"You should bid farewell to the Crown Prince. Marriage requires mutual affection. I shall inquire about the Crown Prince's feelings, and any marriage decree must wait until you come of age." The Youning Emperor smiled kindly.
"Zhaoning takes her leave." Shen Xihe did not appear overly eager.
His Majesty himself had said that marriage requires mutual affection. He would not arbitrarily marry her off to someone without her consent. Otherwise, if she were to make a scene, His Majesty would surely regret it.
Her purpose in entering the palace today was indeed to bid farewell to the Crown Prince, and incidentally leave Sui Axi at the Eastern Palace. When she was no longer in the capital, it would be inconvenient for Sui Axi to enter and exit the palace.
After paying respects to the Empress Dowager, Shen Xihe proceeded to the Eastern Palace. The moment she saw Xiao Huayong, she could sense joy radiating from him down to the very strands of his hair. Though he had always been smiling when he saw her before, today he seemed inexplicably more delighted.
"Has Your Highness encountered some happy occasion?" He was so overjoyed that she couldn't help but ask.
Xiao Huayong told himself to restrain his emotions, to hold back—but he simply couldn't. She had told the Emperor she was fond of him!
Fond of him!
Fond!
Him!
These words kept swirling in his mind. He had his people in the Emperor's Hall of Bright Governance, and when Shen Xihe requested an audience with the Emperor, she hadn't asked for the attendants to be dismissed. This news wouldn't just reach him—it would soon spread throughout the palace and beyond. He had simply learned of it earlier.
"Ahem." Xiao Huayong coughed lightly with restraint. "I have learned what you said to His Majesty, County Princess."
Shen Xihe had not expected this to be the reason. She looked at Xiao Huayong, who was lowering his head too shy to meet her gaze:
Hadn't this been agreed upon long ago? That she would request a marriage decree from His Majesty. Could he have mistaken her earlier words as genuine?
His thick, dark hair cascaded down, hiding his face from her view, but she could see his ears turning bright red.
Shen Xihe:
"Your Highness—"
"County Princess, these are pastries His Highness ordered the Imperial Food Bureau to prepare as soon as he heard you had entered the palace." Just as Shen Xihe was about to clarify matters, Tianyuan mustered his courage and presented a plate of exquisite pastries.
Shen Xihe glanced at Tianyuan, who maintained a respectful and eager smile.
He knew what the County Princess intended to say. But it wasn't that Their Highness was unaware—he simply didn't want to know, preferring to remain happy for a while. Even if it meant deceiving himself, it didn't matter, as long as he could be joyful.
If the County Princess spoke plainly, Their Highness wouldn't even have this self-deceptive happiness to cling to. Those cold, harsh words would pierce his heart like knives. He couldn't bear to see Their Highness licking his wounds alone.
Shen Xihe didn't insist on dousing Xiao Huayong's enthusiasm but instead took the opportunity to sample the pastries.
"Youyou, is there something you need?" Xiao Huayong reined in his elation but remained quite pleased.
"Did Your Highness's messengers only relay half the story?" Since he knew she had requested the marriage decree, how could he not know she planned to make a trip to Linchuan?
It wasn't that the Eastern Palace messengers had only delivered half the message—rather, the Eastern Palace attendants, knowing of Xiao Huayong's affection for Shen Xihe, had naturally reversed the order. They first mentioned Shen Xihe's request for the marriage decree, then mentioned her planned trip to Linchuan.
But upon suddenly hearing that Shen Xihe had sought the marriage decree, Xiao Huayong had been so ecstatic he became lightheaded, completely missing the latter part of the message.
Xiao Huayong cast a questioning look toward Tianyuan.
"Your Highness, the County Princess likely came to bid you farewell. She is going to Linchuan—the eldest son of the Linchuan Governor is getting married." Tianyuan reminded him in a low voice."You're going to Linchuan?" Xiao Huayong's expression shifted slightly as he anxiously studied Shen Xihe. "Your health has only just improved. Such a long journey during the onset of winter..."
"Your Highness need not worry. Zhaoning knows her limits." Shen Xihe offered a faint smile. "I will make proper arrangements for this trip."
"Is it absolutely necessary?" Xiao Huayong remained uneasy.
"Perhaps this will be Zhaoning's last time leaving the capital," Shen Xihe said softly.
Upon her return, she would be of marriageable age. Whether His Majesty bestowed marriage next year or the following, she would have no reason to leave the capital again.
Her words made Xiao Huayong's eyes flicker. He asked gently, "Youyou, what kind of life do you truly wish to lead in the future?"
Caught off guard by his question, Shen Xihe momentarily failed to respond: "The future?"
"Yes, the future." Xiao Huayong's clear eyes gazed intently at her. "Setting aside responsibilities, disregarding status—only consulting your true heart."
Only consulting her true heart?
She had never been willful, never understood what recklessness meant. She had never been selfish, never known what selfish desires felt like.
"Zhaoning has never consulted her true heart," Shen Xihe shook her head slightly.
"Consult it now. Think about it now," Xiao Huayong persisted.
His insistence made Shen Xihe lift her head to quietly observe him. In his eyes was an urgency—a desperate desire to know.
Shen Xihe didn't offer a perfunctory response: "Your Highness, when I came to the capital, I passed by many ordinary households. Watching them work at sunrise and rest at dusk, I felt envious. But it was only momentary. If unavoidable poverty were my fate, I would accept an ordinary life, finding peace in simplicity."
"Yet I was born into silks and satins, with servants at my beck and call, carriages and horses following my every move. Never troubled by daily necessities, spending fortunes as I pleased. I think... I envy that conflict-free, tranquil life, but I could never live it."
She was merely ordinary too. What she tired of was never wealth itself, but the constant vigilance and ruthless competition that came with it.
Given the choice, who would willingly choose coarse tea and plain rice?
At least, Shen Xihe possessed no such noble virtue.
However, one cannot have both the fish and the bear's paw in this world. If forced to choose, she would still prefer her current life. Even with an uncertain future, even with unpredictable outcomes, even if defeat meant losing her life.
"Youyou always sees things so clearly, no matter the circumstance." Sometimes Xiao Huayong admired such clarity in Shen Xihe.
Having traveled across countless mountains and rivers, witnessing all facets of human nature, he'd seen too many people forever dissatisfied—always coveting what others possessed.
Their focus remained fixed on others' advantages, while reflecting on themselves only brought discontent.
They wished to live as others did, yet never saw others' constraints and hardships.
"Seeing too clearly isn't good either. "Rare confusion is precious in life," Shen Xihe sighed softly. She probably would never experience such blissful ignorance.
Xiao Huayong chuckled lightly: "Only the clear-sighted can achieve rare confusion." Otherwise, it's perpetual confusion. Whether Youyou wishes for confusion depends entirely on what her heart desires."
Shen Xihe pondered Xiao Huayong's words, then smiled in understanding. No wonder she always enjoyed conversing with Xiao Huayong.
In this world, those who could converse with her on equal footing were few—even Shen Yungan might not qualify.
After spending two hours in the Eastern Palace, Shen Xihe finally departed.
The moment her figure vanished from sight, Xiao Huayong's smile faded. "I recall the Linchuan Provincial Governor has completed his three-year term?"
"Correct," Tianyuan replied.
"Find a way to recall him," Xiao Huayong commanded.Such a risky venture of leaving the capital once was enough; he would not allow a second time.
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