Shen Ying gathered up her skirts, squatted halfway in front of the little Crown Prince, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “You are such a thoughtful child. Thank you so much.”
Enfolded in her arms, the little Crown Prince’s pale, tender cheeks instantly flushed bright red. His small face, which had been trying to act indifferent just a moment ago, was now thoroughly crimson.
Tugging anxiously at the hem of his robe, his whole body grew a bit tense, yet he leaned closer into Shen Ying’s embrace. Still, his mouth released a slight huff as he said, “At least you know.”
At the thought of Shen Ying hanging herself in her room, the little Crown Prince lost his smile. He tilted his head back from her embrace to look up; as Shen Ying was crouching, the dark marks around her neck fell directly into his line of sight.
The flush on the little Crown Prince’s face vanished in an instant. Reaching out to grab Shen Ying’s arm, he spoke in a muffled, heavy tone, “Then… then you have to promise me that you will never hang yourself again. You cannot leave… leave everything here behind ever again.”
Shen Ying stroked the little Crown Prince’s head and gave her promise.
Having died once, she did not have the courage to seek death again for the time being—at least, she did not want to die right now.
Hanging oneself probably looked quite hideous, and Shen Ying did not want to die such an ugly death. If she truly had to die, she would at least find a decent and painless way to do it.
Seeing her agree, the little Crown Prince smiled once more, extending his little pinky toward Shen Ying. “Then let’s make a pinky promise. You aren’t allowed to lie to me.”
Shen Ying immediately extended her finger and hooked it with his.
After making the promise, Shen Ying’s gaze drifted to the side. She noticed that among the attendants following behind the Crown Prince, one was holding a cage, and something was moving inside it.
Looking closely, she realized that inside was the very snake she had stepped on earlier. Recalling the incident, a wave of lingering dread washed over Shen Ying, making her hair stand on end.
Noticing her staring at the snake, the little Crown Prince’s eyes lit up, and he immediately went over to retrieve the bamboo cage. “Mother… do you like Little Black?”
“No, no, no! Don’t… don’t come any closer!” Panic-stricken, Shen Ying took step after step backward.
“I don’t like it! I don’t like this thing at all! Take it away, hurry up and take it away!”
Holding the bamboo cage, the little Crown Prince stood frozen in place. Realizing that Shen Ying was truly terrified, he finally handed the bamboo cage back to the attendant behind him.
“You don’t like Little Black?”
Shen Ying shook her head frantically.
Seeing the little Crown Prince standing there, Shen Ying took a deep breath, looked at him, and said, “Um, Your Highness, it’s better not to keep a snake as a pet, okay? That kind of creature is venomous, isn’t it? Besides, it looks terrifying.”
“It’s fine. Little Black’s fangs have already been pulled out, so he isn’t venomous.”
“Still no!”
The little Crown Prince went to take Shen Ying’s hand, but thinking about how his hands had just held the bamboo cage, Shen Ying hastily hid her hands behind her back in fear.
“Are you scared?” The little Crown Prince tilted his head, looking at Shen Ying.
Shen Ying hesitated for a moment before nodding her head anyway. How could anyone not be afraid of such a thing?
“Then… then I just won’t keep him anymore. Don’t be afraid, okay?”
Looking at the child gazing up at her with big, pleading eyes, Shen Ying’s heart softened after all. She nodded at the little Crown Prince, “If you don’t keep it, then of course I won’t be afraid.”
“Then I won’t keep him. I’ll have them take Little Black away,” the little Crown Prince instantly beamed.
Watching the bright green progress bar move visibly, Goldie instantly felt a surge of energy.
Its energy… was returning!
Even if it was just a tiny bit, it was enough. It no longer had to remain half-dead as before.
Finding this host had indeed been the right choice. Look at that—the moment she showed her face, she completely won over the little one.
Goldie took a deep breath, feeling immensely refreshed.
Its cat paw twitched, pulling out a lollipop shaped like a cat’s paw from out of nowhere. After taking a few licks, its eyes narrowed in pure bliss.
The attendant nearby glanced over several times and finally could not resist reminding, “Your Highness, we must be going. The Grand Tutor is waiting.”
The little Crown Prince still had to attend his lessons, so he could only bid farewell to Shen Ying first. He also promised to come play with her whenever he had free time, insisting that she must wait for him.
Watching the little Crown Prince depart, Shen Ying turned to leave.
“Lady, we cannot go over there,” Xuerong spoke up.
“Why?” As Shen Ying asked, she raised her head and saw a sea of brilliant red before her.
Looking closely, she realized that ahead lay a grove filled with blooming red flowers.
Xuerong glanced at Shen Ying several times, unable to tell for a moment whether this Selectee Shen genuinely did not know or was merely pretending.
Yet, remembering the little Crown Prince’s attitude toward Selectee Shen just now—she had heard from other palace maids about how the newly entered Selectees tried everything to catch the eyes of His Majesty and the Crown Prince. But this Selectee Shen was peculiar; she had clearly done nothing, yet managed to gain the Crown Prince’s special favor, even prompting him to personally deliver medicine.
With that thought, Xuerong’s posture became noticeably more respectful.
“Lady, ahead is His Majesty’s Phoenix Garden. It is a restricted area, and entry is forbidden.”
To make Shen Ying understand the gravity of the situation, Xuerong added, “His Majesty ordered that anyone who trespasses into the Phoenix Garden will have their legs broken.”
Shen Ying, who had no intention of going there anyway, decisively took two steps back upon hearing this.
She certainly did not want to have her legs broken by the tyrant. She felt that her long legs were quite attractive, and she had spent a lot of money specifically to maintain them. If they were broken, how painful would that be? She might not even be able to walk again in the future.
She cherished her life, and she cherished her legs just as much.
Without giving it another single glance, Shen Ying turned around and ran away immediately. After running a few steps, she came to a halt.
“Xuerong, which way leads back?”
“Please follow me, Lady.”
Shen Ying immediately followed close behind Xuerong.
Inside Hanliang Palace, Emperor Pei Lin sat behind his desk in black everyday attire, reviewing official memorials with an expressionless face. Grand Tutor Chang, responsible for teaching the Crown Prince’s lessons, sat opposite the Emperor with a thoroughly uneasy expression.
Summer was inherently hot, but this palace was located by the side of Taiye Pond, making it the coolest place in the imperial court. It was likely out of concern that the Crown Prince might suffer from the heat that lessons had been specifically moved here.
Yet at this moment, Grand Tutor Chang could not feel the cool breeze at all; instead, anxiety mounted in his heart.
Ever since he began teaching, this was the very first time the Crown Prince had ever been late.
Grand Tutor Chang did not believe anything had happened to the Crown Prince; it was impossible for the Crown Prince to encounter danger inside the imperial palace. He reasoned that perhaps the Crown Prince had been delayed by playfulness. Although the Crown Prince often copied his father by keeping a stern, cold face, he was still a child after all, with a playful nature beneath the surface.
Looking up, Grand Tutor Chang saw the Emperor’s brows furrow slightly, his gaze sweeping toward the entrance imperceptibly. He quickly lowered his head to sip his tea, not daring to look any further.
The Crown Prince was His Majesty’s only child. Toward this heir to the throne, His Majesty placed immense importance; every time lessons were held, His Majesty would be present, frequently testing the Crown Prince’s knowledge and supervising his studies even more strictly than the tutor himself.
If the Crown Prince failed to answer, His Majesty could also bring himself to harshly strike the boy’s palms. If Grand Tutor Chang’s spankings were meant to teach the little prince a lesson, His Majesty’s strikes were far heavier.
Sometimes, the way His Majesty looked at the Crown Prince sent a chill through the tutor’s heart.
Regarding royal affairs, Grand Tutor Chang dared not pass judgment, able only to pretend he knew nothing. But after his tea had been refilled three times without any sign of the Crown Prince, cold sweat inevitably broke out on Grand Tutor Chang’s forehead.
Dafu, the chief attendant by the Emperor’s side, walked over and reported respectfully, “Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”
“Tell him to roll himself in here,” Pei Lin said coldly, without even raising his head.
Dafu hastily went out to summon the little Crown Prince inside.
Following behind Dafu, the little Crown Prince walked into Hanliang Palace. Although his posture was flawless, he still did not dare raise his head to look at his father. Walking over respectfully, he bowed to the Emperor, “Son pays respects to Father.”
Emperor Pei Lin set down the vermilion brush in his hand, looked at the Crown Prince kneeling upright below, and asked in a flat voice, “Why are you late?”
“Son was delayed by a matter on the way.”
“What matter?”
The little Crown Prince pursed his lips, ultimately withholding the full truth. “Just a small matter. Son has already handled it.”
Pei Lin did not press further. His fingers tapped lightly twice against the desk as he merely said, “The Grand Tutor has been waiting for you for a long time.”
Hearing this, the little Crown Prince walked over to Grand Tutor Chang and offered a bow. Grand Tutor Chang nodded, inviting the Crown Prince to sit before his study desk.
Grand Tutor Chang genuinely liked the Crown Prince as a student; His Highness was exceptionally clever, understanding almost everything at a single mention. For a teacher, how could one not adore such a student?
Outside, they were the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace and his minister; here, they were simply master and student.
Grand Tutor Chang picked up from where he had left off last time, while also testing him on previous lessons.
Sitting behind the bead curtain, after finishing his work on the memorials, Pei Lin kept his gaze fixed on the little Crown Prince’s side, though his face remained devoid of expression.
Standing to the side holding a whisk, the attendant Dafu possessed exceptional tact. Seeing His Majesty’s gaze darting over, he immediately leaned close and reported the circumstances behind the Crown Prince’s lateness.
“He was delayed for so long just now because he was stopped by a Selectee?”
Dafu shook his head; the information had been reported to him by the secret guards. “It seems he was not intercepted by the Selectee. Rather, His Highness took the initiative to speak with her, and even took the ointment brought to him to give to her.”
Pei Lin’s gaze instantly darkened, resembling ice formed over many years. Dafu caught one glimpse and dared not look again.
“Should this old servant go over to Mingxiu Palace to drop a warning?”
Pei Lin closed his eyes and reached up to rub his temples. “No need. Let us see what kind of tricks this Selectee, with such formidable capability, is trying to play.”
Dafu answered in agreement, understanding that His Majesty did not intend to intervene for the time being. However, it mattered little; besides the guards on the surface, there were numerous hidden guards around the Crown Prince as well.
Even if that Selectee were given ten times the courage, she would not dare harm His Highness.
Seeing no further orders from the Emperor, Dafu stepped back, staring down at his own toes. Listening to the sound of the Grand Tutor instructing the Crown Prince, his mind wandered slightly as well.
His Majesty had only this one child—the sole offspring left behind by the late Crown Princess. Dafu had served in the Eastern Palace back when His Majesty was still the Crown Prince himself. Speaking of that late Crown Princess, she was truly… hard to describe in a few words.