After Li Xianyun had dressed, she went to look for Yelu Yan, who was not in the main hall but standing on the western field ridge.
Upon hearing a noise, Yelu Yan turned his gaze in that direction and saw Li Xianyun standing on the tall steps, the warm sunlight spilling on her black hair and shoulders, making her as tranquil and beautiful as if she were a painting.
A fleeting strangeness glimmered in his eyes before he looked away and strode towards her.
Li Xianyun waited for him to approach.
When he was near, Yelu Yan said indifferently, "Let's go."
"Alright," Li Xianyun replied.
The Liuwang Residence was located in the suburbs of the capital and covered a vast area, with pavilions, towers, and chambers connected throughout.
Sixth Prince Yelu Yu was a low-key man who disliked socializing, so he chose a residence in the suburbs against the lush Canglan Mountain and in front of the murmuring Shule River, boasting beautiful scenery.
The hundred and some people in the residence led a quiet and simple life, but today was destined to be extraordinary.
Outside the grand and imposing gate tower, several carriages were parked, with the resolute and decisive Yuchi Qing and his wife Ye Qiu awaiting at the entrance.
Yuchi Qing was Khitan while Ye Qiu was Han Chinese.
During a military campaign, Yuchi Qing saved Ye Qiu's life, and after finding that her entire family had been killed, leaving her with no one to rely on, he took her in as a maid. In time, affection grew between them.
As a prominent Khitan family, the Yuchi clan naturally opposed this unsuitable match, but Yuchi Qing, stubborn as always, was willing to sever ties with his family to marry Ye Qiu.
The most promising member of the Yuchi clan was Yuchi Qing, upon whom the elders relied for advancing the family name, so they ultimately consented to the marriage.
After the marriage, they had a son and a daughter. Their son, Yuchi Hong, had reached the age of thirty and was Yelu Yan's capable lieutenant. Their daughter was Yuchi Qian, in her early twenties.
The couple cherished Yuchi Qian dearly, having had her in their later years.
Eventually, a carriage escorted by guards appeared at the crossroads.
As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Yuchi Qing and Ye Qiu approached, and Yuchi Qian's maid You Yun lifted the curtains.
Yuchi Qing immediately saw Yuchi Qian with reddened eyes from crying, clenched his teeth, and was filled with heartache.
Yuchi Qian, holding the Princely Heir Xuanxuan, looked tearfully at Yuchi Qing and Ye Qiu, calling out, "Father, Mother."
Her voice trembled with a crying tone, distressing her parents greatly; tears fell from Ye Qiu's eyes, and she hurriedly wiped them away with a handkerchief.
Yuchi Qing, who was stern and not adept at expressing emotions, said, "Let's go back to the residence and talk."
Yuchi Qian nodded.
Yuchi Qing looked at the still somewhat pale Princely Heir Xuanxuan and said, "Xuanxuan, would you like your maternal grandfather to hold you?"
Yelu Xuan, in a childish voice, replied, "Yes."
Yuchi Qing reached out and held the Princely Heir Xuanxuan in his arms, walking towards the Prince's Mansion.
Ye Qiu helped Yuchi Qian out of the carriage and said to her daughter, "It's okay now."
Yuchi Qian uttered a "hmm," but her tears fell even more fiercely.
Once inside the residence, Ye Qiu and Yuchi Qian settled the Princely Heir Xuanxuan first.
Yelu Xuan had been frightened and had almost drowned, becoming very clingy, so Yuchi Qian and Ye Qiu coaxed him to sleep before leaving him with the maid and coming out of the inner chamber.
Yuchi Qing paced back and forth in the main hall, very worried.
As soon as mother and daughter entered, Yuchi Qing looked over at them.
Ye Qiu looked at him and said, "Much better, he has fallen asleep now."
Yuchi Qing finally sat down in the master's seat.
The mother and daughter also sat down.
Yuchi Qing asked, "What happened?"
Yuchi Qian, wiping her tears, said, "Today, Xuanxuan and I went to pay respects to the Grand Imperial Consort. On our way back, as we passed by Qingyan Pool, Xuanxuan said he wanted to see the lotuses, so I took him there. In a blink of an eye, he was gone. When we found him..."
She choked up, unable to speak. After composing herself, she continued, "We found Xuanxuan floating in the water, unconscious. I immediately had someone summon the Imperial Physician, but they were all at a loss until a young physician called for the Princess Consort, who then managed to save Xuanxuan."
"The Princess Consort?" Yuchi Qing uttered.
Yuchi Qian said, "It's Princess Hehui from Houtang, who came here through marriage. She actually knows medical skills, and we owe her a lot for this."
Ye Qiu said, "We should properly thank her."
Nodding, Yuchi Qian said, "I plan to take Xuanxuan to her palace to thank her properly once he's a bit better."
"That's only right, but I've heard that the Grand Imperial Consort seems to really dislike her. If you go to visit her in person, the Grand Imperial Consort might not be pleased," Ye Qiu said.
Upon hearing this, Yuchi Qing angrily said, "Who cares what she thinks? Whether she's pleased or not, Qian is always being summoned to the palace for rebukes. Now Xuanxuan has almost had an accident. If she's not happy, I'd consider it good fortune not to confront her!"
Ye Qiu shot Yuchi Qing a disapproving look.
Yuchi Qian said, "Everything I do is for the Sixth Prince, fearing he might be criticized for lacking respect for his elders."
Yuchi Qing frowned and said, "If the Sixth Prince himself doesn't care about these things, why should you? Qian, you're too soft-hearted, always letting others push you around. With your father and your older brother here, why should you be so overly cautious? If you're mistreated, won't we stand up for you?"
"My daughter doesn't want to cause trouble for father and older brother," Yuchi Qian said.
"How could it be a trouble? How could anything concerning my daughter be a trouble? You, you're just like your mother, too considerate of others, which is why you're always bullied," Yuchi Qing said.
Ye Qiu said, "Stop talking so much. The more you speak, the worse Qian will feel."
Yuchi Qing then held his tongue, and after a while, he said, "Qian, do you know why I had everyone else leave?"
Yuchi Qian, though gentle, wasn't foolish. She said, "My daughter knows."
She paused, then added, "My daughter also finds the circumstances surrounding Xuanxuan's fall into the water very suspicious."
The expressions on all three faces changed.
Yuchi Qing said, "You take care of Xuanxuan, let your father handle the rest."
With both Yelu Yu and Yuchi Hong at the frontier, he was the only one in Shangjing strong enough to exert real influence.
Although he was past sixty and held no official title, he was prepared to throw away even his last shred of dignity to seek justice for his grandson.
Looking at her father, his hair speckled with grey, Yuchi Qian felt reluctant to burden him and said, "Father, in the future, your daughter will grow stronger."
Yuchi Qing nodded.
After sitting for a while longer, Yuchi Qing left, and Ye Qiu stayed behind to keep Yuchi Qian company.
With the Sixth Prince not in Shangjing and no one by her side to speak with, how could Ye Qiu be at ease?
In the evening, quite a few gifts arrived from the palace, some from the Grand Imperial Consort, others from the Khan, and still more from various princes and nobles.
Yuchi Qian had the gifts from the Khan placed in the study, while she instructed the servants to put away the other gifts without even looking at them.
Among these people, perhaps only the Khan genuinely cared about their family. As for the others, how many were there just for the spectacle, enjoying the drama as it unfolded?