Chapter 73: If You Want to Know, Go Ask Him Yourself!

The next day, Li Rui took Zhang Xiaolan and the others back to the capital. He rode ahead on horseback while Haizi drove the carriage behind him, and the rest of the group sat inside the carriage. This was Zhang Xiaolan’s first time returning to the capital, to Li Rui’s princely residence. Her heart was filled with both anticipation and nervousness, uncertain of what fate awaited her.

The journey from Jigong Mountain’s summer retreat to the prince’s residence took nearly a whole day by carriage and horseback, leaving Zhang Xiaolan in utter misery—it was even worse than motion sickness. The heat was stifling, and the discomfort was compounded by the jostling of the rough ancient roads, which were nothing like the smooth asphalt and concrete roads of modern times. Had it been just Li Rui alone on his fine steed, he could have made the journey in less than half a day.

“You’ve returned, Master!” At the gates of the prince’s residence, lanterns were already lit to brighten the entrance, and guards stood by to welcome Li Rui home. The one who stepped forward to greet him was the old steward, Steward Chen.

“Yes. Is the room prepared?” Li Rui dismounted with ease, handed the reins to a servant, and addressed Steward Chen, speaking of the arrangements he had made a few days prior.

“In response to your command, the separate courtyard has been tidied as instructed. Is this the young lady you spoke of?” Steward Chen replied respectfully, glancing at the person alighting from the carriage, then smiling as he posed the question to Li Rui.

Steward Chen had already ordered the courtyard to be cleaned and elegantly prepared, having surmised that a female guest might be arriving. Li Rui had mentioned returning a few days ago, so Steward Chen had been expectantly awaiting his arrival. As soon as the guards reported Li Rui’s return, Steward Chen hurried out to greet him.

“Well done, Steward Chen. Have the things brought inside,” Li Rui said, turning to see Zhang Xiaolan stepping down from the carriage, which explained Steward Chen’s question.

“Yes, sir.” Steward Chen bowed and turned to wave for servants to come and help.

“Lanlan, let me take you to your quarters,” Li Rui said, walking over to Zhang Xiaolan, intent on personally leading her to her new residence.

“All right.” Zhang Xiaolan was still taking in her surroundings when Li Rui spoke, snapping her out of her reverie. She smiled in response, and Li Rui smiled back, taking her hand as they walked through the grand gates together. Xiao Lian trailed behind, carrying her own and Zhang Xiaolan’s bundles.

“Ling Xiao, just come with me.” Ling Xiao had intended to follow Zhang Xiaolan inside, but Haizi stopped him, insisting he come along instead.

Ling Xiao had no objections, but Haizi clearly didn’t care for this newcomer. Where had he suddenly come from? Zhang Xiaolan claimed he was her brother, but in Haizi’s eyes, she seemed more and more like a harbinger of trouble, dragging her whole “family” along.

“Haizi, who is the young lady that Master brought back? Is she someone he’s taken a fancy to?” As Haizi was carrying things, Steward Chen approached, patting him on the shoulder and asking in a low voice.

“I don’t know. If you want to find out, you should ask Master yourself,” Haizi replied, keeping his lips sealed as Li Rui had instructed—Zhang Xiaolan’s circumstances were not to be discussed with others.

For one, Zhang Xiaolan was neither a native of this place nor from the neighboring state of Northern Wei—her identity was a mystery. She lacked proper papers to enter the city, making things awkward, and the slightest misstep might cause a major misunderstanding. For now, Li Rui preferred to keep her hidden away and consider his options later.

“You cheeky thing. If I could ask the master, would I bother asking you?” Steward Chen pretended to scold Haizi, raising his hand in mock anger. Haizi dodged nimbly, turning with a grin to tease the steward.

Thus, the night air at the prince’s residence was filled with a sense of anticipation and the promise of new beginnings, as Zhang Xiaolan crossed the threshold into a future that, for now, remained uncertain.