A kind of indescribable pity lurked in Song Huaizhi's smile. His eyes on the Third Prince were filled with meaning, which made the prince's face turn pale. He lowered his head and stared at his own palm. "That..." The Third Prince hesitated. He wanted to look at Song Huaizhi, but after their eyes met, he dropped his gaze and silently swallowed back the words on the tip of his tongue.
He had just arrived in this strange environment, and now he was supposed to kill the person who was practically his closest kin in this world. The wet - nurse had accompanied him through his childhood. His own child had been left at home after the full - moon celebration, and mother and child could only meet after a long time.
Thinking of this, the Third Prince would often miss the wet - nurse's child. Whenever there was something good, he would quietly give it to the child.
He had long regarded the wet - nurse as a family member. Since childhood, his mother - concubine had cared little about him and had left him in the care of the wet - nurse.
But now, how could things have come to this? Why had she betrayed him?
The Third Prince looked dejected. He gritted his teeth tightly, feeling the stinging pain in his palm as he pondered almost self - destructively. His heart felt as if it was being torn apart, and this pain far exceeded any physical ache.
Finally, in this state, he could think, calm and detached, as if he were an inanimate object.
"Why are you so sad?" Song Huaizhi thought of what this man had done in the past. Out of old affection, he said, "If you could always stand firmly here, or even sit on that throne, there would surely be people who would consider you their everything, willing to live and die for you."
"She's just a wet - nurse who betrayed you for profit." Song Huaizhi said, then suddenly smiled and continued, "Isn't your maternal family the same?"
[... Song Huaizhi really doesn't know how to comfort people. Oh my god, I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor Third Prince.]
[Although his words are a bit harsh, Song is really trying. If the Third Prince can't get out of this now, he's done for.]
[That's true, but Song Huaizhi's mouth... It's so strange. I remember in the original novel, Song Huaizhi was a cold - blooded villain. How has he turned into a tsundere (only in front of Yu Yu)?]
[To the person above, being cold - blooded and being a bit of a jerk aren't mutually exclusive.]
Meng Ruyi: "..."
"Then what about you?" The Third Prince looked up at him and sneered, "I don't believe you're really from this small town."
What he implied was that Song Huaizhi, just like him, had been abandoned.
Hearing this, Song Huaizhi finally saw a shadow of the person who had once opposed him in this red - eyed young man, and couldn't help but smile.
"You! What are you laughing at!" The Third Prince saw that he wasn't angry and felt a chill run down his spine. His hair stood on end.
Could this man never get angry? Oh my god!
Meng Ruyi watched from the side and felt an increasingly strong sense of unease about Song Huaizhi.
Why did he know so much about the Third Prince from the capital? This kind of knowledge wasn't something that could be analyzed from just knowing a lot of information about the person in front of him.
It was a familiarity that came from long - term interaction, revealed through words and actions.
The last person like this was Mr. Lin.
But they didn't know Song Huaizhi well, or they were only casually acquainted with him after a single encounter.
Meng Ruyi saw the Third Prince fly into a rage, but her thoughts became more and more complicated. What was Song Huaizhi's secret? Was he really not like her, without this thing called "danmu"?
She found it hard to describe her feelings now, so she could only continue to observe silently.
"Forget it." The Third Prince took a sip of tea, but his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. He pretended not to care and suppressed his emotions.
"Does Young Master Song have the medicine I need?"
Song Huaizhi glanced at the cup in his hand. The water in it was rippling, just like the Third Prince's turbulent heart.
"Yes. I'll have someone send it to you."
After saying that, Song Huaizhi continued, "Hurry up. She's already preparing to send a message to the capital."
"If you go back now, you might still be able to talk to her."
Meng Ruyi: "..." Cough.
The Third Prince's face changed drastically. He stood up and said in a hurry, "Sorry, I have to go. Thank you, Young Master Song and Miss Meng, for your advice."
Meng Ruyi watched him leave quickly and couldn't help but sigh.
"Try some new dishes?"
As soon as Meng Ruyi shifted her gaze from the Third Prince's back, she heard Song Huaizhi beside her ask, "I think you'll like them."
"Sure."
After Meng Ruyi said that, the private room fell silent again.
The teahouse wasn't completely quiet. Occasionally, the shopkeeper would greet the guests, and the waiters would lead the guests to their tables or private rooms, leaving behind a flurry of footsteps.
Meng Ruyi stood up and walked out side by side with Song Huaizhi.
"Why don't you dislike the Third Prince that much, Brother Song?" Meng Ruyi couldn't help but ask after they left the teahouse, "But you really hate Gu Ling."
"Do I?" Song Huaizhi countered. He didn't expect Meng Ruyi to be so perceptive and realize his advice to the Third Prince just now. So he smiled and said, "Then what kind of person does Yu Yu think the Third Prince is?"
The question was thrown back at her. Meng Ruyi only felt that Song Huaizhi had suddenly become so sly recently, but she still started to think about the answer.
To be honest, Meng Ruyi didn't have high hopes for the Third Prince's character at first.
The sudden change in the mountain temple four years ago was still fresh in her memory. She couldn't forget a single detail.
And the Third Prince was involved in this matter. Meng Ruyi originally thought that he was one of the participants, but unexpectedly, he was just a decoy.
The supposed "tiger" had suddenly turned into a pitiful "cat" staring blankly. Meng Ruyi had a hard time accepting this transformation and only felt a strong sense of discomfort.
Song Huaizhi was different. He seemed to know everything about the Third Prince from the very beginning. So he just quietly watched, occasionally giving a little push, and then reaping something from it.
"Pitiful, but not extremely so." Meng Ruyi slowed down and looked at the common people on the street, saying, "Although he's a prince, he can only be manipulated by his family and others. There's no one sincere around him."
"But he's never had to worry about his livelihood. He's lived in luxury since childhood, which is much better than most people in the world."
Power could devour people, but it also brought endless benefits.
"Yu Yu is right." Song Huaizhi nodded and affirmed, "But it has nothing to do with us."
"All we need to do now is give him a hand and then wait and see what happens." Song Huaizhi chuckled, "He won't have the time or the ability to argue with us."
The fact that even his wet - nurse had been turned showed that someone in the capital had finally noticed this unassuming Third Prince and was starting to fear his growth.
It was better to make a friend than an enemy. The Third Prince couldn't fail to understand this truth.