Xie Yu was not the only one dissatisfied with the outcome—Pei Rong also felt the same.
He requested an audience with the emperor but was not even granted a meeting.
Pei An submitted a memorial, but it was suppressed and never acknowledged.
Ma Bing thought the emperor must have already guessed her identity; otherwise, he wouldn’t have refused to see Pei Rong.
The emperor understood the intentions of both Pei Rong and his son, but at the moment, he truly had no better options and could only avoid meeting them.
The next morning, Ma Bing visited the Pei residence early. The entire family felt she had been wronged and, behind closed doors, expressed many rebellious and subversive opinions. They only let her leave after lunch.
Before she could leave, the butler, Old Su, informed her, “Miss, there’s been a carriage parked at the street corner for nearly half an hour.”
The entire street belonged to the Pei family. That carriage, instead of heading elsewhere, had come specifically here—its only target must be their young lady.
Ma Bing noticed his waist bulging, seemingly hiding something, and couldn’t help but smile.
“Now that the culprits have been punished, they probably don’t dare to act so brazenly in broad daylight.”
Old Su smiled gently, as if he wasn’t the one carrying a long dagger.
“Better safe than sorry. Come, let this old servant escort you out.”
Seeing his expression, she realized refusing wasn’t an option.
Ma Bing rarely experienced such care from elders and thus agreed.
The carriage driver spotted Ma Bing exiting and immediately leaned forward slightly, whispering something to the curtain.
Then, a female servant standing nearby approached. “Miss Ma, our mistress would like to invite you for a drink at the teahouse ahead.”
Ma Bing glanced at her. “I remember seeing you at the polo field before.”
She was a palace maid who had served beside Princess Ningde.
The maid smiled slightly. “Miss has a good memory.”
Ma Bing couldn’t figure out why Princess Ningde wanted to see her now.
Was it because Xie Yu had worked on her behalf and she had suffered by association, so the mother had come to confront her?
No, Princess Ningde probably wasn’t that kind of person.
Certainly, Xie Yu’s involvement hadn’t escaped her notice. If she and Xie Xian had disapproved, they would have acted long ago instead of waiting until now.
Meanwhile, Old Su didn’t care about princesses or not; his right hand had already discreetly moved behind his waist.
The maid seemed to notice and glanced at Old Su, her expression strange.
She probably had never seen someone so openly suspicious.
It could be said that the crooked upper beam caused the lower one to tilt—General Pei himself was somewhat of a scoundrel, and even the current emperor could do nothing but steer clear of him. As it turned out, the butler was just the same…
“The mistress said, ‘Miss needn’t worry. If you’re not available, it’s perfectly fine.'” the maid added.
Ma Bing looked at Old Su. “You go back. I’ll go talk to someone.”
It seemed Princess Ningde genuinely only wanted to speak with Ma Bing.
Incense burned in the private room, and the table was set with winter-rare grapes, melons, and several exotic fruits, along with six kinds of delicate pastries.
The scent of incense was familiar—crisp and refreshing, different from Xie Yu’s usual fragrance, yet still instantly comforting.
Thinking back, they had only ever gazed at each other from afar. This was the first time they had sat face-to-face.
Looking at Princess Ningde, Ma Bing once again confirmed that she was indeed an extraordinary beauty. Even without expression, she radiated a fiery, vibrant energy.
Princess Ningde also looked at her for a long time, her gaze complex.
Neither spoke.
Since she was already there, Ma Bing calmly picked up the fruits and pastries and began eating, which surprised Princess Ningde.
The princess blinked slightly, then extended her jade-like finger to point vaguely at a pale-yellow, round pastry in the center. “That one’s delicious—it has plum inside the cream.”
Ma Bing blinked, finding the situation somewhat strange, yet obediently took one to eat.
Mmm—it was sweet and sour with a rich milky aroma, smooth upon entering the mouth, indeed delicious.
Princess Ningde seemed amused and proceeded to point out each pastry and fruit on the table in her preferred order. Ma Bing obediently tasted each one.
One ate, the other watched, and thus, about half an hour passed peacefully, until Ma Bing couldn’t eat anymore.
She drank half a bowl of tea in one go, and with the faint clink of the teacup returning to the table, she asked, “Don’t you want to say something?”
Princess Ningde remained silent for a while before nodding. “I’ve wanted to say many things for a long time, but when the moment came, words seemed pale and powerless.”
What could she say?
An apology?
On whose behalf and for what reason?
A plea for forgiveness?
And on what grounds could she make such a request?
Whatever she said would seem inappropriate, so she chose silence.
Ma Bing also fell silent.
Indeed.
If it was about the past, whatever Princess Ningde said today would seem inappropriate.
The princess glanced at her. “I’m glad you’re willing to sit here and talk with me like this.”
Ma Bing lowered her eyes, gazing at the calm surface of the tea. “I have no reason to hate you.”
When she first learned the truth, she had indeed been filled with hatred, wishing to slaughter the previous emperor and his descendants.
Why must I endure unbearable pain while your descendants enjoy prosperity and happiness?
But the more she traveled and learned, the clearer she became.
She didn’t consider herself a saint and couldn’t entirely avoid resentment, but she genuinely couldn’t hate Princess Ningde’s family.
Back then, when the previous emperor was misguided, even his sons dared not speak out, yet Princess Ningde, as a woman, had dared to advise him, clearly stating that such tyranny was unworthy of a wise ruler.
The emperor had been furious, and their relationship had deteriorated to the point of estrangement and eventual rupture.
Princess Ningde was merely a princess with no real power. Everything she enjoyed depended on the emperor’s favor. In such circumstances, she could have easily stayed out of it and continued living as a beloved princess.
But she hadn’t.
The risks she had taken were unimaginable to anyone else.
As for Xie Xian, he had stood up in court to protect the Yan army when he himself was still struggling to establish his position…
This couple truly shared the same ideals and aspirations.
Princess Ningde looked at her, her heart churning with emotions, eventually sighing deeply.
“These years must have been hard for you.”
In truth, they were somewhat alike—both skilled in endurance and stubbornness.
Even knowing that sometimes it was like trying to shake a giant tree with an ant’s strength, they still insisted on trying.
“Then, what will you do next?” she looked at Ma Bing, her eyes filled with the unique tenderness and gravity of an elder woman.
By now, the culprits seemed to have all been punished, and everything seemed to have ended.
But had it truly ended?
Princess Ningde had imagined many times—if she were a descendant of the Yan family, would she be satisfied?
No, she wouldn’t.
She wouldn’t stop.
Ma Bing’s hand on her knee quickly clenched, and she looked up. “Are you here to stop me?”
With Princess Ningde’s current power and status, if she truly wanted to stop her, Ma Bing knew she would be utterly powerless.
But she probably wouldn’t.
If she had wanted to, she could have done so long ago—openly or secretly. After all, with enough determination, any accusation could be made up. She would have been dead long ago if that were the case.
Indeed, Princess Ningde shook her head, her hairpin swaying gently.
Why stop her?
And on what grounds could she stop her?
If her own parents had suffered such a fate, she doubted she could have done better than this girl.
“If, if there had been no…”
Princess Ningde looked at her, wanting to say something but unable to continue.
If the previous emperor had abdicated earlier, if he had never been misguided, if the Yan army had been treated fairly, if this girl had never suffered the loss of her family…
Ma Bing chuckled lightly. “Your Highness, wise as you are, why engage in such futile thoughts?”
There was no such thing as “if” in this world.
“Princess,” the maid who had delivered the message earlier spoke from outside the door, “the Crown Prince has arrived.”
Princess Ningde seemed unsurprised.
She even looked at Ma Bing and teasingly added, as usual, “Such long legs.”
Ma Bing suddenly felt an absurd sense of sitting with her future mother-in-law, a rare feeling of embarrassment.
Princess Ningde rose cheerfully. “Well then, let him in, so he won’t think I’m a wicked mother-in-law.”
Before she finished speaking, she herself frowned slightly, then touched her still-smooth cheek and muttered, “This is the first time I’ve said it. It feels strange, as if I’ve suddenly grown old.”
Ma Bing: “…
Her face turned bright red.
Footsteps approached from outside, and Princess Ningde sighed softly. Unexpectedly, she came forward and gently embraced Ma Bing. “Little girl from the Yan family, take care of yourself.”
Ma Bing’s eyes widened suddenly, and an indescribable emotion surged violently in her chest, intense and overwhelming.
“Okay.”
When Xie Yu entered shortly afterward, he found Ma Bing with slightly reddened eyes.
“Mother.” His gaze quickly swept across the two women in the room. He stepped forward, bowing respectfully while subtly placing himself protectively in front of his beloved.
Princess Ningde was briefly surprised, then suddenly smirked teasingly, “Tsk tsk.”
She had worried that a girl filled with hatred might have no room in her heart for her son’s love, but now it seemed clear—this boy had already won her heart.
Life is short indeed. To meet the right person at the best time of life is both fortunate and rare.
Even a brief moment of happiness is enough to cherish for a lifetime.
Princess Ningde clearly said nothing, yet it felt as if she had said everything, leaving the two young people across from her blushing.
“Let’s go.” She looked at her son and Ma Bing once more, her gaze complex, then without hesitation, she walked out.
Xie Yu hadn’t expected his mother to leave so decisively, not even bothering to say a word about whether it was good or bad.
Ma Bing lightly poked him from behind, and he finally snapped out of it, bowing again.
Only after boarding the carriage did Princess Ningde softly sigh.
The sound was faint, like a gust of wind swiftly passing under the sunlight—before it could be clearly heard, it had already dispersed, yet it carried boundless emotions within.
“Your Highness, since you’re reluctant to part, why not stay a little longer?” the maid asked. “It’s rare for everyone to be together.”
“Staying a little longer now won’t mean staying forever. Why should I be so insensitive?” Princess Ningde leaned back against a large brocade cushion embroidered with lingzhi patterns, her tone no longer as light as before.
She supported her forehead with one hand and lifted the corner of the carriage curtain with the other, unable to resist glancing back toward the private room upstairs.
She could see nothing at all, yet she couldn’t help but look.
This was the feeling of being a parent, wasn’t it?
A bit sad, yet also feeling comforted—he had indeed grown up, becoming a responsible young man.
His sense of responsibility and passion were sincere and intense, enough to give him the courage to stand against the pinnacle of power.
That was good.
But it also meant he would gradually move away, leaving behind the once-only family.
One day, he would truly have his own small family, and she and her husband would no longer be his only support or belonging.
This realization made Princess Ningde unable to suppress the impending sense of loss and emptiness.
After Princess Ningde left, the private room became instantly quiet.
Xie Yu and Ma Bing looked at each other, then both smiled.
“Why did you come so quickly?” Ma Bing asked him.
Xie Yu didn’t answer.
He had been worried about her.
Ma Bing chuckled, moving a step closer to him. She raised her little finger slightly and gently hooked it around his hand. “The princess isn’t that kind of person.”
Her fingertip brushed across his knuckles, soft and ticklish. Xie Yu’s lips curled slightly, and he extended a few fingers to catch the mischievous one.
Just holding hands like this brought him satisfaction.
“Let’s go out and play,” Ma Bing suddenly said.
Xie Yu was startled. “What?”
“Go out and play,” Ma Bing grabbed his hand, suddenly enthusiastic. “We’ve been so busy lately. Don’t you feel tired?”
This was the first time she had taken his hand on her own initiative.
Xie Yu’s gaze dropped, his eyes widening slightly.
Tired?
Of course, there were many times when he felt so exhausted that his body and soul seemed to split apart, but he couldn’t rest.
“Now that the big things are done, let’s go out and play,” Ma Bing said eagerly.
“Big things…” Xie Yu hadn’t finished speaking before being interrupted.
“Do you want to go play?” Ma Bing looked at him and asked.
Was everything really over?
Clearly not.
But… they had indeed never played together.
Thinking back, they had done many things together—camping, solving cases, gathering evidence, and riding horses—but always for official business.
There had never been a single time when they had gone out purely for fun.
Xie Yu’s heart raced.
As a nobleman, he was very good at playing, but he actually didn’t enjoy it much.
But now, he felt a sudden urge to play.
Perhaps what mattered wasn’t the “fun” itself, but the person by his side.
They held hands tightly and immediately went downstairs to the street.
The New Year was approaching, and the streets were bustling with people returning to or entering the capital. Everywhere, crowds surged, and vendors’ calls rose and fell in waves.
Instinctively, they gripped each other’s hands tighter, as if fearing that one wrong step might cause them to lose each other.
There was still a thin layer of snow on the street, but it did nothing to dampen people’s enthusiasm for leisurely strolls. When it got cold, more vendors selling roasted nuts appeared.
No need for a shop—just set up a stall at a street corner, place a large black pot, and the vendor would swing a big iron shovel, sweating as he worked, while the rich aroma of roasted nuts slowly and steadily filled the entire street.
There was a vendor selling roasted chestnuts, and Ma Bing went over to buy a bag.
The vendor looked up and saw two such handsome young people holding hands, and couldn’t help but smile.
He quickly scooped up a shovel full, holding the scale high, and at the end, even added an extra handful, handing it specially to Xie Yu, bypassing Ma Bing’s hand.
“A hundred years of happiness!”
The young couple seemed to be getting along quite well. It made him miss his wife too.
He was handed a big bag of roasted chestnuts and still felt a bit dazed. With this unexpected blessing, the heat from the chestnuts quickly broke through the paper bag, warming his palms, then his wrists and arms, finally gathering in his chest.
Suddenly, he became very happy, as if a restless sparrow was fluttering inside his chest, beating rapidly.
He sincerely thanked the couple, saying, “Thank you for your kind words.”
What a wonderful sentence that was.
Ma Bing smiled at him, her eyes curved delightfully, as if filled with sparkling water.
As everyone knows, doing things with only one hand is indeed inconvenient, but today the two acted unusually, refusing to let go of each other’s hands wherever they went.
They held hands so tightly, as if there might not be a tomorrow.
Because of this, Xie Yu even quickly mastered the skill of peeling chestnuts with one hand.
Ma Bing ate two chestnuts, finding them soft, sticky, fragrant, and sweet. She thought they were delicious, so she casually popped a chestnut into his mouth.
The young marquis never used to eat while walking, but today, he made an exception.
“How is it?” Ma Bing asked with a smile.
Xie Yu chewed thoughtfully with an odd expression and then commented seriously, “With so many people around, it’s dusty…”
Not very clean.
After a brief silence, Ma Bing burst into laughter.
Seeing her laugh joyfully, Xie Yu also smiled.
They had indeed come out shopping today, not specifically for anything, just holding hands and wandering aimlessly, going wherever caught their interest.
Unknowingly, the sky was painted with magnificent clouds, red, yellow, and purple, covering the heavens like the alchemical furnace in the ninth heaven had been overturned, setting the entire western sky ablaze.
They couldn’t help but stop to admire the view.
How beautiful it was.
After nightfall, lights gradually lit up from every corner of Kaifeng City, as if someone had pulled down the stars from the sky.
On their way back to the Kaifeng government office, Ma Bing noticed a ring-toss game. Beside it, a little girl of about six or seven was rubbing her eyes and crying, while a slightly older boy was awkwardly trying to comfort her.
Many bamboo rings were scattered haphazardly on the stall, and not one of them had landed successfully.
The vendor used a long bamboo pole to retrieve the rings, smugly saying, “You just had bad luck today. Try again tomorrow.”
Before his voice faded, the little girl cried even harder.
Upon hearing this, the boy glared angrily at him, saying, “You’re cheating! The cloth tiger was clearly placed upfront at first. After we paid, you moved it to the back, pretending you accidentally kicked it!”
Such ring-toss games usually drew a crowd, and several adults nearby had witnessed the entire incident, chiming in to support the children:
“Yeah, don’t bully kids.”
“Hey, you’ve already earned quite a lot today. Why not spare these few coins from the kids’ hands!”
“This is just cheating!”
The vendor, completely shameless, glared at them with narrowed eyes, “If you bet, you must accept the consequences. Besides, who can prove otherwise? Or maybe you’d like to play for them?”
Everyone was furious but didn’t want to escalate the situation, so someone went to soothe the pair of siblings.
Xie Yu didn’t know much about street games, but Ma Bing understood the tricks well, so she quietly explained, “This game has the highest profit margins. Don’t be fooled by the claim that you get two rings for a coin—it’s actually very difficult to win, which means they make a lot of money.”
She clearly heard a nearby woman muttering curses, saying the vendor deliberately targeted the two children who had come to play.
Xie Yu glanced at the stall, noticing it wasn’t particularly impressive. It was simply a red cloth laid on the ground, sparsely displaying some daily necessities like cotton handkerchiefs, embroidery threads, sachets, cloth tigers, and rattles—items that could easily attract attention.
These small items were quite common, but to attract customers, at the farthest corner were placed two low-quality green jade pendants, a shiny little silver ingot, and a not-so-round pearl.
In reality, none of these most expensive items were worth more than two or three taels of silver each. As for the needles, threads, and sachets, the materials were not of good quality, and the craftsmanship was not particularly exquisite, worth only a few coins.
But the ring toss cost one coin for two rings. People loved the idea of getting a bargain, always dreaming of getting rich overnight, and thus easily falling for such tricks.
This kind of business was essentially a disguised form of gambling. However, since its impact was limited, the government couldn’t find a proper reason to ban it outright.
The vendor was just feeling smug when suddenly a clear, cold male voice said, “I’ll play.”
Looking up, he thought, “Well, I don’t recognize the fabric of his clothes, but his bearing suggests he’s not short of money!”
So, let’s play!
As it turned out, the young marquis didn’t have any loose change on him, so Ma Bing paid instead.
Unconsciously, a crowd had gathered around, all with their hands tucked into their sleeves, stretching their necks to watch the spectacle.
He first asked for ten rings to test his feel. Perhaps the wind picked up at night, and all of them missed without exception.
The two siblings, originally full of hope, kept sighing in disappointment.
Someone in the crowd couldn’t help but exclaim, “Five coins gone just like that? At least throwing them into water would make a sound…”
Enough to buy two meat buns.
After tossing away all ten rings, Xie Yu nodded, saying, “Okay.”
The vendor sneered.
That’s it?
The best throw barely grazed the edge. What kind of “okay” was that!
Ma Bing, however, silently asked for forty more rings.
Earlier, she had counted; there were a total of thirty-six items on the stall. She wanted to round it up.
Then, as the young marquis threw, Ma Bing kept passing him rings. The onlookers cheered loudly, while the vendor’s face turned increasingly green…
It was truly “okay.”
All thirty-six items, including the jade pendants, silver ingot, and pearl tucked into the corners, were successfully hooked, leaving even four rings unused at the end.
Amidst the thunderous applause, Xie Yu said to the vendor, “If you bet, you must accept the consequences.”
The reason why everyone else couldn’t hit was that the rings were specially made, with uneven edges, causing them to drift when thrown. People without skill couldn’t control them at all.
The vendor quickly calculated his costs, his face turning pale.
This single incident had ruined over half a month’s worth of hard work.
The little girl, who had just been crying, looked up at Xie Yu with shining eyes, like she was seeing a deity.
Xie Yu turned his head and saw the two siblings wearing identical expressions, their hands clasped, gazing at him with admiration and respect.
A real hero!
He couldn’t help but smile, bent down, picked up the cloth tiger, and handed it over, “Here.”
The girl’s eyes lit up. She was about to reach out to take it but suddenly stopped, saying in her childish voice, “Mom said not to take things from strangers.”
Ma Bing then said from behind, “Then say thank you.”
The girl then foolishly said “thank you,” without even knowing what she was thanking for.
It was cold, and she was dressed thickly, looking like a little ball.
Xie Yu chuckled softly, raised his hand to ruffle her braid, “Okay, you bought it.”
The older brother realized they were standing up for him and his sister, feeling a bit embarrassed but also excited. He actively helped his sister take the cloth tiger and then thanked them.
The girl hugged the cloth tiger tightly, delighted beyond words. Even after walking far away, she turned around and shouted “Thank you” loudly.
Seeing several other children in the crowd, Xie Yu decided to distribute all the remaining items from the stall. The vendor watched helplessly, his heart aching, and sat down on the ground.
However, in the end, Xie Yu left the most valuable jade pendants and silver ingot behind.
“Learn a lesson. Do business honestly and don’t lose your conscience.”
It was bitterly cold, and the vendor was out here trying to make a living, his hands cracked and raw, revealing the red flesh beneath.
If Xie Yu had taken away the jade pendants and silver ingot, the vendor might have worked in vain all winter.
Even after walking a long distance, they could still hear the vendor kneeling behind them and shouting, “Thank you, sir, for sparing me. I will surely change!”
His words were filled with relief after a crisis.
After walking quite far, Xie Yu turned his face and found Ma Bing watching him with a smile in her eyes.
“What are you looking at?”
Ma Bing smiled, “Looking at how handsome you are.”
Then she watched helplessly as the young marquis’s ears turned pink.
Just entering Kaifeng Prefecture, they smelled the faint fragrance of plum blossoms. The two of them then leisurely went to see the plum blossoms.
There were a few white plum trees in Xie Yu’s courtyard. A few days ago, they were covered with heavy snow, but last night they quietly bloomed.
This morning, when he opened the window, the cool air was filled with the fragrance of cold plum blossoms.
Actually, there had been no plum blossoms in Kaifeng Prefecture before. They were planted only after Xie Yu arrived.
Everyone then realized that the young marquis liked plum blossoms.
Privately, Ma Bing also mentioned this once, but Xie Yu honestly replied, “I don’t have any particular preference. It’s just that the courtyard looked bare and desolate in winter, and there were only so many flowers that bloomed in that season.”
He never expected that this would lead people outside to widely spread the story of his love for plum blossoms, and everyone began to flatter him, saying that the young marquis indeed had the noble character of plum blossoms, and the gifts they sent were all plum-themed!
After hearing this, Ma Bing couldn’t help but laugh.
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