Shen Jinghong raised the corner of his eye slightly, the curve of his lips carrying a lazy trace of mockery.
“What a coincidence. I’ve been waiting for Your Highness for quite some time.”
The Third Prince came to a stop, his gaze falling on that face practically screaming “I have something to say.” He leisurely straightened his sleeve cuff.
“What are you waiting for me for? Young Master Shen seems to have a lot of free time today.”
Shen Jinghong straightened from where he had been leaning beside the carriage. The silver-red hem of his robe swayed lightly in the breeze, making him look utterly careless.
“I heard Your Highness has recently been helping Princess Jinse deliver things to the Yongning Marquis Residence. And you’ve been doing it rather diligently.”
The Third Prince’s expression did not change in the slightest, but the light in his eyes clearly darkened.
“She is my younger sister. Naturally, I, as her elder brother, should take an interest in her affairs. Is Young Master Shen planning to interfere even in this?”
Shen Jinghong let out a soft laugh.
The sound was not loud, but in the open space before the Imperial College, it was particularly clear.
“Is Your Highness taking an interest in your sister’s affairs—or using your sister’s affairs as an excuse to take an interest in something else?”
The words were blunt yet evasive, every syllable like a needle wrapped in honey. They pricked softly, only for one to realize after the fact that they had already pierced straight into the bone.
The Third Prince stared at Shen Jinghong for several seconds before a smile slowly rose to his lips.
It was completely different from his usual gentle smile. This one held the composed ease of a man who, having been forced into a corner, had instead decided to let everything go.
“If Young Master Shen has something to say, say it directly. There’s no need to beat around the bush.”
Shen Jinghong took two steps forward, narrowing the distance between them. He lowered his voice until only the two of them could hear.
“Your Highness should know that making certain things too obvious is bad for everyone.”
The Third Prince turned his head slightly, his gaze carrying the scrutiny of someone looking down from a superior position.
“Is Young Master Shen threatening me?”
Shen Jinghong shook his head, the smile at the corners of his lips never fading.
“I wouldn’t dare. I’m merely reminding Your Highness that Shi Huai isn’t an object. He isn’t someone you can win over simply by sending more gifts.”
The Third Prince’s expression finally changed.
Not because Shen Jinghong’s words were particularly harsh, but because they had struck the very truth he least wanted to face.
He drew in a deep breath and held it in his chest for several seconds before finally letting it out.
“Shen Jinghong, when you say this, have you ever thought about yourself?”
Shen Jinghong was caught off guard. The amusement in his peach-blossom eyes froze for the briefest moment.
Watching that subtle change in his expression, the curve of the Third Prince’s lips deepened.
“You yourself go to the Yongning Marquis Residence every few days, don’t you? You’re always sending books, paintings, and all sorts of other things.”
Shen Jinghong’s fingers clenched sharply, his knuckles making a faint cracking sound.
The Third Prince had no intention of stopping. He spoke as though discussing something completely inconsequential.
“At least I have my sister as a pretext. What about you, Young Master Shen? You don’t even have a pretext.”
Shen Jinghong relaxed his fingers, and his face returned to its usual lazy expression.
“You’re right, Your Highness. I indeed don’t have a pretext. That’s why I don’t need to hide or make excuses. If I want to go, I go. If I want to send something, I send it. There’s no need to find a reason.”
The Third Prince was rendered speechless, his face turning livid as his lips pressed into a thin line.
The two of them stood facing each other, less than two paces apart. Their gazes clashed in midair countless times.
The students coming and going through the Imperial College all detoured around them. A few secretly glanced back, only to be dragged away by their companions.
Zhao Huan had come to deliver a note to Shi Huai, but Shi Huai had taken the day off, and he had not been able to find him.
When Zhao Huan came out through the main gate, he spotted the two figures locked in confrontation at once.
His steps slowed unconsciously, and the expression on his face shifted from confusion to eager anticipation.
Xie Zhaolin had come along after learning that Zhao Huan was going to see Shi Huai. He was walking behind him and froze as soon as he saw the two men as well.
He immediately reached out and tugged at Zhao Huan’s sleeve, lowering his voice.
“Stop looking. Let’s go.”
Zhao Huan stumbled forward from the pull, but after regaining his balance, he still could not resist turning back for another look. He muttered:
“Come on, start fighting.”
Xie Zhaolin smacked him on the back of the head. The force was neither light nor heavy.
“Do you ever think before you speak? That’s a prince and the Grand Secretary’s grandson. If they start fighting, are you going to take responsibility?”
Zhao Huan rubbed the spot where he had been hit and sullenly shut his mouth. He followed Xie Zhaolin toward the carriage.
Before climbing in, he looked back once more, only to find that Shen Jinghong and the Third Prince were no longer standing where they had been. He had no idea whether they had gone their separate ways or left together.
Zhao Huan sighed and bent down to climb into the carriage.
As the curtain fell, he leaned against the carriage wall, still turning over the words those two men had exchanged.
Although he had not heard the exact details, judging by the expressions on their faces, they had certainly not been discussing the weather.
Xie Zhaolin sat across from him, his gaze fixed on the carriage curtain as though he were pondering something.
“Do you think Shen Jinghong and the Third Prince are fighting over Shi Huai?”
The question suddenly popped out of Zhao Huan’s mouth.
Xie Zhaolin jumped. He looked up and glared at him.
“Can’t you put anything sensible in your head?”
Zhao Huan shrank slightly under his glare, but his mouth kept going.
“How am I being insensible? Isn’t that the truth?”
Xie Zhaolin was rendered speechless by his words. He leaned against the carriage wall and sighed with his eyes closed.
“You know it yourself. Just don’t say it out loud.”
Zhao Huan looked thoroughly unconvinced, but after Xie Zhaolin smacked him squarely on the forehead, he finally fell silent.
The atmosphere inside the carriage grew as heavy as lead.
After being smacked on the forehead, Zhao Huan managed to behave for less than three breaths before he could not help speaking again.
“You know, Shen Jinghong usually looks as though he doesn’t care about anything. How come he turns into a completely different person whenever Shi Huai is involved?”
Xie Zhaolin remained reclined against the carriage wall without even opening his eyes.
“And you have the nerve to talk about other people? Don’t you know what you’re like yourself?”
The remark made Zhao Huan’s face flush. His lips opened and closed several times, but he could not force out a single word.
He simply lifted the curtain to look at the passing streets.
The shops along Chang’an Street had already begun closing for the day. Shop assistants were removing the door panels, carrying goods inside, and putting everything in order. The bustle of the day was gradually fading away.
When the carriage turned onto the street where the Yongning Marquis Residence was located, Zhao Huan spotted two carriages parked outside the residence from a distance.
One had green curtains and the other blue. Neither belonged to the Shi family.
Zhao Huan frowned and patted the coachman’s shoulder, urging him to hurry.
The carriage had not even come to a complete stop when he jumped down. He nearly tripped on the steps, and just as he steadied himself, he saw two women walking out through the main gate of the residence.
One wore a lotus-colored jacket, while the other wore a sapphire-blue one. Each was accompanied by maids, and both traveled with considerable pomp.
Zhao Huan did not recognize either woman, but judging by their clothing and bearing, they were certainly not from an ordinary household.
When the two women saw him, their gazes paused on his face for a moment before shifting to the carriage behind him, which had not yet had time to drive away. At the same time, an inscrutable smile appeared at the corners of their mouths.
The woman in the lotus-colored jacket spoke first, her voice pitched just loud enough for several people nearby to hear.
“Oh, another one has come. The Yongning Marquis Residence is certainly lively today.”
The woman in the sapphire-blue jacket picked up the remark with practiced ease:
“No kidding. Several groups came by this morning, and several more this afternoon. They’ve nearly worn the doorstep down to splinters.”
