Chapter 331: Chapter 329: The Crown Prince, He’s Super in Love
Lu Ying had already returned to the Eastern Palace.
He took out the letter from his sleeve and let his gaze sweep over the four small characters "Zhaozhao kisses you," his expression darkening a few shades.
This woman said one thing and did another, completely disregarding him.
As the Crown Prince of a nation, he had actually become Shen Zhaozhao’s plaything.
He picked up his brush, intending to give Shen Yinning a scolding reply, but his innate upbringing prevented him from berating a woman. Staring at the blank xuan paper for a long time, he finally set the brush down.
He stuffed the blank paper into an envelope and ordered Gui Quan to deliver it to Shen Yinning.
Lu Jiazhe, who held no official position and spent his days in idle amusements, had finally found some purpose. He was waiting in the Eastern Palace specifically to intercept Lu Ying’s reply.
He grinned as he snatched the envelope from Gui Quan’s hand. "It must be tough serving my imperial brother so attentively, Father Gui. Allow me to relieve you of this task!"
Without waiting for a response, he darted off like a streak of smoke.
He brought the letter to the Seven Treasures Pavilion, where Wen Liluo opened it. To their surprise, there was not a single word written inside.
Lu Jiazhe scratched his head. "What does this mean? Is my royal brother messing with us?"
Wen Liluo twirled the horsetail whisk in her hand. "It must be that he still refuses to forgive the boss. Look, the Crown Prince has a good temper. I wonder what the boss did to provoke him so badly. That said, even though this letter is blank, the fact that he bothered to send a reply shows he still cares about the boss. Heir of Prince Su, in my opinion, we need to step up our game."
The two of them were discussing the matter when the maid came upstairs to report, "Miss, Shopkeeper Qian is here to discuss business with us."
Lu Jiazhe laughed. "Perfect timing! Invite him up at once. Miss Wen, you may not be aware, but Qian Duobao is one of my royal brother’s trusted confidants. He might actually be able to help."
Qian Duobao was invited upstairs. After hearing about the situation, he immediately became interested.
Unlike the younger lads, he was already in his thirties and had seen his fair share of romantic twists and turns. From his experience, the Crown Prince clearly still had feelings for Princess Zhaoning but was too dignified to lower his guard.
He said excitedly, "Forgive my boldness, but the Crown Prince’s nature is overly upright and serious, and he doesn’t know how to deal with women. On the other hand, Princess Zhaoning’s personality is far too cunning and mischievous. These two are bound to clash if put together. Neither is willing to apologize or back down. Writing to the Crown Prince from Zhaoning’s perspective to act coy wasn’t a bad idea, but it lacked a critical spark."
Lu Jiazhe and Wen Liluo said in unison, "What spark?"
Qian Duobao chuckled. "Please hand me some paper and a brush."
By dusk, the letter drafted by Qian Duobao and edited by Lu Jiazhe and Wen Liluo was delivered to the Eastern Palace.
Lu Ying was engrossed in his work. Idly unfolding the letter, he frowned deeply.
——To my dearest Jingwei:
The nights grow shorter, and the loneliness deepens. Often, the pillow feels cold, and solitude unbearable. In the dead of night, I find myself thinking about those clouded, passionate nights with you, my body consumed by aching emptiness, yearning for your strength to fill it.
As I write this letter, having just bathed, I am dressed in nothing more than a sheer spring gown, with only the robe you left at Shen Garden draped over my shoulders. Surrounded by your lingering scent, I feel utterly secure and content. My longing for you grows by the day. When will we indulge in those "Wushan clouds and rains" again?
Oh, by the way, I recently bought some tangerine-scented bath beans. The fresh, citrusy fragrance they leave on the skin is perfect for early summer—would you like to smell it? I also bought a jar of pearl cream, but I can’t manage to rub it onto my back properly on my own. If only Jingwei would help me apply it.
Signed with love: Your darling Zhaozhao.
Lu Ying: "..."
He flipped the letter face-down onto the desk.
Gui Quan and De Sun stole glances surreptitiously.
The typically stoic and expressionless young Crown Prince furrowed his brows and stiffened his posture. He appeared angry, yet a hint of unnatural redness crept onto his ears, while his lightly pursed lips curved into an exquisite shape—
He looked utterly like someone who had just been teased by a shameless woman.
Lu Ying sat silently for a long moment before picking the letter up again.
He read through it, word by word, before finally dipping his brush in ink to write a reply.
Sealing the xuan paper inside an envelope, he instructed, "Deliver it."
Gui Quan accepted the task solemnly, already guessing the letter was intended for Shen Yinning. He quickly left the study.
But before he could get far, he ran into Lu Jiazhe waiting in the corridor. As expected, the mischievous youth eagerly made off with the letter once more.
Lu Jiazhe brought the letter back to the Seven Treasures Pavilion, where he, Wen Liluo, and Qian Duobao opened it together.
Lu Ying’s reply adhered to a formal structure and was startlingly brief:
——Maintain your decorum.
Lu Jiazhe was dumbfounded. "Just three words?"
Wen Liluo nodded. "Just three words."
Qian Duobao stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That’s odd. The Crown Prince clearly adores her deeply—why such a cold reply?"
Wen Liluo smirked. "Such a prim and proper man, yet he’s already done something as scandalous as stealing another man’s wife. And still, he insists on keeping up appearances? If you ask me, we shouldn’t write back for now. Let’s ignore him for a couple of days and let him stew."
...
Three days later.
Gan Tangwei sat inside a small sedan chair being carried along Imperial Street toward the Imperial Palace.
Inside the dimly lit sedan, she lowered her head and gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, her face obscured by the golden bead face curtain that hung over her forehead.
The maid had adorned her with exquisite makeup and dressed her in a beautifully embroidered Zhou-style gown, but, alas, that person hadn’t come to see her even once.
Lost in her thoughts, she was startled by the sudden commotion on Imperial Street.
The maid walking alongside the sedan leaned in to whisper, "Miss Gan, don’t worry. It’s just another wedding procession. Today must be a lucky day for Great Zhou—several wedding caravans have ended up passing through at the same time, and the noise is quite unbearable."
Gan Tangwei paid it no mind and instead began pondering how Shen Yinning intended to save her.
Princess Zhaoning had promised she would help her escape, but now that she was nearly at the palace, there was still no sign of her.
Gan Tangwei sighed softly, not holding out much hope for Shen Yinning.
Just then, a horse suddenly went out of control and charged toward her!
The wedding processions descended into chaos, people bumping into each other and even toppling sedan chairs.
One of the brides tumbled out, and the surrounding maids screamed as they rushed to shield her from view.
Amid the tumult, matchmakers from several families bellowed instructions, urging the processions to restore order and get the brides back into their sedans as quickly as possible.
Gan Tangwei struggled to her feet, but before she could make sense of what was happening, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her directly into a neighboring sedan.
Another woman, dressed identically to her, took the opportunity to slip into her original sedan.
Everything happened so quickly that the Yan maid accompanying her didn’t notice a thing. She peeked through the curtain to see "Gan Tangwei" calmly seated inside and immediately instructed the procession to continue moving forward.
From a distant high tower, Shen Yinning observed the entire scene unfold, the corners of her crimson lips curling into a smirk.
Wen Liluo sat tapping on her golden abacus, the beads clicking audibly. "Expenses for the wedding processions: thirty taels of patterned silver. Fees for the actors: twenty-six taels of patterned silver. Custom costumes: two hundred taels of patterned silver... Allow me to ask, Boss—was saving Gan Tangwei truly necessary? Does it help you reconcile with the Crown Prince, or weaken Lu Zhengliu’s influence?"