Shen Xihe stood to the side, watching as she bent over and was about to clasp her hands in a feminine salute. He quickly cleared his throat lightly to stop her from exposing herself!
"Is Worldly Son Bu perhaps mistaking himself for a young lady?" a sharp-eyed junior from the Tao family immediately teased.
No one suspected Bu Shulin, as her usual words and actions bore not a trace of a young lady's demeanor.
Bu Shulin reacted swiftly, kneeling down to kowtow and recite auspicious words. After completing the ritual, she said, "This is all the princess's fault. Every time I express my feelings to her, she always says she treats me no differently from Xue Qiniang. I'm almost starting to doubt whether I'm a young lady because of her…"
Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this. Shen Xihe didn't expose her, and Tao Zhuanxian also gave her a red envelope, just like all the other juniors.
After receiving it, she pressed her luck further and said to Tao Zhuanxian, "Tao Gong, please go easy on me next year."
She was the top-ranked official in the Censorate. It was only after Shen Xihe arrived in the capital that things changed—before Shen Xihe's arrival, she would be accused of over a dozen offenses by the Censorate every month!
"Next year, you'll be a year older, Worldly Son Bu, and soon you'll be capped. It's time to behave more properly." Tao Zhuanxian treated only Shen Xihe differently; to others, he always sounded like a stern teacher lecturing.
Bu Shulin, feeling she had overstepped, rubbed her nose and slipped away.
On the night of the vigil, no one was allowed to rest. After celebrating with the family, Shen Xihe returned to her own courtyard and summoned Biyu and the others. The master and servants hadn't enjoyed the festivities for long when Duanming, who had been forced by Biyu to wear a small red hat, started barking.
Not long after, a tall figure appeared at the doorway, and Biyu and the others immediately grew tense.
Shen Xihe wasn't surprised. Earlier, she had guessed that this unruly Crown Prince was not one to adhere to propriety. He had barged into her bedchamber before, so it was no surprise that he showed up today as well.
"There's only half a moment left until New Year's Day. I wanted to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new with Youyou," Xiao Huayong said with a gentle smile.
"Your Highness, this is the residence of the Grand Imperial Censor!" Shen Xihe reminded him.
If Tao Zhuanxian were to see him, he would surely berate him mercilessly.
"Love me, love my dog. If Censor Tao were to see me, he would likely spare me for Youyou's sake," Xiao Huayong stepped over the threshold, unperturbed. "On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, families gather together. In the palace, there are only rulers and subjects. I have no one to turn to and could only think of Youyou."
Listen to that tone. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was a homeless beggar on the streets, never imagining such words came from the Crown Prince, who stood above all but one.
Shen Xihe knew she couldn't drive him away, so she turned her head and ignored him.
Zhenzhu and the others tactfully stepped aside to make space for them. Xiao Huayong sat down beside Shen Xihe and watched as she braided a cord: "This cord is quite unique. I happen to need one. I wonder if Youyou would be willing to give it to me?"
Zhenzhu and the others: …
The Crown Prince's audacity was truly something they had never witnessed in their lives.
Shen Xihe refused to indulge him. She wasn't driving him away only to avoid causing a scene that would be hard to explain to her grandfather. Her grandfather and the others knew she was to marry into the Eastern Palace but didn't know the reason. They probably assumed she was infatuated with Xiao Huayong.
"This is a cord I'm making for Father."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Huayong seemed to suddenly remember something: "That day, I saw a rattan fruit incense cup in the prince's hands. Youyou gave away the gift I gave you to the prince. My heart was deeply wounded."
"Once Your Highness gives a gift, can it not be regifted?" Shen Xihe asked without looking up."Yes, the gifts given to Youyou are entirely at her disposal, yet I cannot help but feel disheartened," Xiao Huayong said dejectedly.
His demeanor made Shen Xihe seem like an utterly heartless scoundrel, guilty of cruelly abandoning him.
"Do not be angry, Youyou. I know you have no affection for me, hence your dislike for my gifts," Xiao Huayong said softly. "I do not blame you, nor do I hold any resentment. I am merely feeling sorrowful. Allow me this moment of grief, and after a brief while, I shall be able to let it go."
Shen Xihe: ...
How should she respond to this? Telling him to wake up to reality was pointless—he was already fully aware. Asking him to retreat in the face of difficulty was clearly futile. If she were to say something piercing, he would bring up the matter of how he had saved her father last time. If she spoke harshly now, she would appear not just cold-hearted but downright cruel.
She could only remain silent.
"I spoke too much earlier—it was just a heartfelt remark. Please do not take it to heart, Youyou," Xiao Huayong added. "I truly envy the Prince, having you and the heir by his side. Unlike me, who has many siblings, yet not even one stays with me during New Year's Eve or the first day of the year. No one gives me New Year's gifts either. Ah..."
That sigh was heavy and full of grievance, as if instantly shrouding his entire being in loneliness.
Biyu and the others who heard it felt that the Crown Prince was having a difficult time and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Shen Xihe: ...
"I wonder when I, too, will have someone who remembers me, someone who prepares handmade gifts for me during the holidays," Xiao Huayong said, his gaze fixed intently on the tasseled knot swaying in Shen Xihe's hand. "The Princess's knot is truly becoming more and more exquisite."
The Crown Prince, of such high status, had lowered himself to such an extent just for a tasseled knot that he nearly made Shen Xihe laugh. It was merely a "Fu" character knot, nothing to be overly cautious about. She happened to have just finished it, so she tossed it to him: "Here, take it!"
As the bright red knot, vividly shaped like the character for "blessing," landed in his palm, firecrackers suddenly crackled outside, and the bell marking the arrival of the New Year rang out. Xiao Huayong's face lit up with radiance: "Receiving a blessing from Youyou at the start of the New Year—I am sure to be blessed with continuous good fortune this year."
Shen Xihe hadn't expected such a coincidence either—the very moment she threw the knot to him, the New Year's bell chimed.
She wasn't angry, purely finding Xiao Huayong both shameless and long-winded. She detested people who talked too much.
She needed to find a way to repay the debt of gratitude she owed this man as soon as possible. The next time he pestered her like this, she would knock him out and throw him outside!
Having obtained what he wanted, Xiao Huayong knew when to stop. He carefully stored the item away and immediately shifted Shen Xihe's attention: "Is the New Year's celebration in the Northwest different from here in the capital? How did you spend the New Year in the Northwest in previous years, Youyou?"
"In the Northwest, we always stayed up late on New Year's Eve with my father and brothers..." Shen Xihe missed her father and brothers. She wondered if, without her there this year, they would still bicker, if they would still fight, and whether they would be able to eat dumplings in the morning.
"Dumplings? I love those. Shall we make dumplings together, Youyou?" Xiao Huayong quickly suggested.
"This is the Tao residence; I am a guest here!" Why would she be the one to make them?
"Shall we go to the Princess Manor?" Xiao Huayong urged. "You could then send a message to the Prince and the heir, letting them know you've made their favorite dumplings this year as well."
Shen Xihe was somewhat tempted. She wanted to make dumplings and yearned for the days in the Northwest.
However, she was someone who had etiquette and rules ingrained in her bones. She would not suddenly leave without notice, lest the Tao family search for her and find her missing. Thus, in the end, Xiao Huayong was unsuccessful in persuading her.
He regretted not seizing the opportunity to taste the dumplings made by Shen Xihe.He returned to the Eastern Palace at the break of dawn, and his first act was to cut a lock of raven hair, entwining it around a knotted cord. Hanging it above his bed, he rested his head upon his favorite pillow and murmured softly: "One strand of shared heart, a century of life-blooming flowers."
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