The Crown Prince wanted to help her up in person.
In the past, the Crown Prince would not seek such deliberate closeness.
The incident at the Fragrance Searching Record was an accident. Unable to control himself upon learning that she had been wronged by Yu Huiyan, he hugged her and poured out his feelings.
But even then, he was still sober and knew his limits.
However, during this sudden encounter, Song Wanchu had already sensed that the Crown Prince no longer wanted to restrain himself.
Now, she was no longer the noble concubine of Liang Yuzhou, and her engagement with her elder brother had been called off.
The Crown Prince had no more scruples about getting close to her.
If she reached out her hand, it would be a signal that she allowed the Crown Prince to get close.
If she didn't, it would be disrespectful to the second most noble man in the world.
Moving forward or backward, there was no way out.
Song Wanchu felt as if she was walking on a cliff.
Nan Zhi and Su Yue were only three steps away from Song Wanchu. They were panicked but didn't know how to help their mistress out of the predicament.
The Crown Prince's hand had been outstretched for a while.
He wasn't angry, but neither was he happy. His eyes were deep, with hidden emotions surging.
The atmosphere was stagnant.
Ying Lan and Xia He exchanged a look and understood each other without a word.
"Your Highness, please forgive us. The ground is cold, and the young lady is in poor health. She can't kneel for long."
One on each side, they helped Song Wanchu up.
Nan Zhi and Su Yue felt the anger emanating from the Crown Prince and held their breath for the two girls.
"You're new here. I don't recognize you."
The Crown Prince retracted his empty hand with a displeased look on his face. His sharp eyes swept across Ying Lan and Xia He's faces.
"They're simple-minded. Please don't blame them, Your Highness."
Although the two girls were arranged by Liang Yuzhou, they took good care of her and even did all the dirty work. Song Wanchu didn't want them to be punished by the Crown Prince.
"No wonder. It seems they need to be taught some rules."
Having missed the most important chance to get close to Wanchu, the Crown Prince didn't lose his composure, but he was still a bit angry.
These two maids were bold and wild. They didn't seem to be taught by a gentle and considerate girl like Wanchu.
Their behavior was strangely similar to Liang Yuzhou's.
Reckless and fearless.
Since Wanchu pleaded for them, he had to give her face.
This incident was thus gently brushed aside.
Song Wanchu invited the Crown Prince into the room.
She served the tea herself.
Her slender fingers, with fair and rounded fingertips, held the light blue crackled teacup. She looked as beautiful as a painting of a lady.
The Crown Prince couldn't take his eyes off her face.
She was a young lady again, and her dressing was much plainer than when she was the noble concubine of the Duke's Mansion.
The apricot-yellow ruqun and the white jade belt accentuated her slender figure. Her face was natural, like congealed fat. Her bright eyes were like black jade on a snow-capped mountain, full of charm as they fluttered.
She was even more charming than the image in his memory.
"Your Highness, please have some tea."
Song Wanchu lowered her eyes. The Crown Prince's eager and focused gaze on her face made her feel hot. She couldn't respond.
She silently hoped in her heart that the Crown Prince's visit was just to catch up.
He always abided by the rules and shouldn't do anything out of line.
But she thought too simply.
As she put down the teacup in front of the Crown Prince and was about to withdraw her hand, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a big hand.
Song Wanchu was startled and struggled to break free in a hurry. The steaming tea spilled all over.
A large stain spread across the front of the Crown Prince's luxurious Su brocade robe.
Nan Zhi and Su Yue were terrified. They both knelt on the ground and said, "Your Highness, please forgive us!"
Damaging the Crown Prince's appearance was a serious crime!
Ying Lan and Xia He reacted differently. One took out a handkerchief, and the other grabbed some ice.
"Did you burn your hand, miss?"
With this question, the Crown Prince had no choice but to let go of Song Wanchu's wrist and look at her fingers.
All five fingertips were red from the hot tea.
Ying Lan wiped Song Wanchu's hand, and Xia He wrapped ice in a gauze to relieve the pain and cool the burn.
The two girls busied themselves around her, naturally creating a distance between her and the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was left unattended.
Nan Zhi and Su Yue instantly felt inferior to Ying Lan and Xia He.
They had served the young lady for the longest time, but because of their fear of the Crown Prince, they watched helplessly as the young lady suffered.
In contrast, Ying Lan and Xia He only had the young lady in their eyes. They didn't care whether the Crown Prince was angry or not.
Nan Zhi and Su Yue felt uncomfortable.
The Crown Prince's face was extremely gloomy.
These two maids were clearly trying to disrupt the situation. Under the guise of protecting their mistress, they prevented him from getting close to Wanchu.
Wanchu couldn't have taught such reckless and unobservant maids.
Who had arranged them by Wanchu's side?
Liang Yuzhou?
"Wanchu, it was my rudeness. Does it still hurt?"
He was concerned about Wanchu's injury.
"It's okay. I'm sorry to have startled Your Highness."
Song Wanchu hid her hand in her sleeve and bowed respectfully to apologize.
The Crown Prince could tell that Wanchu was respectful but distant towards him.
He had waited for so many years, waited until she left Liang Yuzhou and until Shi Luohan broke off their engagement. He didn't want to cultivate feelings with her bit by bit anymore.
His patience was almost exhausted.
He couldn't wait to hold her in his arms, kiss her, and possess her.
Yunzhou was the last stop of his inspection in the south of the Yangtze River. His biggest goal was to take Wanchu away when he left Yunzhou and returned to the capital.
He couldn't lose to Liang Yuzhou again.
Little Anzi rushed in, followed by two female officials carrying clean robes.
"Your Highness, please change your clothes first."
Little Anzi whispered.
The Crown Prince was anxious, but he didn't want Wanchu to see his eagerness.
"This is Wanchu's boudoir. It's not convenient. Go to the room opposite."
Song Wanchu's heart tightened. The opposite room was Liang Yuzhou's. He had been staying there for several days, and the room was full of his things.
The Crown Prince was already on the verge of losing control. If he found out that Liang Yuzhou was staying with her, would he be stimulated and do something irrational?
When the Crown Prince reached the door of the opposite room, he found that it was locked.
It was a rusty lock.
It made the room look like it hadn't been opened for a long time.
Song Wanchu's pounding heart calmed down a lot. Liang Yuzhou was so smart and cautious.
She had a reason to reject the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, I'm just renting this place temporarily. The landlord didn't give me the key to this lock."
Then she added, "Please go to my boudoir to change your clothes. I don't mind."
Although she said she didn't mind, the Crown Prince understood it in another way.
Wanchu was reserved. Although she was a remarried woman, her character was still pure and noble.
The Crown Prince didn't want to leave a frivolous and dissolute impression on her.
"Is there any other empty room in this mansion?"
"There are only two side rooms. They're for these maids." Song Wanchu replied.
The emotions in the Crown Prince's eyes changed several times.
"Go back to the carriage to change."
Song Wanchu was grateful for his gentlemanly behavior.
Two female officials followed the Crown Prince onto the carriage, while Little Anzi stood guard outside.
Song Wanchu walked out and handed the small charcoal stove in her hand to Little Anzi.
"It's cold, and His Highness has to change his clothes because of my mistake. This is just a little token of my appreciation. Please give it to His Highness, sir."
Little Anzi smiled. His face was kind, but his eyes were shrewd. "Miss Song, you can just take it in yourself."
Song Wanchu's arm stiffened slightly. The small charcoal stove in her hand seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.
The Crown Prince was changing his clothes. If she went in herself, wouldn't it be the same as throwing herself at the Crown Prince?
If she didn't, it would be disrespectful to the Crown Prince.
She was in a dilemma.