Song Hengchuan sat in the chair, his face pale and weak.
"Chuan..." Fan Lianyi almost cried out. She choked up and her eyes reddened. Looking at her son whom she had been longing for day and night, she wished she could rush forward and hug him.
Song Hengchuan knew this cousin and felt an instant connection upon their first meeting: "Cousin."
Fan Lianyi patted Song Hengchuan's shoulder: "You've grown so much."
Before the two could even exchange a word, a maidservant came to fetch them: "Young Master, the Princess requests your immediate presence."
Upon hearing this, Song Hengchuan's eyes lit up.
This was the first time the princess had summoned him on her own initiative. He quickly straightened his clothes and prepared to leave, but Fan Lianyi stopped him: "Young Master, I was just about to pay my respects to the princess. Why don't we go together? We can chat for a bit on the way."
Song Hengchuan did not refuse.
Fan Lianyi had been watching Song Hengchuan for who knows how long. While she was pleased, she also felt that Princess Jiahua was too ruthless. As she was pondering this, they arrived at the entrance of Yuehua Pavilion.
Princess Jiahua sat in the courtyard, while Shen Ruyun sat beside her, keeping her company.
They saw the two men arrive.
Shen Ruyun stood up.
"Greetings to the princess," Song Hengchuan said.
Fan Lianyi was heartbroken. The princess wouldn't even let him call her "mother" anymore. Such a person didn't deserve to be a mother at all.
Princess Jia Hua slightly raised her eyelids, glanced at Fan Lianyi sideways, and feigned confusion: "And who is this?"
"Replying to Mother, this is Aunt Fan, who accompanied Grandmother more than twenty years ago." Shen Ruyun's face was slightly pale, and her gaze towards Fan Lianyi was somewhat disdainful.
"Greetings to the princess." Fan Lianyi bowed her head in greeting.
Princess Jia Hua waved her hand magnanimously: "No need for such formalities."
She then turned to Song Hengchuan and asked, "I heard you threw a huge tantrum at Tingyu Pavilion yesterday. Who were you upset with?"
Song Hengchuan's pupils contracted, and he said in a trembling voice, "Princess, I..."
"How old are you? How can you be so petty? You're the eldest son of the family, how can you set a good example for your younger siblings?" Princess Jiahua reprimanded him in public without any politeness, making Song Hengchuan's face turn pale with shame, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Seeing her own son being blamed, Fan Lianyi's heart was breaking. She quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Princess, some things are not the eldest son's fault. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding."
“Misunderstanding?” Princess Jiahua raised an eyebrow and snorted coldly: “It’s already reached me, what misunderstanding is there? You’ve always been careless in your work, and you’re also a vain and foolish person. I’m glad I didn’t consider you my heir, otherwise, the Duke of Jingguo would have been ruined by you sooner or later.”
These words were somewhat insulting, and Fan Lianyi was furious.
But this wasn't the first time Song Hengchuan had heard it; he was already used to it. He silently lowered his head, not daring to utter a single word of rebuttal.
"You worthless brat, get out of the courtyard and kneel down. You are not to get up without my permission!" Princess Jiahua said.
Song Hengchuan was not angry at all; on the contrary, he felt a little excited. The princess had scolded him much harsher before and had even chased him away.
The fact that he was made to kneel at the entrance of Yuehua Pavilion today shows that the princess's heart has gradually warmed up and that she is not completely indifferent to him.
“Princess, there are people coming and going outside the Moonflower Pavilion. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Fan Lianyi said anxiously.
Princess Jia Hua glanced sideways at Song Hengchuan.
"Princess, I'll go kneel down as punishment right away." Song Hengchuan got up and left, kneeling straight at the door, afraid that if he was a step too late the princess would rescind her order.
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