Song Zhaoyu couldn't quite articulate the disappointment she felt in her heart.
She had proactively sought to meet Mu Changxi this time, hoping he would say something.
But Mu Changxi never touched upon the past, making Song Zhaoyu feel as though only she remembered that period of their lives.
She lowered her gaze slightly, finally looking at Mu Changxi's figure bathed in the dappled light on the ground. A void seemed to open within her heart. "I understand Prince Chang's intentions. I also ask that Your Highness no longer send people to find my grandmother. Although I am merely an illegitimate daughter, I believe Prince Chang understands my feelings. I do not wish to be a favored concubine in Your Highness's manor. I hope Your Highness will find someone else."
Did Song Zhaoyu not know that the person sitting opposite her was the current Prince Chang?
Her words were tantamount to great disrespect.
But he was still Hanxi, and surely Hanxi would understand these words?
Indeed.
"I understand."
Mu Changxi's tone remained indifferent, as if nothing Song Zhaoyu said could stir his heart. "Rest assured, I will no longer trouble the old lady about this matter. Miss Song Si, please take care of yourself."
Miss Song Si? Was this the first time he had addressed her like this?
A pang of sadness arose in Song Zhaoyu's heart. She finally stood up, unwilling to linger any longer. "I have said all I needed to say. The capital is in turmoil; I only hope Your Highness can live in peace. This humble daughter takes her leave, and thanks Your Highness for meeting me today."
She turned and left.
Without looking back.
Mu Changxi was left to lift his head and stare for a long time at the empty courtyard gate ahead.
"Your Highness—"
After a long while, his personal eunuch, Xiao Ruizi, emerged from the room in the courtyard and sighed. "The pastries Your Highness so carefully prepared for Miss Song Si, she didn't even glance at them. The osmanthus tea I brewed, she didn't drink a single sip. I fear she truly holds a grudge!"
"Yes."
Mu Changxi's tone was no longer as cold as before; instead, it held a hint of loss. "This girl came today to distance herself from me!"
Xiao Ruizi sighed. "Didn't Your Highness say that Miss Song Si was the most gentle and elegant? Why do I feel she is so stubborn?"
Mu Changxi turned and shot Xiao Ruizi a look. "She has changed. But no matter how she has changed, she is still Yu'er! Forget it, pack up those pastries and send them back to the manor. Keep the osmanthus tea; one day, she will drink it."
"Yes."
Xiao Ruizi brightened. "My skill in brewing this flower tea must be appreciated by someone, after all."
As Mu Changxi left the courtyard with Xiao Ruizi, his eyes regained their cold demeanor.
—
When Song Zhaoyu returned to the front, the Crown Princess was waiting for her.
The Crown Princess had already prepared the items for Song Zhaoyu. She smiled at Song Zhaoyu. "How was your chat?"
Song Zhaoyu smiled faintly at the Crown Princess. "Thank you, Crown Princess. I will not trouble you with this matter in the future."
The Crown Princess paused, noticing that Song Zhaoyu's expression was not quite right.
She sighed. "Let's go, I'll take you to the front. But Miss Song, please don't blame me for being meddlesome. Prince Chang is close to the Crown Prince. When he was not in the capital before, the Crown Prince often spoke of how unfortunate his brother's fate was. So now that he has returned, the Crown Prince only wishes for him to do as he pleases. The situation in the capital is complex, with intricate connections between the court and the Southern Kingdom. Countless eyes are now fixed on Prince Chang. We can only hope to enable him to do more within the limited scope of what we can do."
So, perhaps even the Crown Prince and Crown Princess didn't know that Prince Chang was Hanxi?
Although Song Zhaoyu didn't know exactly what had happened, she felt herself being drawn into a vortex.
As the Crown Princess led Song Zhaoyu to the front courtyard, she continued to speak to her. "Although the Southern Kingdom outwardly submits to us, they are actually restless. This time, General Mingyuan, under the Crown Prince's command, found a spy at the border. The Crown Prince followed the lead and dismantled the Southern Kingdom's intelligence network in the capital, which forced the Southern Kingdom to submit."
She patted Song Zhaoyu's arm. "I might as well tell you, in a while, the Southern Kingdom will send two princesses for a marriage alliance. One of them is Princess Tiya, who grew up with Prince Chang as childhood sweethearts. Their intention is for Princess Tiya to become Prince Chang's principal wife, given their childhood acquaintance."
Childhood sweethearts?
The phrase now presented to Song Zhaoyu made her feel a little amused.
Even though Song Zhaoyu had not experienced the changes in the situation over the next three years in her previous life, she remembered that in her previous life, it was Prince Ning, Mu Hansu, who had dismantled the Southern Kingdom's intelligence network! He had even regained the Emperor's favor for this, and the Emperor became increasingly dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's "inaction."
Would such a major event be altered this time simply because Song Zhaoyu had saved the Crown Princess previously?
Unless—
In her previous life, this matter should also have been handled by the Crown Prince, but Mu Hansu had later stolen the credit!
And in this life, because of Song Zhaoyu's words that day, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had taken precautions against Prince Ning, Mu Hansu, preventing him from snatching this credit.
It was no wonder that a few days ago, the Emperor had only reprimanded the Crown Prince and slightly appeased Mu Hansu.
The changes in events seemed to have exceeded Song Zhaoyu's expectations.
She cautioned herself: some things could no longer be taken lightly!
Conversely, the Crown Princess, for some reason, trusted Song Zhaoyu so much.
She tugged Song Zhaoyu's hand again. "Miss Song Si, do you think that Princess Tiya should marry Prince Chang?"
From what standpoint was she being asked to answer this question?
Song Zhaoyu thought for a moment before replying, "It is not appropriate."
The Crown Princess's eyes seemed to light up. "Why is it not appropriate?"
Song Zhaoyu analyzed based on the current situation. "Currently, the Southern Kingdom and we are outwardly at peace but inwardly at odds. Since Princess Tiya grew up with Prince Chang as childhood sweethearts, she understands Prince Chang too well from the perspective of the Great Yue Dynasty. If she harbors any ill intentions, she might exploit Prince Chang to do something detrimental to Great Yue."
What Song Zhaoyu didn't say was that this would also be bad for Mu Changxi. It would cause the Emperor to gradually suspect Mu Changxi, whose position in the court was already unstable.
The Crown Princess looked at Song Zhaoyu with increased admiration. "Indeed. Although the Emperor favors Prince Chang now, it is inevitable that he will become suspicious in the future. Moreover, not everyone in the court is friendly towards Prince Chang. Some even believe that since Prince Chang grew up in the Southern Kingdom, he is already a foreigner of the Southern Kingdom."