The two large chests of jewelry lay quietly on the floor. Inside, the hairpins were dazzlingly colorful. The one on top had a base of pure gold, and the head of the hairpin was inlaid with seven or eight gemstones the size of pigeon eggs—bright red, sapphire blue, emerald green, brilliant yellow…
All the flamboyant colors were forcefully gathered together, reflecting a clamorous and glaring light under the candlelight.
It was enough to blind someone, gaudy yet radiant, an overwhelming intensity.
One piece of jewelry was brighter than the next, with every color of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple—all crammed together.
Wen Shuyu couldn’t bring herself to smile.
She pointed at herself, then at the two chests, and asked Xiao Liu, “In Xiao Jingchen’s eyes, do I have this kind of taste?”
Xiao Liu: “…”
Wen Shuyu removed the white jade hairpin from her hair. Under the flickering candlelight, the hairpin emitted a cold, moon-like luster. With each slight movement, it seemed enveloped in a hazy glow, the light flowing through her dark hair with every step, breathtakingly beautiful.
She picked up a hairpin from the chest and compared it with her white jade hairpin.
“It shouldn’t be. When I’ve appeared before Xiao Jingchen in the past, I haven’t dressed that poorly, have I?”
After a moment of thought, Wen Shuyu felt somewhat dazed. “Xiao Liu, I think… I won’t ever look forward to any gifts from Xiao Jingchen again. Really.”
Xiao Liu stared at the two large chests before him, his mouth agape in astonishment for a long time, unable to close it. “I understand, my lady.”
Meanwhile, at the Bamboo Courtyard.
Xiao Jingchen was brewing tea at his desk. Seeing Mo Yu return, he lifted his eyelids slightly and asked, “Did you deliver them?”
Mo Yu nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. The head matron selected them specifically for the princess according to your instructions. When I delivered the two large chests, the princess couldn’t hide the smile in her eyes.”
The corners of Xiao Jingchen’s lips curled imperceptibly. “Naturally. After all, they are gifts from me. She must be overjoyed.”
Mo Yu glanced at the night outside the window, then at the steam rising from the tea. “Your Highness, at this hour, why are you still brewing a pot of tea? Aren’t you going to rest?”
Sitting there, bathed in moonlight, a faint glow illuminated his profile. He shook his head with a smile. “You don’t understand. Wen Shuyu must be so delighted after receiving my gifts that she can’t sleep. She might even come looking for me later.”
“If I were to rest now, I’d just have to get up again later. It’s better to brew some tea here and wait for her.”
Thus, one hour passed.
Then another hour.
And yet another hour.
Until dawn…
By the time they gathered for breakfast the next day, the atmosphere was noticeably quieter than usual.
Xiao Jingchen remained silent throughout.
His gaze occasionally fell on the unchanged white jade hairpin in Wen Shuyu’s hair, and occasionally on the meat she was eating. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Wen Shuyu didn’t mention the hairpins from the previous night either.
After all, it was a gesture of goodwill from him. She couldn’t very well say the hairpins were ugly.
She placed a piece of steamed sea bass into her mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately, then reached for another piece of lamb in the distance, appearing quite busy.
Xiao Jingchen picked up the piece of lamb and placed it in her bowl, casually asking as if it were nothing, “Why aren’t you wearing the hairpins I gave you?”
Wen Shuyu’s hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly, her gaze flickering. “Ah… well, they’re all quite precious. I’m afraid I might accidentally damage them if I wear them daily.”
Xiao Jingchen chuckled softly, his gaze gentle. “Is it because they were gifts from me that you’re reluctant to wear them?”
“It’s fine. If you like them, I’ll buy you more in the future—lots and lots of them. So don’t think of them as too precious. Just wear whichever you like for fun.”
Wen Shuyu was momentarily speechless. She poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks and let out an awkward laugh. “No need, no need. There are already plenty. Please don’t send any more.”
Xiao Jingchen’s eyes flickered, sensing something amiss. He fell silent.
After breakfast, once Wen Shuyu had left, Xiao Jingchen spoke to Mo Yu in a low voice. “What styles were the hairpins the head matron picked out?”
Mo Yu scratched his head. “I didn’t look, Your Highness. But they were chosen according to your instructions—the kind that glow when sunlight shines on them.”
Xiao Jingchen had a sinking feeling. “Go and check.”
By the time Mo Yu brought back the design sketches, half an hour had passed.
Xiao Jingchen looked at the drawings one after another, feeling a throbbing pain in his temples.
…
After a period of “rest and recuperation,” during which priceless Consolidating Vitality Pills were consumed one after another, Wen Shuyu felt that, in the eyes of others, she should have recovered enough.
And so, that night, she began drinking in the bamboo pavilion outside Plum Garden.
Xiao Liu, unable to hold his liquor, had already retired to rest, leaving Wen Shuyu to drink alone.
She had always loved savoring fine wine, and having gone without it for so long, she felt unbearably stifled. Before long, one large jar after another of peach blossom wine had been emptied.
When Xiao Jingchen arrived at the bamboo pavilion, he saw Fuling and several other palace maids trying to help the slightly tipsy Wen Shuyu back to Plum Garden.
Seeing the Crown Prince approach, Fuling and the maids were about to bow when Xiao Jingchen waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
“Yes.”
Everyone withdrew, leaving only Wen Shuyu and Xiao Jingchen in the pavilion.
Under the moonlight, Wen Shuyu’s cheeks were flushed—not with the even hue of rouge, but with a petal-like pink that seemed to emanate from deep within her skin, gradually spreading to the roots of her ears and her jade-like neck.
Seeing Xiao Jingchen approach, she suddenly stood up and stumbled forward. Her eyes, shimmering with a watery gleam, were slightly unfocused as she laughed. “Handsome man… Xiao Jingchen…”
Not the usual “Brother Crown Prince,” but his name spoken directly.
Staggering toward him, she was about to step on an empty wine jar.
Xiao Jingchen watched calmly, offering no warning.
Only when she stepped on it and began to fall did he catch her firmly, wrapping an arm around her waist.
His voice, gentle and indulgent, drifted through the courtyard. “Look at you, not watching your step. You tripped, didn’t you…”