chapter 51

The Xia family were the richest family in the city of Luo. Grandpa Xia had served in the army and had obtained a favorable position as an official. In the midst of when the emperor favored him the most, he bravely retired from his official duties and returned to his hometown. He even started a business with his wife where they worked apart and became the wealthiest family in the city of Luo. It could be said that whether it was in court or outside of court, the Xia family had connections everywhere. These were connections that many enviously coveted to have but of course, Grandpa Xia had enough capability to keep everything in control.

“Today I went to see Qi Duan.”

Once Fengguang had returned home, she was told to head over to her father’s study. The first thing that her father said, stunned her before she continued naturally, “I’m afraid the prince isn’t like how he was before. For what reason did father go to meet him?”

“Other than the matters of your engagement, what other reason is there?”

“Did father go to speak to the prince about the wedding date?”

Anger appeared on Xia Chao’s face. “Qi Duan is merely a prisoner now. If I marry you off to him, isn’t that the same as sending you over there to suffer with him?”

“Father, that…”

“I went to discuss with him about dissolving your engagement.” As Xia Chao brought this up, his expression worsened. “I already did him a favor when I didn’t help Qi Mu go against him and he dared to negotiate conditions with me.”

If the Xia family head were to cancel the engagement, many people would view this as stepping on a person who was already down which would tarnish his family reputation. Normally, Xia Chao wouldn’t care about any of this but because Fengguang was still an unmarried lady, he couldn’t let anything ruin her good name. Thus, the best solution to this situation was to have Qi Duan voluntarily come out to cancel the engagement because he doesn’t want to be a burden to her.

Fengguang asked, “What condition did the prince have?”

“He said he wants to speak with you alone.”

“That’s fine. I’ll go.”

But Xia Chao didn’t agree with this. “Don’t think Qi Duan only has good looks. The venom in his stomach is not any less than Qi Mu. I fear that he has other goals if you were to go.”

“If Father is so worried, I’ll invite the crown prince to come along with me. Even though the prince wants to speak with me alone, I am still a lady. I can’t go without an escort. Not to mention, his residence in the wild belongs to the crown prince. As long as the crown prince is present, he will make sure that the prince can’t do anything to me.”

“Yes… I suppose.”

Qi Mu went through much difficulty to obtain the position of crown prince. As long as Qi Duan remained alive, he would still need the protection of the Xia family or else Qi Mu’s position as crown prince would not become secure. So if Qi Duan were to do anything, especially towards Fengguang, Qi Mu would be the first to come forward to help her.

Xia Chao sent out a single letter. On a day where the sunlight was warm, Fengguang stood at the entrance of the Xia family residence and there, she met Prince Xiao who she had not seen for several days now. He was as gentlemanly as ever and elegant with his fan.

“I greet the crown prince.”

“Miss Xia, no need to be so formal.”

Fengguang’s eyes curved. “Today, I will be troubling the crown prince.”

“It’s only a small effort on my part. I’m only missing out on one outing of drinking wine and enjoying the flowers. It’s not considered troublesome at all. Miss Xia, let’s get onto the carriage.”

She glanced at the empty position on the exterior of the carriage and asked without restrain, “There’s no carriage driver?”

“I will be taking on the position of carriage driver.”

Fengguang didn’t ask anything further. She said her thanks once more before getting into the carriage. After helping her inside, Qi Mu started driving the horse carriage towards the forested mountains outside the city.

Inside the carriage, there were pillows, snacks, and books to help pass the time. Fengguang sat by the window side and couldn’t help but appreciate Qi Mu’s meticulous thoughtfulness. Although the horse carriage’s exterior appeared to be less grand and more practical, the interior was filled with lavish decorations. Of course, based on Qi Mu’s usual elegance and grace, only the best could match up to him.