Chapter 77: with translation of chapter title

Then Ah Heng saw her young lady acting absent‑minded, sitting down then standing up, and without looking back she hurried out the door.

Where is the young lady heading?!

Shen Shuangning went to the main hall of Chang Le Gong; the palace maids and eunuchs there all knew that this Fourth Miss was highly favored by the princess, so they treated her with great respect.

Is the princess inside? Shen Shuangning asked.

The maid replied, "In answer to Fourth Miss, the princess went to Yi Kun Palace early this morning."

Yi Kun Palace is the bedchamber of Virtuous Noble Consort.

It turns out Jingyu went to keep Virtuous Noble Consort company.

No wonder, when she arrived at Chang Le Gong today she didn't see her, and the place was quiet and deserted.

Indeed, if Jingyu were here she would have already come to cling to her by now.

Since Jingyu isn't here, we'll just wait for her return before saying more.

Shen Shuangning drew a light breath, suppressing the unease in her heart.

Who would have thought that upon turning she saw a fat‑headed, big‑eared eunuch standing behind her at some point, giving her a fawning smile.

Shen Shuangning startled slightly, took a half step back, and said, "What is this, sir?"

The eunuch put on a smiling face and said, "I serve the Eastern Palace; Fourth Miss may call me Fu Gonggong. Hearing that Fourth Miss has entered the palace, and that today she happens to have no need to go to the study, the Crown Princess has ordered me to invite Fourth Miss over as a guest."

Shen Shuangning had long expected this day, so she was not surprised: "Please lead the way, Fu Gonggong."

Fu Gonggong let out an "eh" and said, "Fourth Miss, please."

Fu Gonggong led the way ahead, while Shen Shuangning and Ah Heng followed behind.

Layer upon layer of palace gates opened before her eyes; the palace walls loomed high, so high that sunlight could not penetrate, making the corridors silent and deep, inevitably giving a sense of oppression.

Ah Heng unconsciously held her breath and lowered her voice; upon first entering the palace she thought everything novel, only later discovering that the palace was hardly fun at all, with many rules.

Especially after just witnessing that scene, she has become much quieter now.

Shen Shuangning, however, seemed already accustomed, her face showing little expression.

Not long after, they finally arrived at the Eastern Palace.

"Fourth Miss, just go straight ahead," Fu Gonggong said as he stopped.

Shen Shuangning gave a slight nod, then followed his instructions along the stone path; spring flowers bloomed in profusion, and soon she saw a woman in plain attire, apparently rolling up her sleeves to tend the plants.

Upon drawing nearer and looking, she was astonished to discover that it was the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess, Gong Sunyu, came from an illustrious family, possessed both talent and beauty, yet her body was frail and her life short.

Shen Shuangning recalled that in her previous life the Crown Princess had married the Crown Prince only two years before passing away at the age of eighteen, a regrettable loss.

One does not know whether the Crown Prince felt sorrow then; in any case, after the Crown Princess's death he never took another concubine.

The Crown Princess noticed Shen Shuangning first, rose and smiled, saying, "Shuangning has come."

Shen Shuangning lowered her gaze and performed the salute: "Your Highness, Crown Princess, myriad blessings."

She uttered that "wanfu" sincerely.

Regardless of how the Crown Prince turns out, the Crown Princess is a good person; should he eventually ascend the throne, she could become empress and would surely be a beloved empress of the people.

"No need for much ceremony, come over and look at what I've planted," the Crown Princess said, naturally taking Shen Shuangning's wrist and leading her to see the pumpkins she had grown.

Shen Shuangning bent to look at the green shoots pushing from the soil; at first she did not recognize them, but once the Crown Princess spoke she realized these tender sprouts were pumpkin vines.

She could not help but exclaim, "Your Highness wants to eat pumpkin; a single order would suffice—why grow it yourself?"

"I grow more than just pumpkins," she said, "look, there are radishes, greens, peas…" The Crown Princess's fair face bore some specks of dirt; as she listed them she spoke with the familiarity of a household expert, her tone rather proud.

Shen Shuangning had not expected the Crown Princess to have such a hobby.

She examined them one by one; all were lush green, full of vitality, and she could not help but admire, "Your Highness tends them very well."

The Crown Princess, however, let out a soft sigh while rubbing her waist, saying, "It's no easy task to care for them well; once the seedlings sprout, cabbage worms follow, along with aphids and green insects—hard to guard against."

Shen Shuangning pondered briefly, then said, "Boil castor leaves, chinaberry leaves, and tobacco leaves into water and spray it on the vegetables; it will kill aphids and vegetable pests. Moreover, planting some mint or mugwort will repel cabbage worms, as they cannot tolerate the scent, so they will not come."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess's eyes lit up: "Would this really work?"

"These are folk remedies; Your Highness might give them a try."

The Crown Princess excitedly grasped her hand: "You really have a solution—you know all this!"

Shen Shuangning chuckled: "I've read a miscellany of books; I just happened to remember."

In fact, during her previous life when she was widowed and idle, she had also tended these flowers and grasses, encountered the same problems as the Crown Princess, and these methods had been taught to her by Su Chen, an aide beside Xiao Jingyuan.

At that moment a clear voice rang out.

"I already told you earlier to invite Fourth Miss sooner; you needn't go to such trouble."

It was the Crown Prince arriving, and beside him stood an acquaintance.

Shen Shuangning lowered her gaze and saluted the Crown Prince, then addressed the young man in white beside him: "Master Pei."

The Crown Prince smiled: "Now it's not Master Pei; you should call him Senior Tutor."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuangning looked at Pei Zhi in surprise.

He, smiling, looked at her and said gently, "I have only just taken office; you need not change your address—call me as you usually do."

The Crown Princess, watching from the side, keenly observed that this Senior Tutor's gaze toward Shen Shuangning was quite different.

Upon learning that Pei Zhi had been appointed Crown Prince's Senior Tutor, Shen Shuangning was merely startled for a moment; Pei Zhi's learning and bearing both suited the post.

Although the Crown Prince's Senior Tutor holds no actual authority, the position is esteemed and relatively leisurely; should the Crown Prince later ascend the throne, he could become a trusted minister of the new emperor, with limitless prospects.

But if the Crown Prince's words or deeds go awry, or he becomes embroiled in the succession struggle, as his tutor he too could be implicated, even punished.

Shen Shuangning sized up Pei Zhi without changing expression, inwardly puzzled: earlier she had judged that Pei Zhi belonged neither to the Crown Prince nor the Third Prince, yet now he had become the Crown Prince's Senior Tutor, clearly placed in the Crown Prince's camp.

Could her judgment have been wrong? Or has the situation undergone some change?

There is yet another matter worthy of deep thought——

If Pei Zhi is indeed a reborn person, how could he not know that in his previous life the Crown Prince was heavily suppressed by Prince Rui, and the Crown Prince's followers were all punished?

A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall; if he were a reborn person, he should choose the side that benefits him, right?

Shen Shuangning couldn't figure it out, so she stopped thinking; anyway, the Rongguo Duke's residence is currently staying out of the struggle vortex—let them fight as they like.

Shen Shuangning's pair of ink-black bright eyes flickered slightly, her expression shifting several times, all of which Pei Zhi saw.

Crown Prince joked: "As it turns out, Assistant Minister Pei already knew the Fourth Miss, saving me the trouble of introducing you."

The Crown Prince's words sounded somewhat ambiguous; Shen Shuangning couldn't respond, while Pei Zhi looked at her and smiled.

"Fourth Miss probably doesn't know yet, I have already recommended him to Father the Emperor; now Assistant Minister Pei is the teacher for you and Jingyu."

The Crown Prince looked at Shen Shuangning, smiling kindly, and said: "Crown Princess rarely meets someone of like mind; I am truly pleased, Fourth Miss, do come to the Eastern Palace often when you have time."

These words are not mere pleasantries; they clearly intend to win her over.

Shen Shuangning keenly sensed that something major was amiss.

Logically speaking, since Father is no longer in the Capital Garrison, the Duke's mansion holds little value for the Crown Prince; he should have lost interest in her, yet what's going on now?

Suddenly, Shen Shuangning had a flash of insight and glanced at Pei Zhi beside the Crown Prince.

She really is foolish!

From the Crown Prince's perspective now, she is about to become engaged to Xie Lin, and the Xie family is fundamentally not aligned with the Crown Prince's faction.

Even if the Rongguo Duke's residence no longer holds much value, who can say what the future holds? If she marries Xie Lin, the Rongguo Duke's residence will stand opposed to the Crown Prince's faction.

The Crown Prince naturally does not wish to see such a situation; linking his earlier remarks that mentioned Pei Zhi makes his intentions easy to guess.

The Crown Prince clearly intends to matchmake her with Pei Zhi!

Shen Shuangning's eye twitched slightly; she didn't know whether this was good news or bad.

At this moment, she and Pei Zhi locked eyes; he wore a smile, smiling like a thousand-year-old fox.

Seeing Shen Shuangning appear dazed, the Crown Prince teased again: "Fourth Miss, are you too happy?"

Shen Shuangning came to her senses, squeezing out a faint smile: "... Yeah, happy to death."

At this moment, a palace maid brought medicine.

After the Crown Princess frowned and drank it, she waved her hand to dismiss the maid, seeming to loathe taking medicine.

Only then did Shen Shuangning realize the Crown Princess had started taking medicine from then; she couldn't help asking: "Crown Princess, what's wrong with you?"

The Crown Princess's hand resting on the stone table was excessively slender, thin as if only skin covered bone, utterly lacking beauty.

"It's an old ailment; taking medicine gives me a bit of appetite to eat and lessens my suffering."

The smile on the Crown Prince's face faded a bit; he turned and asked the maid: "Has the Crown Princess again not eaten on time?"

The maid hesitated, afraid to speak.

The Crown Princess then said: "I can't keep it down; I only ate two bites."

The Crown Prince's face darkened, as if he were about to anger, yet he restrained himself, slightly bent over to take her hand, and spoke gently:

"Ah Yun, weren't you fine before? Why can't you eat now? You can't be like this—look at you, you're so thin there's almost no flesh left on your face."

The Crown Princess lowered her eyes and whispered: "Your Highness, there's no need to worry."

Seeing her perfunctory response, the Crown Prince immediately released her hand.

"Never mind, if you won't eat, then so be it—after all, it's your own body that suffers!"

Having said that, the Crown Prince flicked his sleeves and left.

Seeing this, the Crown Princess immediately rose, but ultimately could not catch up; her eyes were full of desolation, her eye sockets red.

The couple quarreled; Shen Shuangning and Pei Zhi, as outsiders standing there, inevitably felt a bit awkward.

Shen Shuangning thus lightly tugged at Pei Zhi's sleeve and said: "Please go find the Crown Prince first."

Pei Zhi lowered his gaze to look at her hand, then nodded.

After he left, Shen Shuangning went over to console the Crown Princess.

"The Crown Prince has a sharp tongue but a soft heart; he acts this way because he worries about you."

Who would have thought that upon hearing these comforting words, the Crown Princess would burst into tears, her tears falling like a broken thread.

The Crown Princess had a lovely face, yet possessed a pair of eyes that seemed to frown yet not quite, full of feeling; seeing this fragile, sickly beauty weep before them with tears like pear blossoms in rain, Shen Shuangning couldn't bear it.

"Your Highness, please don't cry; did I say something wrong? I apologize." Shen Shuangning quickly took out a silk handkerchief to wipe her tears.

The Crown Princess shook her head; after a while she managed to stop her tears, choking: "You didn't say anything wrong; it's just that the Crown Prince merely worries that I cannot bear him children, and he does not like me."

Shen Shuangning could only soothe her: "How could that be? The Crown Prince holds you in his heart."

The Crown Princess wouldn't listen; she clenched the silk handkerchief soaked with tears, lowered her eyes and said: "The Crown Prince favors the eldest Miss of the Song family; he likes her so much that even if the Song family has an irreconcilable enmity with him, he would still seek a way out for her. You don't know, the Crown Prince once begged Master Xiao to marry her."

Shen Shuangning gazed at the Crown Princess's sorrow, unable to help but wonder: Does the Crown Prince still need to ask Xiao Jingyuan to marry Miss Xie? Isn't that superfluous?

The Crown Princess said no more, clutching her chest, feeling somewhat unwell; her body could not withstand such great emotional swings.

Shen Shuangning quickly helped her lie down inside the room.

"Take care of your health, Your Highness." Not wanting to disturb further, Shen Shuangning took her leave.

When Eunuch Fu escorted Shen Shuangning out of the palace, Pei Zhi also happened to be about to leave.

Shen Shuangning also happened to have something to say to Pei Zhi, so she only had Eunuch Fu see her to the Eastern Palace gate, then asked him to wait there.

Afterward, Shen Shuangning and Pei Zhi walked side by side beneath the vermilion Gong Qiang.

"Thank you for last time, Master Pei."

Pei Zhi spoke gently: "Miss Ning, there's no need to stand on ceremony with me."

"Alright, then Ning will not beat around the bush with you, Master."

Shen Shuangning abruptly stopped, lifted her head to look at the prince, whose appearance under the sunlight was like a jade crown.

Pei Zhi raised his eyebrows.

"Ning regards you as a friend, and hopes we will forever remain friends, not enemies......"

Shen Shuangning had not finished speaking when Pei Zhi suddenly stepped forward, raised his hand and placed it against the wall behind her, displaying an unprecedented dominance, and said in a low voice:

But Pei Mou is not satisfied with only being Miss Ning's friend.