The return-visit banquet was held in the front courtyard. Besides the newlyweds and the bride's parents sharing the main table, there were two tables for male guests and two for female guests—all of them friends, relatives, and neighbors of the Shi family.
Shi Dalu had given prior instructions: today was the grand occasion of his daughter's return visit, and no one was to disturb his noble son-in-law, or they could forget about being friends afterward.
Thus, during the feast, aside from the occasional curious glances cast his way, Zong Duo's only annoyance was having to deal with Baoying's enthusiasm.
She sat beside him, and the moment a steaming dish arrived at the table, she deftly picked up a roasted goose leg with her chopsticks and placed it into his bowl with utmost thoughtfulness.
"Your Highness, this is my mother's signature dish—do try it!"
Zong Duo lowered his gaze to the goose leg in his bowl, its skin crisp and flesh tender, marred by two small round holes where her chopsticks had pierced it. He paused for a moment, then used the serving chopsticks to return the leg to her bowl.
"You eat it."
A little while later, a braised pork hock arrived. Baoying immediately picked up a piece dripping with rich sauce and delivered it to Zong Duo's bowl.
"Your Highness, try this one. It's my favorite meat!"
The hock had been stewed until soft and tender. When Zong Duo tried to pick it up with the serving chopsticks, he failed—the skin and meat split apart and flopped flat in his bowl.
His temple twitched twice. He simply pushed the entire bowl in front of her. "If you love it so much, you can have it all."
Shi Dalu and Zhenniang watched the young couple treating each other with such courtesy, feeling deeply gratified.
Their son-in-law cherished their daughter—that put their minds at ease.
Baoying's heart felt warm too. He could resist such delicious pork hock and give it to her first—clearly he truly cared for her. She buried her head in her food, stuffing her already-round cheeks to the brim.
With her no longer pestering him, Zong Duo finally had a chance to survey the guests at the table. To his great disappointment, he found that the Shi family's circle consisted entirely of rough-and-tumble types who wielded spears and clubs.
The maternal uncle from the Wei family had some sense, but he was a wily old fox, and his official rank was far too low. The Wei family's elder cousin could hold a decent conversation, but he was nowhere near qualified to enter the Prince Yan's mansion.
In short, there was not a single person worth cultivating.
Zong Duo's gaze drifted outward. Outside, the sky was clear and sunny, the shadows of the trees slightly askew—it must be around the hour of Si. Nearly two hours had passed since he'd left; he'd already lingered long enough.
Impatience grew within him, though his face betrayed nothing. He quietly waited for Baoying to finish eating and drinking.
Just as she scraped the bottom of her second bowl of rice, Zong Duo prepared to rise and take his leave—but then she held out her bowl and had it filled with yet another heaping serving of rice.
His patience ran out. He would no longer wait for her. Just as he was about to stand and bid farewell, he suddenly saw the Shi family's gatekeeper rush in frantically, shouting, "Young Master Xuan has returned!"
Wei Xuan was back?
Baoying was astonished. Forgetting the delicacies before her, she set down her bowl and chopsticks, hitched up her skirts, and ran outside.
At the age of ten, Wei Xuan had been taken as a disciple by a wandering martial artist and had gone to Shu to train. Over the years, he only returned to the capital during festivals.
Baoying's wedding date had been so sudden—it would take over a month just for word to travel from the capital to Shu. She had assumed Wei Xuan definitely wouldn't make it back in time.
Zhenniang and the others were overjoyed as well, hurrying out together to greet him.
Baoying ran ahead, passing through the ornamental gate, and came face to face with a familiar tall figure striding in.
He was indeed travel-worn, his handsome face utterly expressionless, his demeanor somewhat grave.
But the moment he saw her, a faint smile first rose in his peach-blossom eyes, followed by the corners of his lips curling up into the infuriating grin Baoying knew so well.
"Little Bao, little sister."
He strode forward and, with practiced ease, pinched her cheeks.
Baoying hastily slapped his hand away. "No touching! I'm a princess now—do that again and I'll have someone chop off your dog paws!"
"Tsk, learning to wield borrowed authority already." Wei Xuan released her cheek, his gaze sweeping her from head to toe. Though he was smiling, his voice carried a hint of reproach. "Little Bao hasn't even been bullied enough by me yet—how did you go and get married already?"
Baoying bared her teeth at him, her tone tinged with smugness. "Didn't see that coming, did you? Your Bao'er was in high demand!"
Wei Xuan's brow arched slightly, but his gaze shifted past Baoying to someone behind her. The playfulness in his eyes vanished in an instant, and the faint smile on his face disappeared as well.
Baoying turned to look—it was Zong Duo, walking out from behind her.
His gaze was also fixed on Wei Xuan.
Both men were tall and straight of stature, rendering everyone else in the courtyard mere foils to their presence.
In the sweltering summer heat, standing between them, Baoying inexplicably felt a chill at the top of her head. She instinctively stepped back, leaning against the crabapple tree in the courtyard, her gaze darting cautiously between the two.
Zong Duo's face was habitually expressionless, but the ever-smiling Wei Xuan had stopped smiling too. This silent exchange of stares carried an unmistakable air of tension.
Finally, Wei Xuan raised his hands in a formal bow toward Zong Duo.
"Your subject Wei Xuan pays respects to His Highness the Prince of Yan."
"Rise."
The moment Wei Xuan had entered, Zong Duo's attention had been immediately drawn to him.
This young man was tall and sturdy, with a steady gait and thick calluses at the base of his left thumb. At a glance, Zong Duo could tell he was a master swordsman.
He had already given up hope on the people connected to the Shi family, yet unexpectedly, there was one who was a hidden dragon among them.
Zong Duo couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for talent. He didn't take offense at Wei Xuan's almost provocative stare and took the initiative to speak: "May I ask where Master Wei is currently employed?"
"I am but a commoner, drifting through the martial world without any fixed occupation."
"The Prince of Yan's estate is eager to recruit talent. Would you be interested in serving there?"
"Oh?" Wei Xuan raised an eyebrow. "And what price is His Highness the Prince of Yan offering?"
Zong Duo smiled faintly. "For the wise and capable, even a thousand in gold is hard to secure. What I can offer you cannot be measured in mere gold and silver."
"His Highness is indeed forthright." Wei Xuan let out a hearty laugh, but as his gaze swept across Baoying's face, the smile sank. "It's just a pity that what Wei desires, His Highness may not be able to afford."
Zong Duo was quite confident. "If you don't say it, how would you know I can't afford it?"
But Wei Xuan didn't take up that thread. He clasped his hands in a salute and said, "I have grown too accustomed to my own ways. I have neither the talent to assist a ruler nor the heart to enter officialdom. I am deeply ashamed to have received His Highness's misplaced favor."
Hearing this, Zong Duo did not press further. He turned to Shi Dalu and said, "I have been out for quite some time, and there are still matters to handle at the yamen. Your son-in-law will take his leave."
Shi Dalu hurriedly led the guests to see off the prince's carriage.
Baoying saw that Zong Duo was about to leave and could only follow reluctantly, still feeling a pang of regret over the bowl of rice she hadn't finished.
Wei Xuan stepped aside to make way for Zong Duo. As the two passed each other, he suddenly spoke again: "My little cousin here has been spoiled by the family since she was young. If she ever does anything improper in the future, I hope Your Highness will help smooth things over for her."
Baoying glared at him.
Why was he badmouthing her for no reason! She wasn't spoiled at all—her temper was perfectly fine.
Zong Duo's gaze flickered between their faces for a moment.
"No need for you to worry."
With that, he strode out through the hanging-flower gate.
Baoying quickly gathered her skirts and followed.
As she passed Wei Xuan, he said softly, "Little Bao, if you're ever wronged, tell your brother. I may not have many talents, but I do have the ability to stand up for my sister."
Baoying turned back and made a face at him.
Once seated in the carriage returning to the prince's estate, Zong Duo leaned against the backrest of the couch, closed his eyes, and didn't say another word.
Although this was his usual demeanor, Baoying felt that he was definitely angry this time. That bastard Wei Xuan—he used to bully her when they were young, and now he was even trying to sow discord in her marriage.
Baoying secretly clenched her fists and cursed Wei Xuan in her heart. But cursing aside, she couldn't let Zong Duo take out his anger on her maternal uncle's family.
She extended a finger and cautiously poked Zong Duo's shoulder. "Your Highness, Wei Xuan just has a sharp tongue. Please don't be angry with him."
What a touching display of sibling affection.
Zong Duo gave a faint smile, still keeping his eyes closed. "I don't care about your past. But remember this: from now on, you are the Princess of Yan, representing the face of the Yan estate. Can you conduct yourself with caution and discretion?"
"No problem!"
She was delighted that not only was he not angry, but he had also spoken to her at length for once.
But after saying that, he went back to resting with his eyes closed, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.
Baoying had no choice but to idly observe the carriage's interior.
This was the estate's standard two-person carriage, though from what she could tell, there was plenty of room for four people to sit comfortably.
The panels were made of huanghuali wood, the three-sided couch was covered with a Xiangfei bamboo mat, the top was silver with a black canopy, and the side panels had screened windows for cross-ventilation. There was even an ice basin under the low table, making it very cool inside.
Baoying looked around, and her gaze eventually drifted back to Zong Duo's face.
Though the carriage's furnishings were luxurious, she felt the most luxurious thing in here was Zong Duo himself.
Just sitting there with his eyes closed, he was like a jade-carved deity. His high-bridged nose and deep brow ridges defined the silhouette of his profile, and his long, curved lashes cast a small shadow over his eyelids, softening his entire face in an instant.
Baoying remembered what her mother had told her, and her eyes unconsciously drifted toward his lap.
He sat with dignified ease, leaning against the pillow, dressed in a silver-red straight robe with a narrow jade belt at his waist. His two long, straight legs were slightly parted, and it wasn't hard to make out the faint mound in the middle.
She wanted to touch it.
But she couldn't just reach out and grab it, could she? That would make her seem immodest, and besides, it would be rather presumptuous.
But Baoying was truly curious.
She rolled her pair of black-glass-like eyes and, through the screened window, saw that the carriage was driving down the main street, not far from the intersection ahead.
That was a sharp turn. When they reached it, she would pretend to lose her balance and fall into his arms, then sneak a hand down there in the confusion to see just what was different about a man's body compared to a woman's.
Baoying was quite pleased with her scheme and couldn't help but let out a laugh.
When the carriage reached the intersection and turned, the cabin indeed tilted. She took the opportunity to lean into Zong Duo, her eyes locked on the target, and sent her palm sweeping toward that spot as if by accident—
She didn't make contact.
Zong Duo caught her with one hand, her palm stopping just half a chi short of the target. He lowered his gaze to look at her. "What are you doing?"
"Um, I…" Baoying said awkwardly, "I just lost my balance."
Zong Duo said nothing, only quietly gazing at her with those narrow, clear eyes.
Baoying had always been bothered that he never looked at her directly, but now that he was actually looking at her, she felt as though he could see straight through her heart and soul.
She guiltily averted her eyes to avoid his gaze.
By then, the carriage had turned onto the main road. Zong Duo released his grip on her hand and said coldly, "It's better to make some things clear in advance. I don't like being close to people, so from now on when we share a table, don't put food in my bowl. Also, I'll be sleeping in the Mingxing Hall from now on. You can retire on your own at night—no need to wait for me."
Baoying only remembered the latter half, thinking to herself: Mother was right after all—he must be impotent, that's why he doesn't dare share a room with me.
She glanced regretfully at the bulge she hadn't managed to touch, and said with great sincerity, "No problem, I understand."