Chapter 121: The Person the Prince Chen Constantly Longs For

In early June, the first batch of potatoes that had been planted had matured; initially I had entrusted Chen Jia to oversee the matter at River Pavilion Manor, and he occasionally sent letters, which were mostly smooth.

Now Chen Jia personally brought back a bountiful harvest and is waiting for her at Treasure Pavilion.

Chen Jia is a subordinate of Xiao Jingyuan, so it's only natural that he arrived at Treasure Pavilion first.

Upon hearing the news, Shen Shuangning immediately had a carriage prepared and set off for Treasure Pavilion; all along the way she thought of the potato harvest, a project she had long prepared for, and now that it had finally borne fruit, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

Who would have expected an mishap midway?

It's nothing serious—just a few galloping horses charging past; the driver swerved to avoid them, struck the carriage shaft against a roadside stone, bending the axle and damaging the wheel.

Shen Shuangning inside the carriage was jolted by the sudden mishap, her upper body swaying to one side, but it was merely a fright and she was unharmed.

"Miss, are you all right?"

Ah Heng hurriedly helped her sit steady; seeing her shake her head indicating no serious trouble, he then jumped out of the carriage, stood on the drawbar, and shouted at those people.

Those people had already spurred their horses to leave, but hearing the shouts they reined in and turned back, their faces showing a hint of unexpected hostility.

Ah Heng took one look at their attire and realized they were people of the Jurchen State; his face darkened and he felt thoroughly displeased.

Shen Shuangning lifted a corner of the curtain, glanced at their attire, naturally knowing who they were, but she did not want to cause trouble.

Just as she was about to tell Ah Heng to come in, the driver sheepishly said, "Miss, the wheel is damaged; fixing it will take a while, but Treasure Pavilion is not far ahead—why don't you get out and walk there?"

Shen Shuangning had no choice but to climb out of the carriage.

The weather was growing hot; she wore a goose-yellow pleated skirt, her spring shirt thin and sheer, accentuating her slender waist, ice‑skin and jade‑bone, her palm‑sized face with delicate features bright and lively, her glances radiating charm.

Although those Jurchen women did not know her identity, they had lingered in Jingcheng for some time and could tell that her bearing and attire were far above that of an ordinary girl; their gazes swept over her, then they did not press closer.

Shen Shuangning pretended not to have seen them, turned to the driver and asked, "About how long will the repair take?"

The driver squatted by the axle to inspect, without looking up he replied, "Miss, it will take at least half an hour. Go on to Treasure Pavilion first; I'll catch up after fixing the cart."

Shen Shuangning nodded and also instructed Ah Heng, "Take the money pouch and seal from the carriage."

She then smoothed her skirt, ignored the Jurchen women, and prepared to leave with Ah Heng.

But those women were somewhat displeased; they had been having an easy time in Jingcheng, and no one had ever treated them like this before.

The leader immediately called out to her, "Hey, who are you?"

Shen Shuangning stopped, frowned, and said, "As envoys of the Jurchen State, is this how you behave?"

These people are attendants of a foreign princess; as the saying goes, like master, like servant. The lead woman, with a high nose and red lips, fixed Shen Shuangning with a hostile stare, as if trying to intimidate this lovely young lady with her gaze.

Shen Shuangning also met her gaze; as their eyes locked, her composure was calm and steady, even exuding a faint oppressive aura, which only heightened the allure of her pretty face.

The woman was inwardly startled.

Clearly she was a delicate young lady incapable of even trussing a chicken, presumably no different from other noblewomen of the capital, confined to the inner chambers, lacking experience and courage—but that gaze… it carried surprising weight.

At that moment, Xie Lin and Su Mu'er emerged together from a nearby shop, Xie Lin still holding something in his hand.

Xie Lin instantly spotted Shen Shuangning confronting the Jurchen women, and he halted.

Meanwhile, Su Mu'er, upon seeing Shen Shuangning's face clearly, immediately shifted her gaze to Xie Lin's face, amused, raising an eyebrow and flashing a mischievous smile.

She then stepped forward and asked what had happened.

Xie Lin, however, did not immediately follow; his legs felt as heavy as if filled with lead.

Su Mu'er was no fool; after clarifying the situation, she coldly rebuked her own attendants, ordering them to hurry over and apologize to Shen Shuangning.

Those people's arrogant bearing vanished in an instant; they hung their heads and walked up to Shen Shuangning, offering a proper apology.

Shen Shuangning was not well acquainted with that foreign princess, but she knew the woman was not malicious; at most, their differing loyalties to the Liang dynasty led her to indulge her subordinates in acting so arrogantly within Jingcheng's territory.

Seeing Su Mu'er handle the matter decisively, Shen Shuangning saw no reason to hold a grudge, and simply said lightly, "Princess, you overstate it; it's merely a misunderstanding, no need to dwell on it."

Shen Shuangning naturally noticed Xie Lin not far away, knew he must be feeling awkward, and intended to leave just then.

However, Su Mu'er was unusually warm toward her and refused to let her go.

"Are you the Fourth Miss of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion?"

Shen Shuangning gave a slight nod: "Exactly."

Su Mu'er smiled, turned and saw Xie Lin still rooted to the spot like a statue, so she waved at him and called out loudly, "What are you doing standing there? Come over!"

Xie Lin then slowly lifted his foot and walked over.

Once he drew near, Su Mu'er naturally took his hand.

In the Jurchen State, men have always been mere appendages of women; Su Mu'er herself keeps many male favorites, so pulling a man's hand in the street is nothing out of the ordinary.

Moreover, he is none other than her future prince consort; let alone holding hands, even kissing would draw no objection.

Xie Lin felt somewhat stiff, forcing himself not to pull his hand away, and dared not look into Shen Shuangning's eyes, only watching the fluttering edge of her goose‑yellow skirt lifted by the breeze.

Su Mu'er pretended not to notice his discomfort, deliberately lacing their fingers together and raising the corner of her mouth, saying, "I've heard that you, Lord Xie, are quite close with the Fourth Miss—is that true?"

Her tone held no jealousy, only a hint of teasing and provocation, like a child who has snatched another's toy and deliberately shows it off.

Shen Shuangning furrowed her brows slightly; she did not like the princess's attitude toward Xie Lin.

She lifted her eyes to glance at Xie Lin, whose face had turned slightly pallid, then replied lightly, "We are not acquainted."

Su Mu'er drew out an amused "Oh," not quite believing it, then turned her gaze to Xie Lin and asked, "Is that really the case?"

Xie Lin could hardly miss that the princess was deliberately picking a fight; he furrowed his brows and said, "... I am not acquainted with the Fourth Miss."

Su Mu'er suddenly rose on her toes, planted a kiss on Xie Lin's cheek, and exclaimed happily, "Then that's perfect!"

Xie Lin's face changed color.

"I still have business to attend to, excuse me," Shen Shuangning said, lifting her foot to leave.

Su Mu'er, however, blinked and, gazing at her retreating back, said, "Tomorrow morning I and my prince consort will be returning to the Jurchen State; Fourth Miss, may I impose on you to join me this evening at Cloud Pavilion for a chat?"

Shen Shuangning was about to retort "I have no time," but after a moment's thought she agreed.

When Chen Jia today discussed matters with Shen Shuangning, he felt that the Fourth Miss seemed distracted, not very pleased, and consequently his own tone softened involuntarily.

He pushed the farm's ledger forward, pointed at the entries, and said, "The soil at River Pavilion is sandy; following your earlier advice, I made adjustments suited to the land. The second batch of potatoes has already been sown; judging by current growth, come autumn harvest the yield will easily be five or six times greater."

Shen Shuangning nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Chen."

Chen Jia was enjoying himself, felt no hardship at all, and instead felt a great sense of accomplishment!

He then smiled and said, "Fourth Miss, don't say that; if you have time, please go see for yourself."

Shen Shuangning said, "I also have this intention; Mr. Chen, since you're returning to the capital, there's no need to rush back to Jiangting; stay a few more days to keep your mother company—she misses you."

Chen Jia replied with a smile, "That's fine; thank you, Fourth Miss, for looking after my mother."

"That's only proper."

Chen Jia gave a light cough and added, "This batch of harvested potatoes, I've already had some sent to the Guard Command for the Heir Apparent to review; the Heir Apparent also said this crop is drought‑resistant and high‑yielding, and if it can be promoted in the Northern Lands, with the people from the Field Manor personally guiding it, then in future years of famine at least the common folk will gain a bit more confidence."

Shen Shuangning closed the ledger: "Let's do as the Heir Apparent said, though soils differ everywhere, so I'm afraid you'll have to put in a bit more thought, Mr."

Chen Jia said, "Whatever benefits the country and the people, I wouldn't hesitate to risk my life."

He then went on to detail some trivial matters of the Field Manor; only after everything was settled did he rise to take his leave.

Shen Shuangning remained seated in the private room, gazing at the scene of carriages and horses outside the window, lost in thought.

As dusk fell, Shen Shuangning set off with Aheng for the Cloud Pavilion, but unintentionally caught sight of an acquaintance.

The woman had an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and wore a light‑green dress; her features were basically decent, but the harshness between her brows ruined a good look, giving off a hint of gloom.

This person was none other than Wei Chun, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

Earlier, by the Winding Water Lake, this Miss Wei had schemed against Shen Shuangning behind her back and even gotten into a scuffle with Shen Ling, making quite an ugly scene.

After being reprimanded by Shen Shuangning, this Miss Wei withdrew into herself like a turtle, rarely appearing.

I never expected to run into her at the Cloud Pavilion.

Shen Shuangning saw her hurry into the Cloud Pavilion, didn't think much of it, and leisurely entered with Aheng.

Today the Cloud Pavilion was indeed lively; facing her was yet another acquaintance.

Song Xizhi saw Shen Shuangning, seemed somewhat surprised, and still greeted her with a smile: "Ning sister, it's really been a long time."

Song Xizhi's wedding to the Crown Prince was imminent, just this month; she looked noticeably more ruddy than before, showing a hint of spring‑time pride.

Song Xizhi looked at Shen Shuangning and said with concern, "I heard the Young Marquis is going to become the consort of the Jurchen Princess; Ning sister, don't be too upset."

"Touching a sore spot," Shen Shuangning suspected she was doing it on purpose.

She had nothing much to say to Song Xizhi, gave a casual reply, and went upstairs.

Song Xizhi watched her retreating back, a feeling of pity rising in her eyes; in this life and the last, she's been abandoned—truly pitiful.

Recently the two biggest matters in the capital are: first, the Heir of the Yongning Marquis is going to become the consort of a foreign tribe; second, Prince Chen is selecting a consort.

Wherever you go, you can hear the common folk chatting and gossiping.

Emperor Xuānwén was quite concerned about Prince Chen's affairs, as if he cared deeply for this younger brother of his, ordering the Ministry of Rites to select more than ten noble ladies of exemplary virtue, intending to choose a day for the selection.

Prince Chen, however, took no kindly to it, complaining that the emperor meddles in everything, even interfering in his search for a wife.

Thus the Ministry of Rites presented the portraits before him; he couldn't be bothered to glance at another, and he marked them all with a red‑ink cross.

He was born with a contrary nature, insisting on doing the opposite of the emperor; the best would be to pick a consort who could cause trouble for Emperor Xuānwén—nothing could be better!

Prince Chen was unwilling to stay in the mansion the emperor had arranged for him, and for several days he reveled night after night in the Heavenly One Room of the Cloud Pavilion, forgetting to return to Shu.

Just then, a light knocking came from outside the door, and shortly afterward a woman dressed in a light‑green gown entered.

"Your servant greets the Prince."

It was Wei Chun.

She lifted a pair of sharp, malicious eyes, looked through the pale pink bed curtains at the vague figure within the canopy, and said, "The person the Prince has been longing for—I have arranged for her to come out!"