Chapter 3

Chapter 3

That was the first time I had seen Shen Ting since I grew up.

Rumors swirled through the palace.

Shen Ting had been born when the Late Empress was still the Crown Princess in the Eastern Palace.

Later, the Late Empress and Emperor Ling grew distant over the matter of a princess being sent away for a political marriage. She eventually passed away from melancholy.

Since then, the relationship between Shen Ting and the Emperor had remained strained.

After his capping ceremony, Shen Ting requested to be stationed at the East Sea Coast.

He only returned to the capital at the end of the year to pay respects to the Late Empress.

In front of the Empress Dowager, he had claimed that he was the one who stained the fox fur with wine, taking all the blame upon himself.

He also presented many rare treasures from the East Sea, effectively saving my life.

I walked out of Shouning Palace, my heart still racing with fear.

Shen Ting appeared from nowhere, pulling out a small parcel of chestnut cakes and handing them to me. “Eat some to calm your nerves.”

I froze, not moving.

Seeing that I didn’t take them, Shen Ting arched an eyebrow.

“Little Shan Que, when you first entered the palace, you used to hide behind Consort Yao and steal chestnut cakes from the imperial banquets. Do you not like them anymore?”

So it was him. My face flushed with embarrassment.

When I first entered the palace, I didn’t know the rules and had stolen a pastry from a banquet.

I hadn’t been careful, and it rolled away, stopping right at the feet of the Late Empress.

I was terrified, not knowing what to do.

At that moment, the elegant young man standing behind the Empress cast a glance my way.

He had quietly shifted his black robes to hide the pastry beneath the hem of his garment.

I had looked for him while walking through the palace later on, but I never found him.

I never expected that when we met again, he would save me once more.

Shen Ting flicked my forehead and stuffed the chestnut cakes directly into my arms.

He reached out to brush the fallen snow from my shoulder before turning to leave with an effortless grace.

I couldn’t help but call out to him.

When he turned back to look at me, my mind went blank.

I struggled for a long moment before finally blurting out, “I will repay you.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Ting’s eyes crinkled into beautiful crescents like the new moon. He waved his hand dismissively, clearly not taking it to heart.

He was like a sudden flash of silver light, accidentally falling into my long, silent night.

From that moment on, he captured every gaze of my fleeting, hurried life.

When I returned to the Embroidery Workshop that day, Aunt Peihua was waiting for me in the hall with a ruler.

I knew the news of the fox fur incident had already reached her. If a girl from the Embroidery Workshop made a mistake, she had to be punished.

But when the ruler fell upon me, it didn’t seem as hard to endure as usual.

Perhaps it was because I had met Shen Ting that day.

That night, as Aunt Peihua applied medicine to my wounds, she warned me.

“The Eldest Prince was kind enough to save you today, but don’t go getting any ideas. If you want a smooth and comfortable life, there are some people and things you shouldn’t even think about touching.”

I lowered my eyes and complied submissively.

In my heart, however, I felt that my feelings-ethereal as mist and smoke-could never stir even the slightest ripple in his vast ocean.

…

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, word came that Shen Ting and Emperor Ling had gotten into a heated argument in the Imperial Study.

He left the capital that very night, without even waiting for the New Year to pass.

I didn’t even get the chance to see him one last time.

…

On the first day of the New Year, joyous news spread through the palace.

Consort Yao was pregnant.

Emperor Ling was not blessed with many children. Aside from the Eldest Prince, Shen Ting, there was Shen Yao, the son of the current Empress Zhou.

There was also the youngest son, Shen Si, who had grown up in the Cold Palace since childhood.

Rumor had it that Shen Si suffered from a chronic cough and was of a frail constitution.

Therefore, once the news of my mother’s pregnancy broke, Emperor Ling bestowed a massive amount of treasures upon her. They flowed into her palace like a steady stream.

Having not seen her for many years, my mother and I had grown distant.

But I was genuinely happy for her. I personally began working on a Five-Colored Silk Garment, intending to give it to the new imperial child when they were born.

Spring passed and autumn came. My silk garment was nearly finished.

And Shen Ting returned to the capital.

They said he returned this time to defy an imperial marriage command.