Chapter 8: Meeting the Crown Prince

“What are you panicking for!” Qin Jingshu maintained her composure, though there was a slight tremor in her voice. Clearly, the Crown Prince was not an insignificant existence to her; this was perhaps her only opportunity to ascend to a high position.

“That’s right, Cui Li, what are you panicking for? The Crown Prince isn’t some ghost knocking on the door in the middle of the night with disheveled hair. What are you afraid of? He’s human too, with a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Does he have anything extra?” Qin Wanyi opened her eyes, raised an eyebrow, and teased. Glancing at Cui Li, whose face had turned pale and whose body was trembling, she continued, “Even if the Crown Prince were a ghost, as long as you haven’t done anything to weigh on your conscience, you can sleep soundly, and you wouldn’t hear a thing.”

“Mis… Miss…” Cui Li shuffled her feet and hid behind Qin Jingshu.

“Ah!” Qin Wanyi suddenly cried out. She tilted her head to listen, noticing that Cui Li’s heart was practically in her throat and her eyes had gone cross-eyed. Suppressing a laugh, she played the part of a ghost-seer: “I think I heard something—a rustling sound. It sounds like leaves shaking. Could it really be a ghost shaking the leaves? Has someone here truly done something to weigh on their conscience?”

“Miss…” Cui Li grabbed Qin Jingshu’s sleeve desperately, leaning tightly against her, causing wrinkles to form on her new clothes.

“Useless thing.” Qin Jingshu pulled her sleeve away and slapped Cui Li, leaving her dizzy but significantly more clear-headed. “Didn’t you hear that it was footsteps?”

She glared at Qin Wanyi, though it was unclear who the remark was intended for.

“Oh, so it was footsteps. There must be quite a few people coming,” Qin Wanyi said, feigning a sudden realization.

“Miss, what should we do?” Cui Li, ignoring the pain on her face, stamped her feet in anxiety.

This time, she would have to rely on Qin Jingshu’s cooperation to win any favor in front of Qin Zheng. Qin Jingshu just needed a step down. After weighing the situation, Qin Wanyi pointed behind the bed: “There is a guqin over there. Cui Li, please invite your Miss over.”

Madam Zhang was a dutiful second mother; the tutors she hired did not leave out Qin Suye, though she wasn’t as dedicated. However, whatever Qin Jingshu learned, Qin Suye was not a bit inferior. Thus, Qin Suye’s boudoir was not lacking in zithers, chess sets, calligraphy, paintings, embroidery frames, or silk threads. It was just that, compared to the various treasures and antiques in Qin Wanyi’s and Qin Jingshu’s rooms, it was clearly inferior.

“Why should I…” Since Qin Wanyi had already spoken, Qin Jingshu weighed the pros and cons. Before Cui Li could say anything more, she walked over with a look of indignation on her face.

The guqin was placed on a round table by the window. By the time Qin Jingshu sat down and arranged her trailing skirt, the footsteps were already sounding outside the door. She had no time to burn incense or wash her hands, so she plucked the strings casually, and a soothing, gentle melody flowed from her fingertips.

The group at the door stopped there, not rushing to enter.

In a short time, Qin Jingshu had already composed herself. Her fingering was skillful and fluid—plucking, hooking, and pressing—much like the person herself, without a hint of hesitation. It sounded light and lively; she must have put a lot of effort into it over the years.

Although Qin Wanyi was a layman and couldn’t tell which piece Qin Jingshu was playing, listening to it made her mood slightly more peaceful, as if she could imagine a dynamic scroll of green mountains, stone bridges, falling flowers, and flowing water.

However, Qin Jingshu was too focused on technique and neglected the soul of the music. It could only be said that she was playing the zither purely for the sake of playing; she didn’t even consider that she was supposed to be conveying emotion.

“Second Sister’s zither skills are truly becoming more refined by the day. It sounds like a warm sun in the dead of winter, lingering and graceful.” Qin Wanyi could only offer higher praise to elevate Qin Jingshu’s performance. “They say the zither can convey emotion. I can tell that although Second Sister is playing to relieve my boredom, her heart is thinking of someone else, which is why she can play a melody as sweet as love beans.”

*Ding!* The music stopped abruptly. Qin Jingshu raised her head suddenly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

“Hehe, it seems I guessed right.” Qin Wanyi chuckled, as if she didn’t notice Qin Jingshu’s icy glare.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and with a few messy footsteps, several people walked in.

The person in the lead was about twenty-four years old, tall and upright, with an imposing manner. His handsome face held a hint of fortitude; his forehead was broad, his features deep, and his eyes carried a touch of arrogance, giving one the feeling of being looked down upon by someone of high status. He wore a white python robe embroidered with a coiled yellow dragon that looked lifelike, and over it, a white winter cloak. His entire person exuded an air of nobility.

There was no need for an introduction to know that this was the Crown Prince, Zhong Qinyu. However, the youth etched in her memory was vastly different from the person before her. Could it be that the deceased Qin Wanyi still had feelings for someone?

“Wanyi, Jingshu, why haven’t you two bowed to the Crown Prince yet?” Qin Zheng followed behind the Crown Prince. Because he was on leave, he was only wearing casual clothes, though they were tailored from the finest silk.

Qin Jingshu rose slowly, moving with lotus-like steps. With a smile on her lips, she folded her hands and bowed to Zhong Qinyu, looking every bit the refined young lady, which made Qin Wanyi feel ashamed of her own lack of decorum.

“Rise.” Zhong Qinyu gave a gesture of support. Qin Jingshu turned her head away, her face showing a shy expression. He smiled slightly, “The daughters of the Prime Minister are indeed all graceful and talented.”

At this time, Qin Suye also followed behind the group, but she was silent and had very little presence. However, Madam Zhang was nowhere to be seen.

“The Crown Prince is too kind.” Qin Zheng nodded, quite satisfied with Qin Jingshu. However, when he glanced at Qin Wanyi, who was still lingering on the bed, his old face darkened.

Qin Wanyi couldn’t learn Qin Jingshu’s ways. In any case, she was already seen as someone who didn’t understand etiquette in the Crown Prince’s eyes, and she didn’t hope to leave a good impression today, so she simply continued lying down. She just lazily turned to the side and propped herself up, looking soft and weak: “This commoner is unwell and unable to get out of bed. I hope the Crown Prince will forgive me.”

Zhong Qinyu showed a hint of displeasure. He hadn’t had a good impression of Qin Wanyi to begin with, and out of respect for Qin Zheng, he was about to walk over. However, when the burn scar on Qin Wanyi’s face entered his vision, he seemed startled, stepped back several times, and his face sank.

“Crown Prince, are you alright?” Qin Jingshu was right beside Zhong Qinyu and asked solicitously.

Zhong Qinyu looked at Qin Jingshu in a daze, suddenly finding her as beautiful as a fairy. Realizing his loss of composure, he waved his hand and urged, “Han… Imperial Physician, you… go take a look at her.”

From behind Zhong Qinyu stepped a man wearing blue official robes embroidered with cranes. His hat was worn perfectly straight. He was over fifty, with graying hair and beard, and a few wrinkles on his face, but his complexion was good. He stood straight, without any fawning posture. Seeing her appearance, his eyes flickered slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

The medical attendant who followed immediately brought over a stool for Han Chengxu to sit on and handed him the medicine chest.

“Miss Qin, please turn your head this way.” Perhaps knowing that she must be heartbroken and desperate to be injured like this, Han Chengxu spoke very kindly.

Qin Wanyi complied. She had already examined the injury. If this were the modern era, even a deep second-degree burn could be restored to its original appearance with a skin graft. But here, even a shallow second-degree burn, if not cared for properly, would still leave a scar.

Hearing that the palace had a complete supply of medicinal herbs, and all of them were rare and precious, Qin Wanyi stared fixedly at Han Chengxu and revealed a mischievous smile. Perhaps she could swindle some out of him to treat the scar on her face.