Chapter 42: Impossible to Communicate with the Eldest Princess
A spacious hall lit with lanterns greeted them. In the center was a pool where at least ten red carp swam while eating food. The splash of water and fragrance of incense gave an ethereal air to the otherwise sumptuous space.
As soon as Yu Xiaoxiao entered the room, it was to stare at the fish. Jing Mo walked to her side and smiled. “Princess likes these carp?”
Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. They look very tasty.
Seeing her nod, Jing Mo immediately ordered the guard behind him, “Later on, gift these carp to the princess’s estate.”
“Yes,” the guard obeyed loudly.
Gu Xinglang was unhappy at this, but he swallowed back any words of refusal upon seeing Yu Xiaoxiao fixated on the fish in the pond.
“Have a seat,” Jing Mo invited the pair. As Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei began to carry Gu Xinglang to a table, he asked, “Looks like the Royal Son-in-Law is already sitting up. How is your foot injury?”
Gu Xinglang only looked at him coldly without a word.
Yu Xiaoxiao pulled her gaze from the pond and looked at Jing Mo. “His feet will heal.”
“Who is the princess’s master?” Jing Mo asked.
Yu Xiaoxiao simply turned to walk towards Gu Xinglang. The drillmaster who’d trained her didn’t exist in this world, so how was she supposed to answer him? Silence was golden.
Seeing Yu Xiaoxiao ignore their master’s words, the guards by his side made to move until he raised a hand to stop them.
Gu Xinglang and Yu Xiaoxiao had tables one in front of the other. Yu Xiaoxiao’s spot was in front and Gu Xinglang behind, but the former didn’t know they were supposed be at separate tables and ignored her seat to settle next to Gu Xinglang.
Gu Xinglang, Jing Mo, and the rest were all struck speechless. Yu Xiaoxiao plopped down and noticed that Gu Xinglang’s lips were rather dry, so she poured him a cup of water and raised it to his lips. “Drink some.”
Gu Xinglang wanted to shake his head. There were so many outsiders here that it wasn’t appropriate, but when he saw Jing Mo looking at them, he opened his mouth and drank a sip of water.
“Drink some more,” Yu Xiaoxiao said.
Gu Xinglang obediently drank half a cup. Jing Mo’s gaze was cold, but his face still wore a smile. “Your Royal Highness is newly married, but it’s a pity I can too late to see your ten li long bridal procession.”
Yu Xiaoxiao looked down at her cup, waiting for the meal to begin. As for the grand occasion of her procession, forget that. All she remembered was fighting with Zhao Qiuming and his cronies, then zapping Consort Zhao without killing her dead.
Jing Mo said, “Princess, shouldn’t you have words to say to me?”
Gu Xinglang patted Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand beneath the table. When it came to Yu Ziyi, it was better to hear what Jing Mo had to say first.. Yu Xiaoxiao looked up at Zhuri’s eldest prince and asked, “Didn’t you say you were inviting us to eat? Where’s the food?”
The mood for any conversation died at those words. Jing Mo studied Yu Xiaoxiao deeply. Seems like this princess has a few tricks of her own. He smiled, then clapped his hands and said, “It’s my fault for slighting the princess.”
The maids soon streamed one after the other into the room to serve the guests with food. As the number of dishes on their table increased, Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes curved further into a grin. There were so many types, from meat to fish to shrimp. In the end, her eyes were perfect crescents from joy. Judging by the food, we didn’t come in vain.
Gu Xinglang glanced between Yu Xiaoxiao’s face and the table of food and felt a little appetite of his own. Jing Mo raised his wine cup and said politely, “Your Royal Highness, if you please.”
As soon as Yu Xiaoxiao heard “please,” she picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of meat.
“I…” The rest of Jing Mo’s words died in his throat.
Members of the imperial household all ate exquisitely, so the plates before Yu Xiaoxiao were cast from white jade. The dishes themselves looked less like food and more like delicately wrought paintings. Unfortunately, Yu Xiaoxiao had no aesthetic sense for art. Members of the battlefield all ate fast, so by the time she cleared the tables, Gu Xinglang had yet to take a single bite.
Jing Mo looked at Yu Xiaoxiao, then the empty dishes before her. Although her eating manners weren’t crude, this was still a shocking sight. Yu Xiaoxiao licked the sauce off her chopsticks before she declared, “I’m not full yet.”
“…..” said Jing Mo.
Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at Gu Xinglang’s spotless chopsticks and added, “Just then, that uncle said you cleared out the restaurant just to invite me and Gu Xinglang to dinner. That was a lie, right?”
“What does princess want to say?” Jing Mo asked.
“There are so few dishes,” Yu Xiaoxiao jabbed at the empty plates with her chopsticks. “Who would eat at such a stingy place? Serves the place right for almost going bankrupt. Did the boss give you a killer deal?”
“…..” said everyone.
Yu Xiaoxiao turned to look at Gu Xinglang. “Later we’ll find another restaurant. I have money, so I’ll treat you to a better meal.”
Gu Xinglang felt conflicted. It was always the man that supported the family, so why did his case have the wife taking him out to dinner?
“Your Royal Highness, watch your tongue!” one of Jing Mo’s aides raised his voice. “Who could ever kill our Zhuri Country’s princes?”
“Huh?” Yu Xiaoxiao replied. “Someone wants to kill Jing Mo?”
“You,” the aide was furious. He was certain the Fengtian princess was feigning ignorance.
“Don’t be rude,” Jing Mo raised a hand to quiet him. Yu Xiaoxiao might have mentioned “killer,” but Jing Mo was certain it didn’t refer to murder.
“Who wants to kill you?” Yu Xiaoxiao persisted. She remembered that Zhuri currently had seven to eight imperial princes all vying for the throne. Eldest Prince Jing’s days weren’t easy.
Jing Mo just laughed. “Your Royal Highness, are you worried about me?”
Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. Just because they weren’t lovers didn’t mean she’d be happy to see him die, ah.
“Send another table of fine wine and food,” Jing Mo ordered his people, before adding, “The more the better.”
Oh yeah, Yu Xiaoxiao was looking forward to round two.
Jing Mo said, “Princess, do you have nothing to say regarding His Seventh Highness?”
Yu Xiaoxiao replied, “You don’t talk business during mealtimes. Wait until we’re finished eating.”
Before meeting Yu Xiaoxiao, Jing Mo had never ran into someone who could render him speechless again and again. Gu Xinglang took another drink of water. Although he had difficulties communicating with his wife too, he was all too glad to see Eldest Prince Jing at a loss for words.
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