Qi Qian escorted Qin Liuxi to the guest house. Although anxious for her to see his grandmother, he knew the journey had been tiring and did not take her to see his grandmother immediately, knowing he must first greet her himself.
"Shall Doctor Qin rest well today and see my grandmother tomorrow?"
Qin Liuxi replied, "That would be very good."
Qi Qian did not talk further, bowed his hands, and left. Before leaving, he instructed Manager Wan to arrange attentive care, as the frail ’little ancestor’ inside was quite delicate and fastidious.
Manager Wan naturally nodded and agreed, even specifically finding two clever and beautiful maids to attend to her.
Chen Pi, however, did not rely on others, directing someone first to fetch water for Qin Liuxi to bathe, and then had hot tea, hot soup, and dishes prepared. After washing away her fatigue, the master and servant dismissed the others and sat down at the table to have dinner, where Chen Pi then mentioned Qi Qian’s facial expression.
"Master, you say that Prince Rui lost his father at a young age, but I look at him and..."
Qin Liuxi coughed and looked at him.
Chen Pi glanced outside and forced a smile.
Qin Liuxi said, "Let’s not discuss him. The people of the Imperial Family have unordinary complexities that ordinary families cannot compare."
Qin Liuxi quietly picked up her food. Qi Qian was a man with a complex background, and this task was taken too lightly.
Meanwhile, Qi Qian scratched his itchy nose and sneezed twice, no doubt Buqiu was speaking about him; the thought of her casually speaking of his personal matters made him purse his lips.
"Is Qian’er outside?"
Qi Qian collected himself, and as the maid lifted the curtain, he walked in and saw an elderly woman sitting on a southern Arhat bed, radiating kindness and nobility, and he smiled, lifting his robe and kneeling down.
The Old Princess Consort, upon seeing her grandson, greeted him with a smile and before he fully knelt down said, "Get up, get up; the ground is cold, don’t kneel. Zhu’er, bring some tea for the Prince."
Qi Qian got up and without waiting for the Old Princess Consort to gesture, sat beside her and took her hand, "Grandmother, it’s been a while. How have you been feeling?"
"The weather’s not cold yet entering August; where could I possibly feel bad? Don’t worry," the Old Princess Consort patted his hand and said, "In a few days, it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, and you have to stay with your grandmother through the autumn festival before leaving."
"I had plans to stay for the Mid-Autumn Festival with you already."
The Old Princess Consort, delighted at his words, told Nanny Zhao beside her, "Azhen, did you hear that? The Prince said he’ll stay at the villa for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Tell Manager Wan to prepare more delicacies, and if there are deer, save them to fatten up and we can roast them for him."
"Understood," Nanny Zhao responded with a smile.
Seeing her happiness, Qi Qian didn’t say more, only added, "Grandmother, I’ve found Daoist doctor Buqiu and asked him to come to the villa. It’s late today, but tomorrow morning I’ll bring him to treat your cold symptoms. His intervention will surely relieve you from the pain of the cold symptoms."
The Old Princess Consort was noncommittal, "Grandmother has had this old ailment for many years and has become accustomed to it. Whether it is treatable or not, you see, I am being cared for in the villa and it’s not bad."
That was true, but only when staying in the warm indoors. Outside, especially in the harsh winter, it could be bitterly cold making it impossible to sleep at night, numbing the body, making it risky to step outside, let alone withstand the cold.
But as she said, after so many years, she had grown accustomed to just staying indoors during winter.
"Grandmother, perhaps this time it will be different."
Seeing Qi Qian’s confidence, the Old Princess Consort said with a smile, "Alright, let him have a look. We shouldn’t let our Qian’er’s filial piety go to waste."
Qi Qian then grinned and told Nanny Zhao, "Prepare the meal, I’ll dine with Grandmother."