Prince Dai's Residence
At the entrance to the inner courtyard, residence guards stood watch with hands on their sword hilts. Two lanterns swayed gently in the wind; aside from that, all was silent.
An elderly woman approached unhurriedly from the back gate, carrying a bamboo basket in one hand. It was half-covered by a piece of blue cloth, beneath which several plump, juicy peaches could vaguely be seen. If the entire basket was filled with peaches, there had to be at least twenty.
"Granny Jia, why are you still not resting?"
The guards at the gate knew her. She was a maidservant who attended the Princess Consort and held considerable standing, one of the master's favored people, so they naturally treated her with great courtesy.
Granny Jia smiled and lifted the blue cloth, letting them see the bamboo basket. "Ah, isn't it because His Highness cares for the Princess Consort? He told me to keep watch at all times and buy peaches for her whenever I saw them."
"I went looking yesterday, but no one was selling any then. By chance, a peddler came to the back gate today, selling precisely these peaches. I hurriedly picked out twenty of the finest, each one fresh and juicy, and brought them to the Princess Consort! I heard His Highness say that eating these is good for the child!"
Peaches were not something ordinary people could afford. Though their appearance was somewhat strange, anyone who had tasted them found them unforgettable. The guards could not help glancing at the basket brimming with peaches, and their mouths immediately flooded with saliva.
"This is good stuff... All right, Granny Jia, hurry inside." Afraid his drool would fall, one of them hurriedly waved her through.
Granny Jia secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickened her