Return of the Swallow

“Not at home?” Li Helan’s voice was measured, the emotions within impossible to discern, but her stately bearing impossible to ignore.

The doorman knelt on the ground with a lowered head.
“His Highness has gone to keep an appointment and left early this morning.”

“An appointment? From who?” Li Helan glanced at the servant.

“This lowly one wouldn’t know.”

A slight upturn graced Li Helan’s lips.
“Then this seat will visit the grand-madame and old madame.” She headed straight inside after speaking.

The doorman didn’t dare bar her way at all.
He frantically chased after her, complaining silently all the while.

Xu Weizhi had received word of their visitor by now.
After some thought, he decided to come out and greet Li Helan.
“Greetings to Your Highness.”

Seeing that a more senior person was in her way and noting his polite, scholarly air, she guessed that this was a butler or someone similar.

A faint smile blossomed on Li Helan’s pretty face and she responded gently, “You can forgo the pleasantries.
Apparently your prince isn’t at home? This seat has come twice but caught no sight of the man of the household.
I’ll have to impose on the family elders today then.”

Xu Weizhi cast a surreptitious glance at the princess and swiftly lowered his eyes.
“Indeed, it’s quite an unfortunate coincidence today that His Highness has a prior engagement with a friend.
The grand-lord, grand-madame, and old madame have been very bored at home these days.
They left the manor early this morning.
None of the masters or mistresses are at home.”

This princess had come knocking twice ever since word got out about her engagement with Ji Zeyu.
When one connected the dots with what had happened before and how she had feelings for Pang Xiao, it wasn’t a tough task to figure out just why she was here.

Since the prince was avoiding her, there was even less of a reason for her to see the family elders.

The princess had a lofty status—were the family elders to kowtow and listen to her admonishments when they saw her? Xu Weizhi wouldn’t dare put the prince’s family in such an awkward position, so it was much better not to arrange a meeting at all.

The red of anger graced Li Helan’s cheeks when she heard this.
“Not at home? All of them? Are they really not here, or are they just avoiding this princess?”

Xu Weizhi beamed politely and bowed.
“Please forgive us, Your Highness.
We really didn’t know you were coming today.
They really aren’t at home.”

Of course he wasn’t implying that the princess didn’t even know how to send a calling card before a visit.
Of course he wasn’t hinting that she was being insufferably rude to try to ambush someone like this.
Of course not.

Humiliated and furious, Li Helan almost spun on her heel to leave.
She was perfectly willing to send a calling card, but she knew Pang Xiao well.
He’d stay even further away from her if she did.
Trying to catch him unawares was the only way she could possibly see him!

Was he concerned about face? Had he chosen to forget about their past now that she was engaged to Ji Zeyu?

The more she analyzed Pang Xiao’s personality, the more likely Li Helan thought this was possible.
But the more he avoided her, the more she wanted to see him! There was no reason that the honorable eldest princess like her should be repeatedly barred outside the front doors!

And if things really were like how she thought, then the grand-lord and grand-madame might very well be at home.
They just didn’t want to see her.

Li Helan took a deep breath in to get ahold of her anger.
Her tone still even and measured, she responded gently, “That’s true, my visit really is unexpected.
Since none of the masters are home, I’ll have a look at the servants.
I hear the girl that His Highness carried off is still at the manor? Summon her, this princess would like a look.”

She’d already moved slowly to the main hall as she spoke, obviously treating the residence like her own palace.

Xu Weizhi followed behind her with a lowered head, flicking his eyebrows upwards.

As the saying went, a thing could be done once or twice, but not a third time.
The princess had received the cold shoulder twice, they really couldn’t turn her away this time.

And besides, she had failed to see the prince, grand-madame, or old-madame today.
If she wasn’t allowed to see even Miss Qin, the princess would probably explode on the spot.
Who knew what would happen then, and how everything would end? It’d also make for nasty rumors if word of this got out.

Confidence descended on Xu Weizhi when he thought of the wise and resourceful Miss Qin.
With her smarts, she shouldn’t come off worse in the exchange.

Having thought up to this point, the strategist smiled.
“Understood.
This humble one will immediately request Miss Qin’s presence.”

Li Helan had taken the head seat, but her hand paused when accepting a cup of tea from the servants.
She’d used ‘summon’, but this man had used ‘request’.
Did the girl have a high position in the household?

This is a longer chapter, so just a half one today!

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