“Shi Huai, you’re here.”
The Crown Prince’s voice was lower than usual, carrying a deliberately restrained calm. But the tips of his ears betrayed him, flushed red as if they might drip blood.
Shi Huai walked up to the Crown Prince and offered a proper bow, bending at precisely the right angle—respectful without seeming servile.
“Shi Huai pays his respects to Your Highness. May Your Highness be well.”
The Crown Prince reached out to help him up. The instant his fingers brushed Shi Huai’s arm, he jerked back as though shocked by electricity. Then he extended his hand again and gripped Shi Huai’s arm, his strength rather unnatural.
“N-no need for such formalities. It’s enough that you came. I… I had some refreshments prepared. They’re the palace kitchen’s specialties. Have a taste.”
The Crown Prince’s voice wavered slightly, his gaze glued to Shi Huai’s face, unable to pull away.
He looked at Shi Huai as though he were a painting he could never tire of admiring, his eyes roiling with an emotion even he himself did not quite understand.
Shi Huai let the Crown Prince lead him into the Eastern Palace. Every eunuch and palace maid they passed along the way cast a sidelong glance.
Some covered their mouths, some gasped, and others simply stared in shock. A few even dropped whatever they were holding without realizing it.
A eunuch carrying a tea tray came down the corridor from the other direction. The moment he saw Shi Huai from afar, he stumbled. The tray flew from his hands, and the teacups spun through the air several times before smashing onto the floor with a clatter.
He did not even bother to pick them up. He simply stood there with both hands clapped over his mouth, eyes wide as copper bells, watching Shi Huai pass by. His mouth remained open for quite some time before he could close it.
The Crown Prince led Shi Huai into the main hall of the Eastern Palace.
Underfloor heating warmed the room, and the heat enveloped them the moment they entered. Bright yellow curtains hung from the ceiling, gleaming with a soft luster.
The table was laden with more than a dozen plates of exquisite pastries and several pots of fine tea: Longjing, Biluochun, Junshan Silver Needle…
Every one of them was a top-grade tribute.
The Crown Prince usually could not bear to drink such tea himself, but today he had brought it all out at once.
“Sit. Don’t just stand there.”
The Crown Prince pointed to the seat beside him.
It was the finest seat in the entire hall. Usually, only his full brother, the Sixth Prince, was allowed to sit there. But the Sixth Prince was not present today, and though the seat was vacant, the Crown Prince told Shi Huai to take it.
Shi Huai paused for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. He walked over and sat down.
His back was perfectly straight, his hands resting on his knees, his bearing impeccable.
The Crown Prince sat down beside him and picked up the teapot to pour him a cup.
The tea was a pale jade green, glowing with a warm sheen in the white porcelain cup.
Steam curled lazily from the rim.
“Try it. This is Longjing from this year’s tribute. Father bestowed two ounces on me, but I’ve never been willing to drink it.”
The Crown Prince’s voice carried a childish note of pride, along with a careful attempt to please.
Shi Huai lifted the cup and took a sip. The tea was sweet on the tongue, with a long, lingering aftertaste. It was indeed a rare delicacy.
He narrowed his eyes and nodded, the faintest smile touching the corners of his lips.
“Excellent tea.”
Those words, along with that slight, squinting smile, sent the Crown Prince’s heart racing. He hurriedly poured Shi Huai another cup.
This time, he filled it too much. Tea spilled over the rim and spread across the tabletop in a small wet stain.
“If you like it, that’s all that matters. I’ll have it all packed up and sent home with you.”
The Crown Prince’s voice tightened.
His fingers clenched and relaxed inside his sleeves, then clenched again. His knuckles turned white several times.
Shi Huai set down his teacup and looked at the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness is too kind. This student has done nothing to deserve such a reward. I dare not accept something so precious.”
The Crown Prince felt utterly ill at ease beneath Shi Huai’s black eyes flecked with gold.
It was as though he were being examined from head to toe, every part of him laid bare beneath that gaze.
“You… You wrote such a fine poem. How can you say you’ve done nothing?”
The Crown Prince’s voice dropped lower, carrying the stubbornness unique to a young man, as well as a flustered feeling he could neither explain nor name.
Shi Huai gave a soft laugh. It was as faint as morning mist, yet it made the heart race more than any intense expression could have.
“That poem was merely this student’s duty. It is not worthy of Your Highness’s generosity.”
The words “not worthy” left the Crown Prince with a sudden ache in his heart. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he had no idea where to begin.
His lips trembled several times before he finally forced out a sentence.
“I think it is worthy.”
The air in the main hall suddenly fell silent—so quiet that the dripping of melting snow from the eaves could be heard.
Shi Huai said nothing. He lowered his head and drank his tea.
The Crown Prince watched his calm, unruffled expression, feeling both anxious and restless.
It was as though a hundred ants were crawling through the cracks in his bones, the itch so unbearable that he wished he could tear out his heart and scratch it.
He drew a deep breath and held it in his chest for a long while before letting it out. When he spoke again, his voice was much calmer.
“Have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?”
Shi Huai set down his teacup and lifted his eyes to the Crown Prince.
“This student wants to sit for the imperial examinations, become a good official, and do something practical for the people of the realm.”
The Crown Prince’s heart shook at the words “do something practical for the people of the realm.”
The admiration and respect in his gaze deepened.
“Good. Good ambition. I support you.”
His voice carried the same fervor and impulsiveness of youth.
“When you pass the examinations, I’ll speak to Father on your behalf and arrange a good position for you.”
Shi Huai suddenly smiled. It was like the warm sun in winter, yet it carried an unmistakable sense of distance.
“Your Highness is thoughtful, but this student would still rather rely on his own abilities and advance step by step. I do not wish to take shortcuts.”
The Crown Prince was both impressed and restless at Shi Huai’s calm, neither servile nor arrogant manner.
His fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop, as though he were contemplating something of tremendous importance.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the main hall, drawing closer. They were accompanied by the clear, lively voice of a young girl.
“Crown Prince Brother, I heard you have a guest today. Who is it?”
The door curtain was lifted, and a girl of thirteen or fourteen entered.
She wore a goose-yellow palace gown, and a gold hairpin adorned with pearls swayed above her head.
She had bright eyes and pearly teeth, with an innate air of nobility mixed with a touch of arrogance.
She was Princess Jinse, the Emperor’s eldest daughter and the Crown Prince’s younger sister. Raised in a jar of honey, she had always gotten whatever she wanted. Apart from the Emperor and the Crown Prince, no one in the entire palace dared provoke her.
The instant Princess Jinse’s gaze fell on Shi Huai, she froze as though struck by lightning.
Her mouth fell open, her eyes widened like copper bells, and the handkerchief slipped from her fingers, drifting gently to the floor.
“This… this is…”
Princess Jinse’s voice trembled. She pointed at Shi Huai with a shaking finger, and her face reddened at a visible speed, the flush spreading from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears as though she had been set on fire.
The Crown Prince frowned. He stood and walked over to his sister, bending down to pick up the handkerchief and pressing it back into her hand. In a lowered voice tinged with warning, he said,
“Jinse, mind your manners. This is Shi Huai, the young master of the Yongning Marquis’s household.”
Princess Jinse took back the handkerchief, but her eyes remained fixed unwaveringly on Shi Huai.
Her gaze seemed glued to something, unable to move away. Her lips trembled faintly, and it took her a long while to force out a complete sentence.
“Shi Huai… you’re the Shi Huai who wrote ‘Suddenly, a spring breeze came overnight’?”
