Grand Tutor's Villa, backyard.
"Hehe, Xiao Dan, what's wrong? You look a bit down. Could it be that brat Jiang Chen upset you?" Elder Ye asked with a chuckle.
"No, I just can't stand his arrogant demeanor. What kind of person is he! To think that with someone like you as his teacher, a mere kid would dare refuse your offer to take him as a disciple."
"Xiao Dan, that's not like you," the Elder laughed. "Since when does our Xiao Dan get worked up over such a trivial matter?"
Consort Dan flushed slightly with annoyance: "Master, I was standing up for you, and you have the nerve to laugh at me."
"Ha ha, I never thought the Consort Dan who drives all the young men in the Royal Capital crazy would show such a girlish side. Xiao Dan, if they saw you like this, it would completely shatter their image of you."
"Let it be shattered, then. Who needs those kids thinking about me?" Consort Dan was clearly very spoiled by the Elder. Gone was her strong-willed demeanor from the banquet.
"Alright, Xiao Dan, enough joking. Jiang Chen's refusal shows he understands righteousness. And honestly, while I might offer him some guidance in martial arts, in the long run, my meager skills might not qualify me to be his teacher."
Consort Dan's beautiful eyes widened in surprise: "Master, isn't that... too high a praise?"
Consort Dan had been taken in and raised by Elder Ye since childhood, serving at his side. She had never heard the Elder give anyone such high praise. Most of the young men in the Royal Capital, in his eyes, weren't even worth a comment. The few he occasionally mentioned received only ordinary evaluations.
"In a place like the Sixteen Surrounding Kingdoms, a young man who can casually identify the origin of a Fengjiao beast, who can effortlessly produce Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine, deserves any high praise you care to give."
"But... he just got lucky and made friends with some hermit expert, didn't he!" Consort Dan argued, unwilling to concede.
The Elder smiled calmly: "Xiao Dan, do you think hermit experts are everywhere, just sitting around waiting for people to casually meet them? Among the billions of people in the Sixteen Surrounding Kingdoms, why didn't such a chance encounter fall to Ye Dai? Or Ye Rong? Or anyone else? Why did Jiang Chen alone have such incredible luck?"
Consort Dan's red lips twitched: "Well, he was lucky."
"Ha ha, luck! Such a thing exists. But for Jiang Chen to gain the favor of a hermit expert, it's certainly not merely due to luck," the Elder chuckled.
"Anyway, I still think he's too arrogant and will suffer for it sooner or later. Never mind anything else, just today's matter—the First Prince's group must hate him to the bone now."
"Ye Dai?" The Elder smiled. "If Ye Dai is smart, he won't provoke Jiang Chen. If he's not smart enough, I'm afraid his Crown Prince dream is about to come to an end. As for Ye Rong, that kid has always been low-key, but this time he showed such resolve, traveling tens of thousands of miles to the Eastern Kingdom to recruit Jiang Chen. Ye Rong is no simple character."
"Master, you think Ye Rong is good too?" Consort Dan had always had the best impression of Ye Rong among the princes.
Ye Dai appeared refined and gentlemanly, tall and proper. But Consort Dan was intelligent and perceptive; she didn't actually admire the facade Ye Dai projected. Instead, Ye Rong, though somewhat calculating, possessed a genuine air of grandeur.
"Ye Rong made a very good move, betting on Jiang Chen," the Elder laughed, then changed the subject. "Xiao Dan, go to the Qianlan Southern Palace for me and prepare some things. My Fengjiao beast... the sooner, the better!"
Elder Ye was thinking about his Fengjiao beast. The castration process wasn't complicated, but he wouldn't trust anyone else to do it. He had to do it himself, but he needed to prepare certain items.
"Okay, I'll go immediately." Consort Dan knew what the Elder intended. As a woman, such matters were, of course, not something she could be directly involved in.
"Don't rush, let me give you a list first, otherwise how will you manage?"
...
Consort Dan had a longstanding friendship with Elder Ning of the Qianlan Southern Palace. So when she needed to procure items, she naturally went directly to Elder Ning. However, when she arrived at the Qianlan Southern Palace's office in the Royal Capital, Elder Ning happened to be out.
Consort Dan had to hand the list to the shop assistant and instruct: "This is what Grand Tutor Ye requires. Prepare the best of everything; don't worry about the price."
"Yes, Miss Consort Dan, no need to tell me, I understand."
"Miss Consort Dan, please have a seat for a moment. These items will take some time to prepare."
Consort Dan nodded: "Please be quick."
She walked to a corner of the hall and sat down on a chair. She didn't like standing by the counter with people coming and going, which Consort Dan disliked. Especially men whose gazes were never proper, scanning her up and down. Though Consort Dan was well-mannered, she had always detested such wolfish stares.
Yet a woman as outstanding as she was, in the entire Tiangui Kingdom, was a unique sight even when hiding in a corner. Many sleazy gazes still swept over her without the slightest restraint. If not for her dignified bearing and natural aura of authority, they would likely have approached her to strike up a conversation.
Consort Dan rarely showed her face in public. Most of her time was spent studying under the Elder. The men she interacted with were mostly nobles of the Tiangui Kingdom. While those nobles were often frivolous, they knew her status. Even if they had thoughts, they held back, intimidated by the Elder's authority, and dared not overstep.
In the general public, few people knew of Consort Dan's background.