When Zhu Yulu saw the two of them enter the room together, she put down her books and came out from behind her desk. "You two have come together. Please sit down."
"I happened to meet Lord Shen outside the palace," Wang Lishun said, moving a round stool to the side and placing it behind Qingchen. "Lord Shen, please have a seat."
Zhu Yuluo quickly stopped him, "Master Wang, your hands have always been bad... just have a servant come."
"Your Highness, although my hand was burned in the fire, it's no problem for me to move a stool for Lord Shen." He touched his hand and said, "Lord Shen, I know you are exceptionally intelligent and capable of assisting His Highness the Crown Prince and offering him advice. Just now, I was puzzled to see that you were unwilling to talk to me, and I don't know where I offended you. If I have done anything wrong, I hope you will enlighten me and forgive me."
He first adopted a humble posture to gain sympathy, then subtly implied that she was arrogant and conceited. He was indeed a cunning person.
Qingchen looked at him calmly and said, "Lord Wang entered the Eastern Palace before me and is older than me. He is my senior. How could Qingchen dare to be disrespectful to you? During the Three Kingdoms period, when Dong Zhuo entered the capital, Cao Cao had no choice but to take a shortcut back to his hometown. When he passed by the house of his friend Lü Boshe, Cao Cao saw that his family was sharpening their knives and mistakenly thought they were going to kill him. So he struck first and killed them all. Later, he realized that Lü Boshe was just preparing to slaughter a pig to entertain him. He had misunderstood. Afterwards, he tried to defend himself, but all he could say was, 'I would rather betray others than be betrayed by them.'"
"The same applies to today's events. Just now outside the hall, Qingchen was about to cough, but fearing he would be impolite in front of Lord Wang, he refrained from speaking to him. This is probably why you misunderstood."
Since Wang Lishun wanted to sow discord and tarnish her image, she used the example of Cao Cao to imply that he had misunderstood her. Her intention was not to be rude to him and was well-intentioned, while he might be overly suspicious, or like Cao Cao, he might be trying to preemptively slander an innocent person.
She presented this possibility to Zhu Yuluo, and even if Zhu Yuluo didn't believe it, he would at least consider it from this perspective.
Zhu Yuluo's favorite story is from the Three Kingdoms period. In their last conversation, he quoted Liu Bei's saying, "If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them." He must have heard the story of Cao Cao as well.
In truth, arguing is pointless, and Qingchen would normally disdain such things. However, today she needs to discuss the horse race with Zhu Yuluo, and to ensure the plan proceeds smoothly, it's best not to let Zhu Yuluo misunderstand her at this time.
Furthermore, Wang Lishun's deliberate attempt to gain sympathy by showing off his injured hand reminded her of Xu Silin. She hadn't seen him when she passed by the Hanlin Academy lecture hall these past two days. Although he only suffered a minor injury, it was ultimately for her sake, and she still felt a little guilty.
Wang Lishun was deliberately bringing up sensitive topics and spouting such nonsense. He had even slandered her to the Crown Prince before she came to the Eastern Palace, so there was no need for her to continue to tolerate him.
"Since Lord Wang and I are both already in the Eastern Palace, we are both advisors to His Highness the Crown Prince," Qingchen continued calmly. "When we look at each other, we should first believe that the other person has good intentions, rather than speculating that the other person harbors malice. Only in this way can we trust each other, work together, and assist the Crown Prince. Don't you agree?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Lishun's expression immediately darkened. This man had shrewdly shifted the focus of the issue to his attitude towards people in just a few words! However, he was very confident in himself, or rather, he trusted Zhu Yuluo implicitly. For over five years, Zhu Yuluo had always placed unwavering faith in him. No matter what others said, he only trusted himself.
He looked at Zhu Yuluo with confidence, waiting for this person who had always trusted and relied on him to speak up for him.
The young crown prince looked at the two who were at odds and was momentarily at a loss. The candlelight flickered gently on his handsome, still somewhat childish face.
A moment later, he had someone bring a stool for Wang Lishun, raised his hand and said, "Alright, alright, since it's a misunderstanding, let's just let it go. Both of you masters, please don't take it to heart."
Regarding the two conflicting accounts, Zhu Yulu thought this way: Qingchen had a gentle temperament and was willing to calmly and carefully examine so many scrolls; he didn't seem like an arrogant person. Master Wang must have the same preconceived notions as Zhu Yulu initially, believing that Qingchen was bewitching the emperor and currying favor with treacherous officials, and still harbored misunderstandings about him.
He should talk to Master Wang and analyze it with him properly; he'll surely understand quickly.
No matter what, the hands that saved me from the fire will always be the hands I trust the most.
He didn't want to wrong either of these two people.
"Please have a seat, both of you."
After hearing Zhu Yuluo's words, Wang Lishun felt a chill in his heart.
Zhu Yuluo's decision to not take sides was, in his eyes, helping Shen Qingchen. Because in the past, whenever someone offended him, Zhu Yuluo was always the first to stand up for them, never uttering such a balanced statement.
What makes Shen Qingchen so special? He's only been in the Eastern Palace for a short time, so why is he on equal footing with him?
Looking at Qingchen, Wang Lishun felt a tightness in his chest, a feeling he couldn't swallow.
Wait.
Seeing that neither of them was speaking, Zhu Yuluo assumed that the misunderstanding had been resolved and put her mind at ease, so she started talking about serious matters.
The twelve-year-old boy opened his bright eyes and said happily to Qingchen, "As you said the other day, I pretended not to agree to the Chagatai Khanate's horse race. Sure enough, they showed a smug look and implied that our Great Ming has no one to rely on. In two days it will be the Lantern Festival, and the palace will hold a banquet to entertain them. At that time, Master Shen will attend with me."
When Zhu Yuluo said these words, he didn't even realize that he had changed his way of addressing her from calling her by her name to calling her "Master," just like he did with Wang Lishun.
This layer of trust and intimacy, which even he himself was unaware of, caused Wang Lishun's gaze to falter.
The banquet at the palace for the Lantern Festival was of a higher standard than that for New Year's Day, reserved only for foreign envoys and high-ranking officials. In addition to the feast, they were also invited to watch fireworks. Shen Qingchen was merely a sixth-rank official, yet Zhu Yuluo wanted to bring her along? He had never brought her before.
Wang Lishun thought for a moment and couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, the Lantern Festival banquet is for distinguished guests only. This might not be in accordance with custom..."
"It's alright." The young crown prince raised his hand, and a four-clawed yellow dragon on his thin shoulder moved accordingly. "I am the Crown Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty."
“If he can’t even bring one person to the banquet, what kind of crown prince is he?” he said, his gaze falling on Qingchen, his youthful eyes revealing determination. “Master Chen, you can attend with peace of mind, and give me some pointers on how to handle things. Make sure they agree to the conditions and bets for the horse race.”
Qingchen nodded slightly, "Yes."
Zhu Yulu was only twelve years old after all. Facing the envoy of the Chagatai Khanate, she was worried that he might make a mistake, so she watched from the side to be able to respond accordingly.
"That day, there will be beautiful fireworks in the palace, and a game of guessing riddles." Zhu Yulu smiled and said to Qingchen with a childlike tone, "You will definitely like it too."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
At this point, a palace attendant reminded Zhu Yuluo that it was time for him to go to the Wenhua Hall for a lecture, so Qingchen and Wang Lishun left his study first.
As Shen Qingchen stepped down the stairs, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.
She involuntarily bent down slightly, one hand instinctively covering her abdomen. A series of sharp, pulling pains throbbed in her lower abdomen, feeling heavy and dull.
Wang Lishun glanced at her, a suspicion rising in his mind, and asked, "What's wrong, Lord Shen? You seem to be in great pain?"
Qingchen forced himself to sit up and said, enduring the pain, "It's nothing, I guess... I ate something bad during the New Year."
"Oh? In this freezing weather, eating only hot food, how could he get an upset stomach?" Wang Lishun asked suspiciously. "Could it be that Lord Shen has some hidden illness?"
If this hidden ailment is serious, she cannot stay by the Crown Prince's side.
Qingchen smiled at him, "If an upset stomach is considered a hidden ailment, then everyone has hidden ailments, including Lord Wang."
Wang Lishun left with some doubt, while Qingchen, clutching the books, endured the pain and walked out of Cining Palace.
She didn't expect that her period would suddenly start.
Because of insufficient nutrition when she was young, she has always been in poor health, with weak blood and qi, a cold constitution, and irregular menstruation, which causes her to experience severe lower abdominal pain every time she has her period.
In the past few days, she has been feeling down and hasn't been getting enough rest. Coupled with the accumulated fatigue, her menstrual cramps have been particularly severe this time.
By the time my afternoon shift ended, the pain hadn't improved much.
When Qingchen left the Daming Gate, it was already dark.
Her lower abdomen still ached intermittently, as if something was gouging at her body, accompanied by spasms. She had to bend down and rest every now and then, because the pain was unbearable.
Despite the freezing weather, her forehead was beaded with sweat, her face was pale, and her delicate eyebrows were furrowed.
At that moment, a large cloak was draped over her back.
She turned around, paused for a moment, and saw it was Song Yue.
Song Yue had just finished approving official documents in the cabinet and stepped out of the Daming Gate when he saw a familiar figure. Her body was slightly hunched over, and her hands were clutching her abdomen. At that moment, her expression was listless, and her face was paler than he had ever seen before.
He realized what had happened almost instantly.
"Get in the car."
Once inside the carriage, Qingchen sat close to Song Yue, the waves of pain in her lower abdomen becoming increasingly pronounced, her body drenched in cold sweat. She instinctively clutched her abdomen, tilted her head back against the carriage wall, and breathed heavily with her eyes closed.
Song Yue stretched out his long arm, put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her body into his embrace, telling her to lean on his shoulder.
She was thin; even though she wore a thick winter robe, it still couldn't fill his long arms. Her slender body was as supple as if boneless. A faint ray of light shone through the curtain, falling on the side of her neck, her delicate skin as white as snow.
"That...is here?" he asked softly.
"Hmm," Qingchen said weakly.
He covered them both with his cloak and held her even tighter. "What can I do?"
Qingchen shook his head slightly, "There's nothing we can do about this kind of pain."
He lowered his eyes to look at her. "Then get some rest. I'll stay with you."
"Um……"
Qingchen agreed and let out a soft breath. If it weren't for meeting her, he really didn't know when he would have gotten home today.
Inside the carriage, the stove burned brightly, making everyone feel warm. His body was as solid as a wall, and also very warm. She pressed herself tightly against him, a feeling that made her feel secure, as if there was nothing to fear. Her lower abdomen seemed to be feeling a little better.
However, she still couldn't fall asleep.
After a while, Qingchen opened her eyes and looked up at Song Yue.
"What's wrong? Can't sleep?" he asked softly.
"Hmm...Are you angry?"
Why are you angry?
“Xu Silin was injured that day, and I felt guilty and conflicted. I didn’t know how to tell you, so I hurriedly moved back home.” She paused for a moment and continued, “He is Xu Yan’s son, but he is also my classmate. Sometimes, I feel like I don’t know how to face him.”
“I understand.” He looked at her gently and stroked the downy hair on her forehead. “Anyone with a conscience can’t be at peace with themselves. Even if they’re dealing with… the son of a treacherous official. I’m just worried that you’ll lose your appetite and harm your health because of this. How could I be angry with you?”
Qingchen remained silent for a long while, then looked up at him, feeling a warmth in her heart. He was always so calm and composed, so rational and mature in his view of the world, and so understanding and tolerant of her.
"What are you thinking about?"
"It seems like I've never seen you from this angle before, teacher."
"Is it good-looking or not?"
She smiled slightly upon hearing this, "I thought that Your Excellency only cared about the country and its people, but I didn't know that you also care about appearance."
He raised an eyebrow and said, "Anyone will care about the person they like."
Looking into his dark, deep eyes and his incomparably handsome face, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed and looked away.
"Is your stomach feeling any better?" he asked.
"Um."
He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead. "This shouldn't make it worse, right?"
"..."
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