A gust of wind blew past, and Dafu’s thoughts seemed to be swept away with it, drifting far into the distance.
Rumors circulated in the outside world that back when His Majesty was still the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, he had fallen into dire straits among the common folk; it was a Crown Princess of humble farmgirl origins who saved him, using that life-saving favor to demand he marry her.
Back when His Majesty resided in the Eastern Palace, Dafu had been serving right at his side. Only back then, he held nowhere near his current position, remaining merely a low-ranking inner attendant whom anyone could trample upon.
Time felt as though it had long slipped by—so much so that he could no longer recall clearly how he had been promoted to serve by the Crown Prince’s side in the first place.
Yet regarding that Crown Princess, he still retained a faint impression. She was an exceptionally beautiful woman whose countenance paled in no way compared to the noble ladies of the capital.
If one had to speak of it, the rumors held true in part: relying on the debt of gratitude for saving the Crown Prince’s life, the Crown Princess acted thoroughly domineering and unreasonable. She refused to allow any other women into the Eastern Palace, throwing tantrums whenever things did not go her way, causing the Crown Prince to harbor great dislike toward her.
Later, when giving birth to the little prince, she died of a difficult labor, and the Crown Prince did not seem to care at all.
Yet it was only at that moment that he seemed indifferent; subsequently, the Crown Prince fell gravely ill, nearly passing away himself. Back then, even the late Emperor had prepared himself for the Crown Prince’s demise at any moment. Looking back now, Dafu could still remember it with crystal clarity—he had been so anxious that blisters broke out around his mouth.
Having no other choice, he could only hold the little prince at the Crown Prince’s side, calling out to him again and again until he was summoned back from the brink of death.
The Crown Prince indeed woke up, yet as he held the little prince’s hand, tears fell from his eyes. Moreover, the look in his eyes as he gazed at the little prince was something Dafu failed to comprehend to this day.
It seemed to hold resentment and hatred, yet also… reluctance to part, intertwined with deep remorse.
In short, the expression in his eyes was so profoundly complex that even to this day, Dafu had never forgotten that glance from the Crown Prince.
Fortunately, from that day forth, the Crown Prince gradually recovered.
Afterward, the late Emperor betrothed another Crown Princess to him, waiting only for her to reach the age of coming-of-age before entering the Eastern Palace. Yet no one expected that the Crown Prince would actually defy the imperial decree.
Dafu let out a soft sigh. If he remembered correctly, the Eldest Miss of the Jiang family—the very lady betrothed to him back then—had also entered the palace in this selection.
His Majesty had been on the throne for several years with an empty harem. Rumors suggested that the previous Crown Princess had been so fiercely domineering that it left His Majesty with a deep aversion to women, refusing to let any female close to him again.
That he was finally willing to yield and consent to selecting imperial consorts made Dafu—who considered himself a close confidant—feel truly bewildered by His Majesty’s sudden change of heart.
As a servant, Dafu dared not gossip much about his master’s affairs; after mulling these thoughts over in his mind, he hastily banished them to avoid overthinking and carelessly slipping up to anger His Majesty.
There were always foolish individuals who gossiped behind closed doors; whenever His Majesty caught wind of it, he ordered those ignorant fools to be beaten with heavy staves. As His Majesty’s confidant, how could he, Dafu, ever commit such a blunder?
With those thoughts in mind, the lesson on the little Crown Prince’s side came to an end.
Pei Lin dismissed them directly, remaining there alone to sit in cold silence for a long time. In his hand, he held a distorted, worn pouch whose embroidered pattern looked somewhat chaotic and messy.
Staring at the pouch for a moment, Pei Lin stowed it away.
Dafu caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, vaguely recalling that it appeared to be a relic left behind by the late Crown Princess. Not only had that woman possessed a domineering and unreasonable temperament, but her needlework had also been exceptionally abysmal.
Yet for all these years, His Majesty had kept her belongings preserved in pristine condition, a fact that Dafu always felt was rather peculiar. At times, even he felt a sense of trance, as though the late Crown Princess in his memory had not been quite as awful as remembered.
Upon leaving Hanliang Palace, the little Crown Prince’s steps grew considerably lighter. Once they were far enough away, he instructed the inner attendant behind him with a very solemn expression on his small face, “Go prepare some pastries—nothing too sweet. Gu is heading to Mingxiu Palace now.”
After the attendant complied, the little Crown Prince smiled even more joyfully. Recalling the Grand Tutor’s teachings, he tried his best to press down the corners of his mouth, putting on a facade of mature composure.
Only when he saw the attendant return with the pastries did he lead the entourage toward Mingxiu Palace.
The Crown Prince’s sudden arrival startled several Selectees who were playing card games.
“Where is Selectee Shen?” The little Crown Prince searched the crowd with his gaze, and upon failing to see Shen Ying, his brows instantly knit together.
Everyone exchanged glances before finally looking toward a Selectee standing in the corner.
Hearing herself being called, that Selectee Shen’s eyes brightened instantly. Gathering her skirts, she hurried over and bowed to the little Crown Prince, “Concubine pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Liar! You are not Selectee Shen at all.” The little Crown Prince furrowed his brows, his tone laced with annoyance.
“Concubine is indeed Selectee Shen; I have not lied to Your Highness.” That Selectee Shen was equally bewildered.
She silently recited her own name in her mind, thinking that her surname was indeed Shen, and she was indeed a Selectee—she was unmistakably Selectee Shen. Why did His Highness claim she was lying?
The little Crown Prince also realized something was amiss. “What is your name?”
“Concubine’s name is Shen Yun.”
The little Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, he had mistaken the person. He had thought that woman lied to him again and abandoned him to run off.
“The one Gu is looking for is Selectee Shen Ying. Where is she?”
“Shen Ying?” Shen Yun’s expression turned desolate in an instant. Among the batch of Selectees who entered the palace this time, only she and Shen Ying shared the same surname sound.
So it turned out the Crown Prince was looking for Shen Ying; her joy had been for nothing.
Pointing out Shen Ying’s room to the Crown Prince, just as Shen Yun was about to follow along, the little Crown Prince frowned and said, “Gu can go by himself. None of you are permitted to come over and disturb us.”
Although the others were puzzled, since the Crown Prince had spoken, none dared intrude. They voiced their compliance and watched the Crown Prince walk over.
Yet curiosity burned in their hearts as to when Shen Ying had become acquainted with the Crown Prince, even possessing the ability to make him visit Mingxiu Palace in person just to see her.
The Selectees looked at one another, not a single one knowing what was truly going on.
Reaching the room door, the little Crown Prince paused. The inner attendant beside him immediately prepared to step forward and knock, only to be glared back by the little Crown Prince.
He raised his own hand and knocked on the door, hearing a voice drift out from inside, “Who is it?”
“It… it’s me. I’ve come to see you.” The little Crown Prince nervously rubbed his hands against his clothes.
He suddenly remembered that before coming, he had not checked his appearance at all. What if he looked terrible?
Thinking this, he hastily touched his two hair buns and looked down at his attire, feeling it looked acceptable enough.
He was not a messy child; she should… like him, right?
The door opened, revealing only Shen Ying’s dejected head. Seeing the little Crown Prince, she was thoroughly surprised. “Why are you here?”
Meeting Shen Ying’s gaze, the little Crown Prince blinked. The words he had prepared to say turned into a question the moment he saw the red dots on her face: “What happened to your face?”
Shen Ying touched her cheek and opened the door a bit wider. “I got bitten by mosquitoes. You had better not come inside; there are mosquitoes in my room.”
This child looked so fair and tender; it would be awful if he got mosquito bites on his face.
She wore a thin gauze dress, holding a round fan in her hand. As she spoke, she fanned herself a few times.
This was the thinnest clothing she had managed to find in the wardrobe. The room was stiflingly hot, and Shen Ying had never experienced such high temperatures before; she felt so hot she was on the verge of fainting.
Even so, the sweat sticking her clothes to her skin felt unbearable, leaving her no choice but to wave her fan continuously in an attempt to cool off.
Even though she had only been back for a short while and had chugged down several pots of tea, she remained parched from the heat.
Looking down at the little Crown Prince, she casually fanned him a few times as well. “Aren’t you hot wearing so much?”
The clothing on the little Crown Prince was clearly made of high-quality fabric—fine as it was, he was wrapped up so tightly that he looked terribly hot.
Seeing Shen Ying fanning him, the little Crown Prince squinted his eyes and smiled instantly. “I’m not hot.”
The little Crown Prince stepped into the room. As he had walked all the way here with his mind entirely focused on finding Shen Ying, he had not felt particularly hot. Only after entering the room did he realize how hot it truly was—waves of heat rushed over, and in just a short moment, sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Attendant Liu, go bring some ice over,” the little Crown Prince instructed the attendant behind him.
Hearing the buzz of insects in his ears, the little Crown Prince added, “Prepare some mosquito-repellent sachets as well, and be quick about it.”
Attendant Liu voiced his compliance, set down the food box in his hand, and immediately instructed servants to carry out the order.
The little Crown Prince walked over, opened the food box, took out the pastries inside, and arranged them on the table. “I had them prepare some pastries. Taste them and see if you like them.”
Looking at those exquisite pastries, Shen Ying asked, “For me?”
“That’s right, go on and taste them.” The little Crown Prince grabbed Shen Ying’s hand and pulled her to sit on the stool.
Watched expectantly by the little Crown Prince, Shen Ying picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite. The moment she tasted the flavor, her entire body froze.
The taste of this pastry was remarkably similar to the ones made by the pastry chef at her family’s hotel.
Shen Ying doubted whether her taste buds were deceiving her. She took another bite, chewing carefully in her mouth, only to find that the more she ate, the more similar it tasted.
No—it could be said to be identical.
“Who made this pastry?” Shen Ying asked.
“It was made by the imperial kitchen.”
Shen Ying paused. She recalled that the pastry chef her parents had hired at great expense for their hotel had ancestors who served as imperial chefs, and many of their pastries had historically been made for the imperial court.
Could she have run into an ancestor of her family hotel’s pastry chef?
On second thought, Shen Ying realized something was wrong. She had transmigrated into a book—how could an ancestor of that pastry chef appear inside a novel?
Shen Ying looked at the pastry in her hand, an expression of confusion washing over her face. The flavor of this pastry was definitely not wrong; it was exactly the same.
“Goldie, what is going on here? Didn’t you say I transmigrated into a book?”
Goldie had previously recovered a tiny bit of its power, cocking its tail high in smug satisfaction, only for that bit of energy to be drained away quickly. At this moment, it had flattened itself into a cat pancake inside the space, thinking it best to conserve its strength.
Hearing her question, it turned its head toward Shen Ying and uttered two words: “Take a guess.”
“Guess your big cat head!”
This lousy cat—it was clearly the one that dragged her over here, yet now it was acting completely lazy. Sooner or later, she was going to drag it out and give it a thrashing.