It took three days of preparations for them to be able to leave.
Xiao Zai visited Xiao Yuan again in the meantime. Their conversation was stilted but cordial. Fan Jiang had fully recovered his full range of motion, and other than an intense headache was recovering well.
He expressed a desire to return to the Second Prince's estate and resume his duties, but Xiao Zai told him he could stay with Xiao Yuan and take as long as he needed to rest. Which apparently came as a surprise to both him and Xiao Yuan.
When he was about to leave, Xiao Yuan asked to have a word in private with him.
"I know we've had our differences," Xiao Yuan started, haltingly.
Xiao Zai smiled a little to himself, that was an understatement.
"And your husband is really annoying, just an incredibly smug asshole, unpleasant to the core, although nice to look at." Xiao Yuan shook his head with a grimace as if trying to get a bad taste out of his mouth.
