Fifty li east of the imperial palace, in a certain manor.
Shangguan Chen was sitting in the courtyard, teasing the fish in the pond.
He would amuse himself this way when he was tired of studying at his residence in Great Yan.
There were also fish in the pond here, which was quite nice.
He truly felt as if he had come here to live a leisurely life, which was very different from the life of a hostage he had imagined.
“Could it be… the Great Xuan Dynasty treats all hostages like this?”
He felt it was a bit unlikely. In other words, becoming a hostage almost cut off any hope of returning.
Especially for a useless Prince like him, Great Yan would care even less about his life or death.
Thump, thump, thump!
A knocking sound rang out at this moment, along with Chen Fan’s loud voice: “That… Third Prince, I’ve found what you wanted!”
“Oh?” Shangguan Chen’s eyes lit up, and he asked: “Is it books?”
“Uh…”
Chen Fan, outside the door, clearly felt a sharp gaze on his back. He couldn’t help but shiver, cold sweat pouring down, his voice even taking on a hint of a cry:
“Third Prince, please don’t tease me!”
Hearing his voice, Shangguan Chen realized something and didn’t continue to ask, merely saying indifferently: “Come in.”
Chen Fan pushed the door open and entered.
Behind him, Xuan Yingxue’s face was somewhat agitated, her heart restless.
The moment the door opened, she peeked her head in to look.
What she saw was still that familiar figure.
The Young Master was half-crouching by the pond, holding something like bait in his hand, constantly throwing it into the pond.
His attire was also no different from Xuan Yingxue’s impression; he was still as simple and scholarly as ever.
A month unseen felt like three years.
This should not be the feeling a Princess should have for an enemy Prince, and as a maid, no less… “Is Third Prince feeding fish?” Chen Fan’s expression was a little curious.
“Just something to do when I’m idle.” Shangguan Chen smiled, not even looking back, just softly saying: “If Fellow Daoist Chen is interested, you can also try.”
“Haha.” Chen Fan laughed heartily, scratched his head, and chuckled: “I’ve never been interested in this kind of thing.”
At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder to himself, was this Third Prince of Great Yan truly the Genius rumored in the outside world?
He didn’t Cultivate all day, just read books, and now he was feeding fish.
Which of the others wasn’t Cultivating with all their might… But muttering aside, he hadn’t forgotten the purpose of his visit, so he smiled and said: “Third Prince, I’ve already found the person you wanted. You take your time, I’ll be leaving now!”
With that, he quickly slipped out and skillfully closed the door, then stood at a distance, quietly guarding. He didn’t want to stay inside for another moment.
Xuan Yingxue was speechless. What did he mean, ‘take your time’???
Soon, her gaze fell upon Shangguan Chen, and a smile returned to her face as she sweetly called out: “Young Master.”
“Hmm?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Shangguan Chen’s hand movements paused, and he looked back in surprise.
Indeed, he saw the familiar young girl.
A plain long dress, hair slightly coiled, a few strands cascading over her shoulders, a delicate appearance.
He was a little surprised and also a little happy, asking: “Qin Xue? How did you come to be here?”
The young girl before him was his maid when he was in the Great Yan palace, whom he had met at a banquet.
He had merely helped her out of a predicament once, and she had insisted on staying by his side.
Seeing her, Shangguan Chen couldn’t help but recall how she looked when she first arrived at his residence.
That was truly… useless at everything, completely unlike a maid.
Thinking that she might also be serving as a maid for the first time, Shangguan Chen felt relieved.
He had once said: “I merely acted on impulse; you don’t need to repay me, and I don’t lack maids. Now that the crisis is over, you don’t need to do this.”
But the young girl was somewhat stubborn, insisting: “I, Qin Xue, keep my word. Since I said I’d be a maid, I won’t change my mind!”
Subsequently, she continuously learned and indeed began to feel like a maid.
To be honest, at that time, Xuan Yingxue simply felt that she was being looked down upon.
How could she, the dignified Great Xuan Princess, lose in such a trivial matter?
However, she didn’t expect that it was precisely because of her unwillingness to admit defeat that she was now falling deeper and deeper.
“Young Master~” Xuan Yingxue quickly came closer to Shangguan Chen, saying with a beaming smile: “Didn’t I tell Young Master before that I had some family matters?”
“So you are a Great Xuan person, but why would Fellow Daoist Chen bring you here?”
“Young Master doesn’t know, but today I was out buying some necessities for my home, when that man suddenly asked me if I was a sensible and well-educated woman. I thought that I had read many books with Young Master and learned many etiquettes, so I agreed, who knew…”
“Who knew that the next moment I would be taken by them, saying that… saying it was to be sent to a certain Prince who had just arrived in the Great Xuan Dynasty… I thought that Prince might be you, so I didn’t resist and let them take me.”
At this point, Xuan Yingxue looked at him with a wistful gaze, her tone somewhat resentful: “Seeing that it really was Young Master, my heart was greatly pleased, but then I thought that Young Master actually had people search for respectable young women…”
At this point, Shangguan Chen understood the whole story. His face was a little awkward, and he said: “So, I’m the one who harmed you…”
“That’s not important. What I want to know is, is Young Master really… so… thirsty…” As she spoke, Xuan Yingxue’s face also turned a little red.
“You’ve misunderstood.” Shangguan Chen shook his head slightly and said: “I only asked Fellow Daoist Chen for books. He misunderstood, and he didn’t give me a chance to explain, so I couldn’t do anything.”
“But all in all… the outcome isn’t bad, is it?”
“So… that’s how it is…” Xuan Yingxue’s heart felt a little relieved, and the weight on her mind completely lifted.
She knew that Su Chen wouldn’t do such a thing.
It’s just… what a Chen Fan, how dare he lie to me!
These are minor matters; the most important thing is that he almost affected Su Chen’s image in her heart!
It seems I need to find an opportunity to give him a good talking-to!
“Then Young Master, it’s perfect, I’ll continue to stay here and serve you!” Xuan Yingxue said with a happy face.
Shangguan Chen, however, shook his head and said: “No, this is not Great Yan. I myself am living day to day, so how can I let you stay? You should leave quickly.”
“…” Xuan Yingxue’s smile froze on her face. She took a deep breath and continued: “Young Master doesn’t need to worry. I am a Great Xuan person. As the Third Prince of Great Yan, even here, you need someone to take care of your daily life. They shouldn’t do anything to a weak woman like me.”
“No.” Shangguan Chen’s attitude was firm.
Xuan Yingxue felt annoyed in her heart, but her face still wore its usual smile. She took a step forward, held Shangguan Chen’s hand, and gently swayed it, pouting playfully:
“Young Master, please let me stay~ Otherwise… otherwise I’ll stand by the door every day until you agree!”
Xuan Yingxue herself couldn’t stand her current appearance anymore.
As The Eldest Princess of Great Xuan, her personality had always been quite strong; she had never acted so coquettishly towards a man before.
If anyone were to see her like this, they would probably think the sky had fallen… How was this the cold Princess they knew? She was clearly a little woman in love!
Shangguan Chen fell silent. He was somewhat helpless.
If she truly acted that way, he really wouldn’t have any way to deal with it.
Xuan Yingxue had found his weakness.
“Alright then.” Shangguan Chen finally agreed.
It would be good to have someone to relieve the boredom.
“Qin Xue, grind the ink. I want to write.”
“Alright!”
One incense stick later, inside the room, Shangguan Chen sat quietly at the table, a pristine sheet of paper spread out on the desktop.
Xuan Yingxue, meanwhile, obediently ground the ink beside him.
Shangguan Chen picked up the brush, thought for a moment, and then wrote a line of large characters.
“The Roc rises with the wind in a single day, soaring ninety thousand li high…”
Xuan Yingxue couldn’t help but read it aloud, her beautiful eyes shining with brilliance.
Is this your state of mind at this moment?
Soaring ninety thousand li high… Her eyes sparkled; the Shangguan Chen before her seemed to be glowing all over, making her unable to look away.
“Young Master’s poetry is getting better and better.”
“Is it? I’d rather you praise my calligraphy more.” Shangguan Chen laughed heartily. The poem wasn’t his, but the calligraphy was genuinely his own work.
Compared to praising the poem, praising his calligraphy made him happier.
It could be said that to impress Xuan Yingxue, these precious poems from his previous life also played a certain role… As time grew late, the two inside didn’t feel anything.
But Chen Fan outside was no longer calm.
“It’s this late, and Her Highness the Princess still hasn’t come out. Nothing could have happened, could it? What exactly are they doing in there?”
He felt somewhat anxious in his heart.
That was the Princess of Great Xuan. If she were truly defiled, even dying ten thousand times would be too light a punishment for him!