“That day… I went a bit too far with my words.” Lin Tingwan’s voice was a few decibels lower than usual, her fingers unconsciously twirling the ribbon tied around her waist. “You know I’m straightforward, I say whatever comes to mind, so please don’t take it to heart.”
After saying this, the tips of her ears were already slightly red, clearly indicating that this apology was quite difficult for her.
Shen Jintang quietly gazed at the proud princess before her, even her apology was so haughty.
Moonlight streamed through the carved lattice windows on the palace walls, casting dappled shadows on Lin Tingwan's face and making her expression appear even more complex.
Shen Jintang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a perfectly timed smile: "Princess, you don't need to take it to heart."
Her voice was gentle, but carried a clear sense of distance. After speaking, she prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Lin Tingwan hurriedly stepped forward, her fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, unconsciously clenching her sleeves.
She seemed to realize her lapse in composure and took a small step back, but the urgency in her eyes was unmistakable. "Actually... there is something else I need to trouble you with, Lord Siyan."
Shen Jintang stood in the shadow cast by the palace wall, half of her face hidden in the darkness, making it impossible to see her expression.
She nodded slightly: "Please speak, Princess."
Lin Tingwan took a deep breath, her voice unconsciously lowering a few decibels: "It's about... my marriage to your brother Shen Huaixu..."
At this point, two red clouds suddenly appeared on her cheeks, and her neck was also tinged with pink, but she continued, "The Ministry of Rites is very slow in its work. My mother has urged them several times, but they always say that the auspicious day needs to be carefully selected, the wedding dress needs to be re-embroidered, and there are one tedious thing after another."
Her speech became faster and faster, and by the end, she almost sounded aggrieved.
She knew in her heart that the people in the Ministry of Rites simply didn't care about her matter and were deliberately delaying things.
Suddenly, Lin Tingwan reached out and grabbed Shen Jintang's sleeve, the force so strong that Shen Jintang could feel her fingertips trembling: "You've been managing things in the palace for a long time, if you could help supervise things..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Jintang understood Lin Tingwan's meaning: she simply wanted Lin Tingwan's help with the wedding arrangements.
But why would she bother with this?
Shen Jintang looked down at the hand that was grabbing her sleeve.
Lin Tingwan's fingers were slender and long, with begonia flower patterns carefully drawn on her nails, but they were slightly white from the pressure she was applying.
Suddenly, Shen Jintang's gaze followed the palace path into the distance, and she suddenly remembered that the East Palace was right next to the Jade Palace where Lin Tingwan lived.
"We're all family now, Lord Siyan won't refuse, will he?"
Seeing that Shen Jintang was slow to answer, Lin Tingwan hurriedly added.
Her eyes shone brightly, brimming with anticipation. "Once we're married, we'll be a proper family."
Lin Tingwan naturally understood that her current behavior was inappropriate, even quite out of line, but her life in the palace was probably not as glamorous as it seemed.
Although she held the title of princess, she was not the emperor's biological child.
Those palace maids and eunuchs were respectful on the surface, but they probably gossiped a lot behind the scenes.
“I understand what you mean, Princess. However, if you want to get married as soon as possible, there will be many trivial matters. I live outside the palace, and many things will be delayed if I go back and forth.” Shen Jintang suggested casually, but her voice was somewhat troubled: “But living in the palace requires approval from above.”
"This is easy!" Lin Tingwan's eyes lit up immediately, and two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.
She excitedly took half a step forward, and the rich scent of roses wafted over her. "Now that Mother is in charge of palace affairs, I'll go and tell her right away."
She added impatiently, "You will stay in the west wing of my palace. It's quiet there and close to the Ministry of Rites."
As Shen Jintang watched Lin Tingwan's joyful figure disappear into the distance, his gaze gradually deepened.
She recalled the ministers who had been frequently received by the Crown Prince's palace recently; those people were all core figures in the Crown Prince's faction.
Living so close to the Eastern Palace would indeed make it easier to gather information.
The western side of Yutang Palace, right next to the East Palace, is an excellent vantage point for observation.
"Then I will trouble you, Princess."
Shen Jintang nodded slightly, a subtle, unreadable meaning flashing in his eyes.
Lin Tingwan was completely oblivious to the change in Shen Jintang's expression, and was still enthusiastically talking about what pattern to use for the wedding dress and what dishes to prepare for the wedding banquet.
The gentle moonlight of spring shone on the two of them, casting long shadows.
One is like a swallow hopping on a branch, full of vitality; the other is like a deep pool, calm on the surface but with undercurrents surging beneath.
——
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the palace gates opened a crack, and Gu Zhixing barged in with Chongyang in a flurry of activity.
"I knew that Shen Jintang's arrival at the palace would bring nothing but trouble!"
Gu Zhixing strode towards Yutang Palace, the jade pendant at his waist jingling with each hurried step.
He waited in the mansion until the third watch last night, changing the tea three times, but in the end, he received a message from a palace servant saying that Shen Siyan was staying in the palace to help the princess prepare for her wedding and would not be returning tonight.
What's most infuriating is that by the time he realized he needed to go to the palace to demand the person back, the palace gates were already locked.
Gu Zhixing was so angry that he couldn't sleep all night, and there were still dark circles under his eyes.
He gritted his teeth, thinking that Shen Jintang, that shrewd woman, must have timed the message perfectly.
"Young Master, please slow down..."
Chongyang jogged to keep up, fine beads of sweat already appearing on his forehead.
Gu Zhixing ignored him and walked even faster.
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