The candied fruit was golden in color, its surface coated in a layer of translucent syrup like a mirror, reflecting the morning sunlight.
Even without holding it, the sweet, mellow fragrance slipped into Shen Changyin's senses.
She hadn't expected Xie Yu to be so thoughtful. For a moment, she was stunned.
She took out a handkerchief, picked up a piece of candied apricot, and placed it into her mouth. Amid the intense sweetness of sugar was the natural tartness and fragrance of the fruit.
It washed away the lingering bitterness of the medicine.
That fresh aroma remained with her all the way to the palace. Even as she waited outside the Hall of Diligent Governance for court to begin, it still lingered.
Wrapped in that scent, Shen Changyin immediately spotted Xie Yu in the crowd.
She was surrounded by several aides from the Eastern Palace, yet appeared completely at ease.
The once-solitary Third Princess, who used to attend court alone, now had followers of her own.
She held a plain white notebook—apparently her own notes—and flipped through it from time to time.
Gone was the morning disarray. Dressed in bright yellow crown Princess robes, hair bound in a formal crown, Xie Yu now carried herself with poise and grace. Every gesture radiated nobility—she truly looked like the crown princess of a nation.
Shen Changyin didn't watch for long before Old Jin arrived with others. Standing beside her, she lowered her voice.
"Last night, Her Highness secretly ordered the prisoners from the death-soldier camp to be taken from the northern outskirts."
Shen Changyin paused. "Where were they taken?"
"The southern outskirts. Our informants followed them. Her Highness found a sparsely populated village and settled them there, assigning the newly appointed crown princess guards to watch them."
Clean, decisive action—no hesitation at all. No wonder Old Jin's people hadn't reacted in time.
Old Jin frowned. "My lady, we had plans for that death-soldier camp. Now it's been intercepted midway."
"You two are already betrothed—why would she do this? On what grounds does she take what's yours?"
"Careful with your words," Shen Changyin said sharply.
She looked toward Xie Yu, who was still flipping through her notebook. "She is the crown princess of the realm, and my betrothed. She has every right to redeploy the death-soldier camp."
Even so, they had indeed intended to repurpose the camp. With the plan disrupted, even Shen Changyin found the situation troublesome.
Xie Yu closed her notebook, as if sensing their gaze, and looked over.
Seeing Old Jin reporting with a grim expression, she likely guessed the topic.
She raised her eyebrow slightly, her expression smug and unrestrained, blatant provocation written all over her face.
She had caused Shen Changyin such trouble—so "bad"—like a wolf that had just come of age and stolen prey, hateful yet undeniably striking.
The doors of the Hall of Diligent Governance creaked open.
It was time for court.
Officials surged inside like a tide, with Xie Yu at the very front.
Now the crown princess, her position could no longer be casual. She stood at the first row on the left side of the hall, facing Shen Changyin, who stood at the first row on the right.
The empress had not yet arrived, and the hall was not particularly solemn.
Officials whispered among themselves as news spread.
Last night, the crown princess had seized the death-soldier camp from the regent—her own fiancée.
Many voices were hushed, incredulous.
"Weren't they working closely together not long ago? Didn't they jointly bring down the Fifth Princess?"
"Yes! They even lived in the same residence before marriage—unheard of in Great Yong. People said that although the regent forced the marriage decree, they were a rare loving pair. How did it come to this?"
Others answered bluntly. "What love? They were only cooperating to eliminate the Fifth Princess. Now that power is being divided, of course they turn on each other."
Someone sighed softly. "Exactly. A crown princess and a princess of the blood—how could there be mutual affection? In the end, it's just a marriage of power between two women."
They whispered their gossip at the back.
At the front of the hall, Xie Yu and Shen Changyin stood unmoved.
Although they couldn't hear the exact words, both of them could roughly guess what was being discussed. Neither showed any reaction, remaining calm and detached.
An inner attendant called out, "The Empress approaches," and the Empress emerged from the rear entrance of the Hall of Diligent Governance. She wore a bright yellow imperial robe, her shoulders broad and straight, her presence imposing.
When compared side by side, the difference between the Empress and the Crown Princess became immediately apparent.
Before the Empress arrived, Xie Yu—dressed in her bright yellow crown princess robes—could also be described as radiantly noble. However, she was still young, and the crown princess's attire was tailored to be slim and elongated. It conveyed refinement, but lacked overwhelming pressure.
Once the Empress appeared—with her somber expression and faint vertical lines already etched between her brows—the officials in the hall instinctively felt a weight bearing down on them, and the noise gradually subsided.
Yet this sense of authority was something of an illusion.
After listening to reports from just two or three officials, the Empress had already lost patience and waved her hand.
The official who had been speaking immediately fell silent and withdrew.
The Empress turned her gaze to Xie Yu. "The engagement banquet was disrupted by an assassination attempt last time, but that does not mean the engagement was canceled."
"Now that you have become Crown Princess, you should still marry the Regent early and settle your household as soon as possible."
She looked toward the inner attendant. "Set the date one month from now."
This was effectively an imperial decree.
Without consulting either party, she hastened the wedding schedule. Xie Yu and Shen Changyin—who had been facing forward—couldn't help but glance at one another.
Marriage and engagement were worlds apart.
If nothing else, on the wedding night, the two of them would have to share a bed.
Given how delicate and tense their current relationship was, they naturally needed to gauge each other's thoughts.
After a brief pause, both turned their faces away, raised their sleeves, and bowed in unison to accept the decree.
Yellow sleeves and deep purple robes overlapped, swaying together.
The Empress nodded, then added, "There is one more matter. Since the Third Princess is now Crown Princess, she must make up for the studies she has neglected, as well as learn the additional state affairs required of a Crown Princess."
She glanced at Shen Changyin. "The Hanlin Academy will arrange instructors this afternoon, but when it comes to the Confucian classics, the Regent has long been renowned. You may as well teach her yourself."
Shen Changyin remained composed and raised her hand. "This minister accepts the decree."
Xie Yu, however, widened her eyes in shock.
Just this morning, they had still been equals. Now Shen Changyin was suddenly her teacher?
Oh vast heavens—why are you so cruel to me?
The Empress paid no attention to her inner turmoil. Seeing Shen Changyin accept, she was satisfied and declared, "Court is dismissed."
After court, Shen Changyin and Xie Yu returned to their respective residences to handle official duties.
It was not until midday that Shen Changyin finally set down the memorials in her hands and glanced at the sky outside the window.
Thinking that Xie Yu would begin lessons in the afternoon—and that she herself would be teaching—she stood up and went directly to find Xie Yu for lunch.
Along the way, whether guards, civil officials, or inner attendants, no one dared stop her. As the Crown Princess's fiancée, she passed unhindered and pushed open the door to Xie Yu's study.
The moment she entered, she saw Xie Yu with her shoes off, half-squatting on a chair, pen resting against her hair as she stared at the memorials on the desk in deep thought, her face twisted like a bitter gourd.
Her clothes were disheveled. Her posture improper.
Shen Changyin frowned slightly.
And, assuming a teacher's tone, said, "Maintain proper posture. Respecting your form is respecting the written word—and respecting governance."
Xie Yu looked up, eyes dull and lifeless, the very image of defeat.
"I can't," she said shamelessly. "Even if I straighten my back like a utility pole, I still can't."
Objectively speaking, this attitude completely contradicted Shen Changyin's long-held principles. She had always despised such behavior in spoiled nobles and would normally conclude that such a person was beyond saving.
And yet, looking at the small tuft of hair lifted by the pen, standing straight up and wobbling slightly atop Xie Yu's head—
For a moment, all she wanted was to press it back down.
Realizing that this thought had come from herself, she stepped back instinctively.
The military physician's words from the previous night—about what it meant to like someone—floated back into her mind.
Now, looking at Xie Yu's defeated appearance felt like staring at a flood beast.
She turned to instruct an attendant. "Fix the Third Highness's hair."
The attendant responded and called out, "Third Highness, shall I redo your hair bun?"
"Is my hair messy?" Xie Yu asked blankly, then nodded.
The troublesome lock of hair was finally smoothed down, yet watching the attendant adjust Xie Yu's crown only brought a different kind of irritation.
Shen Changyin exhaled and reminded herself not to reach conclusions too quickly.
It might not be liking.
Willingness to stay with someone long-term could simply mean companionship.
Willingness to be intimate did not necessarily come from sincerity—it could merely be desire, no different from an animal's instinct.
She steadied herself and said to Xie Yu, "Food has been sent over. Would you like to eat together?"
Xie Yu nodded.
The main dish at lunch was braised spare ribs with chestnuts—one of Xie Yu's favorites. She reached for it repeatedly.
Shen Changyin, however, only cautiously picked from a small area of the plate closest to her.
Gradually, a faint dividing line formed across the dish.
Finding this strange, Xie Yu glanced at her, picked up two ribs straddling the line, and deliberately erased the boundary.
Shen Changyin paused, then began eating only the other dishes.
Xie Yu, as if deliberately provoking her, followed her movements and took whatever she took.
In the end, Shen Changyin held her bowl of white rice and refused to pick up her chopsticks again.
Xie Yu wore a subtle expression of territorial victory.
How childish.
Shen Changyin's chopsticks froze.
Truly childish.
Who could possibly fall for someone like this?
The meal ended amid silent tension.
After the midday rest, the two went to the Imperial Study.
A separate courtyard had been cleared specifically for Xie Yu's lessons. The environment was pleasant, with fresh air.
The classroom was well ventilated, windows propped open to let in natural light. Inside, there was only one desk—Xie Yu would be the sole student, meaning there was no chance to slack off.
The courtyard was spacious. Beyond gardens meant to cultivate temperament, there was a wide open area already fitted with archery targets and training posts. A martial instructor would naturally teach there in the future.
When they arrived, the Grand Tutor was already waiting with the history instructor.
Xie Yu's first lesson of the day was history, and she entered the classroom with the instructor.
The Grand Tutor and Shen Changyin remained in the courtyard. The Grand Tutor greeted Shen Changyin first.
She was over fifty, her hair far grayer than her peers', dressed plainly and impeccably—a classic scholar.
Unlike many old scholars who still denounced Shen Changyin as a traitor, she valued talent above all and had long heard of Shen Changyin's abilities.
"Lady Shen," she said, cupping her hands. "Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. I have long studied your annotations on the classics and histories."
"Meeting you today, your bearing truly is extraordinary. No wonder the Shen school of interpretation is regarded as authoritative."
Shen Changyin returned the courtesy politely, yet her gaze drifted through the window into the classroom—onto Xie Yu in lesson.
Seeing this, the Grand Tutor continued, "Lady Shen, while marriages have always emphasized matching family status, intellectual compatibility is equally important in determining whether two people are well suited."
"The Third Highness is pure-hearted, but having grown up in the Cold Palace, she neglected her studies. Compared to your scholarship, the gap is vast."
She advised earnestly, "Why persist? Though I have heard that Her Majesty urged marriage today in court, with your abilities, Lady Shen, refusing this marriage is not impossible."
Shen Changyin cut her off gently but firmly. "The Third Highness is not without learning. Though raised in the Cold Palace, she taught herself much. She is not ignorant. Please choose your words carefully."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Xie Yu's voice drifted from the classroom—declaring she didn't know the answer.
The history instructor, dressed in black and white robes, was testing her foundation and had begun with simple questions.
"Why did the founder of our dynasty rise in rebellion?"
How would Xie Yu know?
The history of this world was entirely different from her own.
A university student who had just finished her entrance exams—at the intellectual peak of her life—could only admit, with tears in her heart, that she had become a casualty of compulsory education.
"I don't know."
"How many years has our dynasty existed?"
"Why did the previous dynasty fall?"
As the questions grew simpler, Xie Yu's accumulation of "I don't know" grew greater—and she grew increasingly at ease.
She declared loudly, "Stop asking. If you ask, I don't know."
The Grand Tutor looked to Shen Changyin. "They say history is a mirror to rise and fall. The Crown Princess's understanding of history is not even on par with my seven-year-old granddaughter."
"Lady Shen, you are someone who sincerely values the classics. Do you truly believe the Third Highness is a good match for you?"
She urged again, earnestly, "If there is still time, it would be better to cancel this engagement early."
This time, Shen Changyin did not rebut her.
She merely watched Xie Yu, who had begun knocking her head against the desk.
—
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