Qu Fulan looked utterly desperate and reminded once again.
Hai Xia didn't give a chance and spoke before her, "Oh, I know, you're comparing our Princely Heir to a lion, right? I think so too! Those lions in cages look quite gentle, but they can kill someone in an instant, very terrifying. Our Princely Heir gives me that feeling; the more he smiles, the more nervous and scared I become. Do you feel the same way?"
For the first time, Qu Fulan felt that having a quick tongue was not a good thing.
"It's the Princely Heir coming."
As soon as Qu Fulan spoke, afraid that Hai Xia might misinterpret her words, she quickly stood up and saluted when the Princely Heir was still a dozen meters away from them.
"This servant greets the Princely Heir."
Hai Xia: "!!!"
She suddenly turned around and indeed saw their own Princely Heir slowly walking towards them.
Hai Xia immediately trembled and knelt down, unable to utter a word.
In fact, Hai Xia didn't think the Princely Heir had heard her previous words; at this distance, she was certain he couldn't hear.
The reason she was so scared and trembling was due to her inherent fear of the Princely Heir and the guilt of talking bad about him behind his back, involuntarily making her kneel down.
Qu Fulan glanced at Heir Pei with a sidelong glance, only to see him walking forward with an upright posture, his gaze not wandering to the maidservants at the side, not even a hint of his gaze falling upon them. His noble robe fluttered as he walked.
This was a man whose charm was not limited to his outstanding appearance.
He seemed as if he hadn't heard anything.
Just as he was about to pass by, and Qu Fulan's heart relaxed halfway, the tall and graceful man stood still before her.
"Actually, I'm also curious, are you afraid of me?"
Qu Fulan noticed that Hai Xia's body suddenly shivered, like accumulated snow being shaken off a tree in winter, starting to tremble all over.
"...Princely Heir has the bearing of a dragon and phoenix, in a position of honor and esteem, those who serve must naturally look up to and respect with awe."
This answer seemed to be within Heir Pei's expectations. He chuckled lightly, decided not to comment furthermore, and walked past.
He did not pursue their irreverence in discussing the master behind his back.
Qu Fulan breathed a sigh of relief, just as she was about to tell Hai Xia that it was fine, she saw this girl suddenly slump to the side and faint.
"..."
Qu Fulan took quite a bit of effort to wake Hai Xia.
Once Hai Xia woke up, she was about to cry.
"Might as well let me die right away, I just said those words, the Princely Heir definitely won't let me off!"
"...It's not that serious. The Princely Heir wouldn't hold grudges against a maid."
"He would! I personally saw how he nonchalantly took a servant's life."
"You also mentioned the servant ruined the Princely Heir's endeavor. You merely uttered two sentences, it won't be an issue."
"Talking bad about the master behind his back, just this alone could cost me my life."
"We're technically discussing the master's affairs behind his back now, too. Let's stop talking, just believe me, it won't be a problem."
Heir Pei isn't that petty; one who accomplishes great things overlooks minor details.
Maybe her tone was so firm that Hai Xia subconsciously chose to believe.
"Alright, I'll believe you, but if—I'm saying if anything happens to me, remember to give all my savings to my parents..."
Well, she's already discussing her inheritance.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Heir Pei is busy every day, elusive like the dragon, probably doesn't have the time to fuss over such trivial matters. If he didn't visit Mrs. Pei daily to pay respects, people in the residence wouldn't even catch a glimpse of him.
As for what Heir Pei is busy with nowadays, Qu Fulan doesn't know.
She doesn't need to prepare medicine for Mrs. Pei anymore and thus cannot enter Mrs. Pei's room like before; now it's Hai Yue who has that privilege.
She's skilled in massaging meridians, making Mrs. Pei feel comfortable and reluctant to part from her.
Whenever Mrs. Pei discusses anything with others, Hai Yue is the first to know.
Now that the Princely Heir has returned, whenever Mrs. Pei chats with others, it's mostly about the Princely Heir.
It's said the Princely Heir, upon returning, was heavily employed by the emperor, with limitless prospects.
Mrs. Pei was chatting with the Second Lady of the residence, a daughter-in-law who was steady and filial.
While chatting, they inevitably touched upon the Princely Heir's matrimonial arrangements.
The family's eldest son has children, the third son is married, leaving only the second son single.
Previously stationed at the frontier, it was excusable, but now that he has returned, matrimonial matters must be prioritized.
"Just help keep a lookout, if there's a suitable match, compile a list for Si to review, the wife must be someone he is satisfied with." That's Mrs. Pei's sole request.
Second Lady understood naturally, "Mother, rest assured, I will arrange it properly."
Hai Yue upon hearing this, softened her strength significantly, her expression darkening, becoming somewhat absent-minded.
This change drew no particular attention; once Mrs. Pei finished discussing the Princely Heir's matters, she inevitably brought up the eldest grandson's matters.
"Such a long time has passed, what exactly does Yuan think?"
On this matter, the Second Lady became concerned in various ways.
"I have mentioned it to him many times, he only says he is busy with official duties and doesn't plan on such matters for now."
This is indeed true; the son focuses on official affairs, and when his wife was still alive, the relationship between the couple wasn't particularly passionate or unforgettable, merely respectful and courteous.
"How can a home function without a considerate wife? When you prepare the list for Si, also make one for Yuan; it would be ideal if both brothers could select satisfactory matches, remember to separate the lists so they don't overlap."
Otherwise, if the two brothers fancy the same woman, it would be disastrous.
"Mother, rest assured, I wouldn't be so foolish. However, when Yuan comes to pay respects, I hope mother can advise him occasionally."
Mrs. Pei has advised him plenty.
Truthfully, she isn't worried about the eldest grandson. The eldest grandson is gentle and considerate; previously, he didn't consider remarriage because he was the family's pillar. Now that Si has returned, the eldest grandson can relax more, and if he finds someone suitable, he will agree.
Hai Yue returned to her residence and discussed the matter of the eldest and Princely Heir's marriages with several maids sharing the room.
"It probably won't be long before the residence hosts another wedding; it's just not clear who will get engaged first this time."
Upon hearing this, others said, "The eldest son having a second marriage might make it harder to find someone compared to the Princely Heir being more in demand."
"That's narrow-minded. Despite the eldest son being in a second marriage, plenty of noble ladies in the capital would sharpen their heads to marry into the second household; it's just that relatively more girls wish to marry the Princely Heir."
"Given the Princely Heir's current status and standing, it's not about anyone wanting to marry him; the family background must be commendable enough, or else it wouldn't be easy to enter the main household."
While listening to others' discussion, Hai Yue's gaze discreetly fell upon Haitang, noticing she had no intention of speaking, a trace of cunning flashed through her eyes.
"Haitang not speaking, does it mean you don't agree with our view?"
A maid not agreeing with the idea of matching social status.
Who would dare employ such a maid?