Chapter 4

Cheng Nanyu was still immersed in the shock brought on by Song Yushu. However, the words spoken by this person seemed a bit too arrogant, making her feel awkward. She smiled embarrassedly and nodded in response to his words.

“It’s beautiful! I’ve heard that older brother’s appearance is among the best in the Song Kingdom, so naturally, he is handsome!”

The disparity between appearance and reality and the discrepancy between words and thoughts were essential lessons for everyone in the capital city. Cheng Nanyu always handled them well. After all, saying a few good words wouldn’t hurt, so why not indulge him and make him happy? She thought this way and smiled at Song Yushu. Apparently, he was quite pleased with her words, and there was a strange sense of pride in him.

Did I manage to get through? Everyone loves to hear compliments, right? No matter how capable Song Yushu is, isn’t he still swayed by my flattery?

However, what Song Yushu said next was not as pleasing.

He casually shook his sleeve and, looking down at Cheng Nanyu with a face full of smiles, not gentle but rather a chilling kind of smile, he said, “Since the younger sister likes the older brother so much, why not accompany the older brother for a stroll? I’m new here, and I’m not familiar with the Jing kingdom’s Imperial Palace at all. I heard that younger sister is favored by the Empress Dowager and must often walk around the palace. Surely this imperial garden is as freely accessible as one’s own backyard. It’s a good opportunity to see more!”

His words made Cheng Nanyu’s smile freeze on her face, and she couldn’t believe her ears. She looked up at the person in front of her and wondered if she had misheard.

Did he just ask me to accompany him to stroll through the imperial garden and, as a reward, gaze at him more?

Is there something wrong with this older brother of mine?

“Look… look at what?”

“Of course, it’s to look at older brother. Doesn’t younger sister like it?”

He seemed to be looking at Cheng Nanyu with a serious expression, as if willing to sacrifice the small self for the sake of the greater self, unaware that the person in front of him was becoming more and more resistant in her heart.

“Princess, what are you doing here? An Yue is looking for you.”

Just when Cheng Nanyu didn’t know how to respond, An Yue had already appeared beside her. Although she was calling her, her eyes never left Song Yushu. Cheng Nanyu glanced at An Yue, who was staring fixedly at someone, and smiled.

Just when she was at a loss, someone came over to help. It was time to make the most of it; otherwise, it would be unfair to Miss An, who chased after her all the way from the grand banquet, ruining her shoe soles!

“Miss An Liu’s arrival is perfect. Older brother expressed a desire to stroll through the imperial garden. Originally, it should have been me accompanying him, but I suddenly remembered a task Mother entrusted to me, so… I would like to trouble Miss An Yue to help out.”

She spoke politely and amiably, paying no attention to the person standing nearby, with only one thought in mind: to pass this matter on to An Yue. Since An Yue liked it, she was confident that An Yue would accept it.

An Yue had never thought about such a thing. When Cheng Nanyu entrusted her with this, she felt excited, hoping that Cheng Nanyu would disappear from her sight immediately. She even feared that Cheng Nanyu might regret it and quickly nodded in agreement.

“Princess, rest assured.”

Seeing An Yue’s satisfied expression, Cheng Nanyu nodded in approval. She turned and was about to leave, not even saying ‘goodbye’ to Song Yushu, who was standing behind her. She ran away faster than a rabbit.

Watching her disappear into the distance, An Yue breathed a sigh of relief, adjusted the smile on her face, and elegantly raised her head. She intended to speak with Song Yushu, but as soon as she raised her head, she saw a face without expression, staring in the direction Cheng Nanyu had gone.

She internally gave herself a pep talk and then spoke slowly, “An Yue, take His Highness for a walk, won’t you?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Yushu glanced at her indifferently, and although he hadn’t said anything, it sent a chill down An Yue’s spine.

“No need.”

With that, Song Yushu turned and left, leaving her standing alone, neither chasing after him nor staying.

An Yue stamped her foot in frustration.

Cheng Nanyu was unaware of what happened in the imperial garden after she left. She waited for the boring grand banquet to end so she could bid farewell to the Empress Dowager. However, when it finally ended, she hesitated to leave the palace. The Empress Dowager seemed inclined to keep her in the palace, but after careful consideration, it didn’t seem right. She had to reluctantly wave her hand and let Cheng Nanyu, who was pitifully looking at her, leave the palace with Princess Qingyang.

“Yu’er, hurry up, or your older brother will be anxious.”

Princess Qingyang led the way as they left the palace. The pace was even faster than when they entered. While walking, she urged Cheng Nanyu, who was dragging her feet behind her. Cheng Nanyu looked up at her mother ahead, pouted, but dared not defy her. She could only quicken her pace.

As expected, just as Princess Qingyang said, Song Yushu was already waiting outside the palace gate, sitting high on his horse. When Princess Qingyang, accompanied by Cheng Nanyu, approached, he dismounted.

“Mother, sister.”

There was little expression on his face, but he still showed a respectful demeanor, unlike Song Yushu, who spoke to Cheng Nanyu in the imperial garden during the grand banquet. It was as if he were a completely different person. Cheng Nanyu was surprised, but since they were at the palace gate with many people around, she held back her emotions.

“Shu’er, let’s go back to the mansion now.”

However, Princess Qingyang seemed unfazed by Song Yushu’s attitude and continued to smile. Cheng Nanyu looked at the seemingly changed Song Yushu with confusion, then quickly entered the carriage with Princess Qingyang.

Why does this Song Yushu seem like a completely different person?

Nevertheless, it seemed unrelated to her, and she had no intention of getting involved with Song Yushu. She was determined to keep her distance from him.

Thinking this way, they arrived at the princess’s residence. Being so close to the imperial palace, it didn’t take long to travel from the palace to the princess’s residence. Before her thoughts could fully process, the carriage stopped. Cheng Nanyu hesitated to get off, waiting reluctantly for Princess Qingyang to disembark before doing so herself.

Usually, Hanxiao would proactively help her get off the carriage, but today, for some reason, neither Hanxiao nor Mujin were around. When she lifted the curtain and stepped out, she found only Princess Qingyang and Song Yushu outside. Song Yushu even extended his hand, indicating that he wanted to help her down from the carriage.

“Sister, let older brother assist you.”

His words, calling her sister, were no different from those of Song Yushu during the grand banquet, but his expression was strangely different, leaving Cheng Nanyu puzzled.

This expression was off. Could it be that the Song Yushu in the imperial garden was an imposter? It shouldn’t be. Who would dare to impersonate him? They must be courting death. But if it wasn’t an imposter, why did he seem like a completely different person?

Despite thinking that it had nothing to do with her, she couldn’t help but be curious. In her view, Song Yushu had many secrets, both known and unknown. Little did she know, this was just the beginning.

“Yu’er, come down quickly. Your older brother is waiting for you.”

Princess Qingyang, seeing Cheng Nanyu bending over and daydreaming at the carriage, reminded her to hurry. However, the unexpected startle made Cheng Nanyu lose her balance. Unprepared, she slipped down from the carriage.

However, it wasn’t a smooth descent; it was a slide.

She could even feel the sensation of her body falling. Cheng Nanyu was prepared for the impact of hitting the ground, but surprisingly, instead of landing, she felt someone catch her around the waist. This felt a bit awkward.

“Why is my sister so careless?”

As expected, she kept her eyes closed and didn’t dare to open them, but she still heard the indifferent voice from above. Cheng Nanyu slowly opened her eyes and saw the person holding her—Song Yushu.

She was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say. However, when she glanced at Princess Qingyang standing nearby, she could only awkwardly smile.

“Thank you, older brother.”

Although unwilling, Cheng Nanyu had to admit that her older brother had saved her in time, saving her from the embarrassment of falling to the ground. She could only say thank you. Looking at Song Yushu, he shook his head, still expressionless, but he didn’t let go. He maintained that posture. Princess Qingyang stood on the side, watching the harmonious scene between the siblings, nodding with satisfaction.

“Older brother, why not let me go now? I’m already standing properly.”

Song Yushu kept holding on, making Cheng Nanyu reluctant to move, so she could only try to negotiate with him in a friendly manner. Song Yushu lowered his head, nodded expressionlessly, and suddenly released his grip without giving Cheng Nanyu any time to react.

“Ah!”

After a miserable cry, she lay straight on the ground.

“Yu’er!”

Cheng Nanyu suddenly fell to the ground, startling Princess Qingyang, who was behind her with a pleased expression. She quickly took two steps forward, intending to help Cheng Nanyu, but Song Yushu, who was closer, had already reached out his hand.

“Sister is too careless.”

His hand reached in front of Cheng Nanyu, still without any expression on his face. The words he spoke were cold, and Cheng Nanyu, infuriated, jumped up from the ground with just one hand supporting her.

Others might not know, but she herself couldn’t be ignorant. She had thought that Song Yushu probably forgot about the events from ten years ago, but now it seems he held a grudge! How could he forget? At least, if he had forgotten, he wouldn’t have intentionally given her a slight push, making her look ridiculous on purpose!

“Princess.”

When she jumped up, her mind went blank. Without caring about anything, she was about to expose Song Yushu’s hypocritical facade in front of her mother. Unexpectedly, someone stopped her before she could speak. Upon closer inspection, it was Qingluan, her courtyard’s chief maid.

“Qingluan, why are you pulling me?”

Qingluan had rushed over and grabbed her sleeve as if afraid she would make some mistake in her impulsive actions. Until Cheng Nanyu questioned her, she slowly let go and smiled courteously at her.

“I saw Princess fall just now, so I wanted to see if Princess was okay.”

Her smile seemed a bit forced, and her gaze lingered on Cheng Nanyu. After that, she shook her head slightly. Cheng Nanyu understood her well, and with a glance at Song Yushu, she bowed to Princess Qingyang.

“Mother, Yu’er is tired today and will go in first. You should rest early too.”

Princess Qingyang nodded lovingly at her, and Cheng Nanyu, seeing her mother’s approval, turned and walked toward the mansion. Qingluan followed behind, offering a respectful salute to Princess Qingyang and Song Yushu before turning to catch up with Cheng Nanyu.

“Sister!”

But Song Yushu called out to her.

Author’s note: Cheng Nanyu: I have no interest in my older brother’s looks. I even wish he wouldn’t flaunt that face in front of me…