A few days later, Zhan Xinjia received another letter from Yan Huishi—

If that thing can be called a belief.

Having learned from past mistakes, this time Zhan Xinjia immediately extended a warm invitation to Master Shen to appreciate the "pig's head meat" literature created by Yan Huishi.

At that time, Shen Suqing was washing dishes in the kitchen.

The young man, with his sleeves rolled up and a washed-out gray-white blouse tied around his waist, was standing in front of the stove, meticulously rinsing the bowls and chopsticks with cold water and wiping them clean with a white cloth before neatly stacking them into the cupboard.

The white porcelain bowls and plates he washed shone brightly in the sunlight, glistening with dew and spotless.

Seeing the little girl come in holding up a note, Shen Suqing smiled helplessly.

"Don't come any closer, there's a lot of ash here. Let me clean it up first."

Zhan Xinjia obediently turned the corner, walked to the dining table by the window, dragged out a chair, and sat down.

She rested her chin on her hand.

Young Master Shen is very efficient at his work.

After washing the dishes, he boiled water and wiped the stove. After wiping the stove, he carried a basin of water and sprinkled cold water little by little under the stove to prevent any dust from spilling out. Finally, he fetched water to wipe his slightly sweaty face and washed his hands clean, leaving him looking refreshed.

When he walked over and pulled out a chair to sit down, Zhan Xinjia curiously took one of his hands, which was cold from being soaked in water, and touched it. She could feel a very obvious layer of thin calluses on his fingertips and palm.

It seems a bit out of place on such a pair of slender, pale hands.

She used to think it was from holding a pen all year round, but now it seems it was from doing housework.

Shen Suqing did not pull his hand away, but chuckled lightly, letting her play with it as she pleased.

"Huh? Didn't you want to see me about something?"

"Oh, right! Yan Hui actually replied. I think he's also been poisoned by the Yan family's old prescription."

Suddenly reminded of their important matter, Zhan Xinjia unfolded the note, and the two curiously squeezed together in front of the kitchen table, propping their heads up to read it—

"I'm crazy, I really am crazy!"

I am already infatuated with you, young lady. If you are unwilling to consummate our relationship, I will fall ill with lovesickness. I wonder if you would be willing to send me three of my own beautiful private paintings to ease my longing and offer some solace.

It must be without makeup, freshly applied.

And this painting is of me, are you not satisfied?

Then, a small portrait of himself, which he thought was handsome when the wild geese returned, floated out from between the pages of the paper, swirled around, and quietly landed.

On the portrait, the wild geese are crookedly smiling with a wicked grin.

The air was eerily quiet.

Zhan Xinjia: "..."

Shen Suqing: "..."

Zhan Xinjia: "Hey! Master Shen, we just finished eating, why are you chopping vegetables again?"

Seeing the young man get up with a gloomy face and take the kitchen knife from his side, Zhan Xinjia, who was completely confused, quickly spoke up.

Shen Suqing's shoes mercilessly trampled over the "handsome little portrait" that had fallen to the ground, crushing it into the mud and ash.

Stopped by Zhan Xinjia, he put down the knife, but after a moment's hesitation, he sneered and turned to leave with a sinister and unpredictable expression.

"I'm going to change my clothes and go to the palace temporarily. Ah Zhi will stay home and read for a while."

"ah??"

Zhan Xinjia froze, then cautiously and awkwardly asked, "...Will you be able to come back? We're not going to meet again in the prison, are we?...Or at the execution ground near the market?"

At this point, she slid forward and tackled the young man on her knees, grabbing him around the waist.

"Tonic, Lord Shen! Murder is a crime!!"

Shen Suqing understood, of course—but what was a private painting? There were even paintings of people without makeup, painted on the spot, and he even made a wish here? Just thinking about this made Shen Suqing's anger surge, and he couldn't stand it at all!

In Azhi's words, he really gave him too much credit!

Zhan Xinjia coaxed and soothed him, patting his back and massaging his shoulders, until she finally calmed down the young Master Shen, who was so angry he wanted to kill the emperor.

This commotion made her angry too.

Is that idiot Yan Hui Shi crazy? What kind of nonsense is it to harass only her?

After fetching pen and ink from the study, Zhan Xinjia picked up her pen again to reply. This time, her handwriting was even more illegible, and her resentment was even deeper.

"If you harass me again, I'll scatter your ashes within three days!"

Logically speaking, if she spoke to Yan Hui in this tone normally, Lord Shen would definitely have some reservations and would have stopped her.

After all, Lord Shen was a rigid and loyal minister at heart, and he was well aware of the difference between ruler and subject.

Even though it's considered shameful to be the one who initiates the disturbance when the geese return, most of the time, out of affection for the younger generation and respect and awe for the monarch, Lord Shen would turn a blind eye and give the Crown Prince enough face.

But right now he was too angry to care about any of that.

As soon as Ah Zhi finished writing, he immediately stuffed the note into the letterbox on the carrier pigeon's leg and released it.

Finally, even in a terrible mood, he didn't forget to lecture his own child.

"He has a mental problem. I will find an opportunity to advise the Emperor to take the Crown Prince to have his brain checked, but I estimate that even the Imperial Hospital is powerless to help with his condition. We'll have to invite a Taoist priest or shaman into the palace..."

As for Ah Zhi, you should spend less time with him lately.

His child already has mental issues; what if he gets corrupted as well?

Zhan Xinjia nodded obediently, as the recent weather had been so hot that she was practically melting into mud. She just wanted to stay in Master Shen's study with an ice basin and had no intention of going out at all.

To her surprise, after only two days of free time, Yan Huishi actually replied to her letter.

"My love was misplaced, and I am heartbroken."

We'll meet at the bridgehead on the south bank of the river tomorrow at noon.

If you break your promise, I will be forever condemned to the karmic fire of the Red Lotus, and reincarnated as a heartless demon in the cycle of reincarnation. From then on, I will seal my heart and lock away love, abandoning all human emotions and desires, and remain indifferent to everything I do...

What, what, what are all these things?

After reading for a long time, Zhan Xinjia still couldn't understand a single word. What did it mean? Was that kid going to turn into a demon?

Zhan Xinjia crumpled the paper into a ball and sighed.

"Young Master Shen, I think I should go out tomorrow."

Shen Suqing was somewhat displeased. He didn't want Azhi to get too close to the Crown Prince, but if he refused, he would appear to be heartless or too selfish and autocratic.

This is not like the "Master Shen" that Azhi likes.

He endured it all, his knuckles clenched tightly under his sleeves, and finally forced himself to put on a flawless, gentle smile, trying his best to maintain it so that the shadow in his eyes wouldn't be so obvious.

In the bright sunlight, the young man still maintained his refined and scholarly demeanor.

She is gentle and harmless.

"It's very sunny outside, remember to bring an umbrella. I'll come pick you up."

——

Zhan Xinjia actually doesn't often spend time alone with Yan Huishi.

From as far back as she can remember, she, Yan Xiyue, and Yan Huishi were inseparable and always played together. They were like a small group, each indispensable and never abandoning the other.

It used to be alright; Zhan Xinjia could treat Yan Huishi as an older brother, even though he wasn't very reliable and always played around with abstract ideas.

But ever since she learned that the family relationship had deteriorated, she felt that the atmosphere was strange when she was with Yan Huishi…

In the sweltering heat of August, the blazing sun can burn a person until their skin peels off.

The blinding light stung your eyes, your body burned with an intense heat, the sticky air seemed to freeze, and the ground was scorching hot, making you wonder if your shoes would melt under your feet.

The heatwave rippled like water, without a breath of wind.

The two met but showed no embarrassment; instead, they inexplicably burst into laughter.