Chapter 6

“Big brother is so handsome, even more appetizing than vegetables!”

Cheng Nanyu never expected that she would be caught peeking in front of everyone and even exposed on the spot. Without even thinking, this sentence slipped out of her mouth. The originally cheerful breakfast came to an abrupt halt because of her words, causing everyone to pause their actions. Even Cheng Nanyu’s usual understanding nanny stopped arranging the dishes for Princess Qingyang and looked at her in surprise.

She regretted it deeply at this moment; it was very regretful.

“Little sister… So you really like your older brother.”

He seemed to be smiling, his voice gentle, making one wish to get lost in it. Cheng Nanyu stared at him blankly, and indeed, she saw the faint smile still lingering on Song Yushu’s lips. Somehow, in that instant, she felt that her older brother might not be as frightening as she thought.

She didn’t know if others had noticed, but this time, Cheng Nanyu felt that this was the true smile of Song Yushu, completely different from yesterday.

“Since little sister likes it, then watch as your older brother eats more!”

He looked up at Cheng Nanyu with a slight smile, the smile on his lips long gone. Cheng Nanyu watched as his expression changed rapidly, and the spoon in her hand slipped into the bowl inadvertently.

Is this person… a bit abnormal?

As he spoke, he even pulled his chair closer, getting nearer to Cheng Nanyu. After that, he casually drank the porridge, lifting the bowl to drink instead of leaving it on the table like before, as if he wanted Cheng Nanyu to see more clearly.

These actions not only stunned Cheng Nanyu but also everyone present, including Princess Qingyang.

Cheng Nanyu shifted her small chair slightly to the side. Seeing that Song Yushu didn’t follow, she relaxed and picked up the spoon to drink the porridge again.

Under the gaze of her mother and the nanny across the table, she had only one thought now: to smash the spoon on Song Yushu’s head. She didn’t ask for much; just amnesia would be enough.

…

Breakfast ended in this awkward atmosphere. After finishing her porridge, Cheng Nanyu, who had to go to the palace to accompany Princess Changping, greeted Princess Qingyang and left the table. She didn’t even look at Song Yushu.

However, after turning around, she felt uncomfortable, as if there were thorns on her back. But then she remembered what Princess Changping mentioned yesterday about her father returning soon, and her mood immediately brightened. She happily walked to the palace gate, got off the carriage, and quickened her pace, feeling much brighter.

In this way, even the usually oppressive palace seemed much more pleasant.

“Yu’er, little sister, why are you so happy?”

Cheng Huayan walked over from a nearby pavilion. He had just come out of the East Palace and planned to leave the palace. Unexpectedly, he encountered Cheng Nanyu, who looked extremely cheerful, at the palace gate and called out to her.

“Third Brother!” Cheng Nanyu heard someone calling her, snapped out of her happiness, and turned to see Cheng Huayan. She happily took a few steps forward and walked towards him.

“Third Brother, do you know? My father is coming back!”

She was eager to share this joyful news with Cheng Huayan, something that had made her happy for a long time. However, she didn’t pay the slightest attention to why Cheng Huayan, as the least busy prince in Jing kingdom, would appear in the palace so early. After all, wasn’t he enjoying the outdoors just yesterday!

Cheng Huayan didn’t seem overly surprised by her words. Instead, he slowly opened his fan, maintaining a smile on his face. From Cheng Nanyu’s perspective, his smile was much better than that of her unfortunate older brother at home.

“I know; I heard about it early this morning. I’m genuinely happy for you, Yuer!”

Even though it was spring, Cheng Huayan was fanning himself. What’s more peculiar was that while other fans typically featured landscapes or poetic verses, his fan had a drawing of an orange cat. It was incredibly cute, but undeniably odd.

Cheng Nanyu noticed it when he opened the fan and curiously exclaimed, “Third Brother, why did you draw a cat on your fan?”

In her impression, Cheng Huayan was the most adept at embracing refined tastes. Drawing a cat on his fan, rather than calligraphy or poetry, seemed out of character for him.

“Is it cute?”

Cheng Huayan didn’t directly answer her question but instead asked if it looked good, leaving Cheng Nanyu even more puzzled.

“It’s cute, but… it’s a bit strange.”

She thought this orange cat must have some special significance, but after staring at it for a long time, she couldn’t figure out anything special. It just seemed like an ordinary orange cat.

“As long as it’s cute, why bother about it so much? But speaking of which, I especially obtained this during my time in Yuhang from an old farmer. It cost me quite a bit of silver!”

His words left Cheng Nan Yu even more confused. She reached out, snatched the fan from Cheng Huayan’s hand, and opened and closed it several times in front of her eyes, turning it around, but she didn’t find anything special.

“This fan… doesn’t seem to have anything special about it?”

Seeing her seriousness, Cheng Huayan couldn’t help but laugh. Cheng Nanyu, hearing the sound, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Yu’er, Third Brother! What are you two looking at so attentively?”

Cheng Lingdong came out of the palace, and even before reaching the palace gate, she saw the two of them huddled together, seemingly engrossed in something. Curious, she didn’t mind the etiquette rules that the nannies incessantly reminded her of and rushed over, holding up her dress.

“Huh? Why is there a cat painted on this fan? And it’s orange?”

Seeing Cheng Lingdong suddenly appear, Cheng Huayan shook his head helplessly and preemptively took the fan back when Cheng Lingdong was about to reach for it.

“Third brother, what are you doing? Show it to me!”

Cheng Huayan took the fan back and closed it gently, as if it were a precious treasure. This made Cheng Lingdong even more curious.

“It’s just a fan; what’s so interesting about it? Yu’er, you’re late today!”

This remark was a reflection of Qingluan’s sentiments behind her. She saw that the time had passed, but the two masters were still talking. She didn’t dare to interrupt but could only feel anxious.

“Alright, you two, go on your way. Don’t cling to my fan.”

Cheng Nanyu nodded and glanced at Cheng Lingdong, who didn’t catch her signal. Instead, she looked meaningfully at Cheng Huayan and smiled.

“Third brother, did you forget something?”

Her smile was mischievous. Cheng Nanyu looked at her, then at Cheng Huayan, not understanding what these two were talking about.

“Forget something?”

Cheng Lingdong made a teasing expression at him. However, Cheng Huayan seemed not to understand her meaning and looked at her straightforwardly.

“It’s nothing, just… Hey, Yu’er, didn’t you say you wanted to visit that newly opened restaurant? I heard it’s going to open for business in a few days. Let’s go together!”

Cheng Nanyu was a bit puzzled by her sudden remark. When did she say she wanted to go to a new restaurant? Did a new restaurant open in the capital?

“You, girl, when did you find out?”

Cheng Huayan understood her intentions when she mentioned the restaurant. He smiled and lightly tapped Cheng Lingdong’s head with the fan, shaking his head helplessly.

“Brother Crown Prince told me. If father finds out about your secret restaurant, it’s…”

“Alright, alright, as long as you don’t tell him, it’s a relief! So, what else do you want??”Cheng Lingdong interrupted him, her smile like that of a fox who had stolen some chicken, making Cheng Huayan feel uneasy. She urged her to quickly state her purpose so this girl wouldn’t threaten him with these trivial matters every day. After all, although he was just an idle prince, if outsiders learned about the restaurant, it could bring a lot of trouble.

“It’s nothing. We want to go, but since you’re the owner, you won’t charge us, right? But if we go on our own, we won’t be able to explain. So, I just want to trouble Third Brother to invite us and save us a meal! After all, looking at the luxury of your restaurant, it must not be cheap!”

Seeing Cheng Lingdong’s animated expression beside her, Cheng Nan Yu thought she simply wanted a free meal. So, driven by a playful impulse, she joined Cheng Lingdong in teasing Cheng Huayan.

“Lingdong is right; Third Brother wouldn’t even hesitate to treat us to a meal, would he?”

Considering they had grown up together, their relationship had always been good. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so informal with Cheng Huayan, and Cheng Huayan naturally had no objections. He readily agreed.

“All right, it’s a deal then. We won’t disturb Third Brother leaving the palace. Goodbye, Third Brother!”

Seeing her third brother nod, Cheng Lingdong quickly said goodbye and grabbed Cheng Nanyu, running away as if afraid Cheng Huayan would change his mind. Cheng Huayan watched the two of them run off, sighed helplessly, smiled, and turned to leave the palace.

Cheng Lingdong pulled Cheng Nanyu to her residence. She dismissed all the palace maids from the room, poured tea herself, and never stopped for a moment.

Once everything was ready, Cheng Nanyu looked down at the table filled with fruits, snacks, and tea, raising her head with a puzzled expression.

“Where’s the teacher? Isn’t she coming today? What are you up to?”

Seated opposite her, Cheng Lingdong shook her head.

“The teacher has something to attend to today, so she won’t be coming. But…” She lowered her voice mysteriously, looked left and right, and even glanced up at the ceiling before directing her gaze back at Cheng Nanyu.

“At the banquet yesterday, where did you and your older brother go?”

She deliberately lowered her voice, as if asking about something clandestine. Cheng Nanyu looked at her and pursed her lips, not knowing what to say.

Thinking about this, Cheng Lingdong was focused on watching a dance last night. However, when her gaze swept across the location of Princess Qingyang’s residence, she found that Cheng Nanyu was missing. Subconsciously, she glanced at the position of Song Yushu and found that he was also absent. Naturally, she couldn’t help but think that the two might be together.

But the key is, how could these two be together?

Bringing up this matter made Cheng Nanyu recall Song Yushu’s actions in the imperial garden that night, and her face turned red in an instant.

Thinking about it, she had lived for so long; when had she been held in the arms of a man other than her father? Although that person was her nominal older brother…

“I don’t know where he went. I’m not his attendant… Besides, he has legs of his own. Where he goes is none of my business!”

She didn’t tell the truth, afraid that Cheng Lingdong would discern something, so she quickly distanced herself and stood up before Cheng Lingdong could say anything.

“Since today is a day off, I’ll go back to the mansion first.”

After saying that, she opened the door and ran out on her own. Cheng Lingdong didn’t stop her, but she was even more curious.

This behavior didn’t seem like anything had happened at all! Instead, it seemed like something big had occurred.

Qingluan waited outside and had already learned about the day off from the maids waiting at the door. So, when Cheng Nanyu rushed out to return to the mansion, she wasn’t surprised. What surprised her more was why the princess’s face was so red. What did Princess Changping say to her?

Curiosity aside, she didn’t dare to delay and quickly caught up with Cheng Nanyu to leave the palace together.

When the carriage stopped at the entrance of the princess’s mansion, Qingluan got off first and saw Hanchun standing there with a smile.

“Weixiao? Why are you standing here?”

Weixiao looked around, and when Cheng Nanyu got off the carriage, she quickly walked over.

“Princess, His Highness just passed by. He has been standing outside our courtyard. I invited His Highness to come in, but I was glared at.”

Just now, someone from the palace came to deliver a message, saying that Princess Changping’s teacher wouldn’t be giving lessons today. So, Weixiao thought that the princess would probably return soon and waited at the door early to remind her.