The serving maid hastily straightened her clothing and walked forward quickly.

“Wait a moment.” Luo Sheng stopped in her tracks, looking suspiciously at the direction the maid was leading. “This is the way to the front courtyard, isn’t it?”

The maid looked at Luo Sheng blankly and nodded.

Yes, it was toward the front courtyard. Since Miss Luo wasn’t going to where the noble young ladies were and was wandering around here instead, didn’t that mean she intended to go to the front courtyard?

Wait—how could she lead Miss Luo to the front courtyard!

The serving maid finally regained her senses, feeling a wave of belated fear.

She had been muddled, actually thinking of repaying a favor.

The maid secretly pinched her palm.

She mustn’t wrongly acknowledge a benefactor. Clearly it was because Miss Luo insisted on wandering about that she encountered such a situation.

“Why are you taking me to the front courtyard?” Luo Sheng furrowed her brows with a serious expression. “What I said about wanting to see Prince Kaiyang was just to extricate myself. Why would I, a proper young lady from a respectable family, go to the front courtyard for no reason?”

“Then, then you—” The maid no longer knew what to do.

Luo Sheng raised her brows with restraint. “Of course I’m going to find my sisters. Lead the way.”

Seeing the maid obediently leading the way with an unconsciously deferential manner, Luo Sheng smiled.

She truly loved being Miss Luo who could do as she pleased.

When she wanted to be reasonable, she would be reasonable. When she didn’t want to be reasonable, that was also perfectly justified.

The arrival of Wei Qiang and Wei Feng made the Princess Consort of Pingnan beam with joy. Especially seeing her eldest son whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, she even cast the earlier unpleasantness to the back of her mind.

“The crown prince looks somewhat thinner. Have you been busy lately?” the Princess Consort of Pingnan asked gently.

“Thank you for Auntie’s concern. This nephew has been well as always.” Wei Qiang replied politely.

For the crown prince to be so refined and courteous naturally would make others feel the crown prince was magnanimous and well-mannered. However, the Princess Consort of Pingnan felt a pang in her heart.

Others might not understand, but how could she as a mother not see that her son had become distant from their couple?

Yes, by law Qiang’er was no longer their son, only a nephew. But after all, she had carried him for ten months and given birth to him, watching him grow little by little.

She still remembered the days in the south—every year on her birthday, Qiang’er would carefully prepare gifts. Once he had even personally carved a jade rabbit hairpin for her.

Not like now, where the gifts were clearly prepared by subordinates. Precious they were, but cold and impersonal, with only their monetary value remaining.

The Princess Consort of Pingnan sighed softly in her heart, feeling a regret she couldn’t share with outsiders.

“I’ve been out for quite a while. I’ll return to the front and tell Uncle Prince—it’s time to return to the palace.” After briefly exchanging pleasantries, Wei Qiang proposed to take his leave.

Disappointment and reluctance flashed in the Princess Consort of Pingnan’s eyes. However, under everyone’s watchful gaze, she couldn’t say much. To avoid suspicion, she couldn’t even reveal a trace of attachment.

The emperor had no heirs but many brothers, and even more nephews.

That Qiang’er could stand out and be chosen by the emperor made countless prince residences green with envy and heartache.

If the Prince’s Residence of Pingnan showed emotions beyond gratitude for such good fortune, they would be scolded for being ungrateful despite their gains.

The person sitting on that dragon throne also disliked when adopted heirs were too close to their original parents.

“Mother Consort, I’ll accompany His Highness to the front.”

The Princess Consort of Pingnan didn’t need to hide her motherly feelings toward Wei Feng and revealed a gentle smile. “Go ahead. Persuade your father prince not to drink too much.”

“Mother Consort can rest assured.”

Watching the two brothers leave, the Princess Consort of Pingnan was immediately submerged in compliments.

These noble matrons couldn’t directly praise the crown prince, so words praising the young prince poured out as if they cost nothing.

The Princess Consort of Pingnan listened to these words with restraint, the slight sourness in her heart quietly dissipating.

The current situation was obtained through the Prince’s Residence of Pingnan’s careful efforts—they truly couldn’t be too greedy.

The atmosphere in the front courtyard was lively. Even Wei Han had taken a few shallow cups, a touch of red coloring his somewhat pale cheeks.

However, his pair of ink-jade eyes remained clear and transparent, as sober as could be.

He disliked such occasions, but when he should come, he still had to come.

There was no one in this world who could be completely willful.

Thinking of this, Wei Han paused slightly as a figure abruptly intruded into his mind.

Perhaps there was one.

Regardless of what the world thought, that Miss Luo truly lived as she pleased.

However, this kind of willfulness without regard for consequences—he didn’t approve of it.

But—Wei Han suddenly thought of those few days of brief contact and the two encounters after returning to the capital, and felt somewhat hesitant.

Miss Luo didn’t seem to disregard consequences. Quite the contrary, those actions that seemed willful all brought good results.

For example, requesting the Divine Physician Li’s help…

Thinking of this matter, Wei Han felt helpless.

He had already been rebuffed several times in succession.

What exactly had Miss Luo used to move the divine physician?

Wei Han fell into contemplation again.

Movement came from beside him. Wei Han turned his head for a glance.

Wei Qiang raised his cup toward Wei Han. “Does Uncle Prince find today’s wine not to his taste?”

“No.” Wei Han picked up his wine cup and casually clinked it with Wei Qiang’s, drinking it all in one gulp.

The cup was white jade, and the hand holding the cup seemed even whiter than the white jade.

Wei Qiang’s gaze fell for a moment as a thought flashed through his mind: This uncle prince doesn’t seem at all like the asura who inspires awe in the northern territories.

He was a full nine years older than Wei Han. Because of this, it was truly difficult to regard the man before him who had just shed his youthful inexperience as an elder to respect. Unconsciously, he brought an evaluating gaze.

Of course, with his current status, he didn’t need to show much respect to most elders anyway.

But Prince Kaiyang was different.

Prince Kaiyang was a sharp blade deterring Northern Qi, deeply valued by Imperial Father.

And his relationship with Imperial Father as crown prince was ultimately somewhat delicate.

Not being actual father and son, their interactions inevitably felt like walking on thin ice. Moreover, there was no fatherly love in the imperial family. Throughout history, crown princes who met miserable ends were too numerous to count.

Wei Qiang calmly finished his wine and smiled. “Just now when I went to Auntie’s place, I encountered someone on the way.”

Wei Han glanced at him casually.

“It was Miss Luo.” Wei Qiang didn’t keep him in suspense for long, paying attention to the other’s expression as he spoke.

Wei Han’s fingers holding the wine cup tightened, his face expressionless as he waited for Wei Qiang to continue.

He encountered Miss Luo—why tell him about it?

Wei Qiang didn’t detect anything and smiled. “Miss Luo forced a prince’s residence serving maid to lead her to find Uncle Prince.”

Wei Han’s brow moved slightly.

Forced a prince’s residence serving maid to lead her to find him?

“When the maid refused, she even caught a small snake to threaten her. Heh heh, it seems Miss Luo is truly obsessed with Uncle Prince.”

Wei Han nearly failed to maintain his calm expression.

Was the crown prince truly talking about Miss Luo?

That time when he had proactively arranged to meet and made his request, the other party had refused so decisively and cleanly—he hadn’t seen any sign of obsession.

On the road, charging him one hundred taels of silver for a bowl of noodles—he hadn’t seen any obsession then either.

However, catching a snake did seem like something Miss Luo would dare to do.

Someone who wielded a kitchen knife so skillfully should have used it to chop up snakes before, right?

Snake soup was said to taste quite good.

Kitchen knife—

Wei Han, thinking of this, inevitably thought of one matter: So on that dark and windy night, the woman who threw a handful of chili powder in his eyes was Miss Luo, wasn’t it?

“Crown Prince, please don’t tease me.” Though Wei Han had thought of many things in his heart, his face showed no abnormality.

“Isn’t Uncle Prince curious where Miss Luo went afterward?”

Wei Han’s breathing caught.

Where did she go? She couldn’t have actually come to find him, could she?