“The Third Prince wants to marry her? Why? Why now? When did he get this idea?” Helian Jing asked, shocked.

“This is not such a surprise. The Third Prince is at the prime age to get married. Besides the fact that Ah Ruan’s a beautiful woman, if he marries her, he gets the support of Nanyue. It’s an opportunity that any sane man would take,” Xia Chunyu told him. “The odd thing is the Empress Dowager’s and the Empress’ support. Why would they want the Third Prince to marry Ah Ruan? ”

Helian Jing thought about that too. In his time with the Ministry of War, he’s learned a lot about power disputes. The Third Prince has been standing out lately and if he ends up marrying Ah Ruan, it’d just cement his power. The Third Prince’s mother, Concubine Shu seemed to be unproblematic, yet, it was quite baffling how she reached her position. Why didn’t the Empress Dowager and the Empress stop her?

“I think they’re trying to appear generous in front of others. They can’t directly oppose the idea without people thinking that they’re trying to keep the Third Prince from ascending,” Xia Chunyu mused.

He continued, “The Emperor gave you the task of entertaining Ah Ruan because he wanted to fix the two of you up. However, the Third Prince’s request is reasonable and justified, so the Emperor can’t just refuse him. The decision falls on your family.

“Only the Helian mansion can stop this from happening now. As long as your mother and grandmother defend your and Ah Ruan’s match, the Emperor would have a reason to reject the Third Prince. Little Jing, do you really want to watch Ah Ruan become a pawn in the power dispute between the two countries? Aren’t you afraid of what would happen to Ah Ruan in this marriage?”

Helian Jing looked like he was going to pass out. He said weakly, “Third Prince may really like Ah Ruan.”

Xia Chunyu smiled humorlessly. “Do you really believe that? Do you actually believe that the Third Prince wants to marry Ah Ruan because he likes her?”

Helian Jing’s face grew increasingly pale. Of course, he doesn’t believe that. Everyone knew that the Third Prince and the Rong State Councilor’s niece had already fallen in love.

Xia Chunyu sighed. “I don’t want to pressure you, but this matter has a deadline. I would’ve encouraged you to get to know Ah Ruan more, but if you wait for too long, the Third Prince is gonna swoop in and take her. Little Jing, Ah Ruan’s a good girl worth cherishing. What’s your hang-up?”

He looked at Little Jing’s confused face for a while before continuing, “Go and comfort her. She’s putting all her hopes on you right now. Even if you can’t give her a definite answer right now, just be there for her. And then later, talk to your mother about this.”

Helian Jing knew that this wasn’t just a matter of whether he’d want to be married to Ah Ruan or not. He also has to consider the implications of her marrying the Third Prince. The Helian family’s a firm supporter of the Crown Prince and they couldn’t just stand idly by as he makes an obvious grab for power.

Meanwhile, Xia Chunyu and Ye Jiayao stood beside a canna in the courtyard. Now that Ah Ruan and Little Jing were talking, Ye Jiayao’s mind flitted to another problem.

Ah Ruan would have had to send someone to the Jing An Marquis’ mansion to find out that she and Chunyu were at the farmlands. That meant that the people in the mansion now knew that they’re back.

She couldn’t go home yet.

“Chunyu… do you think I can stay here with Ah Ruan for a few days?”

“You can stay here with her during the day, but I don’t think it’s wise to sleep here. If the Third Prince finds out that you’ve been living here, and then his marriage proposal gets rejected, he’d blame you. It’s better to avoid conflicts like that.”

She couldn’t argue because what he said was actually reasonable. The Jing An Marquis’ mansion has always been in an impartial position. Their loyalty lies with the person sitting on the throne and they never get involved with power struggles.

Helian Jing came out moments later. “I’m going to go talk to my mother and I’ll let you know about my decision later.”

Ye Jiayao went in and spoke to Ah Ruan for a while. When she saw that the young woman seemed calmer and more relaxed, she went back to the Jing An Marquis’ mansion with Chunyu.

When they got home, Xia Chunyu immediately went to his father. Ye Jiayao, on the other hand, went to greet Xia You before retreating to her room to rest.

Qiao Xi came in with her and reported, “Second Young Mistress, something is definitely wrong with Princess Liu Li. The only people that are allowed to enter her courtyard are Little Ya and Imperial Physician Li. The rest of her servants needed permission to come to the courtyard.”

“What else have you observed?”

“The day before yesterday, Third Young Master came back early and the servant in charge didn’t stop him. After that, they said that that servant was sent to the palace on an errand, but she hasn’t come back until now. Cai Lan saw the servant being carried to a carriage, but she didn’t dare follow it.”

Ye Jiayao was horrified. Did Liu Li have the servant killed? What secret was she hiding that she’s actually willing to kill for it?

“You’ve done a good job, Qiao Xi. However, in the future, don’t let anyone do such dangerous things again. The consequences would be unimaginable if you get caught. I don’t want to get in trouble, but I also don’t want any of you to get in trouble because of me,” Ye Jiayao said gently.

Qiao Xi was both moved and ashamed. She was moved that the Second Young Mistress was so caring to her servants, but she was also ashamed that she underestimated the risks of what they did. If Cai Lan had gotten caught, she might have disappeared along with the other servant.

Ye Jiayao waved her hand and said, “You can retreat for now. I need to think about this.”

Before dinner, Ye Jiayao went to find Qiao.

Qiao took a few vials of medicine from Imperial Physician Li and was now looking much better.

“I went to the farm and brought you some hens. It’ll be good for you,” Ye Jiayao said.

Qiao smiled gratefully. “I heard that you’ve planted a lot of fruits and vegetables at your farm, Second Sister.”

“Yes, we planted a lot of variations of that. However, the fruit trees will take time to mature. When they bear fruit in the coming year, just tell me what you want to eat and I’ll get them for you.”

“I really envy you, Second Sister-in-law. One embroidery shop has already kept me so busy, but you manage to run the farm and Heavenly Residence so well.”

“I have help. Manager Zhao’s in charge of all the accounts in Heavenly Residence. I only make sure that everyone’s working properly, and create some new dishes and drinks from time to time. The farm is managed by the manager recommended to me by Princess Yu De,” Ye Jiayao said modestly.

“You don’t have to be humble. You have great skills. I’m just worried that now that I’m pregnant, the embroidery shop would get even worse. We’re barely getting by as it is. I’m worried that we’d be buried in debt if this continues,” Qiao worried. She wouldn’t normally admit to such weakness, but she’s out of option. She needed Jinxuan’s advice to turn her business around.

“Is this business separate from that of your family’s?” Ye Jiayao asked.

“It is. There are only three Qiao embroidery shops in Jin Ling and the other two are doing better than mine.”

“Those two shops have been operating for many years and they’ve built their reputation. They have stable customers that give them constant business,” Ye Jiayao said.

Qiao grabbed her hand and pleaded, “Second Sister-in-law, you have a lot of ideas. Please help me.”

“I’m not familiar with that business industry. Are your target customers the rich or the commoners?”

“It’s for the rich, but it’s a pity that it can’t beat the Lan Yi shop next door.”

“Why is that shop’s business better?”

“I don’t know. My material is obviously more expensive than hers, and my embroidery skills are better. My style is better too!” Qiao told her.

Ye Jiayao sighed. It seemed that Qiao really doesn’t have the mind for business.