"Duke of Dai, please!"
As he stepped down from the ox cart, the steward responsible for escorting the players inside came forward, bowed respectfully, and instructed, "Give the Duke of Dai's ox some feed and water."
Then he told Su Ziji, "Your wife will enter the tournament hall. Please allow me to escort Your Grace to Plum Hall to rest!"
Su Ziji followed him. Spring was gradually arriving, and despite the drizzle, tender buds had sprouted on the flowering hedges lining the path. Pavilions and towers were tastefully arranged, and he silently nodded in approval.
As the Duke of Dai, Su Ziji enjoyed an exalted status and had Plum Hall entirely to himself. Attendants brought tea, pastries, and fruit, and braziers stood in the corners. Coming in from the relentless drizzle outside, he found the dry warmth of the hall quite satisfactory.
As for the tea and pastries, Su Ziji did not touch them. He had brought a book with him, so he simply sat down to read.
Meanwhile, on the road out of the city, an ox cart much larger than an ordinary one rolled slowly along, accompanied by guards.
Amid the drizzle, a slender, jade-white hand lifted one corner of the window curtain. Half a face appeared, looking outside.
"That heartless man won't even come to see me off?" Throughout the journey, she kept lifting the curtain to look, only to be disappointed every time.
Dejected, she lowered the curtain. Apart from her, two maids knelt at the lower end of the enormous carriage. Princess Xinping's seat looked more like a small bed. There was also a table laden with sumptuous food and a small bookshelf stocked with storybooks, all intended to relieve her boredom along the way.
Although she had previously fallen out of favor, her treatment