Xiao Jingchen suddenly smiled.
The laughter was low and gentle. He looked out the window in the direction Wen Shuyu had walked toward Plum Garden, his gaze filled with tender affection.
The greatest “victory or defeat” in this game of chess was settled the moment she left the table.
Behind him.
Were Mo Yu, who was dumbfounded, along with several eunuchs and palace maids.
Seriously, who in the capital was saying that the princess was a useless good-for-nothing? What kind of good-for-nothing could play chess to a draw with His Highness the Crown Prince? More importantly, she had already predicted it would be a draw, which means she might have been holding back her true skill.
And also, who was saying the princess was clingy and annoying? There were even little notes hidden among the chess pieces—this kind of clever way of pursuing someone is called clingy?
She even managed to coax His Highness the Crown Prince into acting like a child.
Mo Yu began to carefully consider. He realized that the princess was exceptionally skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her dancing was also unparalleled. It seemed there was nothing she wasn’t proficient in except cultivation. He had a premonition that in the near future, the princess might also shine brightly in cultivation.
The entire capital had been saying the princess was a fool. But today, Mo Yu felt that the princess was like a pearl covered in dust. Sooner or later, when the dust was blown away by the wind, the princess would surely astonish the entire capital.
After returning to Plum Garden, Wen Shuyu signaled for Fuling to withdraw. Xiao Liu emerged from her consciousness, invisible to others.
Xiao Liu’s eyes practically sparkled: “My Lady, you’re just as skilled as before. Your chess prowess remains unmatched across the Three Realms. You must have been going easy on Xiao Jingchen just now.”
“When you played chess in the past, you once said: ‘Heaven and earth form the board, all things are players. Things compete for survival, following the laws of constancy. Those who adapt do not win by sheer strength, but survive by understanding the situation.'”
“Xiao Liu has memorized it.”
Wen Shuyu blinked: “Xiao Liu, why did you memorize ‘the chessboard of heaven and earth, all things as pieces, survival of the fittest’ in such a complicated way? I almost couldn’t understand it.”
Xiao Liu: “…”
Actually, it didn’t understand either. It had just memorized it. Was the original meaning really that simple?
It shook its little head: “My Lady, what do you plan to do next? Do you have any grand plans?”
Wen Shuyu glanced at the sky outside the window: “In a little while, it’ll be time to invite Xiao Jingchen to have dinner together.”
Xiao Liu, who was waiting for grand plans: ? Just eating?
As night deepened, a mirror-like moon hung in the sky, its light as gentle as flowing water pouring over the entire Eastern Palace. A soft breeze carried a leaf drifting lightly through the window.
At the dining table.
Wen Shuyu coughed lightly, swallowed a Consolidating Vitality Pill, then picked up a bite of food and placed it in her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Xiao Jingchen, who was eating slowly and methodically beside her.
When Xiao Jingchen looked up at her, a bright smile bloomed on her face: “Is it delicious, Brother Crown Prince? I had the kitchen prepare it according to your preferences.”
Xiao Jingchen nodded and gave a soft “Mm.”
Looking at the radiant smile on Wen Shuyu’s face, he paused his chopsticks and asked softly, “Do you need my help with something?”
“Not at all. I just thought Brother Crown Prince must be tired from handling political affairs, so I wanted to prepare some good food for you.”
As she spoke, Wen Shuyu, in front of several eunuchs and palace maids behind her, used her chopsticks to place a piece of roasted lamb into Xiao Jingchen’s bowl. “Brother Crown Prince, eat more.”
She took a light sip of tea, then handed the teacup, now marked with her red lipstick, to Xiao Jingchen, her eyes innocent and pure.
“This tea helps cut through the greasiness. I brewed it myself. If you don’t mind, Crown Prince Brother, you can give it a try.”
The teacup hung suspended in the air. Her hand held it steadily, waiting for Xiao Jingchen to take it.
The eunuchs and palace maids who saw this quickly lowered their heads, trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.
The princess consort had used her own chopsticks to serve His Highness the Crown Prince, and now she was offering him the teacup she had drunk from—wasn’t that akin to a kiss? Such intimacy, if word got out…
If His Highness accepted it, it would be an acknowledgment that the two could be this close. If he refused, he would be publicly humiliating the princess consort in front of everyone.
This was truly… a dilemma.
The chief eunuch felt tense on behalf of his Crown Prince, unsure of what to do. He could only wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Xiao Jingchen’s ink-dark eyes fixed on the lipstick mark on the rim of the cup before him. Then he lifted his gaze, looking past the crowd to calmly observe Wen Shuyu for a long moment.
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Wen Shuyu, as if unaware, kept the same smile on her lips. “Try it quickly, Crown Prince Brother. It really is delicious.”
Her eyes held a glimmer of amusement as she moved the teacup closer, stopping right at Xiao Jingchen’s lips, as if it might touch them at any moment. “Or should I feed you?”
Just as Xiao Jingchen raised his hand.
Everyone assumed His Highness the Crown Prince would surely push it away. The princess consort was being utterly absurd—how could His Highness possibly drink from it?
But suddenly, Xiao Jingchen’s hand grasped her slender wrist, pulling it toward his lips. Wen Shuyu’s entire body leaned forward with the motion.
He lowered his head and, using the teacup she held, precisely placed his lips over the distinct lipstick mark, taking a slow sip. Throughout the entire process, his gaze never left her.
When he finally released the cup, the lipstick mark on the rim had blurred.
Wen Shuyu was slightly stunned.
Then she heard Xiao Jingchen’s gentle, pleasant voice. He rubbed his thumb over his lips, as if savoring the taste, and commented slowly:
“The flavor is quite good…”