The Eldest Prince walked in, and the sight of Ning Chen brought him up short.

"When did you get here?"

Ning Chen smiled. "Just now!"

The Eldest Prince came over and sat down, motioning Ning Chen to stay as he was. "No need for the salute, we're all one family... And here I was saying I'd bring Huai'an to the Ning residence to see you. I never thought you'd beat me to it!"

Ning Chen: "???"

How big is your face, exactly? (TL Note: 臉大, literally a big face — Chinese for shameless presumption, the nerve to expect something you have no claim to.) Which eye of yours saw me about to salute you? Ning Chen could not hold the thought back.

"When the Eldest Prince was in Mangzhou, he told me the Ninth Princess had made herself ill with missing me. Was she really sick?"

"Uh... that was just to trick you into coming back to the capital, wasn't it? But I wasn't lying about Huai'an — she cried her eyes red and swollen every day."

The Ninth Princess was a little embarrassed. "Nonsense, I did not!"

The Eldest Prince laughed. "It doesn't matter. Ning Chen is back anyway, and the two of you are about to be married... Everybody goes home happy!"

"Ning Chen, I was going to come find you for a drink. Since you're here, we'll drink at Huai'an's... Huai'an taught me a card game recently. We'll play and drink at the same time. How's that?"

Ning Chen nodded. "That's fine by me!"

"It's fine by me too!"

The Ninth Princess had Heye fetch the playing cards and the wine.

The three of them played and drank.

With Ning Chen there, the Eldest Prince could forget about winning. He lost miserably!

They were well into it when the Xuan Emperor came in, unannounced.

That startled all three of them, and they hurried to make their salutes and greetings.

"Playing cards?"

The Xuan Emperor crossed to the table and sat down, asking it in passing.

Ning Chen said, smiling, "Yes!"

The Xuan Emperor said, "This emperor has…