Hearing the words “Crown Prince,” Shen Qingtang instantly became more alert.
Shortly after, Jinshu entered carrying a celadon vase.
The vase held several plump begonia branches, their pink-white petals still glistening with morning dew, filling the air with a faint floral fragrance. They had clearly been freshly picked from the branches.
“Young lady, these begonias were sent by the Crown Prince’s guard. His Highness instructed that they be placed in your room.”
Jinshu set the vase on the table by the window. “The guard also mentioned these were picked just this morning from the Begonia Forest at the Eastern Suburb Manor. The Crown Prince specifically ordered they be delivered before the dew dried.”
Shen Qingtang’s gaze fell upon the pink-white blossoms, yet she felt no desire to appreciate them.
She had only yesterday declined an invitation to view the begonias, yet Xiao Chengyu still found a way to bring “begonias” into her room.
It was like an invisible thread—no matter how she tried to evade it, he kept her firmly in his grasp.
The morning dew dripped from the petals onto the base of the vase, the sound unusually distinct in the quiet room, yet it only made her chest feel heavier.
“These begonias are so beautiful!” Huaping exclaimed cheerfully. “The Crown Prince treats you so well, young lady. He even remembers such small details about your fondness for begonias.”
“With His Highness doting on you like this, few in the entire capital hold higher status than our young lady.”
Shen Qingtang’s fingers curled slightly. She knew Huaping meant no harm and wasn’t deliberately speaking for the Crown Prince.
But she only felt weary. Everyone believed the Crown Prince cherished her, yet only she understood why he showed her such favor…
What he truly wanted was something she could never give him.
If one day Xiao Chengyu lost patience and ceased his subtle approaches, choosing instead to forcibly bring her into the Eastern Palace—where would she go then?
Noticing Shen Qingtang’s lack of delight, Jinshu cautiously probed, “Young lady, do you not like these flowers?”
Shen Qingtang’s eyes remained fixed on the dewdrops clinging to the petals as she replied indifferently, “It’s not that I dislike them. I just think… these flowers were blooming so beautifully, yet someone plucked them from their branches. They’ll wither soon… It’s rather pitiful.”
Jinshu smiled. “Why feel sorry for them? Even if left on the branches, begonias can’t outlast their blooming period—they’ll fade sooner or later. Come next spring, the Begonia Forest will be bustling with blossoms again.”
Changing the subject, she added, “This servant believes what’s truly precious is His Highness constantly keeping you in his thoughts.”
Pausing briefly, Jinshu ventured carefully, “Young lady, someone as esteemed as the Crown Prince… if a woman could earn his wholehearted devotion and become the Crown Princess… this servant thinks that woman would be the happiest in all the world.”
“Young lady, what do you think?”
Shen Qingtang fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “Jinshu, you think being Crown Princess brings happiness—but what about being Empress? Would that be even happier?”
Without waiting for a response, she added with a tinge of melancholy, “You often accompany me into the palace and have seen much. Do you believe my aunt… is truly content?”
Jinshu’s heart clenched. She opened her mouth to argue, “But the Crown Prince is different from the Emperor,” yet the words caught in her throat.
Shen Qingtang didn’t wait for her response and continued slowly, “I heard from my aunt that she and the Emperor were childhood sweethearts who once shared moonlit moments and harmonious companionship. But as more women entered the imperial harem, the Emperor’s initial promises to my aunt gradually faded.”
“If my aunt had only sought power and influence, she could have lived comfortably and peacefully. Unfortunately, she and the Emperor had truly loved each other.”
She gazed quietly at Jinshu, her clear eyes seeming to see through everything.
“Do you truly believe that entering the palace as a consort, enjoying fleeting favor only to be forgotten in some corner someday, could bring more happiness than growing old peacefully with someone you love?”
Jinshu opened her mouth but found herself speechless.
How could she not know that the emperor’s heart was most unpredictable? Today’s favor might become tomorrow’s neglect, yet who would dare accuse the Son of Heaven of being fickle?
Those forgotten consorts were trapped within palace walls, wasting their youth in vain.
Even the esteemed Empress lived in melancholy.
She had been ordered by the Crown Prince to stay by Shen Qingtang’s side and persuade the young lady to consider the Eastern Palace more. But now, looking into Shen Qingtang’s clear yet sorrowful eyes, she suddenly felt reluctant to continue.
Huaping listened nearby with partial understanding and chimed in cheerfully: “Anyway, no matter who becomes Crown Princess in the future, it has nothing to do with our young lady. With His Highness doting on her and Lord Lu caring for her, I’d say our young lady is the happiest woman in the world!”
With Huaping’s interruption, the topic was dropped.
But Jinshu faintly sensed that the young lady had become aware of the Crown Prince’s feelings toward her.
Yet she couldn’t figure out how Shen Qingtang had detected something amiss?
She found herself caught in a dilemma: she couldn’t defy the Crown Prince’s orders, yet she didn’t want Shen Qingtang to be unhappy. She could only report to the Crown Prince that the young lady was normal, perhaps just becoming more sensitive after coming of age.
The following days passed without anything notable happening in the residence.
Only Aunt Ding kept finding excuses to visit Shen Qingtang, always steering conversations toward the Crown Prince in hopes that she would arrange another meeting between Ding Ru Shan and the Crown Prince. But Shen Qingtang always evaded these requests.
Two days later, palace attendants from Kunning Palace suddenly arrived, announcing that the Empress had received several bolts of the newly tributed Floating Light Brocade from the Internal Affairs Bureau, and invited Shen Qingtang to the palace to choose one for making new clothes.
Normally, Shen Qingtang would have happily entered the palace.
But nearly every time she visited the palace, she would encounter the Crown Prince paying respects to her aunt.
Having finally enjoyed several peaceful days without hearing the Crown Prince’s absurd and frightening inner thoughts, she really didn’t want to break this tranquility.
Perhaps if he didn’t see her for a while, the Crown Prince would gradually forget about her?
After the palace attendants left, Huaping immediately approached, her face bright with excitement: “Young lady! You must dress beautifully for tomorrow’s palace visit! Which outfit would you like to wear? I’ll go iron it immediately and pair it with the newly made pearl hairpin!”
Shen Qingtang tightened her grip on her handkerchief, her lips parting as if to say “perhaps I don’t have to go,” but she swallowed the words.
The Empress had specifically sent for her – refusing would seem ungrateful. Besides, she missed her aunt.
While hesitating, Jinshu’s inner thoughts suddenly became clear in her ears: [The Internal Affairs Bureau suddenly sending Floating Light Brocade to Kunning Palace at this time was probably under the Crown Prince’s instruction. Previously, whenever His Highness wanted to see the young lady, he would have the Internal Affairs Bureau send rare items to Her Majesty under the pretext of “tribute.”]
[Her Majesty has always doted on the young lady, always wanting her to have first choice of fine things, so she naturally invites the young lady to the palace.]
“Your Highness hasn’t seen the young lady for several days and can no longer contain his eagerness to meet her…”