Volume 1, Chapter 19: It Is the First Time the Prince Has Ever Been Like This

Shen Qiyuan caught a glimpse of Jin Hua and the others standing not far away from the corner of his eye. He clenched his fist, gave a cough to regain his usual cold demeanor, and strode away.

Song Shuning awkwardly rubbed her nose, flashed a smile at Jin Hua and the others, and hurried to catch up with the big shot ahead.

Mo Feng stood there, watching the crowd as they looked at one another in confusion, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, disperse!"

As the others left to follow orders, Jin Hua remained behind. She walked toward Mo Feng.

Mo Feng seemed to know what she was about to ask, so he said in a low voice, "Things are not as you think, Matron."

Watching Mo Feng’s hurried denial, Jin Hua smiled and said, "I know, but the Eldest Princess and the Eldest Princess Taiping are both worried about His Highness’s life-long affairs. It is the first time I have seen His Highness protect someone like this, especially a young woman."

Her words were laced with teasing.

Mo Feng helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead. His master’s poison could only be alleviated by Miss Song, and she had even vowed that she could find a cure for him. How could his master not protect her? If something were to happen to Miss Song, his master would be the one to suffer!

Seeing that Mo Feng did not refute her, Jin Hua’s thoughts wandered further. She immediately said to him, "Tell the Prince to rest assured. I guarantee that those girls will not be neglectful of the tasks he entrusted to me."

She paused, then added, "Don't look at those girls as if they are only skilled in the four arts; they are also experts at managing a household. Why don't I suggest to the Eldest Princess that she gift those girls to Miss Song so they can teach her how to manage a household properly?"

"Why are you telling me this, Matron?" Mo Feng frowned. He stepped around Jin Hua and said, "I have tasks from my master to attend to. I cannot talk with you further."

Watching Mo Feng flee as if escaping, the smile in Jin Hua's eyes deepened. She stood in place and watched the direction in which Song Shuning and the others had left for a while before turning toward the courtyard behind the Star-Gazing Tower.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Star-Gazing Tower through a different gate with Shen Qiyuan, Song Shuning spoke up again: "Could I trouble the Prince to come directly to the Song residence to find me tonight?"

She looked at Shen Qiyuan with a pitiful expression. "With all these injuries, I am really not fit for the bumpy journey."

Even though the people Shen Qiyuan sent to pick her up carried her on their backs, the experience of being hauled over rooftops was still more than she could handle.

Shen Qiyuan stopped and looked back at her, his tone filled with disbelief. "You want me to go to your home?"

Song Shuning seemed not to realize the gravity of the situation and nodded. "I cannot go to the Prince’s estate, so I can only ask the Prince to come to me."

"Rest and recover for these two days," Shen Qiyuan said, stepping into the carriage. "It is only a few days."

He had endured ten years of torment; surely he could endure a few days of visiting a young woman's boudoir to have her alleviate his pain.

Song Shuning pursed her lips and apologized, "Your Highness, you really are a good person."

Shen Qiyuan’s face darkened, and he abruptly dropped the carriage curtain.

Seeing the big shot’s sudden change in expression, Song Shuning bit her tongue. He was a major villain; calling him a "good person" was practically an insult!

She began walking toward the back of the carriage, thinking she could rent a carriage to return to the city from the front of the Pomelo Garden.

Just as she passed the carriage, Shen Qiyuan lifted the curtain again, looking at her expressionlessly. "Not returning to the city?"

"I am," Song Shuning replied reflexively.

Shen Qiyuan lowered the curtain. "Get in."

Song Shuning screamed inwardly: *Ahhhhh! Even if it’s an insult, I have to say it! He is a good person!*

Suppressing her excitement, she climbed onto the carriage and ducked inside, smiling at Shen Qiyuan. "Sorry to bother you, Your Highness."

Seeing her swollen face, Shen Qiyuan frowned. "Does your face not hurt?"

"It hurts, but I still have to smile at you even if it does!"

Shen Qiyuan, not wanting to look at her further, tapped the carriage board, and the vehicle immediately set off.

Song Shuning: *Shock! I didn't even see a driver! The carriage moved!*

She quietly moved over and lifted the curtain to take a look—oh, there was a driver. She lowered the curtain and sat back in her original spot. Her actions caused Shen Qiyuan to frown in annoyance. It was the first time he had ever met such a person. She was neither demure nor mindful of etiquette. She was someone who inexplicably made people feel uneasy, yet somehow, she also made him want to smile.

When Song Shuning returned home covered in injuries, her sister, Song Shuyun—who had failed to convince their father to let her join the Military Affairs Department—immediately pulled her aside. "Did you run into bandits?"

Song Shuning’s eye twitched. "People even more detestable than bandits."

Song Shuning fabricated a story, claiming she had received an invitation to the Star-Gazing Tower and went there instead of searching for herbs on the mountain. She then recounted the incident with the Lin siblings at the Pomelo Garden. She didn't intend to hide this; the Lin siblings clearly held a grudge against them, and by telling Song Shuyun, her sister would be on her guard against any further schemes.

Upon hearing the story, Song Shuyun trembled with rage. "I’m going to settle the score with them!"

Song Shuning held her back. "Sister, I will take my own revenge. If you go to settle the score now, our family will be the ones who suffer, as they are a family of nobility."

"Are we just to let them bully us?" Song Shuyun’s eyes turned red. "The marriage was decided by their family. If they were dissatisfied, they could have just broken it off. Why stir up so much trouble, and then end up hating us?"

Song Shuning sighed. She couldn't understand the logic of villains. Perhaps they were just wicked and felt perfectly justified in it.

Song Shuyun pulled her sister into her room, her heart aching. "Should I apply some medicine for you?"

Song Shuning shook her head. "No need, they already applied some at the Star-Gazing Tower."

Song Shuyun insisted on checking her injuries, and upon seeing the wounds on her waist and back, her eyes reddened. "They were so cruel!"

Song Shuning remained silent. The Lin siblings had intended to kill her; they certainly hadn't held back.

When Madam Xiao saw Song Shuning, her eyes immediately filled with tears. Song Shuyun didn't hide the truth and told her mother exactly how the injuries had been sustained.

Madam Xiao hugged Song Shuning and wept, "It is your parents' incompetence that we cannot protect you."

Song Shuning had heard this often lately and had become completely immune to it. She patted her mother’s back to comfort her. "Mother, these injuries don't hurt. Please stop crying."

"It is my incompetence," Madam Xiao wept even harder.

Song Shuning spent a long time calming her mother down. Once Madam Xiao's emotions had stabilized, she pulled Song Shuyun into her own room.

Song Shuyun looked at her, puzzled. "Is there something you want to say?"

"Has Mother always been this weak?" In Song Shuning’s memory, Madam Xiao was always submissive, never speaking up when bullied, treating her husband as her heaven and her mother-in-law's words as imperial decrees. She seemed never to have lived for herself.

Song Shuyun took a deep breath, pulled Song Shuning to sit on the bed, and said, "Mother is an orphan. She grew up eating from a hundred families and endured cold stares, so she became accustomed to reading others' expressions and acting weak. Do not blame her."

Song Shuning paused. "An orphan?" It wasn't in the book, nor was it in the original host's memory.

Song Shuyun smiled. "It's normal that you wouldn't know. You left with your master when you were very young, so you didn't hear the gossip. I grew up in the small town, so I knew more." She patted Song Shuning’s hand and said softly, "Our mother has had a difficult life."

Song Shuning nodded. "At least Mother met Father. Father is a good man." She had observed them recently; her father treated her mother well and wasn't like the scumbag fathers in other novels—he didn't have a wandering eye, nor did he kill his wife after gaining power and wealth.

Mentioning their father, Song Shuyun also smiled. "Yes, it is fortunate that Father is reliable. Now that we are in the capital, Mother can finally enjoy some peace."

"Even though she is in the capital, Mother still lacks confidence." Song Shuning’s eyes darted around as she came up with a mischievous plan. "Let’s help Mother find her confidence!"