“Ran off?”

Song Yuning looked utterly shocked.

Song Wan nodded, her expression also grim.

For the Crown Prince to come alone seeking her aunt after the palace banquet, there should be an important matter. Yet her presence here—she didn’t know whether it had delayed something.

Moreover, the Crown Prince’s reaction was truly too strange. Try as she might, she couldn’t figure it out.

Song Wan only felt that there must be some great matter that had occurred to make the Crown Prince lose his composure to such an extent.

But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t understand what kind of situation could make the Crown Prince, who had been a hostage since childhood, panic like this.

Song Yuning frowned: “No need to worry about it. Whatever the matter, we’ll know by tomorrow.”

“Aunt is quite right.”

Draping the brocade cloak in her hands over Song Wan, Song Yuning said, “I’ll have Changping escort you back to the residence.”

Song Wan nodded. How could she know that after Shen Qianyu returned to the Eastern Palace, his heart had never settled down?

Wan Xiao and Ji Rong stood in the Eastern Palace watching palace maids paste spring greeting cards. The two stood under the covered corridor when they saw Shen Qianyu with a face dark as water, hurrying in from outside with large strides.

“Your Highness, didn’t you go to…”

Before Wan Xiao could finish speaking, his master had already disappeared from view, leaving only a cutting wind behind.

“What’s this about?”

Ji Rong shook his head. The two exchanged glances and followed.

Shen Qianyu shed his Crown Prince ceremonial robes and plunged headfirst into the white jade pool in the Eastern Palace.

The two entered. Ji Rong picked up the clothes from the ground while Wan Xiao crouched halfway at the pool’s edge, looking at Shen Qianyu whose eyes were closed and whose face showed complete irritation.

“What’s happened to Your Highness?”

“Don’t make noise.”

He had some matters he hadn’t figured out yet and was currently thinking them through.

Shen Qianyu’s heart was still pounding incessantly. He opened his eyes, cupped a handful of water, and splashed it on his face.

“I should take responsibility.”

Wan Xiao was puzzled: “Take responsibility for what?”

He had met with Song Wan several times—he should have ruined her reputation and ought to take responsibility.

Shen Qianyu pressed his lips together without speaking.

No, these were all excuses. He had developed desires toward that person, which was both related and unrelated to the aphrodisiac incense that woman had mentioned.

Recalling Song Wan’s every movement and gesture from today, Shen Qianyu plunged his head into the white jade pool for quite a while before emerging.

He had actually developed such thoughts toward Song Wan!

Thinking of Song Wan, Shen Qianyu suddenly froze. Had he just left that person standing there and run off by himself?

“Send someone to Changxin Palace to inquire whether Miss Song has left.”

Ji Rong acknowledged and turned to leave.

Wan Xiao looked at Shen Qianyu with an expression full of interest, secretly thinking that today was truly rare—his master had actually transformed like a cracked gourd ladle and become enlightened.

Seeing his restless expression, Wan Xiao smiled and went to find palace maids to brew cooling medicine for the Crown Prince.

After the two left, Shen Qianyu grabbed a soft towel and haphazardly wiped his head dry.

If he wasn’t infatuated with Song Wan, how could he have developed such thoughts?

The imperial clan of Nanqing, whether male or female, were all people who craved pleasure and desired carnal relations. He had seen plenty of absurd things in the Nanqing imperial palace and was thoroughly disgusted by matters between men and women.

Yet now he had actually developed feelings of intimacy toward Song Wan—he must have unknowingly fallen in love with her.

Shen Qianyu’s eyelids drooped slightly, inexplicably feeling somewhat bashful.

Having figured out his own heart, he also felt that his recent actions had been truly foolish. Fortunately, that person didn’t know and wouldn’t think in that direction.

Sitting cross-legged at the edge of the white jade pool, Shen Qianyu was already pondering how to coax Song Wan back to the Eastern Palace to properly protect her.

Ji Rong returned from outside, reporting that Miss Song had already left the palace. However, when he spoke, his face showed disappointment—he was quite dispirited.

“What happened?”

Ji Rong looked up resentfully: “Did Your Highness offend Noble Consort Yun? Her Ladyship held onto this servant and scolded him for most of an hour.”

“…”

Shen Qianyu coughed lightly: “You’ve worked hard. Tomorrow I’ll go to Changxin Palace to apologize to her.”

He still had matters he wanted to request of Noble Consort Yun. If he didn’t properly apologize, he feared it would be difficult to grow old together with his wife.

Having tossed and turned all night in the Eastern Palace, just as dawn was breaking, Ji Rong came to report that yesterday the Fifth Prince Shen Qianshu had fallen into pond water and drowned.

Shen Qianyu frowned: “Whose handiwork?”

“It was an accident.”

Ji Rong said: “This morning palace maids discovered two corpses in the lotus pond.”

“It appears the Fifth Prince took his attendant to the pond in the evening to float boats. When they were retrieved this morning, he was still clutching two wooden boats in his hands.”

“At Yanqing Palace… quite a few people died.”

Shen Qianyu frowned slightly and after a moment’s pause said: “Have the people of the Eastern Palace keep their distance from Yanqing Palace.”

“Is Master afraid Noble Consort Yun will make a move against us?”

Shen Qianyu shook his head: “I am unwilling to kick someone when they’re down—it’s truly undignified.”

Nor was it the action of a gentleman.

Thinking of the words “gentleman,” Shen Qianyu smiled faintly. Only at this moment did he understand why someone who had suffered such mistreatment would be fond of Song Wan.

Because just by standing beside that person, one’s heart would become peaceful and generate fearless courage.

Casually picking up the book Song Wan had given him from beside his pillow, when Shen Qianyu turned to the passage “All things are complete within me; when I turn inward and find sincerity, there is no greater joy,” he smiled again.

Cultivating oneself and seeking within to be a gentleman, doing honorable deeds—it truly was joyful.

Rising and changing into everyday clothes, Shen Qianyu went to Changxin Palace to pay his respects to Song Yuning.

The moment Song Yuning saw him, she felt this person’s bearing and demeanor had greatly changed.

The former Shen Qianyu had been arrogant in excess but lacking in composure. Today’s version of him, however, displayed natural ease and transcendence in both expression and conduct.

She had originally wanted to ask whether Shen Qianshu’s death was related to him, but now there was no need to ask anymore.

After thinking for a moment, Song Yuning said: “What was going on with you yesterday?”

Shen Qianyu coughed lightly: “I made Aunt laugh at me.”

This single address of “aunt” filled Song Yuning’s eyes and brows with joyful delight.

“How did you come to understand?”

How could he dare discuss before Song Yuning his thoughts about wanting to “betray his teacher and ancestors”?

Shen Qianyu smiled faintly and let it pass.

“Don’t want to say?”

The smile on Song Yuning’s face became somewhat gentler: “Then tell me, what brings you to seek me today?”

“I would like to ask Aunt to summon Wan’er to the palace. I have some words I wish to say to her.”

“It seems you’re already fully prepared.”

Shen Qianyu smiled without speaking.

He had long since decided how to guide Wan’er step by step toward the highest position. What was difficult now wasn’t this. What was difficult now was how to make Wan’er willingly enter the Eastern Palace.

Song Wan observed propriety. She would absolutely never have private relations with any man before marriage was established.

If he wanted her to come to his side, there was only one method.

Shen Qianyu looked toward Song Yuning, his expression solemn and serious: “Aunt can rest assured. In this life, I will certainly treat Wan’er with true sincerity and protect her from worry all her days.”

Song Yuning’s eyes grew hot with tears: “If you treat her well, Wan’er will also treat you well.”

Her Wan’er was gentle and soft. If she truly came to like a man, she would certainly devote her whole heart to him. It was just unknown whether Shen Qianyu had that good fortune to open Wan’er’s heart.

“Aunt can rest assured.”

He was born into the imperial family and raised in a prison. Though imperial blood flowed through his veins, he didn’t possess the thin affection and meager righteousness of imperial family members.

He had seen darkness and also knew that among all things in the world, human goodwill was especially rare. Therefore, he would absolutely never carelessly squander Song Wan’s sincere heart.

He would also properly protect Song Wan beneath his wings until death claimed his body and soul.