The Great General and the Eldest Princess - Chapter 8

“Princess, we have nothing much to do today. How about coming back to the General’s Residence with me?” Di Shengyue asked Xiao Yinxue after breakfast. “You are now the mistress of the General’s Residence.”

Hearing the words “mistress,” Xiao Yinxue’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she huffed, “Who cares about being the mistress of your General’s Residence.”

“The Princess may not care, but I care about the Princess,” Di Shengyue said, looking at Xiao Yinxue.

Why has this fellow suddenly become so fond of saying such sweet nothings these past few days?

Feeling her cheeks burn under Di Shengyue’s gaze, Xiao Yinxue instinctively averted her eyes, stood up from her chair, and said, “Well then, what are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

After tidying up, the two set off.

The carriage traveled for about an hour before arriving at the General’s Residence.

It was Xiao Yinxue’s first time entering the General’s Residence, and she found it much simpler and plainer than she had imagined.

Along the way, she didn’t see many servants.

Sensing the confusion in Xiao Yinxue’s eyes, Di Shengyue explained, “I am rarely in the General’s Residence and don’t require many servants, so I dismissed most of them, keeping only a few loyal ones.”

Upon seeing Di Shengyue, the butler’s wrinkled face broke into a peaceful smile.

“This old servant greets the General and the Princess,” Uncle Liu bowed respectfully.

“Please rise quickly, Uncle Liu,” Di Shengyue’s eyes softened immediately upon seeing him.

Uncle Liu was once a trusted aide to my father. After my father passed away, I moved into the General’s Residence, and Uncle Liu followed, always reliable and loyal.

“Seeing that the General is well, this old servant is relieved,” Uncle Liu looked at Di Shengyue and smiled kindly. He then turned to the Princess and said, “The Princess and the General are truly a match made in heaven.”

Uncle Liu was very perceptive. From the way Di Shengyue and Xiao Yinxue looked at each other, he knew their relationship was quite good.

Xiao Yinxue smiled slightly upon hearing this.

“General, the East Courtyard has been prepared. Shall I take the Princess there?”

Xiao Yinxue raised an eyebrow, thinking how quick-witted this butler was. She and Di Shengyue had just arrived from the Princess’s Residence, and the butler had already prepared everything.

“Yes,” Di Shengyue nodded.

Watching Uncle Liu’s retreating back, Di Shengyue thought of Bi Jian from the Princess’s Residence, a look of deep contemplation in her eyes.

The East Courtyard was where the Di family’s ancestral hall was located. Di Shengyue never liked to be followed, so the butler and servants remained outside.

Xiao Yinxue also instructed You Tao and Luoxiang to wait at the courtyard entrance.

The ancestral hall was spotless. The spirit tablets of the Di family were neatly arranged, exuding a solemn atmosphere.

Di Shengyue walked to Di Anshun’s spirit tablet, knelt down, and kowtowed heavily. She then said, “Father, this is Princess Xiao Yinxue. She is the daughter-in-law of the Di family.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yinxue thought to herself, You are the one I married back to be my husband.

“Father,” Di Shengyue stood up, took Xiao Yinxue’s hand, interlocked their fingers, and declared, “I have made up my mind to walk through life with Xiao Yinxue, together until death.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yinxue blushed slightly and said coquettishly, “Who said I want to walk through life with you? You have no shame.”

“The Princess didn’t say that when she forcibly married me that day,” Di Shengyue chuckled.

“That… that was just a moment of impulsive madness,” Xiao Yinxue insisted stubbornly, but she couldn’t continue the remark under Di Shengyue’s teasing eyes. She could only look away and lightly hmphed.

“Then, now I ask the Princess to walk through life with me. I wonder if the Princess is willing?” Di Shengyue looked at Xiao Yinxue, her eyes full of seriousness.

“Well, this Princess will have to see your performance,” Xiao Yinxue said, though the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but turn up slightly.

Afraid of being discovered by Di Shengyue, Xiao Yinxue turned her back.

Di Shengyue smiled, finding the Xiao Yinxue before her absolutely adorable.

Remembering the main purpose of their visit, Di Shengyue retrieved a small box from a secret compartment beneath the incense table.

Xiao Yinxue heard the sound behind her, turned around, and looked curiously at the box in Di Shengyue’s hand.

Di Shengyue handed the box directly to Xiao Yinxue.

Xiao Yinxue took the box, opened it out of curiosity, and found it contained a number of silver notes, as well as the General’s Residence’s title deeds, property deeds, and business licenses.

“Why are you taking all of these out?” Xiao Yinxue looked at Di Shengyue in surprise.

“You are now the mistress of the General’s Residence. Everything in the General’s Residence should naturally be managed by you,” Di Shengyue said softly.

Xiao Yinxue was slightly stunned. She hadn’t expected Di Shengyue to hand these things over to her.

“Are you truly comfortable handing these things over to me? I just glanced at the number of business and property deeds; it seems like quite a lot,” Xiao Yinxue looked at Di Shengyue.

“You and I are now one, as husband and wife. Mine is yours; there is nothing to regret,” Di Shengyue smiled.

“Since you’ve said so, then this Princess will reluctantly accept them,” Thinking that Di Shengyue trusted her so much, Xiao Yinxue felt a warmth in her heart and her eyes became slightly moist.

Feeling a little embarrassed, she turned her face away, closed the box, and accepted it.

Just as the two exited the East Courtyard, Uncle Liu stepped forward to report, “General, someone from the Di Estate has arrived.”

“The Di Estate?” Di Shengyue raised an eyebrow.

“It’s people from the Second Branch,” Uncle Liu replied. “They have been arranged in the side hall.”

Speaking of the Second Branch, a flicker of annoyance crossed Di Shengyue’s eyes.

Her relationship with the Second Branch was not close, and they had actively pushed for her to be married into the Princess’s family as a husband.

The Di family had been brave and skilled for generations, producing many military talents.

The First Branch (Di Shengyue’s family) all achieved great military feats, but except for Di Shengyue, they all died on the battlefield.

Third Master Di Anzhong, as the Minister of War, also held a position in court.

Only this Second Branch was useless, only good at flattery and manipulation.

Second Master Di Guoan relied on the name of the old general in his youth and secured a fifth-rank sinecure in the court.

His salary was low, yet he had a lazy son who was obsessed with gambling and frequented brothels.

Their already somewhat wealthy family savings were completely squandered by their son.

Di Anzhong was notoriously “stubborn and rigid,” so the Second Branch never got anything good from him and could only come to the First Branch.

When the First Branch was still alive, although they looked down upon this useless younger brother, they often gave them aid out of pity.

Since Di Shengyue’s father died on the battlefield, Di Shengyue had stopped assisting this bottomless pit.

Di Shengyue was very clear about the Second Branch’s nature of only showing up when they needed something.

Xiao Yinxue also keenly caught this hint of annoyance.

She knew quite a bit about the Di family’s Second Branch and instantly formulated a plan in her mind.

When the two walked into the side hall, Di Guoan’s wife, Lady Li, had been waiting for a long time. Also present were her worthless son, Di Shixian, and the Di clan elder.

Di Shixian was looking at the blue jade vase in the hall with a greedy expression, calculating how much money he could make by selling it.

Di Shengyue raised her eyebrow upon seeing the clan elder. Lady Li had brought quite a crowd this time, even moving the clan elder.

Lady Li’s older sister was the clan elder’s concubine, so the Second Branch and the clan elder were on close terms.

The clan elder appeared impartial on the surface, but his heart always favored the Second Branch.

They’ve come with ill intentions, Di Shengyue thought.

Seeing Di Shengyue enter, Lady Li walked up and said with dissatisfaction, “Shengyue, your servants are truly ignorant. How can they serve such poor tea when entertaining guests? The clan elder and I have been sitting here for a long time, and you haven’t even served a plate of pastries. What? Are you looking down on us Di family members?”

“Impudence!” Before Di Shengyue could speak, Xiao Yinxue shouted at Lady Li with a cold face, “Di Shengyue is this Princess’s husband. How dare you call his name so casually?”

“He’s just a son-in-law married into a wife’s family,” Lady Li muttered under her breath.

“Disrespecting this Princess’s husband is disrespecting this Princess, and disrespecting the Royal Family,” Xiao Yinxue’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

Lady Li usually spent her time socializing with Di Guoan. Using the General’s Residence name, the people she met were always polite, and she had never experienced such an imposing presence. She looked towards the clan elder for help.

The clan elder was about to open his mouth to mediate, but Xiao Yinxue spoke sharply, “Disrespecting the Royal Family—just this one charge is enough for this Princess to sentence you to death.”

Lady Li was now terrified. She hastily knelt down and pulled Di Shixian down with her, “Greetings, Princess. Greetings, General Di.”

Xiao Yinxue nodded with satisfaction and gave Di Shengyue a triumphant look.

Di Shengyue smiled. Xiao Yinxue was clearly standing up for her.

How could I have ever thought Xiao Yinxue was unreasonable and tyrannical? I truly held a pearl in my hand and didn’t know it.