223 Mooncakes
Jingfei quietly sat on the patio. After returning from the General’s house, she found out that Huang Xi tried to refrain from talking with her. His mother was good to her, but that wasn’t what she wanted. Huang Xi didn’t even look at her for even a second.
Jingfei looked at her dress and realized how much she spent on that dress. She was excited to meet Huang Xi, but he didn’t show any interest in her.
“First Princess, is something troubling you?” Her personal attendant, Lin Jie asked.
“Huang Xi has no interest in me,” Jingfei said. Lin Jie was bewildered to hear her. She refuted what Jingfei said and thought to cheer her up.
“My lady, Commander Huang Xi must be shy to look at you in front of his mother. When the Princess is alone with him, then he will open up to her,” Lin Jie pronounced.
“No. I’ve noticed it twice. Huang Xi ignores me,” Jingfei said.
“I saw Commander Huang Xi was with the brother of Li Hua. That could be another reason that he didn’t converse with the First Princess,” Lin Jie informed Jingfei.
“I didn’t see her brother. Who is he?” Jingfei asked her.
“My lady, I heard that both the Commander and Li Hua’s brother have known each other for a long time. The Hei family had a good relationship with the Xu family,” Lin Jie stated.
.....
Something clicked in Jingfei’s mind, and she decided to ask Li Hua’s brother about Huang Xi. “Lin Jie, tell Li Hua’s brother that Princess Jingfei wants to see him,” Jingfei ordered Lin Jie, “in the orchid pavilion.” She told Lin Jie about the location too.
“Yes, My Lady,” Lin Jie bowed before departing for the guest room where Xu Zifan was staying.
Jingfei rose to her feet and walked into the chamber to look at herself in the large mirror. She adjusted the knot of her dress and asked the three maidservants to follow her to the orchid pavilion.
Jingfei rested on a chair around the table and waited for Xu Zifan. For half an hour, both Lin Jie and Xu Zifan had no trace. “Where did she go?” She mumbled and looked towards the corridor when she finally saw Lin Jie with Xu Zifan. She sat straight and wore a tiny smile on her lips.
Xu Zifan bowed and greeted the First Princess in a formal manner. “Please take a seat,” Jingfei told him. Xu Zifan didn’t make eye contact with her. Jingfei noticed his right arm’s sleeve and recalled what Li Hua had said in the morning. She gestured to Lin Jie, and she pulled out the chair for Xu Zifan. He thanked Lin Jie and sat on it.
“Would Mister Xu like to drink tea?” Jingfei asked him. Xu Zifan humbly refused and asked the reason behind his being called.
“I want to know an important thing from Mister Xu. It is about Commander Hei Huang Xi,” Jingfei stated. Xu Zifan finally looked into her eyes and then again lowered them.
“I heard that you both have known each other for a long time,” Jingfei stated.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Xu Zifan replied.
Jingfei was hesitant at first, but then she asked him, “What does Commander Huang Xi like?”
“Pardon me?” Xu Zifan was bewildered to hear her. “My sincere apologies, Your Highness. But I didn’t seem to grasp your question,” he clarified to her.
“I want to know the likes and dislikes of Commander Huang Xi,” Jingfei stated.
“May I know why the Princess wants to know about that?” Xu Zifan, with inquisitiveness, waited for her response.
“Do I need to answer that?” Jingfei inquired.
“Huang Xi hardly has any dislikes. His likes include: horse riding, playing board games in his leisure time, doing calligraphy, sword-fighting...” he could not complete his sentence as Jingfei stopped him.
“What does he like in food? Also, does he ever talk about me?” Jingfei queried Xu Zifan, which amused him.
“Huang Xi loves mooncakes in sweet dish,” Xu Zifan answered. That was the kind of answer Jingfei wanted to hear. “He never talked about the Princess with me. During our stay in Xinshui, he never once talked about the Princess,” Xu Zifan clarified to her.
“Oh.” Jingfei was upset to hear him. However, she was glad that she found out what Huang Xi liked in sweet dishes.
“Thank you, Mister Xu Zifan. You may leave. I urged Mister Xu not to share it with anyone, especially my Sixth Brother,” Jingfei requested. Xu Zifan assured her not to worry about that as he would not share her conversation with him with anyone.
He stood up, bowed, and was ready to leave when he stopped.
“Your Highness, if you want to win Huang Xi’s heart, then take an interest in his likings,” he advised Jingfei and left the pavilion. Jingfei was quite impressed by Xu Zifan’s personality.
Lin Jie came near Jingfei and told her that Xu Zifan was in the Sixth Prince’s manor.
“What?” Jingfei’s eyes widened in shock. “Did Brother Lóng Wei hear you two? Why did you even call Xu Zifan if he was in the Sixth Prince’s manor?” She scolded Lin Jie.
“Your Highness, but the Sixth Prince doesn’t know about it. He wasn’t present in the manor,” Lin Jie affirmed. Jingfei was relieved to hear this. She didn’t want Lóng Wei to find out about it, or else he would try to intervene in his plan.
“Your Highness, I heard that Mister Xu was one of the finest swordsmen in the Kingdom. However, after he lost his right hand, he is unable to use the sword anymore,” Lin Jie informed Jingfei.
“He may learn with his left hand. He seems like a hard-working person to me,” Jingfei replied.
“Lin Jie, I want to see my elder brother. Earlier, I could not converse with him. It was strange to find that someone tried to attack my elder brother. He is such a sweet person.” Jingfei rose to her feet and left to meet Xiaoming.
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