The Crown Prince crossed his arms, looking down at him. "Do you really think the Fourth Prince would take you to heart?"
"I'm afraid in the Fourth Prince's eyes, you're not even as good as a dog."
—
After a few days of recuperation, Shen Yue's injuries had faded. She had been in seclusion during this time, refusing visitors. Once her wounds healed, Shi Wei timed his request to see her, and Shen Yue pondered for a moment before agreeing.
The gauze curtains hung low, creating a hazy, ethereal atmosphere. Wisps of incense smoke curled from the brazier, weaving through the fabric and filling the sleeping chambers.
The sound of a gentle breeze rustling the treetops could be heard from outside the window.
Lying on the soft couch, her form was veiled by the thin gauze, appearing as if from a dream, swaying gently with the breeze. As one approached, the fragrance seemed to grow more potent.
Shi Wei's footsteps were almost inaudible as he knelt on the ground to pay his respects. "Greetings, Fourth Highness."
The soft rustle of fabric sounded as the gauze was parted by a hand as clean and white as jade. A luxurious voice drawled lazily, "Rise."
Shi Wei respectfully got to his feet, his gaze lifting slightly.
Her ink-black hair cascaded down, her robes slightly disheveled, revealing a long, fair neck. Shen Yue idly plucked at the petals of the fresh flowers in a vase. "What has the Crown Prince been up to lately?"
Shi Wei replied, "The Crown Prince has been basking in success lately and hasn't made any major moves. However, I have discovered an unexpected surprise."
Reaching the crux of his report, Shi Wei paused deliberately. Waiting for Shen Yue to look at him, he then smiled and said, "The Empress has been quite close to a royal physician. Moreover, they are hiding it very well. I had to expend considerable effort just to uncover a small lead, but I suspect that their extreme discretion only makes it more suspicious."
Shen Yue gazed at Shi Wei's smiling face, marveling at his exceptional intelligence and keen observation. Such a person, if they channeled their ambition towards righteous pursuits, might perhaps become a renowned minister.
"Why is Your Highness looking at me like that?" Shi Wei, being astute, noticed the change in Shen Yue's gaze. He lowered his smile and met her eyes directly.
Shi Wei possessed captivating, amorous peach blossom eyes, their shape narrow and long, as if always holding a hint of emotion. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that the depths of his eyes were like congealed ink, devoid of any sentiment.
Shen Yue shifted her gaze, her fingers brushing against the dew-kissed, tender petals of the flowers. "You have done well."
Shi Wei resumed his former demeanor of polite refinement, like a graceful young gentleman.
The reason for the Crown Prince's downfall was blood relation.
In truth, the Crown Prince was not the Emperor's biological son. He was the product of an affair between the Empress and a royal physician. For over a decade, no one had suspected, yet Shi Wei had managed to find a thread. It was only a matter of time before the rest unraveled.
The crime of deceiving the Emperor, coupled with illicit relations with the royal physician, were unforgivable offenses. If discovered, it would lead to the extermination of one's entire clan.
The Crown Prince's eventual fate was certainly not going to be favorable.
Shen Yue merely needed to wait. Wait for the Empress to slip up again, wait for the opportune moment when heaven, earth, and humanity aligned. Then, she would expose them all at once, catching them completely off guard.
Shen Yue lowered her head to inhale the fragrance of the flowers. The soft light cast a radiant glow upon her, making her appear as exquisite as jade, her beauty surpassing that of the flowers, even excessively so.
The corners of her lips curved upward in a subtle arc.
"These flowers are truly fragrant."
Shi Wei gazed at the beautiful scene before him, his breath catching in his throat. He looked at Shen Yue with a hidden, infatuated gaze. His heart pounded like a drum, his hands clenched beneath his wide sleeves, and he lowered his head to conceal his momentary loss of composure.
No matter how fragrant these flowers were, they were not as fragrant as the person before him.
Lately, a recurring dream had been plaguing him.
In his dreams, the aloof Fourth Highness, with eyes rimmed red from intense emotion, her lips, as vibrant as begonia petals, pressed tightly together, her jawline taut, her slender figure conveying a sense of fragility.
Yes, fragility.
It was difficult to imagine these words describing the Fourth Prince, known for his gloomy and cruel disposition.
Yet, Shi Wei's heart echoed only these two words. Thinking thus, even his breathing seemed to slow.
It was like a vibrant, resplendent flower growing from a steep, sheer cliff face, standing proudly and alone at a great height. Trying to pluck it barehanded would result in hands full of blood, yet the fragrance it emitted was rich and intoxicating, a scent that could lead to addiction.
Shi Wei had once been a man of romance. Recalling those common courtesans now, they paled in comparison to a single strand of the Fourth Prince's hair.
He thought that if he were fortunate enough to receive the Fourth Highness's favor, even death would be worthwhile.
—
The hot wind brushed against his face. The streets of Chang'an were bustling and noisy, all of it underscoring the magnificent prosperity of the empire.
As the carriage moved, only those with discerning eyes could tell its distinction. The emblem on it was one that only royalty was permitted to possess, yet ordinary citizens could not perceive any difference.
Inside the carriage, Shen Yue feigned sleep, her fingers tapping rhythmically.
The carriage, previously stable, suddenly jolted. Shen Yue, caught off guard, pitched forward. Fortunately, Fu An, quick of hand, steadied her. Frowning, he coldly yelled at the coachman outside, "What's going on?"
A hesitant voice came from outside. "Young master, someone suddenly rushed in front of us, and I wasn't paying attention."
The carriage curtain was lifted by a snow-white, beautiful hand. Shen Yue revealed half of her fair, pale profile, asking faintly, "Is it dead?"
The coachman immediately went to check. After a while, he returned to Shen Yue to report, "Young master, the person is still breathing."
Shen Yue was not a kind person. She let the curtain fall, her cold voice coming from within. "Then cast them aside."
Although the coachman felt pity for the child, he dared not say anything more. Swiftly, he picked up the child from the ground. Unexpectedly, the youth, who had appeared unconscious with his eyes closed moments before, suddenly opened them. What kind of eyes were they?
Dark and dim, they held a wildness, like a beast not yet fully evolved, entangled with a thick scent of blood.
Despite appearing to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, he gave the impression of someone who had crawled out of a corpse.
The coachman was startled by this gaze, his hands and feet going weak. He stumbled backward several steps in a panicked retreat.
After a long time, hearing no further movement from outside, Fu An lifted the carriage curtain. Through the gap, Shen Yue met the youth's eyes.
Shen Yue was momentarily stunned, then raised an eyebrow.
The youth clearly saw her as well and walked forward proactively, climbing onto the carriage. Just as Fu An was about to intervene and kick the audacious youth away, Shen Yue stopped him.
The youth's lips moved a few times, his voice barely audible.
"I found you."
Perhaps this was the power of fate, or the narrative. Even if Shen Yue hadn't brought this youth back from Xuzhou, he would still have found his way to her through various coincidental circumstances.
If there was no way to prevent it, then she could only accept it.
The youth's eyes were indifferent, serene, like a stillness of blackness that had frozen in the deep night.