The winter days were short. After finishing the evening meal, as dusk was falling, Shen Xihe rose to bid farewell. Xiao Huayong did not try to keep her but instead escorted her out of the Eastern Palace. “Youyou, thank you for cooking for me.”

His heart was conflicted – happy that she had cooked for him, yet pained that she remained so formal with him.

Such was the nature of love, a mixture of joy and sorrow in equal measure.

“The Prince asked me why I treat you differently,” Xiao Huayong said softly, not giving Shen Xihe a chance to speak. “I don’t know why, but when I’m with you, my heart finds joy, my feelings find anchor, and everything feels natural and peaceful.”

“I too feel at ease when I’m with Your Highness,” Shen Xihe replied sincerely.

Her eyes, beautiful like black obsidian, were clear and transparent, without their usual misty uncertainty and inscrutability. She truly felt at ease being with him, but this comfort had nothing to do with love.

In the past, Xiao Huayong would have felt defeated, but now he had come to terms with it. He smiled and said, “Youyou always treat me differently from others.”

At least it was different – this proved his efforts weren’t in vain. Though there was no love now, someday there would be.

Xie Yunhuai had said the same thing before. She acknowledged that her treatment of Xiao Huayong was different – Xie Yunhuai and Bu Shulin were friends, while Xiao Huayong was her intended husband. Different positions and different identities naturally warranted different treatment.

“For the Lantern Festival, may I invite Youyou to view the lanterns with me?” Xiao Huayong asked, his eyes full of anticipation.

Shen Xihe shook her head slightly. “Your Highness, I don’t like crowds.”

One didn’t need to imagine how bustling the capital would be during the Lantern Festival – lanterns would illuminate the entire city, and it was one of the festivals where young men and women made dates. The streets would certainly be packed with people, which she disliked.

Firstly, she disliked the noise. Secondly, her sense of smell was sensitive – when too many people gathered, their mixed scents would make her dizzy.

Today she addressed him differently – usually, she maintained formal distance by using his title, but today she hadn’t. This made Xiao Huayong’s heart leap with joy. “Then I’ll reserve the East Tower. We can view all the capital’s lanterns from up there, would that be acceptable?”

The East Tower was a tall restaurant built like a Buddhist pagoda, one of the tallest buildings in the capital. Built along the river, its height allowed views of the entire capital, and it was always packed during festivals.

However, the top floor had four private rooms available for nobles to reserve.

Shen Xihe considered for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”

Xiao Huayong’s smile widened, his lips curling back with a slightly foolish air. Perhaps infected by his smile, Shen Xihe couldn’t help but show a faint smile as well. “Your Highness, please don’t see me out any further.”

She gave a slight curtsy and left with Zhenzhu.

“Do you have any way to cure the poison in His Highness’s body?” Shen Xihe asked Zhenzhu once they were seated in the carriage.

She had asked Zhenzhu to check Xiao Huayong’s pulse again, hoping another person might provide additional insights.

“Your servant has already discussed His Highness’s poison with Axi,” Zhenzhu shook her head regretfully. Not just with Axi – they had discussed it with Xie Yunhuai as well, since Shen Xihe was to marry into the Eastern Palace, and it seemed she no longer wished for His Highness’s early death.

“Not even a clue?” Shen Xihe asked again.

Zhenzhu considered carefully before saying, “Doctor Qi is widely experienced. He says the poison in His Highness’s body might not be from our Han people. He plans to travel to the Western Regions and other places after spring arrives, hoping to find something there.”

“He’s leaving the capital?” Shen Xihe was somewhat surprised. The Xie ducal mansion was still peaceful – she had thought Xie Yunhuai would deal swiftly with the Xie Ji couple, but after that incident, he seemed to have forgotten about them again.

“Princess, the Xie ducal mansion is in chaos now,” Ziyu, rarely understanding Shen Xihe’s thoughts for once, eagerly explained. “Since the Duke was suspended from his duties, the Xie clan members have been pressuring him together, though they’re divided in their opinions. Some advocate for Duke Xie to acknowledge Doctor Qi’s return, while others are forcing him to adopt from the branch family, though the former has more support.”

This was natural – the Xie ducal mansion had an inheritable title. A blood-related heir, once verified by the court, could inherit the title. Even if not legitimate, a son born of a concubine would have a higher chance, but an adopted heir would not be eligible to inherit the title. Otherwise, why would the King of Shunan have Bu Shulin dress as a man – he could have simply adopted someone?

Though the title belonged to Xie Ji, its significance extended far beyond just Xie Ji’s line.

Shen Xihe listened without commenting – these were Xie Yunhuai’s private matters, and he certainly wouldn’t want too many people showing eager interest in them.

“But it seems Duke Xie isn’t willing to do either,” Ziyu said mysteriously. “I heard from the other maids that the Xie clan leader’s branch is already arranging virtuous concubines for Duke Xie, planning to have any child born registered under Madam Yuan’s name as a legitimate son.”

Given how much Xie Yunhuai hated Xie Ji, Xie Ji certainly wouldn’t want to bring Xie Yunhuai back to the Xie family – he’d fear sleeping at night. Adopting the branch family would undoubtedly end the Xie family’s title with him, and he didn’t want to be that sinner either, so his only option was to have another child.

Madam Yuan couldn’t bear children, but others could.

“How predictable…” Shen Xihe sneered.

For Madam Yuan’s sake, Xie Ji had schemed against his properly married principal wife and disregarded Xie Yunhuai, such a dragon among men, as his legitimate son. Now, to withstand the clan’s pressure, wasn’t he preparing to betray Madam Yuan as well?

Shen Xihe had thought it was some earth-shattering love, some unshakeable loyalty, some till-death-do-us-part devotion.

“The Princess is far-sighted. Men in this world are born fickle,” Ziyu deeply agreed.

She had heard too many stories from the capital’s great houses, and increasingly felt that men were all the same – they would praise someone endlessly while pursuing them, even swearing life and death devotion if they married another, but once they brought someone home it was a different story. Even those they truly cared for, once married, often ended up growing tired of each other.

“His Highness the Crown Prince might turn out the same,” Ziyu now feared men even more than Shen Xihe did.

Zhenzhu coughed lightly, warning her to watch her words.

But Shen Xihe smiled. “You’re right, anything is possible.”

Shen Xihe felt Xiao Huayong’s character was certainly beyond comparison with Xie Ji, but with changing circumstances and vicissitudes of life, who knew if someone might suddenly undergo a complete personality change because of some incident?

Every few days, the Emperor would give the capital’s civil and military officials time off. In the snow-covered capital, every household hung festive lanterns. Opening a window revealed dots of red amid the snow, echoing the blooming winter plum blossoms in the distance. The capital’s New Year was more lively than the Northwest – even during New Year celebrations, the people of the Northwest maintained a trace of vigilance amid their revelry.

The day before New Year’s Eve, both the Tao and Xue families invited Shen Xihe to stay up with them for the year’s end and welcome the new year. Of course, Shen Xihe had to go to the Tao family. Bu Shulin came begging pitifully, so Shen Xihe inevitably brought her along too.

It almost turned into a joke – at the midnight hour of New Year’s Eve, there were ceremonies where juniors had to pay respects to elders, and servants had to kowtow to masters. Men would kneel and kowtow, while women would perform a formal curtsy.

Bu Shulin had cheerfully almost performed a woman’s curtsy.