Chapter 531: Chapter 22: The Crown Prince Changes

After seeing off Qin An, who was full of gratitude, Lin Wanyi sighed deeply.

Perhaps it was because she was getting older, but every time she saw someone else cry, she couldn’t help but feel happy or sad along with them.

Clearly, she was only in her thirties, so why did she feel like she was living like an old person in their fifties or sixties?

So she said to herself self-mockingly.

"Perhaps becoming a grandmother has made one more sentimental."

Hearing this, Xia An comfortingly said.

"Your Highness is kind-hearted, the blessings are yet to come. When our Prince Pei, Third Princess, and Prince Xiao are all married, and there’s a house full of grandchildren calling you grandmother, you won’t have time to be sentimental anymore."

Listening to this, Lin Wanyi also found it quite reasonable.

So she gathered her spirits and said.

"The Empress Dowager is still in good health, so I should also keep an open mind and wait to see grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren, come into this world."

"You’re right, Your Highness!"

"Has the snow outside gotten heavier again?"

"Heavier snow is good, as a bountiful year follows a favorable snow."

The master and servant had lived in this palace with red walls and yellow tiles for nearly twenty years.

The former Miss Xia An has now become Madam Xia An.

But Lin Wanyi’s gaze was still as gentle as it was back then.

Just as Lin Wanyi was busy preparing for the wedding of Prince Pei and others, the Crown Prince was uncharacteristically quiet.

Every day, he either attended court properly or studied earnestly in the Eastern Palace.

If it weren’t for the fact that it was so cold outside, he would probably still be practicing horseback riding and archery.

On this day, as he was carefully reading a book on the National Strategy, unexpectedly, Han King and Prince Pei came by.

As soon as they came in, they stomped their feet and exhaled, saying.

"This weather could freeze a person to death."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you’re about to get married, and you still say such things here, aren’t you afraid Mother Consort will hear you and scold you again!"

Prince Pei spread his hands, smiling bitterly with helplessness.

But the Crown Prince assisted him with a sentence, saying.

"Second Brother really is getting old; you’re starting to get chatty. I remember Nanny Du wasn’t a woman of many words; who did you learn from? Could it be Chief Lu?"

By the Crown Prince’s Chief Lu, he naturally meant the former Xiao Luzi.

Now, he was well past thirty and the most trusted person around Han King.

Whether within the residence or outside, he had a say and handled affairs thoroughly.

When suddenly named by the Crown Prince like this, Chief Lu immediately spoke up.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince must have misunderstood this servant. Since I was young, my master used to say I was like a mute gourd with a sawed-off mouth."

He said it so sincerely that he almost convinced everyone present.

But everyone present knew the truth.

Even the Crown Prince envied his second brother for having such a capable Chief eunuch.

So he jokingly said.

"Tsk tsk, Chief Lu claims to be a mute gourd; then, might all the people in Shengjing City be mute too, hahaha."

With this joke, everyone laughed along.

With the warmth provided by the heated floor, the chill on their bodies dissipated quickly.

After taking a sip of hot tea, the Crown Prince finally asked.

"Second Brother, Fourth Brother, you came looking for me, is there something you need?"

"Can’t we come to see His Highness the Crown Prince without a reason?"

Prince Pei teased intentionally.

But instead, he was teased back by the Crown Prince.

"Of course, I’m so busy, can’t you see how many memorials Father has sent over?"

He then pointed to the thick stack on the desk.

Previously, it was just a small pile, but now most of the memorials were sent to the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince vaguely felt that Father might want to abdicate the throne in favor of him.

But such thoughts, he dared only to harbor in his mind.

After all, the relationship between Heavenly Family father and son is different from the ordinary father-son relationship.

Though there is affection between father and son, there is also the etiquette of a subject and a ruler.

No matter how good it is, one must still abide by these rules.

Seeing those memorials, Prince Pei still smiled as usual.

But Han King solemnly patted the Crown Prince on the shoulder, though saying nothing, the meaning was self-evident.

The Crown Prince smiled at him and nodded slightly.

Signaling for Second Brother to rest assured.

Then Prince Pei spoke.

"A few days ago, Mother Consort spoke to me, saying that she plans to arrange a southern inspection tour next spring, our whole family is to visit Wutai Mountain to see the Grand Empress Dowager and Eldest Sister’s family, but Second Brother and others have no way to go, and I suppose the Crown Prince might have to stay behind to rule, so it’s unlikely you can go either. So, I came to ask if there’s anything you fancy, perhaps I can find it for you."

As he spoke, he deliberately raised his eyebrows.

Making the Crown Prince laugh, almost spitting out the tea in his mouth.

"What are you doing? Could it be you’re planning to bring back a beauty from Jiangnan for me?"

"That’s what I was thinking. This time, the selection of ladies was originally to choose a Crown Princess Consort for you, but now there are no results, and Father and Mother Consort are not anxious. As your Fourth Brother, seeing this, I feel uncomfortable. Since none of the prominent ladies in Shengjing City caught your interest, I thought perhaps I could find one for you from Jiangnan; maybe we might find someone suitable and have you married soon."

Prince Pei spoke quite sincerely.

Which made the Crown Prince let out a slightly bitter smile.

"Fourth Brother, which of your eyes saw that I wasn’t interested in the prominent ladies of Shengjing City?"

"You’re interested in someone? Then why hasn’t Father decreed a marriage yet?"

"I..."

Before the Crown Prince could finish, Han King explained for him.

"Because the Crown Prince is interested in someone, but that person isn’t interested in him."

At this, Prince Pei was surprised.

"Who could it be? Who doesn’t even take interest in the Crown Prince, could it be she’s daring to aspire to Father?"

Seeing this, the Crown Prince patted Han King and immediately explained.

"Fourth Brother, don’t speak recklessly, don’t ruin that girl’s reputation."

Han King laughed stealthily on the side, with a look of disappointment but amusement.

Prince Pei was extremely curious and hurriedly asked.

"Who is it? Who can earn such focus from you? You can’t even speak of them."

"Who else but Miss Zeng, who declined gracefully on the day of the selection."

One must say, when men gossip, they are no less talkative than women.

Prince Pei glanced at the Crown Prince and then burst into laughter.

He even slapped his thigh several times, experiencing a sense of having received revenge.

Jokingly telling the Crown Prince.

"What did I say at the beginning? If you’d chosen Miss Zeng back then, wouldn’t everyone have been happy? Delaying like this, you ended up getting yourself stuck. Normally there might still be a chance to talk about it, but about the Zeng family, I’m too afraid to even dare step in."

Prince Pei indeed held a deep fear of Mr. Zeng.

After all, back when studying at the Prince’s Residence, the Crown Prince was the first to be monitored by him, and they, like innocent bystanders, suffered quite significantly.

The Crown Prince sighed.

Thus, he shared the story of how he had once met Miss Zeng in his childhood.

Then helplessly remarked.

"I’ve never met someone so rigid yet amusing as her."