Lady Zhang made her way to Lanxiu Pavilion and sat down on the soft couch by the window.
Huixin hurriedly went to brew a cup of tea.
Lady Zhang accepted it, lowered her head, and took a sip. Only after the warm tea slid down her throat did she quietly let out a breath.
With her eyes lowered, she stared at the tea leaves drifting in the cup for a long while before finally lifting her head to look at Huixin.
“Just now…” She paused, her voice much softer than usual. “When you were watching Sister Shen, did she seem displeased?”
The moment Huixin heard this, she understood what her mistress had been brooding over in silence all the way back.
She hurriedly consoled her in a gentle voice. “Please rest assured, my lady. This servant watched carefully. Worthy Lady Shen’s expression was no different from usual; she didn’t look displeased at all. And later, didn’t Worthy Lady Shen chat happily with you? If she had truly been unhappy, how could she have held your hand and spoken with you so affectionately?”
“My lady, you’re simply thinking too much.”
As Lady Zhang listened, the fingers clutching the teacup slowly relaxed, and her shoulders sank a little, as though she had set down a stone that was neither large nor small.
That was good.
She didn’t want Sister Shen to be unhappy.
But she truly had no other choice.
Over the past few days, her grandmother had spoken to her several times, urging her to seize the opportunity while they were staying at the imperial retreat. With only her and Sister Shen by the Crown Prince’s side, she had to make haste and conceive a child…
It wasn’t that she didn’t understand her grandmother’s good intentions.
If she could take advantage of this opportunity to win the Crown Prince’s favor, even if she received his attention only once or twice, perhaps she might be able to bear a child.
But who could have imagined that during these past two or three months, the Crown Prince was either with Sister Shen or occupied with political affairs?
It wasn’t as though she hadn’t tried.
During the first month, she had found several excuses to go to the front hall of Chengxin Hall and deliver soup to the Crown Prince. Yet each time, she failed to see him.
Eunuch Zheng had always been courteous, merely saying that His Highness was busy with state affairs.
After that, she stopped going.
Only… now, she could no longer afford to delay.
In a few days, they would be returning to the palace. Once they were back in the Eastern Palace, there would be more than just her and Sister Shen by the Crown Prince’s side.
By then, she feared she would have even fewer opportunities. That was why she had forced herself to go to Chengxin Hall today, swallowing her pride and saying those things in front of Sister Shen.
Because only through Sister Shen did she have any chance of seeing the Crown Prince…
Before she entered the palace to be chosen, her grandmother had given her many instructions.
Her grandmother had told her that in an imperial family, the ruler was cold-hearted, and true feelings could easily change. Today, if he favored and loved you, he would raise you to the highest heights; tomorrow, if he grew tired of you, he would cast you aside like a worn-out shoe.
Her grandmother had told her to respect the Crown Prince, obey him, and serve him—but under no circumstances was she to lose her heart to him.
If she did not give her heart, she would not be hurt.
At the time, she had nodded in agreement. But after entering the Eastern Palace and meeting a man like the Crown Prince, she had promptly forgotten her grandmother’s words.
It was only after several months passed without the Crown Prince setting foot in her chambers that she gradually came to understand what her grandmother had meant…
She had neither an exceptional family background nor breathtaking beauty. She did not even have a personality capable of pleasing the Crown Prince. On what grounds could she hope for his favor?
Her grandfather and grandmother had spent their entire lives treating each other with mutual respect and affection.
Yet her grandfather also had four or five concubines in his household. Her grandmother got along well with every one of them and kept the inner residence in perfect order. Today, she might admire flowers with one concubine; tomorrow, she might drink tea with another. They often gathered together to watch opera, chatting and laughing all the while.
Rather than becoming like the women in the imperial palace—mistaking infatuation for love, waiting day after day in the deep palace for the emperor’s favor, longing for his arrival, resenting his indifference and hating his betrayal until they withered away like flowers—it would be better to live as her grandmother did. At least that way, life could still be comfortable.
She lowered her eyes, her fingers brushing lightly over her flat belly.
That was why she wanted a child all the more…
With a child, she would have something to live for and something to look forward to. She could raise the child properly, watching them learn to walk, learn to speak, learn to read and write…
She slowly raised her head and looked out the window, her eyes filled with a trace of anticipation.
Would the Crown Prince come to her chambers tonight…?
*
The rear hall of Chengxin Hall.
By the time dinner was served, the sky outside had already begun to change.
Just moments ago, the sky had been clear and bright. Now, a layer of gray clouds had gathered along the horizon, pressing low and blotting out the sun completely.
The leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard rustled loudly in the wind. Every so often, a few leaves were swept down, spinning as they landed before rolling twice across the ground and then being pushed onward by the breeze.
Shen Yanshui glanced toward the window. Seeing that it looked as though rain was about to fall, she soon withdrew her gaze and settled calmly at the table.
Cui Yu sat down beside her.
The dishes on the table were light and delicate, all foods the two of them usually enjoyed.
“Try this lotus root. It turned out well today,” Cui Yu said as he placed a piece of lotus root into her bowl.
Shen Yanshui was lowering her head and sipping her soup in small mouthfuls. Seeing the slice of lotus root in her bowl, she looked up at him and replied, “Mm. Thank you, Your Highness.”
Then she picked up the lotus root and ate it slowly.
And then… there was nothing more.
Cui Yu glanced at her again, the space between his brows shifting ever so slightly.
The meal passed in an unusually quiet atmosphere.
Chunping stood to one side with her hands folded, her eyes lowered in practiced composure. Behind her, Dongyi secretly glanced at her mistress, then at the Crown Prince, and felt the anger inside her flare higher and higher.
She had initially thought Lady Zhang was a good person.
Over the past few months, Lady Zhang had seemed gentle and mild, always speaking amiably. From time to time, she even made little pieces of needlework and sent them over. She had appeared to be a woman who knew her place and kept to herself.
Her own mistress had treated her so well. Whenever there was something delicious or entertaining, she always thought to save a portion for Lady Zhang. She had even worried about her health; whenever Lady Zhang fell ill, she immediately sent for the imperial physician.
Who would have thought that Lady Zhang would be so shameless?
Right in front of her mistress, she had tried to seduce the Crown Prince—sending him clothes, asking him to critique her poetry. Who couldn’t understand what she meant by those words?
Her mistress had treated her with such kindness, only to have it all go to waste!
Dongyi cursed fiercely under her breath.
Then she glanced anxiously at her mistress.
The Crown Prince had spoken twice just now, but her mistress had barely responded, merely giving a simple acknowledgment before falling silent again.
The Crown Prince had stopped speaking as well. The atmosphere was so tense that it was frightening.
She secretly looked at Nanny Wang.
Nanny Wang stood a little farther away. Her gaze moved from the Crown Prince to her own mistress, then back again. Her brows drew together slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.
In truth, Nanny Wang believed that being the sole favorite of the ruler or Crown Prince was not necessarily a good thing for a woman. If her mistress could use this incident to see that clearly, Nanny Wang felt it would be for the best.
Standing behind the Crown Prince, Zheng Yuande couldn’t help but mull the matter over in silence.
Speaking of Lady Zhang, she had proved rather more patient than he had expected. She had been at the imperial residence for nearly three months, and had only sent His Highness the Crown Prince soup, handkerchiefs, and sachets for half a month before settling down quietly in Lanxiu Hall. At first, he had thought she had truly given up on her intentions.
Who would have guessed that she would make her move after all, just a few days before they returned to the palace?
Then again, who would be willing to let such a good opportunity pass them by?
As he thought this, his gaze quietly shifted to Worthy Lady Shen.
By now, he had more or less figured out this mistress’s temperament. He could not say much about the rest, but there was one quality she possessed in abundance: she knew her place.
She never relied on the Crown Prince’s favor to become spoiled and arrogant, nor did she meddle in matters that were none of her concern.
A person like that was the sort who could survive—and thrive—in the palace.
Eunuch Zheng sighed inwardly.
He only hoped that Worthy Lady Shen would remain sensible this time and not ruin the good impression she had made on His Highness over such a trivial matter of jealousy.
After all, it was already exceedingly rare for His Highness to favor her exclusively for so long. There were still many years ahead of them. As the heir apparent, His Highness could not possibly devote himself to only one woman forever.
He had seen far too many examples of this. Of all the women in the palace who had once enjoyed boundless glory, seven or eight out of ten had fallen because they had “become arrogant on the strength of their favor.”
When the Emperor favored you today, you would think yourself extraordinary. When he so much as glanced at someone else tomorrow, you would act as if the sky had fallen. After making a great fuss, you would squander every bit of affection you had, only to regret it when it was too late.
Just as he was thinking this, Eunuch Zheng suddenly froze.
Worthy Lady Shen had already eaten one bowl, two bowls, three bowls… six bowls of rice.
She ate in perfect composure, no different from usual.
There was not the slightest sign that she had been affected.
Eunuch Zheng: “...?”
Shen Yanshui was bent over a rib, gnawing at it with utmost concentration. Her cheeks puffed in and out as she chewed, and she was so absorbed that she did not even notice the sauce clinging to the corner of her mouth.
After eating another half bowl of rice and drinking a bowl of soup, she finally set down her chopsticks in contentment and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.
The palace servants swiftly cleared away the leftovers and dishes, then brought over two cups of tea.
Chunping glanced at her mistress, then at His Highness the Crown Prince. She gestured to the attendants in the room, and they quietly closed the door behind them.
Before long, only Cui Yu and Shen Yanshui remained in the main hall.
Shen Yanshui rose to her feet and stretched, then glanced out the window.
The sky had grown even darker than before, and the wind had picked up as well. The crowns of the few trees in the courtyard were being tossed wildly from side to side. Judging by the look of things, a heavy rain was probably on its way.
She had intended to take a few turns around the courtyard after the meal to aid her digestion, but seeing the weather, she abandoned the idea and decided to walk around indoors instead.
She had barely taken a step when a broad hand caught hers.
Shen Yanshui paused. She lowered her eyes to look at the hand, then followed it up to its owner.
“Your Highness?”
Cui Yu looked up at her, a faint smile in his eyes.
“Is A-Yan jealous?”
Earlier, when she had suddenly begun speaking less, he had found it strange, though he had not thought much of it. But he was not a fool. Before long, he gradually pieced together what was going on.
Once he understood, he was not displeased in the slightest. Instead, a trace of delight rose in his heart.
Was A-Yan… jealous?
The moment that thought surfaced, he felt something stir lightly in his chest, as though someone had gently brushed him with the tip of a feather.
He could not resist teasing her a little.
Shen Yanshui lowered her eyes and looked at him for several breaths. Then she suddenly smiled faintly.
“Your Highness… is hoping I’ll be jealous?”
There was amusement in Cui Yu’s eyes as he looked at her, but for a moment, he said nothing.
Shen Yanshui smiled at him and drawled leisurely, “If I ever get jealous, I’m afraid Your Highness may not be able to handle it.”
With that, she gently freed her hand from his grasp, turned around, and began strolling around the room on her own.
She walked at an unhurried pace, entirely at ease, taking her digestion very seriously.
Cui Yu remained seated, his gaze following her figure. His brows gradually drew together.
After a while, he asked, “What did A-Yan mean by that just now?”
Shen Yanshui had reached the window. At his words, she stopped and turned to face him. A faint smile still lingered on her face, but it was different from her usual smile.
Normally, when she smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons, sweet and bright. But although she was smiling now, there was a hint of seriousness in her eyes.
“Your Highness has been at the imperial residence for several months. Why have you never visited Lady Zhang?”
Cui Yu looked at her, his gaze darkening slightly. He did not answer.
Shen Yanshui continued with a smile, “Lady Zhang has a gentle disposition and a lovely, delicate appearance. She is skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and I imagine she can converse with Your Highness quite well about poetry and literature.”
She beamed at him.
“Why, then… have you never gone?”
Once she finished speaking, she glanced at him and, without waiting for his answer, turned around again and resumed her leisurely circling of the room.
Cui Yu sat there, watching her figure, and remained silent for a long while.
Shen Yanshui completed a circle and passed behind him, her gaze brushing over the side of his face without lingering. She continued forward.
When she came around again and passed by his side, a hand suddenly reached out and closed around her wrist—not hard, but firmly enough to stop her.
Shen Yanshui came to a halt.
Cui Yu raised his head, his eyes fixed on her face. There was no discernible emotion in them, but his voice was low.
“Does A-Yan want me to go to Lady Zhang’s residence?”
Shen Yanshui glanced sideways at him and replied with a faint smile, “Your Highness’s legs belong to you, naturally… you may go wherever you please.”
With that, she started walking again at her leisurely pace.
Cui Yu’s hand, which had been holding her wrist, closed on empty air. It remained suspended for a moment before he slowly withdrew it.
He sat there without moving for a long time.
The trace of amusement that had lingered in his eyes moments before had vanished completely.
Shen Yanshui made another circuit of the room. As she passed in front of him, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
That single look made her heart give a faint jolt.
The Crown Prince’s face was so cold it seemed capable of scraping frost from the air.
But she only looked at him for a moment before turning her eyes away. She continued walking at the same unhurried pace, without doing as she usually did—drawing close to him, acting spoiled, and coaxing him with sweet words.
It was not that she did not want to speak.
She simply had not figured things out herself.
When she had first entered the Eastern Palace, she had thought of the Crown Prince as the provider of her food and clothing. All she needed to do was fawn over him, coax him, and attend to him properly.
As long as she could eat and dress well in the Eastern Palace, she could happily live her own life. Though she was confined to that little courtyard each day, she could plant flowers and fruit, study new recipes, listen to storytelling performances, and amuse herself by teasing the birds—or the Crown Prince—whenever she pleased. Life was actually rather satisfying.
After all, one could not have everything. What could possibly be so perfect as to let a person have it all?
But now…
She sighed inwardly as she walked.
She was not oblivious to how the Crown Prince had treated her since she entered the Eastern Palace, nor was she entirely unmoved by it.
For one thing, there was the Crown Prince’s face—handsome enough to be one in a million.
And he was more than just a pretty face. The Crown Prince himself was an outstanding man, full of charm.
A man like that, who treated her so well—she was no saint, nor was she a monk or nun. She possessed all the emotions and desires of an ordinary person, so naturally, she would be attracted to him.
These past few months at the imperial residence, the Crown Prince had been with her day and night and had not favored any other woman. For the time being, she had simply played the ostrich, content to be a lazy salted fish and enjoy the happiness in front of her.
But what Lady Zhang had done today had forced her lazy salted fish of a self to turn over and think things through properly.
She walked another lap, her gaze involuntarily drifting toward the Crown Prince again.
He was still sitting where he had been, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were dark and heavy. Who knew what he was thinking? All Shen Yanshui could see was that a layer of chill seemed to envelop him from head to toe. It was clearly summer, yet he looked as though he were radiating icy air.
If the timing had not been so inappropriate, she really would have reached out and touched his face to see whether it was cold and icy.
Shen Yanshui slowly withdrew her gaze and continued walking at an unhurried pace.
Cui Yu suddenly moved.
His movements as he rose were neither abrupt nor exaggerated—in fact, they were almost leisurely—but the chill surrounding him spread through the room the instant he stood, as though even the air had frozen and grown sluggish.
He walked straight to the door, pulled it open, and strode out.
Shen Yanshui’s unhurried steps finally came to a halt.
She stood where she was, watching his departing back. Only after a long while did she slowly say, “Go see… where His Highness has gone.”
If he had gone to Lady Zhang’s chambers, then there would be no need for her to waste any more time or effort thinking about it. It would all have been pointless.
The moment she said this, the palace servants around her—who had been holding their breath and pretending to be quails—finally seemed to receive a pardon. They all let out a collective sigh of relief.
Dongyi acknowledged the order and hurried out.
Before long, Dongyi came hurrying back, a hint of delight on her face.
“Reporting to you, Mistress,” she said, quickly giving a curtsy. “His Highness did not go to Lady Zhang’s chambers. He went to the study in the front hall.”
As Dongyi said this, she was practically beaming with triumph.
She knew it!
The Crown Prince treated her mistress so well. How could he possibly be won over by someone else so easily?
At this, Shen Yanshui slowly gave an “oh,” then sighed.
Dongyi: “...???”
Chunping: “...?”
Shen Yanshui drew her brows together slightly, as if troubled by something. She turned around and began pacing the room again, muttering under her breath as she walked, “Ugh… men are such a hassle.”
Chunping and Dongyi exchanged a glance, both utterly bewildered.
Wasn’t it a good thing that the Crown Prince had not gone to Lady Zhang’s chambers?
Why didn’t their mistress look happy at all? And what did she mean by muttering that men were “such a hassle”?
The two of them looked at each other, but neither dared to ask.
Shen Yanshui paced around the room for quite some time.
As she walked, sleepiness gradually crept over her. Her eyelids began to droop, and she yawned. Her steps slowed as well. Just then, a dull ache of soreness spread through her lower legs. It did not hurt, but they felt heavy and uncomfortable. Her lower back was beginning to ache too.
She stopped and reached out to rub her waist.
Forget it. She would think about it tomorrow.
She called someone in and ordered them to prepare water for her bath. Chunping then led the servants in quickly preparing a tub of warm water. Shen Yanshui soaked comfortably for a while, changed into a clean nightgown, and flopped down onto the bed.
She rolled halfway onto her side and buried her face in the blankets. Before long, she had fallen asleep.
Chunping stood by the bed and saw that her mistress was sleeping soundly. She gently gathered the bed curtains, while Dongyi checked once more that the windows were securely closed. Only then did the two of them quietly withdraw and pull the door shut.
Outside, however, the wind was growing stronger. It howled through the covered walkway, making the window lattice rattle loudly. Dongyi sat on a stool beneath the corridor, listening to the wind. Her heart felt as though fifteen buckets were being lowered and raised in a well—completely unsettled.
Her mistress had gone to sleep so early today. Once the Crown Prince found out, wouldn’t he fly into a rage and… actually go to Lady Zhang’s chambers?
The more she thought about it, the more tightly her brows knitted.
If he really did go, then when her mistress woke tomorrow and received the news, who knew how heartbroken she would be…
The rain had not yet begun to fall, but the wind was growing increasingly fierce.
Night had fallen, and the study in the front hall was brightly lit.
Cui Yu sat behind the writing desk, a volume of books resting at his hand.
Yet after opening it upon sitting down, he had not turned a single page.
Zheng Yuande stood by the door with his hands hanging respectfully at his sides, not daring to make the slightest sound.
Back in the rear hall of the Hall of Clear Hearts, he had still been able to make a few teasing remarks to himself. But now, he had no inclination to joke at all.
The Crown Prince’s expression was truly frightening.
Zheng Yuande was just wondering how he might ease His Highness’s anger when a head suddenly appeared through the doorway.
It was Wang Chun.
Wang Chun hunched over, rose onto his toes, and leaned close to whisper a few words into Zheng Yuande’s ear.
The moment Zheng Yuande heard them, his brows furrowed so deeply they seemed capable of trapping a fly.
He turned his head and glared at Wang Chun. The meaning in his eyes was clear:
Are you sure?
Wang Chun wore a bitter expression and nodded.
Zheng Yuande drew a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh inwardly.
How could this Worthy Lady’s mistress have such a carefree heart?
Hadn’t she noticed that the Crown Prince was already furious? Forget failing to think of a way to calm His Highness down—she had actually gone off to wash up and sleep…
For a moment, he simply did not know what to say.
He braced himself and quietly edged into the room, stopping three paces from the writing desk. Bowing, he said carefully, “Your Highness…”
Cui Yu lifted his eyelids slightly and said coldly, “What is it?”
Zheng Yuande swallowed. His voice grew even softer. “Wang Chun just reported that the Worthy Lady’s chambers… have already retired for the night.”
After his words fell, the room remained silent for three full breaths.
Then Zheng Yuande clearly felt the chill in the room grow even heavier. His calves began trembling again.
He tentatively said, “Your Highness, shall we go to Lanying Pavilion tonight—”
Before he could finish, Cui Yu raised his eyes and swept him a cold glance.
The moment that look fell on him, Zheng Yuande swallowed the rest of his words. He immediately closed his mouth, pressed his legs together, hunched his neck, and lowered his head, not daring to say another word.
Cui Yu withdrew his gaze. His voice was as cold as ice.
“Prepare water. I’m bathing.”
Zheng Yuande felt as though he had just been granted a reprieve. He hurriedly answered, “Yes,” then backed out of the room with his waist bent.
After Cui Yu had bathed and changed, he climbed onto the bed.
Most of the candles in the inner chamber had been extinguished, leaving only a solitary lamp in the corner. Its dim yellow glow spread across the room, shrouding everything in a hazy darkness.
Cui Yu lay on the bed with his eyes closed, yet he could not fall asleep.
He remembered the words she had said with a smile.
“His Highness the Crown Prince’s legs are his own, so naturally he can go wherever he pleases.”
The thought left him restless and agitated, unable to calm himself no matter what he did.
He turned over.
Then he remembered the way she had looked when shooting arrows in the courtyard earlier. Her eyes had sparkled as she gazed at him, and she had said, “Even the cleverest person still needs a good teacher to guide them.”
There had been a hint of coquettishness in her tone, softening his heart at the sound of it…
Cui Yu abruptly opened his eyes and stared at the canopy overhead, his gaze dark and heavy.
Only then did he belatedly realize something.
A-Yan… had never truly been jealous in front of him.
Not even once.
She did not care whom he favored. She did not care whether he went to anyone else’s residence, and naturally, she did not care whether he went to Lady Zhang’s Lanxiu Pavilion.
Cui Yu’s expression darkened inch by inch.
A thought suddenly surfaced without warning, like a cold needle—slender and sharp—driving into the gaps between his bones.
What did she take him for?
The window suddenly lit up. A bolt of lightning split open the ink-black night sky, illuminating the room in stark white. A moment later, thunder exploded with a deafening boom, as though the heavens themselves had been torn apart.
At last, the rain began to fall.
It was no longer a light drizzle, but a torrential downpour, pouring from the sky in sheets. It pelted the roof tiles and the stone paving, until the entire world was drowned in a chaotic roar.
The wind grew stronger as well, carrying strands of rain through the cracks in the window and making the flame of the solitary lamp tremble precariously.
Zheng Yuande had just dozed off on the couch in the outer room when the thunder jolted him wide awake. He instinctively glanced toward the inner room—and nearly rolled off the couch in fright.
At some point, His Highness the Crown Prince had risen and was standing before the window.
His back was ramrod straight as he stared, unmoving, at the pitch-black curtain of rain outside.
Lightning flashed from time to time, illuminating his profile in alternating brightness and shadow.
Zheng Yuande hurriedly scrambled to his feet and ran over, his slippers slapping against the floor. “Your Highness, why are you up? The wind and rain are fierce tonight. Please be careful not to catch a chill…”
As he spoke, he turned to fetch a cloak.
“Bring me an umbrella.”
Zheng Yuande’s hand froze.
He stared blankly at the Crown Prince, wondering if he had misheard. “...Your Highness?” In the middle of the night, what could he possibly want an umbrella for?
Cui Yu turned around and looked at him, his voice unnaturally calm. “Bring me an umbrella.”
Zheng Yuande’s heart jolted. He did not dare ask anything further and quickly acknowledged the order before turning to fetch one.
By the time he returned with the umbrella, he had not even had a chance to speak before Cui Yu strode out.
“Your Highness!” Zheng Yuande was so startled that his soul nearly left his body. He hurried after him. “Your Highness, please slow down! The wind and rain are so fierce outside. Where… where are you going?”
Most of his voice was swallowed by the storm.
Cui Yu did not look back or answer.
He walked extremely fast, his boots splashing through the water pooled on the stone paving and sending spray flying in every direction.
Zheng Yuande ran alongside him, panting as he held up the umbrella. Rainwater streamed down his face, but he had no time to wipe it away. “Your Highness! Please slow down!”
“Enough noise.”
The two icy words lodged in Zheng Yuande’s throat, silencing him at once.
He did not dare call out again. He could only lower his head and hurry after the Crown Prince, holding the umbrella over him while rainwater poured down the back of his own neck. He shuddered, but did not dare fall behind.
His Highness’s health was not as robust as it appeared from the outside.
The rain grew heavier and heavier. Thunder rolled one peal after another, while lightning ripped the night sky into ragged fragments.
Zheng Yuande suffered inwardly, cursing his luck. By now, he did not need to ask where His Highness the Crown Prince was headed.
This path clearly led toward the rear hall of Chengxin Hall.
