A flash of discomfort crossed the Crown Grandson’s brow, and he countered almost instinctively, “Mother is making too much of this. I am not at all close with Ling Jingshu and her brother.”

“Oh?” The Crown Princess raised an eyebrow, the corners of her lips curving in a smile that was not quite a smile. “If you are not close with them, why did you specifically present a calling card to the two siblings? And what does it matter to you whether the young Ling gentleman gets to see Imperial Physician Wei sooner rather than later?”

It was a rare thing for the Crown Grandson to show any trace of youthful awkwardness. He recovered quickly and said with apparent nonchalance, “It was a small effort, nothing more.”

A small effort — what a convenient phrase!

The Crown Princess tugged at the corner of her lips, though her eyes held little warmth. “I did not know, until now, that you had become so warm-hearted.”

The Crown Grandson was left with nothing to say and simply closed his mouth and said no more.

The Crown Princess fixed her gaze on the Crown Grandson, a sharp gleam flickering in her eyes. “A’Yao, there is only you and your father here, no outsiders. Tell me honestly — did that Ling Jingshu deliberately use the opportunity to get close to you and seduce you?”

For some reason the Crown Grandson could not quite explain, these words grated on him, and he answered without hesitation: “No!”

“Truly not?” the Crown Princess pressed, frowning.

The Crown Grandson frowned as well, a note of restrained irritation entering his voice. “I said no, so it is no. Do you think I would lie?”

The displeasure in his tone was plain.

The Crown Princess’s expression softened somewhat. “That Ling Jingshu is indeed extraordinarily beautiful, and her temperament is clever and adept at managing situations. You have not yet taken a wife, and you have had no experience with women — being temporarily enchanted by a beautiful face is entirely understandable.”

The Crown Prince, who had been silent until now, also spoke up. “A’Yao is fifteen. A young man first awakening to beauty, drawn to a lovely girl — that is perfectly natural. There is no need to make such a fuss.”

“Moreover, she came to ask a favor for the sake of treating her own brother’s illness — her devotion to her brother is admirable. On our end, it is nothing more than preparing a spare guest room. That is hardly anything at all. Since you have already given your word, stop overthinking it.”

These words were far easier to hear.

The Crown Grandson’s previously furrowed brow gradually smoothed.

With the Crown Prince having spoken, the Crown Princess also ceased her pressing interrogation, and her tone gentled as well. “I am not deliberately overthinking things. It is simply that A’Yao is still young. I always worry he will be led astray by a pretty face.”

Then she looked toward the Crown Grandson and said with earnest gravity, “A’Yao, you are at the age when you ought to be selecting a Crown Princess consort. Choosing a wife and arranging a marriage is not merely your own affair — it is a matter of great consequence for our Eastern Palace, and indeed for the realm.”

“When choosing a wife, one must choose wisely. Naturally she should be attractive and dignified in appearance, but far more important are her family background, upbringing, bearing, manner of speech, and the way she conducts herself. You must guard against women of ill intent who deliberately draw close to you.”

The “woman of ill intent” being referred to was evidently Ling Jingshu.

The Crown Grandson’s instinct was to open his mouth and argue back at once.

Ling Jingshu is not that sort of person. From the very first time they met, she had been precisely that — cold, unyielding, and proud, never once taking the initiative to seek him out or speak to him…

The words reached the tip of his tongue and were swallowed back down.

He understood the Crown Princess’s temperament very well.

She appeared approachable and gentle-natured on the surface, yet at her core she carried the proud refinement of a daughter raised in a household of scholars and literati. After so many years as Crown Princess, she had grown utterly accustomed to her lofty position and could not tolerate anyone going against her wishes. It was best simply to let her speak her piece. If he argued back with her, she would only grow more displeased — and her prejudice against Ling Jingshu would deepen further.

Having been spoken to in this manner by the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince found himself developing a curious interest in this Ninth Miss Ling. “Is this Ling Family’s young lady truly so beautiful?” As for the matter of ill intent — he didn’t pay it much mind.

In a man’s view, what mattered most about a woman was that she was beautiful and pleasant — capable of charming those around her. As for intentions… could a woman confined to the inner quarters really harbor any great ambitions?

The Crown Princess considered for a moment before answering, “She is indeed beautiful. She is no less striking than Wei Jieyu was in her day.”

Wei Jieyu, born a commoner, possessed a face of extraordinary natural beauty — unrivaled and dazzling — and was acclaimed as the most beautiful woman in the imperial harem. That this Ninth Miss Ling could be spoken of in the same breath as Wei Jieyu gave one a very clear sense of what she must look like.

The Crown Prince’s expression turned knowing, and he said casually, “If she has such a face, and A’Yao fancies her, then after the wedding he can simply take her into the household.”

The Crown Princess hesitated briefly, then replied with a forced, reluctant air, “Well — her birth is a bit low, but she would scrape by as a secondary consort.”

The Crown Grandson: “…”

The Crown Grandson pressed his lips together, his expression darkening, and said in a low voice, “Father, Mother — I have no other thoughts regarding Ninth Miss Ling, nor any intention of taking her as a secondary consort. This matter need not be raised again.”

“The hour has grown late. Father and Mother should rest. It would not be fitting for me to linger and disturb you further. I will take my leave.”

With that, he rose, bowed in farewell, and departed without a trace of expression on his face.

The Crown Princess watched her son leave, feeling as though something had blocked her chest — thoroughly out of sorts. She vented to the Crown Prince: “Look at him — I said only a few words about Ninth Miss Ling, and he turns a cold face at me. He says he has no other thoughts regarding her, but I don’t believe a word of it.”

“I have already made a concession, allowing her to enter the household as a secondary consort in the future — what more could A’Yao possibly be dissatisfied with? Surely he is not thinking of making her his Crown Princess consort?”

The last sentence dripped with undisguised displeasure.

The Crown Prince frowned slightly and said in a quiet, measured tone, “A’Yao is mature and has a mind of his own. You also need to know when to stop and mind your words. If he truly has tender feelings for this Ninth Miss Ling, and you keep calling her a woman of ill intent, and then in the same breath say her birth is too low to be anything more than a secondary consort — how could he possibly be pleased to hear that?”

The Crown Princess was silenced for a moment, and after some time finally said, “What I said was the truth — which is precisely why it does not sound pleasant. That Ninth Miss Ling is indeed very beautiful, but her origins are too humble. She appears gentle on the surface, yet inwardly she is full of scheming…”

“And how do you know she is full of scheming? You have only just met her the once.”

The Crown Prince found this rather amusing and cut her off: “I think you simply have a prejudice against her.”

The Crown Princess raised her slender brows, her tone thoroughly unconvinced. “A’Yao has only met her a handful of times and already cannot stop thinking about her — which shows clearly that she is a calculating person with means. Furthermore, today when she came to call, she happened to encounter Princess Changping.”

“You know Princess Changping’s temperament — whenever she sees a young woman more beautiful than herself, she cannot help but find fault. Yet with only a few words, she managed to turn the Princess’s anger into delight, and even secured an invitation to attend a lotus-viewing banquet at the Princess’s residence a few days hence.”

“So young, and already possessing such skill. She is clearly no ordinary person.”

Everything she had said amounted, in the end, to one thing: she did not like this Ninth Miss Ling.

The Crown Prince had no wish to quarrel with the Crown Princess over a young woman he had never met, and laughed it off. “All right — this matter can be discussed later.”

When Ninth Miss Ling came to the residence in the days ahead, he rather wanted to take a look at her for himself.