Seeing this, Song Wan looked at Wan Xiao in bewilderment, momentarily unsure what was happening. But she understood Jinshu’s character—Jinshu was a straightforward girl who would never develop such wicked intentions as to falsely accuse Wan Xiao. Song Wan’s elegant brows furrowed slightly as she stepped forward to help Jinshu up.

“What happened?”

Seeing her young mistress trust her, Jinshu said tearfully, “This servant was boiling water and brewing tea in the tea room when he… he reached forward and put his hand…”

Halfway through, the young girl stopped, overcome with shame and indignation.

Song Wan noticed her clothing was indeed torn open and couldn’t help but raise her gaze toward Wan Xiao. Her expression remained calm, showing neither the anger one might expect when a personal maid had been disturbed, nor any desire to smooth things over and let the matter drop.

“Song Chenghui, this is a misunderstanding.”

Wan Xiao appreciated Song Wan’s protective gesture and patiently explained, “Truly, this young lady has misunderstood.”

“This young lady was brewing tea in the tea room. I merely wanted to ask if the tea was ready, when suddenly a mole cricket fell from the rafters…”

He opened his palm, revealing indeed a crushed mole cricket.

“See, I had good intentions that turned into a bad deed.”

As he spoke, he looked at Jinshu with innocent eyes full of grievance. “The young lady turned around too suddenly just now, and must have caught and torn her clothing herself.”

“Though I suppose this is still my fault—even if my intentions were good, I did ultimately startle someone…”

Though Song Wan felt Wan Xiao’s excuse was rather flimsy, she also couldn’t think of any reason he would need to lie. She turned to look at Jinshu, silently inquiring of her.

On her side, Jinshu was still clutching at her collar. Hearing Wan Xiao explain it this way, she herself became confused. It seemed… it seemed that might indeed be what happened? Everything had occurred so quickly at the time that she couldn’t sort out what had actually transpired. Thinking about it now, perhaps she truly had misunderstood Supervisor Wan.

Jinshu blinked, her face full of shame and unease.

“It’s nothing. I’ll have Heng Zhi escort you back to your room.”

Song Wan gently comforted the young girl. Jinshu seemed on the verge of tears but held back. “Forgive this servant, Chenghui. This servant has caused Chenghui trouble.”

“It’s nothing of the sort.”

Having Heng Zhi help the girl back to her room, Song Wan stood before Wan Xiao, pressing her lips together slightly. Just as she was about to speak, Shen Qianyu walked over.

He first looked at Song Wan with a face full of joy, asking in a low voice whether she had eaten well at Changxin Palace this evening, what she had eaten, and whether she had any indigestion. Only after Song Wan answered each question did he have time to look toward Wan Xiao.

“What were you doing just now? Why would you provoke young ladies for no good reason?”

“Master wrongs me. This subordinate is merely a servant—why would I provoke young ladies in broad daylight for no reason?”

His face was full of innocence, leaving both Song Wan and Shen Qianyu without words to respond. Shen Qianyu frowned slightly and looked toward Song Wan. “It seems he has a point.”

“…”

Wan Xiao looked helpless. After paying his respects to the two, he left Laiyi Pavilion.

Shen Qianyu looked at Song Wan. Song Wan blinked—she too couldn’t make sense of the situation before her.

“No need to bother with him.”

Bashfully taking Song Wan’s hand into his palm, Shen Qianyu said, “This palace has been waiting for Wan’er for so long before you returned. Now this palace can truly understand what it means to keep a lonely vigil…”

Song Wan’s ear tips flushed red as she hurriedly waved her hand to interrupt him.

“If you don’t want me to say it, I won’t. But why is Wan’er pulling her hand away?”

Mumbling as he reclaimed Song Wan’s hand, Shen Qianyu led her in a slow walk through the courtyard.

“Your Highness must not… must not speak such nonsense anymore.”

If ministers were to hear, it would truly be improper. Song Wan tugged at Shen Qianyu’s hand, gently counseling, “There are no walls without cracks in this world. Though Laiyi Pavilion is filled entirely with Your Highness’s people, Your Highness should still be cautious in word and deed, following proper rules and decorum.”

Shen Qianyu slowly nodded. “Whatever Wan’er says is right.”

Song Wan laughed and sighed, momentarily at a loss for what to do. She truly had no way to handle the Crown Prince.

The two held hands and walked in the courtyard for quite some time, until Song Wan’s steps slowed by several paces and only then did Shen Qianyu stop. He looked down at the embroidered shoes on Song Wan’s feet, pressing his lips together with a serious expression.

“I forgot.”

“What did Your Highness forget?”

That she was delicate.

Shen Qianyu answered silently in his heart, yet knew these words absolutely could not be spoken aloud. Wan’er was thin-skinned—if he brought it up, she would surely be embarrassed.

After thinking, Shen Qianyu said, “Embroidered shoes have thin soles. Walking too much makes the feet hurt.”

With that, he crouched down halfway, wanting to look at Song Wan’s feet. In his past life, when had he ever seen a young lady become so delicate? Living to this day, he had never known that young ladies could walk just a little and develop bleeding wounds on their feet.

With a serious expression, Shen Qianyu reached out to grasp Song Wan’s ankle. Song Wan was startled by him and was trying to dodge backward when his hand caught her ankle, nearly causing her to fall to the ground.

“Ah…”

Song Wan let out a soft exclamation. Shen Qianyu quickly embraced her.

“What is Your Highness doing now?”

Carefully placing her on the ground, Shen Qianyu’s expression showed slight embarrassment. “Looking at your feet.”

“…”

Song Wan’s cheeks flushed crimson. For a moment she was speechless, truly not knowing what to say. Since Shen Qianyu had interacted with her under Ji Rong’s identity, she had found his thoughts somewhat inscrutable. Now that they spent time together, she understood the Crown Prince’s behavior even less.

Pressing her lips together slightly, Song Wan said, “Has Your Highness eaten this evening?”

Shen Qianyu shook his head.

Leading him back to the sleeping quarters, Song Wan had Heng Wu and Luanjian go to the small kitchen to prepare some simple food. Shen Qianyu was not one who heavily indulged in the pleasures of food—for him, being able to eat his fill was sufficient.

Before long, Heng Wu brought a plate of small silver ingot-shaped steamed buns, a dish of pan-fried crispy fish, half a platter of sliced braised duck, along with roasted mutton and a bowl of pork and bamboo shoot soup.

Passing the jade chopsticks to Shen Qianyu, Song Wan picked up another pair to serve him food. With a beauty accompanying him, only then did Shen Qianyu feel the emptiness in his stomach. Accepting the soup Song Wan had ladled for him, he ate with great appetite.

Before the ministers he could still maintain some semblance of imperial dignity, but before Song Wan, Shen Qianyu could no longer keep up such pretense. He ate heartily with large bites, not bothering with rules about not moving one’s chopsticks too many times.

Seeing him eat so boldly, Song Wan smiled gently at his side, occasionally serving him food or rolling up his sleeves for him.

After finishing the meal, only then did the man belatedly realize that today’s dishes had been extremely to his taste. He stared blankly at Song Wan. “Wan’er.”

“Mm?”

Song Wan held in her hand a cloth dampened with warm water. She was looking down, helping him clean his hands. Her movements were slow and gentle, her manner tender—even such a simple action as wiping hands could make one feel her earnestness and sincerity.

Shen Qianyu stared blankly at her movements. Though he appeared calm, his ears were filled with thunderous roaring.

“Wan’er?”

Song Wan looked up with a smile. “What is it now, Your Highness?”

The Crown Prince very much liked to say all sorts of random things in front of her. Previously when Song Wan heard them, she would always feel shy and uncomfortable. Now, however, she seemed to have grown accustomed to it, letting him speak as he pleased without his words stirring her into such embarrassment that she couldn’t respond.

After wiping his hands clean, Song Wan handed the cloth to Heng Wu. When she turned her head, she saw Shen Qianyu with his arms extended, gesturing up and down behind her, completely at a loss.

Song Wan smiled. “What is Your Highness doing now?”