The following day, in the afternoon.
On a fine spring day, golden sunlight lazily spilled onto the deep, verdant courtyard of the Shen residence, bathing the carved beams and painted rafters in a warm glow. The air was filled with the fresh scent of newly sprouted plants and the delicate fragrance of flowers. It should have been a peaceful and tranquil afternoon.
However, when the seemingly simple yet understatedly elegant blue-curtained carriage, surrounded by several plainclothes guards with composed demeanor and sharp eyes, came to a steady stop outside the side gate of the Shen residence, this tranquility was instantly shattered by an invisible, suffocating tension.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!" When the old steward of the gatehouse saw the face of the young man who stepped out of the carriage, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe with cloud patterns and with a tall and straight posture, he was so shocked that his soul almost left his body, his legs went weak and he almost knelt down, and his voice changed.
The news, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirred up a tidal wave in the inner quarters of the Shen family mansion.
"What?! His Highness the Crown Prince? He's come to our house?" Madam Shen, who was fiddling with her prayer beads in the small Buddhist shrine, abruptly stood up upon hearing this. The sandalwood prayer beads in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," and her face instantly turned deathly pale. The Crown Prince! What a noble and sensitive identity that was! How could he have come to their humble Minister's residence without any warning?
"Quickly! Quickly invite the master back! Also, have Bai'er ask for leave and return home immediately!" Madam Shen tried to remain calm, but her voice trembled uncontrollably. She hurriedly instructed her personal maid while frantically tidying her clothes and hair. She felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest, as if it would burst out of her chest.
The entire Shen residence erupted into chaos, like an anthill thrown into boiling water. The servants held their breath, their footsteps barely touching the ground, yet carrying a silent panic. The servants stood with their heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound; a sense of impending doom hung in the air.
The "Shuyu Pavilion" where Shen Yuewei was located was shocked to death by this sudden news.
"Clang!"
The jade teacup with lotus scroll design slipped from Shen Yuewei's hand and shattered on the polished floor tiles. The scalding tea splashed onto the hem of her skirt, but she was completely unaware.
Crown Prince... Xiao Chengjing!
The name exploded in her mind like a thunderbolt carrying blood! Her vision turned blood red in an instant, as if she had returned to the moment of her near death in her previous life—the metallic taste churning in her throat, the excruciating pain of her internal organs being torn apart, and his face, which was incomparably handsome, yet uttered the most vicious words in the world!
Why is he here?! Why?! Could it be... could it be that he discovered something? Discovered that she was reborn? Or... the trajectory of fate cannot be changed after all, and he came knocking on her door ahead of time?
A tremendous fear, like an icy tide, instantly engulfed and froze her! The blood in her limbs seemed to freeze at that moment, and a bone-chilling cold shot up her spine to the top of her head, causing her to tremble uncontrollably and her teeth to chatter.
"Miss! Miss, what's wrong? Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!" Chun Tao was terrified and rushed over to support the swaying Shen Yuewei. Her hands were icy cold, and cold sweat had soaked through Shen Yuewei's inner garment. Chun Tao had never seen her young mistress so distraught. The pale face and the fear and hatred that suddenly surged in her eyes, almost tangible, made Chun Tao's heart pound.
“He…he…” Shen Yuewei’s lips trembled as she tried to say something, but her throat felt like it was being choked by an invisible hand, and she couldn’t utter a complete sound. She suddenly grabbed Chun Tao’s arm, her nails digging deep into the other’s flesh, like a drowning person grabbing the last piece of driftwood, her body trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.
"Miss! That's His Highness the Crown Prince! He's a nobleman! You...you must be terrified!" Chun Tao, enduring the pain, was on the verge of tears as she stammered, trying to comfort her, "Madam said you must quickly change your clothes and get ready to go to the front hall to pay your respects! You can't be negligent!"
A greeting? To meet the executioner who killed her and her child? To bow to him?
A wave of nausea mixed with extreme fear surged up her throat. Shen Yuewei bent over abruptly and began to gag violently. Her stomach churned, but she couldn't vomit anything; only cold bile burned her esophagus.
"No...I won't go...I won't go..." She curled up, squeezing out broken syllables with all her might, each word filled with a dying despair. She couldn't see him! Absolutely not! The memories of her tragic death in her past life, like a leech, were now fully activated, tearing at her nerves with madness. Just the thought of being near him, seeing him, smelling his scent... was enough to completely shatter her!
---
lobby.
The atmosphere was as heavy as solidified amber. Minister Shen rushed back from the yamen, still in his official robes, his forehead damp with sweat. He and Shen Wenbai, who had also rushed back, stood bowed and respectfully below. Shen Wensong was also summoned from the study. His small frame was ramrod straight, his face taut, showing the instinctive tension a child would feel when facing absolute pressure.
Xiao Chengjing sat upright in the main seat, his posture relaxed, his slender fingers casually playing with a flawless mutton-fat jade pendant at his waist. He was not wearing the crown prince's usual clothes, but a moon-white brocade robe with cloud patterns that accentuated his handsome face and refined, otherworldly air, with even a very faint, just-right, gentle smile on his lips.
But that smile didn't reach his eyes at all. Those deep, cold eyes seemed to calmly scan the respectful Shen father and son in the hall, but in reality, all his senses and all his attention were like the most intricate net, silently cast towards the hanging flower curtain leading to the inner hall.
He casually inquired about Shen Wensong's studies, his voice gentle and encouraging. Minister Shen and Shen Wenbai responded cautiously, choosing their words carefully, afraid of making the slightest mistake. Only their cautious replies echoed in the hall, along with Xiao Chengjing's occasional brief responses that revealed no emotion.
Time flowed slowly in the suffocating silence.
Finally, a very faint rustling sound of clothes rubbing together and slightly hurried footsteps came from the inner hall.
It's here!
Xiao Chengjing's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the jade pendant, his knuckles turning slightly white. He maintained his composed demeanor as a gentle gentleman, even picking up the celadon teacup beside him and taking an elegant sip, but his gaze, like that of a hawk locking onto its prey, was precisely and sharply fixed on the direction where the curtain had been lifted.
Madam Shen was the first to enter the front hall. She tried to remain calm, with a respectful and proper smile on her face, but her slightly trembling fingertips and the trace of panic remaining in her eyes did not escape Xiao Chengjing's eyes.
Immediately afterwards, a slender and frail figure appeared behind the curtain, half-supported and almost half-dragged by Madam Shen.
Shen Yuewei!
Xiao Chengjing's breath hitched almost imperceptibly the moment he saw that face!
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