Ling Jingshu clearly found this remark baffling as well, and her brow furrowed ever so slightly: “Why does Your Highness suddenly bring up Prince Yan? I have met Prince Yan only twice — I am not at all familiar with him.”

Though her tone was not particularly deferential, the Crown Grandson’s mood oddly improved. The furrow between his brows smoothed out: “My Sixth Imperial Uncle has an unpredictable temperament — capricious, mercurial, and thoroughly vexing. He has in all likelihood taken some degree of interest in you just now, and will inevitably pester you for a while. You need only pay him no mind.”

Yet Ling Jingshu did not agree to this and instead regarded the Crown Grandson with a peculiar expression: “Does Your Highness mean to say you summoned me specifically to tell me this?”

Of course not!

The Crown Grandson’s thin lips pressed together even tighter. He had a stomach full of things to say, yet standing here at the edge of speech, he could not force out a single word!

What an utterly awkward and vexing nature!

Within his heart, the Crown Grandson berated himself with considerable irritation. If he let this occasion slip by, who knew when they would next be alone together. No matter what — he had to express his true feelings.

The Crown Grandson drew a long breath, cleared his throat, and said: “In truth, the reason I specifically asked you to come is that there is something very important I must tell you.”

Without realizing it, his form of address had shifted to the casual and intimate “I” — and his tone, too, had been deliberately softened.

Unfortunately the effect left something to be desired. The lines of his face remained taut, making his tone come out rigid and strange: “Mother Consort spoke to me last night about the matter of my principal marriage. She already has a preferred candidate in mind — either Cousin Su from the Su family, or Cousin Jiang from the Jiang family…”

At this point, the Crown Grandson’s tone took on a somewhat subdued quality.

Being born into an imperial household — one came into this world with wealth and glory that others could never reach, yet one also had many unavoidable constraints. To do as one pleased was the most extravagant thing in the world.

Even as the Crown Grandson, one could not have everything one wished for.

The Crown Grandson paused, then continued: “In matters of one’s lifelong affairs, one must ultimately defer to one’s parents’ command. I am no exception.”

Ling Jingshu’s expression did not change. A smile even rose appropriately at the corners of her lips: “Both Young Miss Su and Young Miss Jiang are talented, beautiful, and from distinguished families. My congratulations to Your Highness the Crown Grandson.”

She had heard this and felt not the slightest pang of jealousy. Not even the faintest flicker of anything unusual!

The Crown Grandson’s thick, dark brows drew together slightly. A trace of unmistakable displeasure flowed naturally into his tone: “Is congratulating me all you have to say? Nothing else?”

You hear that I am to wed another woman and you do not mind even the slightest bit?

Ling Jingshu eased her smile back somewhat. She raised her eyes, her gaze clear: “Upon hearing such happy news, I am naturally glad for Your Highness at heart. When the time comes for Your Highness’s principal marriage, this humble woman will certainly send a generous gift to convey my sentiments…”

The Crown Grandson’s face lost every trace of its smile. His breathing grew slightly rapid and unsteady. His right hand closed instinctively into a fist.

Though he had never experienced the affairs of men and women, and was still somewhat unfamiliar with matters of the heart, he was nonetheless perceptive and keen.

That utterly composed, utterly unhurried manner of Ling Jingshu’s — there was none of the off-balance helplessness of a woman hearing that the man she loves is about to take another wife. None of the shock, the disbelief, the heartache, the grief…

She was so very steady. So very tranquil.

He, who had spent the entire night in agonized contradiction and inner turmoil — standing here now, he appeared to be the fool.

She held toward him no feelings of a man and woman at all.

Every remaining word he had intended to say was lodged in his throat.

The Crown Grandson’s whole body gave an almost imperceptible, faint tremble. A complex flash of fury swept rapidly across his face, and his voice was pressed down low and restrained. He stubbornly asked once more: “Ling Jingshu — do you truly have nothing else to say to me?”

Those cold, dark, deep eyes seemed to hold a burning flame, wrapping her wholly within its light.

How could she possibly fail to guess what he truly wished to hear?

He wanted her to show distress and suffering over his taking another wife. He anticipated her saying that she did not mind him marrying someone else. He hoped she would be willing to come to him in the name of secondary consort.

His feelings were not difficult to read — they were laid out clearly in his eyes.

She need only follow the direction of his heart and nod, display a little sorrow, a little shyness, a little joy, and she could utterly capture the heart of this young man before her.

She wanted revenge, and the best means of accomplishing it was to rely on and borrow the strength of the Crown Prince’s residence. Marrying him was also the least laborious shortcut.

With her shrewdness and her ability to conceal her true feelings, she could maneuver and hold him at a distance. The strange illness that prevented her from being close to men could also serve as one of the means by which she protected herself…

Beauty was a woman’s greatest weapon. If she was willing, she could climb this great tree!

And yet. This odious form of deceit, with its repellent face — she disdained to do it. She was simply unwilling to do it.

Ling Jingshu tightened her grip on her own hands, then slowly released them. Her voice came out soft and even: “Whatever does Your Highness mean by asking this? If Your Highness is in any way dissatisfied with my answer, please speak plainly, Your Highness. This humble woman is too slow to perceive — I truly cannot guess Your Highness’s meaning.”

Too slow to perceive?

She was possessed of such razor-sharp cleverness — she had seen through every single one of his thoughts. The way she was playing at incomprehension right now was nothing more than her not wishing to lay things bare and leave them both awkward.

The Crown Grandson stared at the young woman before him and suddenly found that familiar face so very strange.

His mind went blank. He felt cold through his entire body.

All the nervousness, the restlessness, the hope, the joy — all of it had been extinguished by that single pail of cold water.

He wanted to lunge forward and seize her by the arm, to demand an answer from her about her true feelings once more.

The pride still remaining in his body stopped him. And so he stood there rigidly, staring at her without wavering. His gaze appeared fixed and intent, yet his eyes had gone elsewhere.

In truth, Ling Jingshu was not as composed within as her outward appearance let on.

She stood there in silent stillness, yet the thoughts in her mind were turning at great speed.

The Crown Grandson was that proud and lofty — having been rebuffed by her in this tactful yet unmistakable way, he surely would not make any violent move. He would not force her against her will, would he?

If he flew into a rage and turned on her, setting aside everything else — it would become inconvenient for A’Xiao to receive treatment for his eye ailment going forward.

She did not know how much time passed, but at last the Crown Grandson opened his mouth and said a few words: “You may withdraw.”

Yet Ling Jingshu unexpectedly did not take the opportunity to excuse herself. Instead she stepped forward, and said in a low voice: “Would Your Highness grant me a little more time? There is something important I wish to speak to Your Highness about.”

Something important?

The Crown Grandson’s heart, already cold and desolate, gave an abrupt lurch — and light returned to his eyes. His voice carried an involuntary trace of eager hope: “What matter?”

Ling Jingshu lowered her head slightly, avoiding his excited and intense gaze: “This matter is of considerable weight. After I have spoken, regardless of whether Your Highness agrees or not, I ask that Your Highness keep this secret for me. Please do not let anyone else come to know of it.”

A secret that only he would know?

The Crown Grandson’s heart began to race rapidly. Blood surged through his mind. Without a second thought, he agreed: “Very well — I promise you. What we speak of today is known only to the two of us, and I will tell no one else.”

Ling Jingshu expressed her gratitude with a look of heartfelt thanks, then paused for a moment — as if considering how to put her secret into words.

The Crown Grandson felt not the slightest impatience. His eyes held an earnest, barely concealed anticipation.