Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1015 A Gift from the 3rd Princess

He Min took off the pink jade pendant from her ear and felt inexplicably annoyed.

"Hmph, I just felt a little bad about getting a piece of pink jade from him for nothing. After all, the broken piece of pink jade was put to good use and made into earrings, so I didn't lose out. I wanted to return five hundred taels of silver to him, but he wouldn't accept it? How can there be such a stubborn person in the world?"

Sixi removed all the gold hairpins from the Third Princess's head, combed her hair, and said with a smile, "Princess, you don't need to take it to heart. After all, it was he who broke the jade pendant, so it's only right to return it to its original owner. The old jade pendant originally belonged to the princess, so it's only right to return it to its rightful owner."

“That’s right, if Editor Xiao doesn’t want to accept the princess’s money, then he shouldn’t. Why should the princess be angry?” Qing’er also chimed in from the side.

“But I heard that a sixth-rank official in the Hanlin Academy like him only earns a little over a hundred taels of silver a year. The jade pendant he gave me is worth over a thousand taels. How long would it take to save up that much? I am also responsible for the loss of the jade pendant, but now he is taking all the blame.”

Sixi and Qing'er exchanged a glance. Sixi said, "Princess, what do you care about his income? If he breaks your things, just pay for them. Princess, you don't need to feel bad about it."

He Min was speechless, touched her ear, and felt somewhat agitated.

She couldn't explain why she was so hung up on this. Perhaps it was because she had read Xiao Bianxiu's "Ten Songs of Autumn Scenery" and liked his poems, which gave her a biased view of him. She felt bad that such a handsome man would spend so much money to buy her jade.

"If the princess is truly troubled, why not compensate him in other ways? At least we can repay this favor," Qing'er suggested.

“In other aspects…” He Min’s eyes suddenly lit up.

In the Imperial Study, Xiao Nan had come to teach the princes today. It was almost lunchtime, so he hurriedly finished assigning homework, packed up his books, and prepared to leave. Unfortunately, he ran into the Third Princess, who was bringing lunch to the princes, at the door.

As there is a distinction between ruler and subject, Xiao Nan immediately stepped aside and paid his respects to the Third Princess.

"Editor Xiao, have you not eaten yet? I brought a lot of food with me today, why don't we eat together?"

He Yucheng looked up in confusion. When had his third sister ever brought him food? Did the sun rise in the west today?

However, he was too hungry to care about anything else. He immediately ordered someone to set out lunch and said, "Master, let's eat together. I see that Third Sister brought a lot. You should also try the Yongtai Palace's cooking."

"Yes, yes." He Xiaoliu was very hospitable and had already taken Xiao Nan's hand, leading her straight to a side hall.

Xiao Nan couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go eat.

"Why did you think of bringing us lunch today, Third Sister?" He Yucheng asked while eating.

He Min smiled and said, "I want to see my studious younger brothers more often. You study hard, so I'll bring you meals for the next three months and come over to have lunch with you."

Xiao Nan frowned slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and silently ate his meal with his head down.

For Xiao Nan, who usually eats simple meals, the dishes before him were far too lavish. Xiao Nan's dining manners were excellent; he was unhurried and composed, just like his personality—low-key and steady.

He Min and He Yucheng, however, were different. The four of them ate and chatted, completely disregarding the rule of "not talking while eating," which added a lot of liveliness to their meal.

He Min glanced at Xiao Nan casually, secretly pleased. It seemed this method was working. The daily food cost was about ten taels of silver, which would amount to roughly a thousand taels over three months. Since Xiao Nan was an adult, assuming he ate half, that would be five hundred taels. She thought that after three months of feeding him, she could roughly pay off the debt.

Xiao Nan wasn't unaware of the Third Princess's gaze, but he lowered his eyes and didn't dare to meet her gaze.

He had a vague guess in his heart, but dared not think about it too deeply, for fear that he was just being delusional and wishful thinking.

After finally finishing their meal, Xiao Nan helped clean up and then hurriedly took his leave, his departing figure resembling a hasty escape.

After He Yucheng and the others left, she gave He Min a meaningful look: "Imperial sister really cares about us, and she genuinely brought us food?"

He Min's eyes were clear: "Yes, what else?"

I just wanted to return the money to Editor Xiao.

He Min completed her mission and left with her men, leaving He Yucheng still deep in thought.

From then on, He Min became a regular visitor to the Imperial Study. Someone she used to see only once a year now went almost every day. Occasionally, when Editor Xiao didn't come to teach, she would automatically extend the three-month deadline, determined to repay the five hundred taels and settle the score.

Inside Chang Le Palace, Tao Yanyan, listening to what Chang Tai had inquired about, raised an eyebrow and said, "They've been sending them for almost two months? Does that mean they've met at least fifty times?"

Chang Tai nodded: "Excluding Xiao Bianxiu's days off or rescheduled classes, it's about fifty times. However, I also asked Yu Fen to inquire with Qing'er and Sixi, the head maids of the Third Princess. They both said that the Third Princess wanted to repay Xiao Bianxiu's money, but Xiao Bianxiu refused to accept it, so the Third Princess came up with this method to accumulate repayments under the guise of delivering lunch."

Tao Yanyan's lips twitched. She thought He Min had finally come to her senses and was pursuing her ideal young man, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding.

"Alright, keep an eye on things. After all, one is a princess and the other is an outsider. Don't let any rumors spread and damage the princess's reputation."

Chang Tai continued, "Yu Fen said that Consort Xian initially thought the Third Princess had taken a liking to Editor Xiao, and even had her family inquire about Editor Xiao's family background. Later, upon learning that he came from a poor family, Consort Xian was not very satisfied. Recently, Consort Xian has been arranging for the Third Princess to attend flower-viewing banquets hosted by various prominent families, clearly indicating her intention to choose a husband. In a few days, the Second Prince will host a banquet, inviting noble sons and young officials from all over the capital. It seems that he shares Consort Xian's sentiments and wants to find a husband for his sister."

Tao Yan smiled and said, "With the two of them making arrangements for Min'er, I'll just wait and see how things go."

After saying that, he gave Xianglan a look, and Xianglan immediately went to get twenty taels of silver, along with a longevity lock.

“A few days ago you and Yufen adopted a godson. I haven’t congratulated you yet. This is for the child. Take it back and give it to him.”

Chang Tai hurriedly expressed his gratitude: "This servant is unworthy and unworthy, yet I have troubled Your Majesty the Empress to remember me."

Tao Yanyan told him to get up: "You have served me for more than ten years with all your heart. You and Yufen got married but didn't hold a ceremony. Adopting a child is a happy event. If there is an opportunity in the future, bring the child to me to see."

Because both Changtai and Yufen served in the palace, the child was raised outside the palace and cared for by Yufen's mother. Changtai was deeply moved and quickly said, "Thank you, Your Highness. When the child is a little older, this servant will bring him to pay his respects to Your Highness."