Ling Jing’yan had few schemes in her and did not notice that Ling Jingshu was drawing her into conversation. She immediately nodded in fervent agreement. “Impossible to approach doesn’t even begin to cover it. I simply did not dare to meet his gaze directly.”

“This Crown Grandson may be young, but his position is exalted and his authority immense, and his thoughts run deep. It isn’t only us — even those civil and military officials who have spent years steeped in the ways of the court are on edge whenever they stand before him.”

“I once heard a rumor. When His Highness the Crown Grandson is reading, he dislikes being disturbed and keeps all attendants and palace maids at a distance. One palace maid — who prided herself on the fact that she had been bestowed upon His Highness by the Empress — plucked up her courage one night and carried a late-night snack into the study. The maid was strikingly lovely in appearance, and it seems she was taken by His Highness’s youth and good looks, and attempted to make herself alluring. But the attempt at charming him came to nothing — instead, the Crown Grandson ordered her given thirty strikes of the board.”

Warming to this tale, which had circulated widely among the daughters of well-bred families in the capital, Ling Jing’yan told it with great relish, her face animated and expressive. “The poor maid — publicly flogged and utterly disgraced before everyone’s eyes, she threw herself down a well and died that very night. A living human life, just like that — gone. They say that when the Crown Grandson was told of it afterward, he only gave a cold laugh and said nothing more. From that day on, not a single palace maid ever dared again to enter His Highness’s study without leave.”

“Once this incident spread, the reputation of the Crown Grandson as cold and heartless spread along with it. Of the young ladies in the capital who had secretly harbored feelings for His Highness, a full half of them instantly felt those feelings cool.”

“Oh, and there was another matter that circulated very widely. One of the Eastern Palace’s officials had made an error while carrying out his duties. He had already obtained the Crown Prince’s pardon — yet the Crown Grandson insisted that the matter be handled with full severity. Over this, the Crown Grandson and the Crown Prince actually came to an open dispute. In the end, it was the Crown Prince who yielded. That official was stripped of his post and thrown into the prison of heaven.”

“Come to think of it, my sister-in-law and the Crown Grandson are also related by marriage — she ought to address him as ‘Younger Cousin.’ And yet, as you saw today, he made no special effort to speak with her, and she did not dare to assume any air of being his elder cousin.”

That alone was proof enough of the Crown Grandson’s formidable authority and power.

Ling Jingshu curved the corner of her lips slightly, but there was no real warmth in her eyes.

This was what power was.

With the power of life and death in one’s hands — a single word could elevate a person to the heights; a single sentence could cast a person into the abyss.

To say they feared the Crown Grandson was, if anything, more accurate to say they revered and feared the exalted position he held.

In her previous life, Princess Changping had seized another woman’s husband without the slightest scruple; Empress Xu had secretly issued an order to have her killed… When it came down to it, it was all a matter of two words: power and influence.

“Your courage is quite something,” Ling Jing’yan said, laughing and teasing her. “This morning, when we went aboard to offer our thanks, you spoke to the Crown Grandson freely and easily without the slightest hesitation.”

Ling Jingshu gave a faint smile. “And why should I not? He was simply fortunate enough to have been born into the right womb — born as the legitimate eldest grandson of the imperial family, with a noble identity from birth. If he were like our cousin and A’Xiao — born of an ordinary family — then no matter how often he put on a cold face, who would fear him?”

Ling Jing’yan was left speechless.

At first hearing, these words sounded somewhat like treasonous talk — yet when she thought carefully, they also seemed to make a certain undeniable sense…

“A’Shu, words like these — between the two of us sisters in private, they are fine enough — but they absolutely cannot be said in front of others.” Ling Jing’yan said with anxious concern. “If they were to reach the Crown Grandson’s ears, that would be dreadful.”

If the Crown Grandson were angered, it would not only be Ling Jingshu who suffered — the entire Ling family would be dragged down with her.

Ling Jingshu gave a soft laugh. “We are only the two of us here — that is the only reason I dared to say these few words from the heart. It is also because I know Cousin Yan’s nature well enough — she would never carry such playful words out of this room. If it were anyone else, I would never dare to say such things.”

This understated compliment, delivered without any fuss, swiftly closed the distance between them.

Ling Jing’yan found it exceedingly agreeable to hear, and said with a laugh, “You make a fair point. Between just the two of us, we can whisper whatever we like.”

Ling Jingshu pressed her lips into a smile, then abruptly asked, “Cousin Yan — is there someone you have feelings for?”

Ling Jing’yan: “…”

Ling Jing’yan’s cheeks flushed crimson in an instant. Her gaze darted about, unable to settle anywhere or meet Ling Jingshu’s eyes directly. “N-no. There isn’t.”

As it turned out, even at this early moment, Ling Jing’yan’s heart had already been quietly given to Prince Yan.

Empress Xu and her daughter were her mortal enemies. Prince Yan, the youngest son of Empress Xu and the full brother of Princess Changping, naturally fell into that category of enemy as well.

To know the enemy and know oneself — that was the only way to find their weak points and wait for the right moment to strike back.

To gather intelligence about Prince Yan, going through Ling Jing’yan was the most fitting approach.

Ling Jingshu let out a quiet inward sigh, though her lips curved into a light smile as she said, “Cousin Yan, there’s no need to deceive me. If you truly had no one in your heart — then when you saw His Highness the Crown Grandson, such a fine and handsome young man, how is it that you were not even the slightest bit moved?”

The Crown Grandson, though somewhat cold and proud, and possessed of a depth of thought that far surpassed those of his age — was undeniably very handsome. Compared to the graceful and refined Lu Hong, he held his own without the slightest disadvantage. And with the dazzling aura that came from his position and authority, he was more than enough to capture a young woman’s heart.

Ling Jing’yan refused to admit it to the last, and out of nervousness, fired back a question of her own. “By your reasoning — why were you unmoved by Cousin Hong and Cousin Qian? Could it be that you also have someone in your heart?”

Ling Jingshu was, for once, left with nothing to say.

Ling Jing’yan savored her upper hand in this exchange of words, feeling rather smug, and pressed on with a grin. “You deliberately kept your trip to the capital a secret — it was to avoid them, wasn’t it!”

“Not entirely.” Ling Jingshu said, half-truthfully. “Half of it was to avoid those two brothers — to spare everyone the awkwardness of an uncomfortable situation. The other half was to accompany A’Xiao for his medical treatment…”

Ling Jing’yan had already tossed her earlier sulkiness to the back of her mind entirely. She pulled a face and continued, “All right, stop trying to put me off. I truly cannot understand what goes on in your head. Cousin Qian is still a child, so it’s understandable that you can’t feel anything romantic toward him. But Cousin Hong is a man of remarkable bearing — fine background, fine looks, fine talent, and utterly devoted to you. How can you be so completely indifferent to him?”

Ling Jingshu naturally would not speak the truth. She deflected with a light remark. “There is no shortage of capable and accomplished young men in this world. Simply because someone admires me, does that mean I am obligated to return the feeling?”

In short, in two simple words — she had simply not taken a liking to Lu Hong.

Ling Jing’yan’s eyes spun in thought, and she said in a low, laughing voice, “A’Shu, I have the feeling that His Highness the Crown Grandson seems to regard you with particular interest! His Highness has yet to settle on a match, and the daughters of well-bred families in the capital all have their eyes fixed on him. You are this beautiful — if you could catch his eye, even if you could not become the Crown Grandson’s primary consort, being taken as his secondary consort would still be a lifetime of wealth and splendor.”

Ling Jingshu: “…”

What sort of joke was this!

The image of that cold, handsome young man’s face flashed swiftly through Ling Jingshu’s mind, and she answered without the slightest hesitation. “You must be seeing things.”

Her tone was crisp and decisive.

Seeing that Ling Jingshu would not take up this particular thread, Ling Jing’yan quickly let the subject drop and veered off in another direction.

Just at that moment, the boat rocked gently.

They were setting off again.