Princess Yong An stood guard near the door out of worry for Tian Miao. After a while, she was bewildered to see the Emperor walk out from the hall with a relieved look on his face, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
What was going on here?
The Emperor was in a rush, saying that he had to scramble back to the palace to deal with state affairs. He seemed like a conscientious and diligent ruler who loved his people. Princess Yong An froze in the face of what she saw. What exactly was going on?
Princess Yong An saw Tian Miao walk out in an idle and nonchalant manner. Her question was at the tip of the tongue, but she bit her lip in hesitation. She wanted to ask what the hell had happened to make the Emperor leave the Duke’s mansion so hastily that he looked like he was fleeing. But in the end, she was unable to find her voice to raise the question.
Of course, Tian Miao couldn’t be bothered to explain. Instead, she went straight to the training ground in the backyard. There was a spacious martial arts training ground at the back of the Duke’s mansion. Every morning, this was the place where Xiao Anning would practice martial arts. It was a pleasure to watch him practice.
When Tiao Miao arrived, she saw that Xian Anning was already done practicing the long spear and had switched over to a sword. Back when the Duke had been fighting battles all over the country in conquest, he had used the spear as his weapon. When Xiao Shengsheng had made a meritorious contribution to the military’s success, he’d also used a spear as his weapon. So naturally, the first weapon father and son had taught Xiao Anning when he’d first started practicing martial arts was the spear. As to why Xiao Anning knew how to wield a sword, it was because of Princess Yong An.
Princess Yong An was skilled in the use of whip and sword, so, naturally, she would teach Xian Anning how to use the sword.
So it was no exaggeration to say that though he was blind, Xian Anning’s martial arts skills were extraordinary.
Tian Miao sat on a rocking chair under the eaves and swayed comfortably as she watched Xiao Anning practice the sword.
In the center of the martial arts training ground, Xiao Anning was dressed in a neat, black suit, his face as beautiful as a piece of flawless jade. His back was tall and straight like a great pine tree, while his movements were swift and graceful like a dragon skimming the surface of the water.
When he struck his sword through the air, the wind blew, and his clothes fluttered.
Then, Tian Miao heard two servants whispering in the distance.
“For someone with such beauty and grace like the Young Marquis to be blind. God is really unfair.”
“Yes. No matter what the Young Marquis does, he has to put in several times more effort than the normal person. Just watching him do so is heartbreaking enough. Why do you think it is that God can bear to treat him like this?”
“Shush, stop it. The Princess is here.”
With a scuffle of feet, the two servants walked away.
Princess Yong An slowly walked over and sat down next to Tian Miao. There was a smile on her lips as she watched Xiao Anning, who had put away his sword.
“Princess,” Tian Miao suddenly said.
The Princess was puzzled. “Ah? Miss Tian, what is it?”
“Have you ever resented the Heavens for being so unfair with regard to the Young Marquis’s blindness?” Tian Miao no longer rocked the chair. After willing it to a stop, she sat still and turned to look at Princess Yong An.
Princess Yong An froze. Obviously, she hadn’t expected Tian Miao to ask this question. Then, a gentle smile appeared on her face. She shook her head and gently said, “How could I resent the Heavens? I am thankful to the Heavens for bestowing me this treasure. Ning’er is the most precious treasure that I have in my life. I thank God for letting him come to me.”
Tian Miao looked at the gentle smile on Princess Yong An’s face, and smiled meaningfully.
After Xian Anning put away his sword, he came over to greet them. Princess Yong An got up to wipe the perspiration from his forehead before urging him to quickly take a bath and change his clothes.
“Miss Tian, the Crown Princess is holding a banquet two days from now. She invited our family, and you as well. Are you coming?” Princess Yong An asked. In fact, it was the Empress who had arranged this banquet. Not only had she invited the people of the Duke’s residence, but the people of the Prime Minister’s residence as well. She wanted to create a chance encounter between Xiao Anning and Ji Liruo so that the two could meet and interact and get to know each other better.
In addition to this, she also wanted to create the opportunity for the young men and women from families of meritorious officials and dignitaries in the capital to meet and understand each other better. In other words, she was organizing a covert matchmaking session. This was to prevent the Emperor from haphazardly bestowing truly misfitted marriages, as was his style.
And the Duke had agreed to attend, as he wanted to let Xiao Anning interact with Ji Liruo close up. If he really found her unsuitable, then this marriage would come to a close. Of course, he wasn’t going to tell the Crown Princess and others his secret intention