"Wanchu, won't you invite this prince in for a sit?"
All the way, the atmosphere was inexplicably heavy.
Chu Yueying was extremely nervous, fearing that she had said something wrong and upset the crown prince.
Noticing the little girl beside him was trembling, Shi Minglang leaned over slightly and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid. The crown prince is not upset because of you."
This considerate comfort relieved much of the tension in Chu Yueying's heart.
Maybe it was because of Yue Jiaojiao, she thought.
The crown prince was high - ranking and powerful, yet he had been offended by a stupid and arrogant "little princess". How could he be in a good mood?
The entire Chu family was on high alert at the main entrance, waiting to receive the crown prince.
Seeing the Matriarch Chu, the crown prince got off the sedan chair, and his expression softened.
Matriarch Chu led all the descendants to kneel.
One should kneel three times and kowtow nine times when meeting the emperor, and kneel once and kowtow three times when meeting the crown prince.
The crown prince only accepted one kowtow from Matriarch Chu.
"Please rise, Lady Dowager."
He personally helped Matriarch Chu up.
Matriarch Chu's three brothers were all high - ranking officials of the third rank in the court and were highly regarded by the emperor.
The crown prince had also investigated their conduct. They were honest and upright officials and not part of the faction of the princess dowager.
Therefore, the crown prince respected Matriarch Chu very much.
The dinner lasted until night.
There were many fresh fruits and vegetables on the table. Most of the dishes were steamed or boiled, light and appetizing.
The only meat served was fish and shrimp, and the wine was osmanthus wine.
The crown prince was very satisfied with the meal.
The Chu family knew how to handle things. They knew he was devout in Buddhism, so there was no heavy meat on the table.
The ingredients used for cooking were common fruits, vegetables, and grains from the folk. They didn't prepare rare and precious foods to curry favor with him.
However, after waiting for a year, he still hadn't seen the figure that haunted his dreams. The crown prince was disappointed, but he hid his feelings well.
During the dinner, Chu Shangxu toasted the crown prince and Shi Minglang respectively.
The crown prince brought up a topic, "Come to think of it, the Shi family and the Chu family are somewhat related."
Shi Minglang's eyes swept across Chu Yueying's beautiful face. "Indeed. My mother specifically told me that I should pay my respects to Lady Dowager Chu, Lord Chu, and Lady Chu when I came to Yunzhou. I was too busy with official duties some time ago, so I was delayed. Please don't take offense."
He punished himself with a drink.
Matriarch Chu couldn't remember such a relative in her family. She asked politely, "How are we related?"
Shi Minglang looked at Lady Ning. "Lady Chu, I should call you aunt!"
Lady Ning was surprised.
Shi Minglang explained with a smile, "My mother is also from the Ning family in Huzhou, the same clan as you!"
The Ning family in Huzhou was the largest merchant family in Huzhou and was related by marriage to the Qi family, the richest family in the south of the Yangtze River.
Song Wanchu's maternal grandmother was from the Ning family.
Lady Ning was the younger sister of Wanchu's mother.
But their uncle had five sons but no daughters, which was a lifelong regret.
Lady Ning's mother had adopted her to her uncle.
Therefore, Lady Ning didn't have the surname Qi but Ning.
Lady Ning vaguely remembered that there seemed to be an elder sister in the Ning family named Ning Yunzhu, who had married into the Shi family in the capital.
So, Shi Minglang was the son of the elder sister!
After figuring out this relationship, she beamed and quickly called Chu Yueying.
"Yinger, this Lord Shi is your cousin. Why don't you greet him?"
Chu Yueying's face blushed brightly. How embarrassing!
She had just called Shi Minglang uncle...
"Cousin..." she called out shyly.
Her voice was as sweet as a warbler's song. Shi Minglang found it extremely pleasant.
"Don't be so polite, cousin."
He walked up to Chu Yueying and clinked glasses with her.
Chu Yueying had to drink this apology drink, but just as she raised her glass, it was taken by Shi Minglang.
"Girls shouldn't drink too much. I'll drink this for my cousin."
Under the lamp, his handsome eyebrows and eyes were gentle. He didn't look like an iron - faced judge at all but a considerate elder brother.
Matriarch Chu observed Shi Minglang's expression calmly and smiled slightly, knowing what was going on in her heart.
After the banquet, the Chu family assigned the most capable and reliable nanny to attend to the crown prince's bedtime.
Seeing that there was not a single young and beautiful maid among the attendants, the crown prince gave the Chu family another point in his heart.
During his inspection of the south of the Yangtze River this year, he had stayed in many officials' homes. Without exception, they had all entertained him extravagantly and then arranged beautiful maids for him afterwards.
It was really annoying.
The Chu family understood his heart the most.
He closed his eyes, and a beautiful figure slowly appeared in his mind.
"Wanchu, do you really not want to see this prince?"
...
Yungui Alley was quiet.
Song Wanchu didn't go out much. She embroidered, drank tea, and practiced calligraphy at home.
"Wanchu, I'm going to the government office."
Liang Yuzhou still dressed like a Taoist priest. His cyan Taoist robe was plain without any decoration, but it didn't diminish his elegant charm.
The crown prince was about to take action against the Yue family. He wanted to find out the crown prince's attitude towards the Yue family.
If the crown prince followed the emperor's intention and let the Yue family off lightly, then he would add fuel to the fire.
Those who had hurt and plotted against Wanchu should all be uprooted.
Song Wanchu dipped her brush in ink. Her expression was calm. "You don't need to report to me where you're going."
Liang Yuzhou walked up to her slowly and pressed the hand that was about to write.
The ink spread on the paper. Song Wanchu was slightly annoyed and glared at him with her beautiful eyes.
Her eyes were very beautiful. The corners of her eyes were upturned, like a charming fox. When she was angry, there was a bit of playfulness, making her expression vivid.
It was these eyes that had captured his soul with just one look seven years ago.
From then on, he was willing to give up his pursuit of Taoism and become her subject.
"Only in this way will you look at me?" he said with a smile, pursing his lips.
He was really becoming more and more shameless.
He would stop at nothing.
Seeing Song Wanchu's anger intensify, Liang Yuzhou backed off in time. "I'll be back in the evening. I've learned two new dishes. I'll cook them for you."
After he left, the warmth of his hand still lingered on Song Wanchu's hand.
Song Wanchu was slightly absent - minded.
Once upon a time, this was the life she had dreamed of.
Spending peaceful days with him, being together every day. They didn't need to be extremely wealthy. The most important thing was to be with each other.
However, her passionate love had been trampled on for three years. She had left in despair with all her wounds, but then he had chased after her, offering his heart and the life she had yearned for the most.
Her state of mind was no longer the same as before.
The person was wrong, and everything was wrong.
Someone knocked on the door.
Nan Zhi went to open it.
"Miss!"
Song Wanchu heard Nan Zhi's exclamation in the room.
She quickly put down her brush and walked out of the room.
The man outside the door was ethereal and elegant, standing upright. There was a gentle and lingering look on his face after a long separation.
Song Wanchu froze all over, and her heart began to beat violently.
The crown prince smiled gracefully and stared at her intently, his eyes filled with uncontrollable longing.
"Wanchu, won't you invite this prince in for a sit?"
He was still the same elegant and handsome crown prince.
Song Wanchu knelt down, feeling a sense of panic as if she had fallen into a net.
"My humble abode is really shabby. I'm afraid I won't be able to entertain you well."
The crown prince smiled slightly, his heart filled with the pain of being rejected.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you're there, this prince doesn't care about the shabbiness."
The crown prince stepped into the courtyard.
His steps were light, but each one seemed to step on Song Wanchu's nerves.
"Get up. From now on, you don't need to kneel when we meet."
In her line of sight, a fair and slender hand reached out to her.
Song Wanchu clutched the hem of her skirt and bit her pale lips.