As soon as Hongli entered, he saw Lan Rong's figure and his brows furrowed slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Lan Rong smiled and said, "I have just entered the manor and am not familiar with it, so I thought I would like to visit you here, sister."

She wasn't just making a casual visit. Yunfang spoke frankly in front of the Fourth Prince, "The Consort said she wanted to know what dishes the Fourth Prince likes to eat, so she came specifically to ask the Princess to teach her how to cook. The Consort is really thoughtful. Our Princess is ashamed of herself!"

Yunfang's smile was laced with sarcasm, her words dripping with barbs, her mockery quite obvious. Lan Rong thought to herself: "These maids in Huatang Pavilion are far too audacious!" She had expected Hongli to reprimand Yunfang, but to her surprise, Hongli remained calm, turning coldly to her and saying:

"My preferences are the kitchen's business. As a concubine, you should just enjoy yourself and don't need to study cooking or try to figure out my thoughts."

She meant well! Lan Rong never expected Hongli to react this way!

Surprised, she dared not refute, and respectfully curtsied, "Yes, I will follow Fourth Master's teachings."

Hongli then ordered her to leave. Lan Rong didn't understand what she had done wrong, but she didn't dare to argue. She could only leave with her peach blossom eyes darkening.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Su Yushan remained silent. After everyone left, she got up and went straight into the inner room, completely ignoring Hongli's existence.

Hongli then took the box from Li Yu's hand, followed her into the inner room, placed the box on the table, and opened it himself. "This is Xu's honey twisted dough stick. I remember you like to eat this."

Su Yushan didn't even glance at her, turning away abruptly. "I suddenly don't like it anymore today."

This was so sudden! It was clearly aimed at him! Knowing that Yu Shan was angry with him, Hongli didn't mind and his smile remained unchanged.

"It's alright, there are other things if you don't like them."

As he spoke, he opened another box. “This is a beeswax bracelet from Baoyunzhai. Try it on and see if it fits. If it’s too big, you can remove a few beads.”

Su Yushan didn't bother to look up and said in a low voice, "I don't like amber. The concubine wore a pair of amber earrings today, so I suppose she likes them. Fourth Prince, you should give them to her!"

The way he talks makes him sound like the kind of person who would do something like that. "This was chosen for you; how could I give it away to someone else?"

Su Yushan ignored him, while Hongli chuckled to himself, "Even if you don't like me, I'll keep you for now. Who knows, I might like you someday?"

No matter what he said, she remained indifferent, neither annoyed nor smiling.

Recalling what Yunfang had just said, Hongli could already imagine the scene before he returned. "Do you not like socializing with Lanrong? Then just tell her directly. There's no need to force yourself."

To speak frankly? One must have the confidence to do so. "She is a concubine. If I were to bluntly send her away, wouldn't that be disrespectful to the concubine?"

These words, though not harsh, pierced his heart, filling Hongli with guilt. "If I could promote you to the rank of concubine, you would be able to sit on equal footing with her and wouldn't have to be mindful of her feelings. It's my fault for not keeping my promise."

Why is he bringing that up for no reason? "I never blamed you for that, don't try to confuse the issue."

“I know you don’t blame me, but I blame myself. I always wanted to protect you, but I couldn’t give you a high position, which put you in an awkward situation and forced you to socialize with people against your will.”

Su Yushan should have advised him not to blame himself, but she was in a bad mood today and too lazy to comfort others. She just chuckled and said, "The concubine is so caring towards the Fourth Prince. This is your good fortune!"

Sensing a hint of sourness in the air, Hongli walked to the edge of the tent, sat down beside her, and took the initiative to apologize.

"It was my fault for being careless today. I thought she was just being polite yesterday. I never expected her to actually come to you to learn how to cook. Don't worry, this kind of thing won't happen again. I will handle it properly."

Su Yushan gave a soft "hmm," her eyes remaining indifferent, and said no more. Hongli felt a little flustered and gently took her hand, saying softly:

"Yushan, are you still angry with me? You've really misunderstood. Five years ago, how old was I? Only fourteen or fifteen years old. What did I know about love and romance?"

No wonder people don't understand; "Fourteen or fifteen years old is the age when one's heart begins to flutter with love."

Hongli felt wronged. "To others, it might be the first stirrings of love, but I am a prince. I am only focused on studying and practicing martial arts to gain my father's attention. How could I have time to think about romantic feelings?"

"That's between the two of you. Only you two know the truth. I don't know you, and I don't know anything about you."

Speaking of youth, Hongli wanted to ask a question: "What about when you were fourteen or fifteen? You were already engaged to Zheng Lin, and you considered him your future husband. You were in love with him. I didn't hold your relationship with Zheng Lin against you, but you got angry with me over such a small matter. That's not fair to me!"

These words make it sound like he's incredibly magnanimous. "You didn't hold a grudge, you weren't angry? Who was it that threw a tantrum and argued with me back then?"

Uh…it does seem to be him. Feeling guilty, Hongli coughed lightly. “I was angry, but no matter how much we argued or made a scene, I was always the one who gave in first. Who told me to like you!”

"Yu Shan, didn't you say that everyone has their own past? Since it's in the past, we shouldn't dwell on it. Besides, I never liked Lan Rong; I was only grateful for her saving my life. You, however, genuinely liked Zheng Lin. I've forgiven you for that, so please forgive me this once too. Don't be angry, okay?"

The original owner of this body loved Zheng Lin. She had never been attracted to any other man; her heart and soul were pure, completely devoted to Hongli alone. He wasn't entirely pure, but she convinced herself not to care, only hoping his heart belonged solely to her. However, now, Su Yushan could no longer be sure if another woman lingered in his heart, simply because he was so gentle with Lan Rong.

"You went through life and death together, met again after five years, and now she is right beside you, so close to you. Facing someone who saved your life, your feelings for her are ultimately different from your feelings for others."

This is what Su Yushan cares about most. He and the Fujin have a child, which she can ignore. Even if he obeys the emperor's order and is forced to consummate the marriage with the concubine, she can force herself to ignore it. As long as he is not tempted, she can understand.

But this concubine had actually done him a favor, and Hongli was clearly very lenient with her, so Su Yushan could no longer be as calm as before.

Blinking her sore eyelashes, Su Yushan let out a long sigh and said softly:

“I’m not feeling well, so I can’t smile. I’m not deliberately giving you the cold shoulder, and I won’t run away. Life goes on. Give me some time, and I’ll convince myself to accept all the changes as soon as possible, and then I’ll continue to smile at you.”

Holding her tightly by the shoulders, Hongli forced her to turn to face him and solemnly declare her position.

“Nothing has changed, Yushan. The person I love has always been you, and you are the only one I can never forget! Lan Rong was just a concubine that Father Emperor assigned to me. Before that, I always thought she was dead and didn’t know she was still alive. I have no contact with her. It’s purely a coincidence. Everything I say is true. You have to believe me!”