Having gone out too late today, I only found out at Shufang Zhai that the pastries were already sold out. But who was Xiao Wangye? The Regent! He had the greatest authority, and immediately commanded, "Make another batch."
Shufang Zhai, intimidated by the Regent's authority, had no choice but to make another batch, the very same kind that the Princess Consort loved the most.
Ye Qingcheng also felt, for the first time, that bringing Xiao Wangye out was not a loss.
Soon, a piece of news spread throughout the capital: Regent Xiao Wangye doted on his wife excessively.
The rumors that Ye Qingcheng was going to be divorced also crumbled.
This, of course, became a topic of gossip after meals.
"What? You say Xiao Wangye dotes on Ye Qingcheng? Are you alright!"
"How is that impossible? I saw it with my own eyes. The two of them went to Shufang Zhai in the same carriage to buy pastries. They were so affectionate!"
"That's right! Who was it that spread the word that Ye Qingcheng was about to be divorced?"
"Speaking of which, Ye Qingcheng has finally seen the light of day. Back then, everyone in the capital knew that Xiao Wangye married Ye Qingcheng merely because she bore a striking resemblance to Murong Yun, and kept her in the inner chambers like a canary. Alas~"
"Who can be blamed for that? It was all her wishful thinking."
All these words, however, fell into the ears of the people involved.
Lin Xiao, observing the reactions of the two, who seemed to show no response, couldn't help but exchange glances with Jing Xiu. He cleared his throat, "Your Highness, Princess Consort, your subordinate shall immediately silence them."
Ye Qingcheng, who was savoring a candied hawthorn and listening with great interest, immediately stopped him, "What are you going to do?"
Lin Xiao was taken aback, "Silence them!"
Ye Qingcheng propped her chin with her hand and said, "There are so many mouths in the capital. Are you going to manage them all and prevent them from speaking?"
"This..." Lin Xiao was troubled.
Ye Qingcheng waved her hand at him, "That's enough. What they said is not wrong, it's the truth. What is there to argue about?"
Lin Xiao frowned, looking at Ye Qingcheng's indifferent attitude, and couldn't help but retort, "But what they said is not right!"
Ye Qingcheng chuckled, "What is it that they said that is not right?"
Lin Xiao was stunned, his gaze involuntarily shifting towards Xiao Wangye, who had been silent all along. He saw that upon hearing her words, Xiao Wangye looked at Ye Qingcheng, his expression somewhat dazed.
"It's true that I bear some resemblance to Murong Yun, and your Highness married me because of that, didn't you?"
Ye Qingcheng said this to Xiao Wangye, word by word.
"However, there is one point where they are indeed wrong. Xiao Wangye, you would never dote on me."
Xiao Wangye's eyes narrowed.
Jing Xiu, frightened, even stood up. Lin Xiao was indignant, "Princess Consort, do not speak carelessly! Your Highness just now towards you..."
"Lin Xiao."
Before Lin Xiao could finish, Xiao Wangye interrupted him, and Lin Xiao immediately stopped speaking.
Xiao Wangye closed his eyes with a hint of fatigue, "Let's return to the manor."
Lin Xiao hurriedly said, "Then the Princess Consort..."
Xiao Wangye waved his hand, pushed his wheelchair and turned around. At the door, he paused, did not turn back, but his tone was exceptionally weary, "Return before evening. Do not stay out overnight; it is not safe."
The response he received was silence. Lin Xiao stepped forward and pushed him away.
Ye Qingcheng stared blankly at his departing back, then turned to Jing Xiu, "Do you think I went too far?"
Jing Xiu, having been under pressure, finally breathed a sigh of relief the moment the Prince left, "More than that! Princess Consort, you should feel the changes in how His Highness treats you now, shouldn't you!"
Ye Qingcheng thought for a moment. He had indeed changed towards her, but this kind of change was based on her having value to him. For example, his leg treatment. He would go to great lengths to please her, as only Ye Qingcheng could cure his leg.
As for other changes, Ye Qingcheng shook her head and frankly stated, "None."
Jing Xiu: "Uh..."
On the way back, Xiao Wangye passed by Murong Manor. Looking at the magnificent gate, Xiao Wangye stopped his carriage for a long time.
Lin Xiao couldn't help but glance at his Prince repeatedly, feeling that the Prince was very unusual today.
"Lin Xiao!"
Lin Xiao snapped back to attention, the Prince was calling him, "Your Highness."
Xiao Wangye's voice came from inside the carriage, unusually low, "Lin Xiao, tell me, have I done anything to wrong Yun'er?"
"This..." Lin Xiao was stumped, it was difficult to answer.
Fortunately, the Prince did not press further. After a moment of silence, he said, "Let's go! Back to the manor."
"Yes."
That night, Ye Qingcheng waited until late, but Xiao Wangye did not come. Recalling the scene of him leaving in the afternoon, Ye Qingcheng sighed with emotion, "Alas~ Did Xiao Wangye get sick from what I said?" Then she thought, what did it matter to her! She was only responsible for Xiao Wangye's legs, not his mind. It was better if he didn't come tonight, saving her the trouble of a night of strategizing and fighting.
Tonight, she could finally get a good night's sleep.
The next day, Xiao Wangye's friend came to find him for a game of chess. The two sat by the window, enjoying the cool spring breeze and the falling flowers.
Xiao Wangye placed a black stone, and his friend Luo Zice's white stone followed closely. Soon, Xiao Wangye was defeated.
Luo Zice smiled slightly and fanned himself with his fan, "Wangye, you are distracted."
Xiao Wangye lowered his gaze, speechless.
Luo Zice shook his head and put away his fan, "Speak, what has happened?"
Seeing that Xiao Wangye still did not speak, he had some inkling.
"The most gossiped about thing in the capital now is you and your Princess Consort. I heard that yesterday, you accompanied her to Shufang Zhai and specifically ordered her favorite pastries, right!"
Xiao Wangye finally looked up at him, "Zice, I think I have done something to wrong Yun'er."
Luo Zice's eyes sharpened, "You truly..."
Xiao Wangye shook his head, "I know, I don't love Ye Qingcheng."
"Then..." why haven't you divorced her yet and married Murong Yun? Isn't Murong Yun your true love?
Xiao Wangye looked at the willow leaves on the lake outside the window, "I kept Ye Qingcheng only because she can treat my legs. If I divorce her, she will run away, escape. The world is vast, and I will never find her again. In that case, who will treat my legs?"
Luo Zice shook his head, understanding that Xiao Wangye was lying to him. Ye Qingcheng's medical skills were beyond Luo Zice's expectation, but to refuse to divorce his wife for this reason alone was not enough.
He simply hadn't understood his own heart yet.
"Do you still love Murong Yun?"
Xiao Wangye's answer was unhesitating, "Yes."
As the saying goes, the bystander sees more clearly than the participant. Luo Zice understood that he would regret it sooner or later, but for now, he couldn't persuade him. He could only say, "As long as you can hold onto your heart, that's good."
Xiao Wangye looked puzzled at his words.
Luo Zice did not respond to him further.
The two played chess for a while longer. Xiao Wangye, having defined himself, unsurprisingly lost.
Luo Zice stayed at the Regent's manor for a long time before driving home. However, at the corner turn as he was leaving the manor, he encountered Ye Qingcheng.
Ye Qingcheng also saw him and appraised his attire from head to toe. A crescent-white long robe hung down, his hair was tied up with a ribbon, and he held a folding fan in his hand.
At a glance, Ye Qingcheng knew who he was.
Luo Zice, according to the novel's introduction, was the male protagonist Xiao Wangye's good friend. The author's evaluation of him was thus:
Resourceful, a person who could strategize and win a thousand miles away. Although his appearance did not compare to Xiao Wangye's, he was still one of the top handsome men in the capital, Xiao Wangye's right-hand man, who had provided Xiao Wangye with many clear strategies.