Xiao Huayong silently tilted his head back and took a deep breath. Even when he had gone to find her earlier, he had already accepted this cruel reality. Though hearing it now still brought a deep ache, it seemed somehow bearable.

“Do you know why I knew of this abandoned place?” Xiao Huayong suddenly asked.

Shen Xihe gently shook her head.

“My first time at the hunting grounds was when I was six years old,” Xiao Huayong’s gaze grew distant as his thoughts drifted back. “I was riding a small pony, following game with my guards, when somehow all the guards around me disappeared, leaving only me. When I turned to head back, I encountered a tiger.”

The tiger leaped at him, and he only escaped by rolling off his horse. Perhaps because it had the horse for food, the tiger didn’t pursue him, but he dared not be careless. With the downward path blocked, he could only go up, hoping to reach higher ground to call for help.

Later, as he ran halfway up, he heard the tiger’s roar. With no time to think, he could only run upward desperately. Soon he saw the fierce tiger’s shadow. By then he wasn’t far from this place, and the rock crevice leading here was extremely narrow – the tiger couldn’t enter, which saved his life.

“How did Your Highness get separated from the guards?” Shen Xihe frowned.

“Even among our ancestors there were emperors who got separated from their guards. I’m merely a crown prince – getting lost is nothing unusual,” Xiao Huayong smiled lightly. “I dared not leave this place, and ate everything edible.”

To fill his stomach, he deliberately let the blood drip at the stone entrance to lure beasts. When they attacked him, they got stuck in the crevice, and he killed them with the dagger hidden in his boot, dismembered them, and dragged them inside.

He drank beast blood to quench his thirst and ate raw meat to satisfy his hunger.

“I waited three days but no one came looking for me. Later, I noticed the wind direction, tore up my robes, bit my finger to write messages in blood and let the fabric pieces fly down. After countless attempts, one was finally spotted by my guard unit, who climbed up to find me – that was seven days later.”

The Crown Prince had six units of guards, each unit commanded three to five garrisons of soldiers – he had the most guards after His Majesty.

“Your Highness shows exceptional wisdom,” Shen Xihe couldn’t help but admire.

At just six years old, he remained calm in danger, survived adversity, and showed incredible perseverance.

How many six-year-olds wouldn’t dare walk alone, let alone on a cliff edge in a desolate valley surrounded by wild beasts?

“When I returned to the traveling palace, all the guards who had gone hunting with me and gotten separated had died,” Xiao Huayong spoke calmly, showing no trace of resentment or pain when mentioning these past events. “From that moment on, I knew everyone around me was a blade that could take my life at any time. I learned to discern between people and ghosts, learned not to trust or rely easily on others.”

“No one can fool Your Highness now.” This was the price of growth and strength.

Chuckling softly, Xiao Huayong turned to gaze deep into Shen Xihe’s eyes: “This is why I no longer trust people easily, but why does the Princess not believe in romance?”

So he shared his childhood story because he was curious why she didn’t believe in love between men and women.

Shen Xihe didn’t hesitate: “The world is unfair.”

Xiao Huayong paused slightly, seeming not to understand.

“Men can have one wife and many concubines, while women can only be faithful to one person,” Shen Xihe said. “I don’t understand how one can truly love yet accept others. If there is no true love, why force women to be wholeheartedly devoted?”

“Princess… is this why you don’t believe in romance?” Xiao Huayong suddenly smiled.

Inexplicably, his mood lifted – he had thought she didn’t believe in romance because of past heartbreak…

Shen Xihe was puzzled by his laughter: “What’s so amusing about my words?”

“Has the Princess not heard of the love between Pan and Yang?” Xiao Huayong asked, starlight and tenderness hidden in his eyes.

Pan An, the most handsome man of the Western Jin Dynasty, was betrothed to his wife at twelve. They loved each other for life – he never took concubines while alive nor remarried after her death.

He gave all his loyalty and deep affection to his childhood sweetheart wife, becoming a celebrated romance through the ages, known as the love of Pan and Yang.

“In thousands of years, this is but one example. It’s because too many passionate women take the love of Pan and Yang as their dream that they spend their lives trapped in ethereal love, wasting away. One must know that Pan Anren appears only once in a millennium. Even if one is fortunate enough to meet such a man as Pan Anren, one might not be Yang Rongji. Different people meeting lead to different outcomes.”

“The Princess speaks truly – different people meeting lead to different outcomes,” Xiao Huayong gazed deeply at Shen Xihe. “I have Pan Anren’s heart – would the Princess return Yang Rongji’s feelings?”

Caught off guard by this declaration, Shen Xihe froze. She showed no emotion or ripple of feeling, only looking at Xiao Huayong with a strange, questioning gaze.

“Why does the Princess look at me so?” Xiao Huayong had anticipated various reactions from Shen Xihe, but not this one.

“Your Highness should not be one for romance,” Shen Xihe said directly. “When a man has lofty ambitions and grand aspirations, he won’t be confined by worldly love.”

Throughout history, those with great ambitions disdained private romance and naturally had no deep feelings. Women were merely seasoning – nice to have but not essential. How could such men spend their thoughts on women?

“Your Highness is of royal blood, Pan Anren was from a noble family. The constraints on royalty differ from those on noble families.”

In a thousand years of imperial dynasty, there had never been an emperor with only one woman. Even Emperor Wen of Sui, though he had no children by other women besides Empress Dugu, still had women besides her – they just had no titles or status.

“Princess, whether a man can do something depends on if he’s willing, not if he’s able,” Xiao Huayong said. “Whether a beauty can make a hero bow depends on if she’s worthy – and this beauty is not about appearance. To me, Princess, your beauty surpasses mountains and rivers.”

“Princess, I am an extremely particular person. If I hadn’t met you, I would likely have lived as you imagine – wielding power while awake, resting on beauties’ laps while drunk. I would have countless beauties, not because I’m romantic, but because no one could enter my heart, leaving me to do as I pleased.

I think many heroes of the past were like this. Their lack of deep feeling wasn’t because their ambitions blinded them, but because they were not as fortunate as I am to meet a princess who could enter their heart.”

“Your Highness, nothing in this world is more changeable than the human heart,” Shen Xihe remained calm, very patient.

Not only had Xiao Huayong just saved her, but she also admired and respected him. Setting aside romance, Xiao Huayong was an admirable hero in her heart, and she didn’t want to see such a brilliant, towering image shatter.

“The heart is changeable…” Xiao Huayong nodded and laughed softly. “That’s just an excuse for those who lack self-control and self-awareness.”

Before Shen Xihe could speak, Xiao Huayong continued: “Since childhood, my nature has been resolute. When I desire something, I won’t rest until I achieve it. Once I’ve set my mind on someone, even if dynasties change, time passes, and stars shift, my heart won’t change.

I know you can’t believe today’s words, but watch my actions in the future.

I don’t ask you to believe me today, nor to be moved by me, but only allow me to prove with my remaining life: The rising sun and constant moon cannot compare to the depth of my feelings for you.”