The dazzling light drifted gently onto the ground, casting a silvery sheen across the surface. A faint breeze whispered by as a subtle warmth silently floated between the two of them.
Shen Xihe smiled tenderly: "I believe you."
From discomfort to familiarity and then to resignation, she had grown accustomed to his frequent declarations of affection. Since none of her attempts to make him stop had worked, she chose to acknowledge his sincerity, hoping only that he might exercise some restraint.
In that instant, it seemed as if the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars had melted into Xiao Huayong's eyes. His gaze became frighteningly bright as he looked at her with a besotted smile.
She believed him, and he believed that her belief was genuine in this moment. He would make sure she kept believing forever, until one day she would trust that this heart and these feelings would endure for all eternity.
Completely unaware of Shen Xihe's true thoughts, he resolved to seek more opportunities in the future to steadfastly express his devotion to her.
Thinking this, the food in his mouth seemed to grow more fragrant. Though he ate, his eyes never strayed from Shen Xihe. A stray sesame seed from the cake clung to the corner of his lips, unnoticed by him.
Shen Xihe glanced at it twice but initially didn't point it out, assuming he would wipe it away after finishing his meal. However, when he did wipe his mouth, the sesame seed remained.
Little did she know that those two glances had made Xiao Huayong fully aware—he had left it there on purpose.
With no other choice, Shen Xihe handed him her handkerchief: "Your Highness, the corner of your lips."
Xiao Huayong took it and wiped again, deliberately missing the spot.
Shen Xihe pointed to the corresponding position on her own lips: "Here."
After looking, Xiao Huayong wiped again: "Is it gone?"
"Not yet," Shen Xihe replied.
Xiao Huayong's eyes shifted mischievously as he handed the handkerchief back to Shen Xihe.
The plain handkerchief embroidered with Eucommia leaves fluttered before her in the breeze. Understanding his intention, Shen Xihe met his pleading, childlike gaze and swallowed the words on her lips. Slowly, she reached out and took back the handkerchief.
Xiao Huayong immediately leaned his handsome face forward, afraid she might change her mind.
Unable to suppress a smile, Shen Xihe would never know how indulgent, tolerant, and tender her gaze was at that moment.
Through the sheer, cool silk thin as cicada wings, the warmth of her fingertips transmitted to his lips, delicate and warming. He became lost in her gaze, unable to regain his senses for a long time.
After wiping away the sesame seed from his lips, Shen Xihe withdrew her hand, only to have him seize it abruptly. Before her astonished eyes, he pulled her into an embrace.
Shen Xihe felt a tightness around her waist as he spun her around in his arms. In barely a breath's time, he set her down again. By the time she steadied herself, he had already retreated some distance away, taking her silk handkerchief with him.
Beaming with smug satisfaction, Xiao Huayong wore an infuriating grin as he waved the handkerchief while backing away: "It's dirty. I'll wash it when I return."
Shen Xihe chased after him a few steps until Xiao Huayong reached beyond the pavilion. The blinding sunlight made her halt, and she called out in annoyance: "Give it back!"
The one she had given him was specially made for him, but this was her personal handkerchief—something quite intimate.
After running beyond the moon gate, Xiao Huayong leaned his upper body back into view through the foliage, waving the handkerchief: "After I wash it, I'll keep it for myself."
With those words, Xiao Huayong disappeared.He wasn't fleeing because he had taken something again. His original intention was simply to drop by for a morning meal, knowing Shen Xihe was highly likely to have prepared one for him today. Having finally cultivated the habit of Shen Xihe leaving meals for him during court assemblies, he naturally had to maintain this routine rain or shine.
In truth, he had many matters to attend to. Xiao Changqing should have already become aware today that he was being targeted, which meant he would inevitably change his strategies.
When Xiao Huayong returned to the Eastern Palace, Xiao Changqing was indeed at his princely residence formulating plans to send Xiao Changtai away: "The Crown Prince has already secured the Cui clan."
"The Cui clan?" Xiao Changying was slightly startled. "Noble families have always remained aloof, preferring the imperial family to fight among themselves. Why would they take sides?"
"That was the noble families of the past—those who stood above imperial power." A glimmer of dark light flashed through Xiao Changqing's pitch-black pupils. "Times have changed."
Before this dynasty, the fate of emperors was controlled by noble families. Even the Grand Chancellor under Emperor Taizong, who had refused to marry a princess, confessed on his deathbed that his only regret in life was failing to wed a daughter from a noble family.
This demonstrated how prestigious noble families once were.
With the collapse of the Gu clan, the noble families essentially crumbled and fragmented. The confidence of scions from these families was shattered by the execution of the entire Gu household, and gradually, no deeply rooted great clans in various regions united to oppose local authorities.
The current noble families still possess profound and admirable heritage but no longer have the wings to soar above imperial power.
Cui Zheng understood this best himself. With the Gu family fallen, the Cui clan led the noble families, and he became their leader. However, these families no longer dared to pressure the Cui clan as they had the Gu family, fearing the Cui clan would follow in Gu's footsteps. Without leadership, the noble families would disintegrate and eventually vanish.
The downfall of the Gu family made them wake up, restrain themselves, and bow their heads. Cui Zheng inherited the current state of noble families. Since circumstances had reached this point, and it was no longer an era where they decided monarchs, they naturally had to follow those seeking wealth and power by taking sides early.
"His Majesty only just moved against Gu..." Xiao Changying glanced at Xiao Changqing and skipped the sensitive term. "Within a hundred years, the imperial family will need noble families."
There were many capable individuals from humble backgrounds being promoted vigorously now, but lacking heritage meant lacking rules. Although Xiao Changying himself disliked the noble families' gentlemanly demeanor, considering it pedantic, he had to admit that without rules, there is no order. With the support and influence of noble families, scholars under heaven could possess more integrity and pride.
Seeing that Xiao Changqing didn't refute him, Xiao Changying continued, "Even I understand this reasoning. Surely none of our brothers are unaware. Duke Cui could sit securely by the river waiting for fish—whoever eventually ascends the throne would rely on him. If he now aligns with the Crown Prince, should the Crown Prince... fall, the new sovereign might need noble families and the Cui clan, but not necessarily Cui Zheng himself."
Aligning with the Crown Prince at this moment would undoubtedly be more loss than gain, which was why Xiao Changying remained skeptical.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Changqing fiddled with the seal hanging from his wrist and looked up at the cloudless azure sky: "The Crown Prince should be at the Princess Manor right now."
Xiao Changying's chest tightened with displeasure. "Brother, you can't just poke at my wounds when you can't win an argument."Xiao Changqing chuckled softly: "Brother, are you trying to say that Zhaoning County Princess, such a composed and self-possessed woman—this extraordinary lady who desires legitimate heirs to stand above all—now allows the Crown Prince to come and go freely in her Princess Manor?"
Even a woman like Shen Xihe had been won over by the Crown Prince, let alone someone like Cui Zheng.
"In this world, there is probably no person or thing the Crown Prince cannot obtain if he desires it," Xiao Changqing remarked with admiration and... envy in his tone.
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