenly became very good: “By the way, have you found those pigments I asked you to help me look for?”

Xiao Jingxi put down his chopsticks and smiled gracefully – the composed Second Young Master Xiao was back: “Found them. Early this morning, I had Tongxi send them to Bailu Town.”

Xiao Jinglin also put down her chopsticks, propped up her chin, and looked Xiao Jingxi up and down several times: “Did I tell you to send them to Bailu Town? They were for my use!”

Xiao Jingxi was helpless and looked at Xiao Jinglin without speaking.

Xiao Jinglin put down her hand and continued using chopsticks to eat pastries. Only after finishing an entire plate of bean curd rolls did she say unhurriedly: “Xiao Jingxi, do you have someone you fancy?”

Xiao Jingxi calmly picked up the wine cup in front of him and took a sip, about to speak.

But Xiao Jinglin smiled quietly, then happily instructed Tonghe: “Have someone bring another pot of osmanthus wine. Don’t you see your master’s wine cup has long been empty?”

Xiao Jingxi looked down at the wine cup in his hand that had been completely dry: “…”

Only after Xiao Jinglin had thoroughly enjoyed Xiao Jingxi’s rare embarrassed appearance did she say: “Xiao Jingxi, have you noticed that you’re losing composure more and more frequently because of a certain someone?”

Xiao Jingxi slowly calmed the heat at his ear roots, his voice still carrying his usual indifference: “So what if I am? I never need others to remind me of my condition.”

Xiao Jinglin took the wine pot brought by Tonghe, filled her cup, then said: “My master said that after he realized he had fallen for my master’s wife, he began saving for betrothal gifts. He spent five years doing everything he could to gather those extremely rare treasures my master’s wife wanted. Before that, my master was penniless, and those rare treasures were only mentioned in a song he heard my master’s wife sing when he first met her. The general meaning of the lyrics was that she was waiting for her beloved to bring those things to see her, and then she would bring her dowry and go with him. My master’s wife was from the Dingling tribe. My master only half-understood the lyrics of that song, but he took it seriously. So when he brought those treasures to see my master’s wife five years later, she was startled and even called her four brothers to beat up my master.”

Xiao Jingxi listened carefully and couldn’t help but smile.

Xiao Jinglin took a sip of wine from her cup and continued: “Many people think they’ve given a lot for the person they fancy, but that ‘a lot’ is just a tiny portion of what they possess – they wouldn’t be willing to give more. Though my master didn’t have much, he gave everything he had. The difference is that those who think they’ve given a lot will weigh and choose when faced with unavoidable decisions, but people like my master won’t.”

Xiao Jingxi was somewhat surprised that Xiao Jinglin would say such things.

It wasn’t that he thought it improper for Xiao Jinglin, as a woman, to openly discuss matters of the heart. Xiao Jinglin had grown up at the border and followed her master, who was a free-spirited person. She had always been straightforward with those she trusted, and there was also the factor that Xiao Jinglin had drunk several cups today.

He just didn’t know Xiao Jinglin would seriously contemplate such matters.

So Xiao Jinglin wasn’t oblivious to Yun Wenting’s feelings – she had even carefully and thoroughly pondered them. Unfortunately, Young Master Yun’s feelings had probably been categorized by Xiao Jinglin into the type that “would weigh and choose when faced with unavoidable decisions.”

Xiao Jinglin suddenly complained to Tonghe dissatisfiedly: “This isn’t peach blossom wine!”

Tonghe said gently, “Princess, you’ve already finished a pot of osmanthus wine. This is fruit wine I found – please try it, it’s also very good.”

Xiao Jinglin looked at the wine cup in her hand and muttered: “What kind of wine is this? It’s sugar water! You’re as crafty as your master!”

Tonghe was on the verge of tears.

But Xiao Jingxi, looking at Xiao Jinglin’s appearance, knew she was drunk.

That pot of peach blossom wine indeed had quite an aftereffect.

Xiao Jingxi was very helpless.