Though she tried to comfort herself, how could this scene not fill one with suspense? Wei Linxia couldn’t sleep night after night, a fire burning in her heart.
These days passed slowly, from summer to autumn, then to winter, they were still living in this dilapidated house, having to carefully calculate every penny. As the new year approached, the Rong Kingdom became lively. Two palace maids familiar with the old woman said that the Rong King had ordered a grand celebration for the victory. Soon after, the Rong King surprisingly bestowed upon them fine clothes and ordered them to move back to their original courtyard, also gifting them many servants. When they entered the palace to express their gratitude, the Rong King stated that he would send troops after the new year to escort them back to Yanshi.
Lin Xia harbored doubts about this outcome, while Xi Linxuan remained calm, as if he had anticipated all of this.
“We’re going back, we’ll be able to see our daughter soon, are you happy?” Xi Linxuan asked her on the way back from the Rong Palace.
“Happy,” Lin Xia replied. Although she knew her daughter would be safe with her brother, it still couldn’t compare to having her by her side. She was still worried about the agreement between Xi Linxuan and the Rong King.
“Once we return to the capital, I will submit a memorial to the Emperor, I really can’t handle the position of Crown Prince, how about I go to the grasslands to be a leisurely prince?” Xi Linxuan asked.
“Okay,” Lin Xia agreed, looking up at him. Xi Linxuan smiled, his eyebrows and eyes curving, seeming to be speaking sincerely.
Having experienced such a major event, Lin Xia felt uneasy about his determination.
“Are you willing?” she thought for a moment and asked this question.
Xi Linxuan flicked her forehead: “I’m not willing, but after careful consideration, I don’t have the confidence or the powerful relatives at court for this position of Crown Prince. If I want power, I need to be cold-hearted and ruthless, you definitely wouldn’t like me becoming like that. Rather than that, it’s better to give up this identity of Crown Prince. The Emperor and my imperial brothers shouldn’t be stingy with a fertile fiefdom for me to live out my life in peace. Weighing the two, I prefer the latter.”
“Really?” Lin Xia placed her hand on his chest, his heart beating steadily.
“Of course it’s true, when have I ever lied to you?” Xi Linxuan glanced at her sideways.
“Tch!” Lin Xia curled her lips, knowing clearly the lies he had told before.
Xi Linxuan knew what she was thinking, so he pulled her into his arms and pinched her cheeks: “I promise I won’t lie in the future!”
Little ungrateful thing.
“Hmph.” Lin Xia pushed his hand away, smiling as she thought: “But I still haven’t learned how to cook yet.”
Time flew by, they had already packed their luggage to return to their country. Lin Xia originally wanted to buy a house for the old woman and leave her some money to live her remaining years in comfort, but the old woman insisted on following them, so Lin Xia agreed.
Xi Linxuan said that they would travel through the Yan Kingdom and the Huo Kingdom, he actually wanted Lin Xia to see her parents and brothers. Lin Xia was very touched, but also worried that their situation in the past few years would make her parents sad.
“I haven’t thanked your parents for marrying you to me yet, seeing them might put them at ease,” Xi Linxuan persuaded her.
Lin Xia nodded.
Upon reaching the border of the Yan Kingdom, Lin Xia lifted the curtain and saw the Yan Dynasty dragon flag and the character “Yan,” knowing that waiting for them under the great flag was her older brother, Fengzhi.
Three years had passed, Fengzhi hadn’t changed much, the two small mustaches at the corners of his mouth looked amusing. The siblings exchanged greetings.
“Really?” Lin Xia was happy.
“Of course, especially annoying,” Fengzhi nodded affirmatively.
“I’m really sorry for troubling you, brother, I’ll still have to trouble you to take care of her for a few years in the future,” Lin Xia said.
“What are you saying, a few years?”
“Ah, the child is so young, it’s not suitable for long journeys, we’ll only bring her back to the capital when she’s older,” Lin Xia said as a matter of course.
Fengzhi had a look of sweeping fallen leaves on his face.
When Lin Xia saw her daughter, the little girl was running on a thick wool rug. Seeing the three people at the door, she ran straight into Fengzhi’s arms and called out a clear “Daddy,” making Lin Xia’s teeth itch with anger. Her sister-in-law, the Princess of Yan, looked embarrassed.
“Go away, I’m not so unlucky to be the father of a mischievous monkey like you,” Fengzhi pushed the little girl to Xi Linxuan. “You two take care of her, if she stays at my house I can’t guarantee I won’t sell her to a slave trader one day.”
Despite this, when their group left the Yan Kingdom and continued forward, Lin Xia saw Fengzhi turn his head and wipe his eyes. The daughter in her arms cried earth-shatteringly, howling “Daddy” towards Fengzhi. When they entered the Huo Kingdom, the little girl became quieter, only howling a couple of times when she woke up and didn’t see “her daddy.”
“Xi Yaya, I’m your real dad,” Xi Linxuan rocked the newly awakened little girl.
Every time she heard Xi Linxuan call Xi Yaya, Lin Xia had the urge to go crazy, feeling that Fengzhi did it on purpose, deliberately giving her daughter this name.
Lin Xia felt a sense of apprehension about returning to the Huo Kingdom, so many things had happened unexpectedly.
Greeting them was the young new King of Huo, Xi Zhaoting. He didn’t have a beard, but at first glance he seemed steady and composed. After arriving in the Huo Kingdom, he first went to pay his respects to the Grand Empress Dowager. The Grand Empress Dowager was not as energetic as in previous years, appearing old, sitting side by side with the newly appointed Rong Grand Empress Dowager.
This dull atmosphere made Xi Yaya dissatisfied, and she suddenly started crying, immediately attracting everyone’s attention.
Wei Linxia hurriedly tried to comfort her daughter, who cried like a summer rainstorm, ignoring her mother’s efforts. The palace maids’ attempts to distract her with toys were futile. Suddenly, Wang Ling entered with a eunuch to pay respects, and her daughter stopped crying, smiled, and called “Ah Ah” to him.
The crying Princess Xi Yaya was happily held by her father. This small episode livened the somber atmosphere. The men moved to the main hall for official matters while the women remained silent. Empress Ren managed the inner palace, and the Empress Dowager called Wei Linxia to sit beside her, observing her carefully before sighing.
When they returned to the Wei residence, Wei Linxia learned her father was ill. He waited at the door in ordinary clothes, looking older, while her mother held a young child, tearfully looking at her. Before they could kneel in greeting, Xi Linxuan pulled Wei Linxia to kneel, saying, “Your son-in-law is unfilial and has caused great worry to his parents-in-law, a crime deserving death.”
This reunion was marked by tears, knowing that their stay in Huo was brief and a long separation was imminent. Laughter broke out when Xi Yaya fought with her little uncle, lost, and cried on the ground. Wei Linxia took the chance to express to her parents that Wei Fengzhi’s teachings were poor, bringing tears to her mother’s eyes.
After putting Xi Yaya to sleep, Wei Linxia and her mother sat in silence. Her mother sighed, “This son-in-law has good character and conduct, but he’s not stable.”
Wei Linxia understood her mother’s concern. If Xi Linxuan were merely an unpopular prince, it would be acceptable, but the position of Crown Prince was precarious.
