"The things in the Marquis Mansion are naturally not as good as those in the palace. There's no need for the princess to remind us of this. But from the princess's words, it seems that the things in the palace are like your personal belongings!"
Xie Fengran tugged at the corner of her mouth, deftly defusing the Third Princess's provocation with a light touch. Then she took Sun Yuelan's hand and walked out of the private room.
"Xie Fengran, I never said such a thing. Don't slander me!" The Third Princess was naturally reluctant to let them go. But before she could step forward, Sun Jiming moved and blocked her way. "If the Third Princess has anything to say, you can tell me instead!"
"Mr. Sun, get out of the way!"
"Your Highness, in public like this, if a scene is made, it won't only be Miss Xie who will lose face. You've just been released from house - arrest. If the imperial censors submit a memorial because of this, it won't be worth it!"
The imperial censors in the court not only supervised the words and deeds of the officials but also kept an eye on every move of the royal family.
Once, the Second Prince visited a brothel and was discovered by the imperial censors. They scolded him in the court for a whole month. Their combativeness was remarkable.
The Third Princess knew the severity of the matter. She stopped awkwardly, looking at Sun Jiming reluctantly. "Mr. Sun, that Xie Fengran is very good at feigning pity. Don't be deceived by her!"
Sun Jiming's eyes flickered. He bowed his hands and said, "Thank you for your advice, Your Highness. But Miss Xie is a friend of my younger sister. It has nothing to do with me. I'll take my leave first!"
"Hey, Mr. Sun..."
Sun Jiming seemed not to hear the Third Princess's voice and left without looking back.
The Third Princess stamped her foot but couldn't chase after him. She could only return to the private room angrily.
When the Second Prince saw her come back, his eyes flashed. He suddenly asked, "Zhaoyang, why did you take so long? Did you meet someone you know?"
The Third Princess forced a smile and shook her head. "Don't worry, Second Brother. I didn't meet anyone."
"Oh~" The Second Prince uttered a meaningful "oh". His eyes swept over the people beside him. A man closest to him noticed the Second Prince's look and immediately spoke up.
"I vaguely saw Mr. Sun and Miss Sun here just now. Didn't you meet them, Your Highness?"
As soon as he spoke, others also chimed in.
"Yes! Mr. Sun was with Miss Sun and Miss Xie."
"Why would the young lady from the Marquis Mansion of Pacifying the State be with the people from the Sun Mansion? There shouldn't be any connection between these two families, right?"
The man who spoke first continued, "It is said that Mr. Sun has feelings for Miss Xie. Maybe that's the reason."
The people present showed expressions of sudden realization.
"A fair maiden is a gentleman's good mate. Miss Xie is talented and beautiful. Few men can resist her charm."
"Crash!"
The cup in the Third Princess's hand fell to the ground, interrupting this person's words.
Someone who knew the grudge between the two nudged the speaker.
This person seemed to have just realized he had caused trouble. He quickly shut up, went out to call the waiter to clean up the mess.
The Third Princess greeted everyone as if nothing had happened. "Let's continue talking!"
"..."
The atmosphere suddenly became cautious. The Second Prince held his teacup, watching the show on the side. No one knew what he was thinking.
On the other side, Xie Fengran bid farewell to the Sun siblings and got into her family's carriage.
Only then did she have the time to think about what Qin Junxing had said.
According to Qin Junxing, the private guards in the hands of the aristocratic families had other uses, not just for guarding their homes.
The royal family's reason for not taking back the private guards of the Marquis Mansion of Pacifying the State was something else.
Grandmother wanted to use these private guards to exchange for a marriage alliance with the royal family!
Xie Fengran's eyelids twitched. She was a bit shocked.
If what Qin Junxing said was true, then what exactly were these private guards for? What could make the royal family so wary that they were willing to exchange the Crown Prince's marriage contract just to take them back?
And why did they start to look at the Marquis Mansion of Pacifying the State differently?
Xie Fengran really wanted to ask Qin Junxing why everyone was staring at the Marquis Mansion. What was the reason?
But she knew that even if she asked, Qin Junxing would never tell her.
"Miss, we're here. It's time to get off the carriage."
Lanfang watched Xie Fengran deep in thought for the whole journey. When the carriage entered the main gate, she gently called out.
Xie Fengran came back to her senses. She took Lanfang's hand and got off the carriage. After thinking for a while, she decided not to go back to her courtyard. "Let's go and see if Grandmother has gone to bed."
"Yes!"
In the Green Pine Courtyard, Old Lady Xie was about to take a nap. When she heard that Xie Fengran had come, she quickly asked someone to welcome her in.
"Greetings to Grandmother!"
"Come here quickly. Tell Grandmother, was everything all right?"
Xie Fengran smiled and nodded. "Everything went smoothly. After leaving the academy, I had lunch with Miss Sun at the Jingyue Residence, which is why I'm a bit late."
The old lady didn't blame her. She nodded. "Now that you want to go to the academy, Grandmother won't restrict you as before. Grandmother trusts you."
Xie Fengran felt a warm feeling in her heart. She nodded. "I will be cautious in my words and deeds. I won't let Grandmother down."
Old Lady Xie smiled with satisfaction and asked again, "Did they say when the exam will be?"
"They did. The written test will be in three days, and the interview will be in five days. I'm confident about the written test, but I'm not so sure about the archery and chariot - driving parts of the interview."
Since the ancestor of the Xie family had accompanied the founding emperor in conquering the world, he had given up his military career and handed over his military amulet. Since then, no one in the Xie family had practiced martial arts.
Xie Fengran only knew a little about these things, and Old Lady Xie hadn't emphasized teaching her these skills.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you pass the tests on music, chess, calligraphy, and painting in the interview, the other things are minor. But Emperor Dezong always advocated that women should also strengthen their bodies like men. If the current emperor follows Emperor Dezong's example, you can just learn well once you enter the academy."
"I'll remember that!"
Xie Fengran nodded. Thinking of her doubts, she tentatively asked, "Grandmother, it's not a long - term solution to keep the guards on the estate. I've only brought back Zhuqing. How about I incorporate them into the Marquis Mansion's guards to guard the house?"
After saying that, she stared at Old Lady Xie's reaction.
Old Lady Xie's expression remained calm. She thought for a while and said, "The current guards in the mansion are enough. If we incorporate new guards, we need to make new arrangements. This matter has always been in the hands of the steward. I'll ask the steward and then make a decision."
Xie Fengran nodded obediently. "Grandmother is really thoughtful. I just thought it was a pity to spend money on so many people on the estate without using them."
Old Lady Xie looked at Xie Fengran amusingly and joked, "Our Fengran is so good at managing the family. How about Grandmother gives you the power to manage the mansion tomorrow?"
"Grandmother is just teasing me. I don't know how to manage the mansion at all."
"Miss, the old lady isn't teasing you. She's very happy to see you like this!" Nanny Su came over to add to the fun. Everyone in the room burst into laughter.
Seeing that Old Lady Xie was a bit tired, Xie Fengran got up to bid farewell and left.
After leaving the Green Pine Courtyard, Xie Fengran's heart sank little by little.
She could see through Grandmother's expression. Grandmother was hiding something from her.