Watching Song Yu and Song Shihuan lead their entourage further into the distance, a faint cough echoed from a secluded spot atop the city walls.
"Third Master, why not go down to bid farewell to the prince and the princess?"
Shen Qingping's complexion had improved considerably compared to before. At the question, a faint smile touched his lips. "Every move I make lately is being watched. It's best not to invite unnecessary trouble."
The higher one stood, the greater the dangers one faced.
He had no choice but to tread carefully in every matter.
A glint flashed in Shen Qingping's eyes—the wooden box Emperor Yuanyou had handed to Prince Qin earlier undoubtedly contained something significant.
"My duty is simply to safeguard these few plots of land in the capital for the prince and princess."
Even if it meant being crushed to dust.
He was willing.
......
This journey shattered Song Yu's expectations at every turn.
Unlike the last time they left the capital, when no one had paid them any heed, this time, as Song Yu and Song Shihuan passed through each region, local officials would personally gather along the roads to greet them.
Laijin Prefecture.
"Your humble servant, Xie Zhiyi, Prefect of Laijin, pays respects to Prince Qin and Princess Fu'an."
Faced with the overwhelming crowd before him, Song Yu couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"We are merely passing through Laijin. There's no need for such a reception," Song Yu said, visibly uncomfortable.
"To have Your Highness and the princess grace our humble prefecture, no matter how briefly, is an honor for Laijin."
Xie Zhiyi's booming declaration left both Song Yu and Song Shihuan speechless.
This flattery... was far too deliberate.
Hypocrites.
"Might Your Highness and the princess grace us with a few days' stay in Laijin? This humble official would be honored to show you the grandeur of our prefecture." Before Xie Zhiyi could finish, Song Yu waved him off.
"No need. We are in a hurry."
With that, Song Yu practically fled, dragging Song Shihuan along as they hastily left Laijin behind.
And it wasn't just Laijin—everywhere they passed was the same.
At a relay station, Song Yu sat listlessly, downing a cup of tea in one gulp before turning to Song Shihuan. "A-Huan, have these people lost their minds?"
No matter where he went, someone would inexplicably pop up to welcome him.
Song Shihuan's smile stiffened slightly. She cleared her throat. "Father, this is the treatment befitting a prince of Great Qi."
Whenever a prince left the capital, officials along the route would prepare elaborate welcomes—just like this.
"What?!" Song Yu nearly choked.
"So last time, those spineless worms simply looked down on me, which is why none of them showed up?" His nostrils flared in fury.
This was beyond intolerable!
"Father, whether they greeted you last time or not, His Majesty saw everything clearly. Do you think they escaped unscathed?" Song Shihuan's words doused Song Yu's anger in an instant. "This time, their deference proves that your reputation has spread far and wide across Great Qi since our return to the capital."
The reason Song Shihuan had endured silently during their last journey was precisely so Emperor Yuanyou would remember those officials. Those who disrespected the Qin Prince's Mansion from the start would never rise to prominence again.
Hearing that his fame had spread across the empire, Song Yu finally calmed down.
"A-Huan, let's travel light and ahead of the entourage again. I can't stand those sycophants—they make my skin crawl." In his mind, Song Yu lashed out at those opportunistic officials.
Song Shihuan nodded emphatically.
The next morning, before dawn, father and daughter once again slipped away from the procession.
......
Two days later, at an inn not far from Yong'an County.
Song Yu and Song Shihuan sat in a private room by the window, leisurely sipping tea while watching a storyteller at the street corner. The pair listened with keen interest.
"Master, tell us about Prince Qin!"
"Yes, surely you've heard the latest tales of Prince Qin. Share them with us!"
Hearing his name mentioned, Song Yu immediately straightened his posture.
Were people everywhere discussing him like this now?
"Very well, let me tell you about our once-wayward prince who has turned over a new leaf."
Wayward? Turned over a new leaf?
Song Yu frowned at the description. Since when had he ever been dissolute?
The storyteller took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before continuing. "They used to call Prince Qin a wastrel, but in truth? The prince has spine! He showed no mercy to those remnants of the fallen dynasty—now that's how a true prince should act!"
"Ask your elders about the last days of the fallen dynasty if you want to know the truth. That royal family behaved no better than beasts! Spare them on New Year's Eve? Tell me, should they have been spared?"
The crowd's emotions quickly ignited, roaring in unison:
"Never spare them!"
"Exactly!" The storyteller grinned. "All the ministers said they should be spared—except our Prince Qin. He overturned the table and declared, 'No mercy!'"
"He overturned it well!"
"Prince Qin did right!"
"What was the name of that dog official who pleaded for the fallen royals?"
Listening to the people's fervor, Song Yu's gaze flickered.
The saying that water could both carry and capsize a boat had never felt more tangible.
"A-Huan, I think... I've realized something again." Song Yu pulled out paper and brush, scribbling furiously as Song Shihuan watched him quietly, her eyes brimming with warmth.
......
Meanwhile, back in the capital.
Only after Song Yu and Song Shihuan's departure did the court officials dare resume normal activities. Some who had secretly visited brothels had been too terrified to even step outside their mansions during the prince's stay.
It was at this time that Prince Chu summoned Song Yanhong.
"Yanhong, visit your grandfather in the palace more often these days." Unwilling to accept Emperor Yuanyou's displeasure, Prince Chu sought a breakthrough through his son.
"But... will His Majesty even see me?" Song Yanhong's eyes dimmed. "With Grandfather angry at us now, Father, perhaps we should lay low until his temper cools."
"Cool his temper? How long must we wait?" Prince Chu's voice hardened. "The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Rites have all fallen into Qin Prince's Mansion's hands. If we delay further, we'll be left with nothing but exile to our fief."
"Is exile so bad?"
The words earned Song Yanhong a sharp slap across the face—a reaction so abrupt that even Prince Chu seemed startled by his own action.
"Yanhong, I... I didn't mean to strike you. But you know the rules of royalty—no kinship in power struggles. Winner takes all. You understand, don't you?"
Clutching his stinging cheek, Song Yanhong looked at his father, his gaze now shadowed with something unreadable.
"Father, I understand."
