Shen Qianyu’s heart trembled, terrified that Song Wan might find him distasteful. He hurriedly tried to withdraw his hand, only to have it pulled back by her.

Song Wan’s cheeks, from the tips of her ears down to her neck, were all dyed a delicate shade of red. The faint blush made Shen Qianyu’s heart ache with both sourness and pain.

How wonderful it was to have met her.

Having seen this person, he finally understood how intoxicating tender affection could be.

He grasped Song Wan’s hand in his palm in return, remaining silent.

Song Wan lowered her eyes, her thoughts in turmoil.

She had once taken the initiative to hold another’s hand, but regrettably, she had never received an equal response. The shame and regret of being rejected that day had tormented her through countless days and nights.

But today, someone had taken the initiative to hold her hand.

Having experienced the resentment and hatred of yearning without fulfillment, she naturally could not bear to let another person experience it.

Raising her eyes toward Shen Qianyu, Song Wan smiled faintly.

Not dwelling on past events, not trapped in grief and regret—when someone extended a hand to her, she would naturally reach out to take it.

Life was brief and circumstances unpredictable. She had always only looked ahead, never turning back.

The two held hands tightly, neither daring to move again. Shen Qianyu only felt the silence around his ears, the only sound audible being the thunderous pounding in his chest. For an instant, he even felt the scene before his eyes distort and warp, as if he himself were immersed in an unimaginable dream too beautiful to believe.

After a long while, he finally looked toward Song Wan.

“Your goodness is not something only I have seen.”

Song Wan looked at him with puzzled eyes. Shen Qianyu smiled and said, “Jiang Xingjian didn’t understand your goodness, and I didn’t understand it in the past either, but I understand it now.”

Times had changed. That kind of passionate, sincere love, that kind of uncontrollable emotion—he understood it now.

Song Wan didn’t know what he was talking about, nor did she know how to respond to such nearly intimate words, so she simply kept her head lowered without speaking. Knowing her face was thin-skinned, Shen Qianyu only mentioned it briefly and said no more.

The room seemed to be tinged with a faint ambiguity, until Song Wan felt her hand going numb before he finally released it.

“You haven’t had your evening meal yet. I’ll have someone bring food for you.”

Song Wan said, “I ate some pastries at Virtuous Lady Shang’s palace. I’m not hungry yet.”

“Then would you help me read through the memorials?”

“That’s not proper.”

Shen Qianyu smiled. “Just read them. This entire stack is all nonsense anyway.”

The ones that could be sent to him here didn’t involve any major matters anyway. Although he now sat securely in the Eastern Palace, he had no intention of provoking Emperor Wenhui’s suspicion. Better to enjoy some peace and leisure.

Seeing him say this, Song Wan was about to insist again when she suddenly remembered Lin Jiayue once saying she was as dull and uninteresting as a block of wood.

After thinking it over, she picked up the memorials on the table and began reading them aloud softly.

Shen Qianyu listened quietly. Those previously boring memorials about greetings, reports of good news, offerings, and reports on rainfall and hail from various regions all seemed much more interesting now.

While the two enjoyed this tender time together, they didn’t know that outside, the news of Song Wan entering the palace had already caused an explosion.

Ever since Song Wan was brought into the Eastern Palace, Madam Song had been bedridden with illness. Even though her position was only that of a承徽 (Chenghui), she still found it unbearable.

“Mother, why not think of the bright side?”

Song Nian stood beside the bed attending to Madam Song while gently consoling her. “With Elder Sister entering the palace, Mother will be in charge of the household. If Mother pays attention, the household management can still be reclaimed. Moreover, Brother’s marriage will soon need to be arranged. If Mother is seriously ill at this time, it will only make Father think you’re dissatisfied about Elder Sister entering the palace and are throwing a tantrum because of it.”

“Daughter will say something inconsiderate—even if Mother is seriously ill now, you still need to put on an act for Father to see…”

Rather than locking yourself in your room like this, claiming poor health and refusing to go out. But she didn’t voice this latter half.

Song Nian earnestly advised, but only received Madam Song’s full measure of complaints.

“He remembers I’m the mistress of the household when Fu’er is getting married? He only cares about Song Fu and Song Wan. Has he ever cared about Yao’er?”

Madam Song cried bitterly. “Everything good in this household goes to Song Fu and Song Wan. What do you three siblings have? Nothing at all!”

“Haven’t you seen how biased your father is? Yao’er should have been the Crown Princess. Now look—not only did that fall through, he also wants to marry Yao’er off to one of his subordinate disciples!”

“What kind of background does that disciple have? Calling his family poor and lowly would even be generous, yet he actually said he’d give him to Yao’er?”

“Yao’er was supposed to become Crown Princess…”

“Your father is biased, which is why he sent Song Wan into the palace.”

Song Nian let out a long sigh, truly not knowing how to console her anymore.

After listening to Madam Song cry and wail for a long time, she finally murmured, “Does Mother intend to use Brother’s marriage to threaten Father?”

Duke Yingguo’s household held a status far higher than the Song household. If the marriage between the two families wasn’t handled by the mistress, it would certainly provoke gossip and also displease Duke Yingguo’s household.

Seeing her mother like this, Song Nian instantly understood her thoughts.

Song Nian lowered her head, her voice light and airy. “Mother, you’d better not use this to test your position in Father’s heart…”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Madam Song supported her forehead ornament, glaring with wide eyes. “Are you saying your older sister is now useless, or are you afraid I’ll lose face with your father and implicate you?”

“No matter what, I’m still Song Fu and Song Wan’s elder. Now that I’m unwell, am I supposed to drag this sick body around to manage wedding affairs for my juniors?”

“Where in the world is there such logic?”

“You needn’t stay here. Go check on your sister.”

Ever since Song Yao learned she had no hope of entering the palace and would have to marry someone of lowly birth who only had the merit of being a presented scholar, she had spent every day refusing food and refusing to speak. Now it had been two days and two nights without a drop of water passing her lips. Even when Song Nian went to persuade her, she acted as if she couldn’t hear anything.

Song Nian emerged from Madam Song’s room with her heart feeling as if a great stone were pressing down on it.

“Miss, shall we go find Second Miss?”

Song Nian shook her head. “Never mind. Let her be.”

Everything she could say, advise, and do, she had done her utmost. Now she had no more solutions.

Looking at the maid beside her, Song Nian said quietly, “Let’s return to my room. Copying some scriptures to calm my mind would be good.”

Her mother and sister still believed to this day that sending Song Wan into the palace was Father’s idea. She didn’t know why, but they simply refused to believe it was the Crown Prince’s own intention.

That jade ruyi placed in their palms that they couldn’t even see clearly—wasn’t the hint obvious enough? The Crown Prince was clearly saying that the two of them didn’t even count as a plaything.

Song Nian’s small face still carried a childish innocence, yet when she sighed, she seemed like a weary old person filled with the air of twilight.

“Third Miss…”

Xizhang looked at her young mistress with concern, her own heart full of helplessness.

“I can neither manage nor speak. If I say anything more, Mother and Second Sister will end up hating me instead.”

Song Nian’s eyes reddened as she returned to her room with Xizhang, full of disappointment.

On the other side, when Song Lan’an learned that Madam Song claimed to be ill and feared she couldn’t manage Song Fu’s wedding affairs, he merely gave a cold snort.

“Tomorrow you’ll accompany me to Duke Yingguo’s household to pay respects to the Grand Princess.”

The steward nodded, then asked, “Master, what about Second Miss’s marriage?”

“Since she’s unwilling to marry, let her be. Can I force her?”

“This old servant understands.”

“Also, have Granny Song go to Madam’s place and retrieve the storeroom keys and tallies. The inner quarters cannot be without management. Since her health is poor, she need not trouble herself with these trivial matters in the future.”

Hearing this, the steward nodded respectfully, yet in his heart he secretly sighed that the current wife was worlds apart from the original wife. No wonder his master treated her with such impatience.

The current wife… truly could not establish herself.