Hearing this, Ivy Shen pretended to be timid and cautious as she rowed the boat back, her body swaying dangerously several times, almost falling into the river.
"Slow down, slow down!" Song Zhijue hurriedly reminded her, clearly nervous.
This scene left Gavin Wang, who stood by his side, a bit stunned. He had never seen the Crown Prince so anxious over a woman—especially a palace maid he was meeting for the first time!
After Ivy Shen shakily docked the boat, she quickly approached and knelt fearfully before him. "This maid did not know the Crown Prince was present—I deserve punishment!" she said, all the while secretly thinking: Song Zhijue, I’m kneeling for you this time, but next time you’ll pay me back tenfold!
"Get up, quickly," Song Zhijue waved his hand, urging her.
Seeing this, Ivy Shen kept her head lowered as she stood, looking utterly terrified and anxious.
At this, Song Zhijue quickly said, "No need to be so nervous. I’m not going to eat you. By the way, what’s your name? Why haven’t I seen you before?" For the first time, faced with a girl who made his heart tremble, Song Zhijue didn’t want her to be afraid—he asked gently instead.
Hearing this, Ivy Shen still kept her head down and replied in a tiny voice, "This maid is Chloe Chung, newly transferred here as a palace maid."
"A palace maid?" Song Zhijue repeated in disbelief—where did they find such a spiritually beautiful maid?
Hearing Song Zhijue’s doubt, Ivy Shen continued, "Originally, I entered the palace as a candidate for the selection. Later, I couldn’t handle all the complicated palace etiquette, so I became a maid instead." After saying this, she fell silent—but from her earlier carefree manner, it was clear she didn’t like being restrained.
Hearing this, Song Zhijue was quite surprised. No wonder this palace maid was so beautiful. He smiled and asked, "Is palace etiquette really that complicated?" For some reason, he found himself really liking this girl.
Ivy Shen kept her head down and didn’t answer, her hands nervously clenched together as if she was struggling to figure out how to respond.
"Hey, the Crown Prince is talking to you!" Gavin Wang quickly spoke up. Though his tone was a bit scolding, only he knew that he’d been smitten with her at first sight. Still, he had to loudly remind her—this was a conversation with the Crown Prince, who was famously moody. If she answered poorly, the consequences...
"Don’t!" Unexpectedly, Song Zhijue reached out to stop him from scolding her, then smiled and asked again, "If I gave you a chance to skip learning etiquette and directly become a Noble Lady, would you want it?"
Upon hearing this, Ivy Shen looked up at Song Zhijue. Gavin Wang’s heart couldn’t help but clench—sure enough, the Crown Prince had taken a liking to her. Instinctively, he forced out a strained smile and said, "Aren’t you going to thank His Highness?"
But to their surprise, Ivy Shen simply lowered her head and uttered three words that left them both stunned: "I am unwilling."
...
"How dare you!" Gavin Wang scolded loudly—this was a huge favor! How could she refuse? Yet, hearing her rejection, he couldn’t help but feel a strange flutter of joy in his heart?!
"Unwilling? Can you tell me why?" At this moment, Song Zhijue hadn’t expected to feel so cheerful asking her. If it were any other day, he’d probably have killed her on the spot!
Besides, no one had ever dared talk back to him like this!
Seeing this, Ivy Shen looked up at him and said softly, "To answer Your Highness, I never wanted to be a consort—I actually came hoping to be a palace maid. But since the palace isn’t recruiting maids right now, I..."
"So you made mistakes on purpose just to become a maid?" Seeing how clever she was, Song Zhijue realized she definitely wasn’t someone who couldn’t learn etiquette.
"Yes!"
"Why? Is being a palace maid really that good?" It was the first time he’d met a girl who didn’t want to be a phoenix, but would rather be a little bird!
"Palace maids are treated well—their pay is better than being a servant outside. Most importantly, after five years, maids are allowed to leave the palace. That way, I can go home and care for my father and mother. After all, I’m their only daughter, and I want to be with them in their old age!"
Hearing this, Song Zhijue was stunned. He’d never imagined her reason would be so kind-hearted!
"But with your looks, you wouldn’t have to be a servant outside," Song Zhijue couldn’t help but ask. With her beauty, surely countless young masters would be chasing after her!
"I just want to earn my living by my own skills, not rely on men. I have hands and feet—why should I willingly sink so low? Those rich young masters only profess love because of my looks. I don’t care for a marriage without real affection, and I don’t need it!"
Song Zhijue was stunned by her bold, impassioned words. Who would’ve thought someone so delicate could have such a strong heart?
"Your Highness... I’m not that ambitious. I just want to finish these five years and then be with my parents." Seeing the look of admiration in Song Zhijue’s eyes, Ivy Shen calmly reiterated her stance.
"What was that song you just sang?" All of a sudden, Song Zhijue changed the subject. She wanted to go home, wanted to leave after five years? But why did the thought of her leaving make him feel so uneasy? Love at first sight—his heart told him he didn’t want her to go, but he didn’t know how to respond. For the first time, instead of answering directly, he dodged by changing the topic.
"It’s called ‘Moonlight over the Lotus Pond’—I... I composed it myself," she said, lowering her head in embarrassment. Sorry, Phoenix Legend, don’t blame me for pirating your song!
"Oh? You wrote it yourself?" Song Zhijue was amazed—he hadn’t expected her to be a talented composer.
"I was just bored and composed it for fun. Please forgive me if it’s silly, Your Highness."
"Not at all. I think it’s a wonderful song," Song Zhijue replied honestly.
"Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness."
At that moment, Song Zhijue smiled and suddenly asked, "Is this your first day working at the Lotus Pond? I didn’t see you yesterday."
"Yes, today is my first day. I was supposed to work the day shift, but one of the night shift girls had an upset stomach, so I..." She stopped herself abruptly, not finishing the sentence.
"You’re covering her shift?" Song Zhijue, ever perceptive, guessed immediately.
"Please don’t blame me, Your Highness. I volunteered for it," Ivy Shen quickly said, bowing her head in panic.
"Do you think I’m blaming her?"
"Uh?"
"Not at all. You’re very kind, but working like this will tire you out. How about this: go back and rest, you don’t need to work tonight," Song Zhijue said generously.
Hearing this, Ivy Shen looked completely puzzled. "But... but someone needs to cover the night shift here..."
"You’ve already worked the day shift, and there’s not much to do at night. I hope you’ll take care of your health for work," Song Zhijue said.
"Uh..."
"His Highness is showing you great kindness—aren’t you going to thank him?" Gavin Wang kindly reminded her again.
"Thank you for Your Highness’s kindness."
"You may rise."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Ivy Shen slowly stood up, then bowed and said, "Then I’ll go rest now." With that, she picked up her small lantern and slowly walked away.
Ivy Shen walked away slowly, step by step. She knew he was watching her, so she raised her hand and, with a subtle gesture, brushed against her hairpin. The pin slipped quietly from her hair, and seizing the moment, Ivy turned back. Instantly, her long black hair cascaded down, fluttering in the breeze—so beautiful, it was impossible to look away.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" With a pure smile, Ivy Shen nodded slightly, then quickly turned and walked away. She’d gotten the idea from a shampoo commercial—on TV, women’s hair always falls in a dramatic cascade to catch the hero’s eye. She was sure her little performance would leave Song Zhijue sleepless tonight.
It wasn’t until Ivy Shen disappeared at the end of the corridor, and Gavin Wang called out, that Song Zhijue finally snapped out of his daze.
"Your Highness..."
"Beautiful, so beautiful... I’ve never seen such a lovely woman before, Gavin, right?" Song Zhijue’s face was filled with surprise—infatuation, longing, and delight.
"Yes!" Gavin Wang could only answer simply. He knew the Crown Prince was extremely jealous—if he said more, he might end up dead.
"Your Highness, should we add her to the list of consorts?" Gavin Wang suddenly asked. Though he was reluctant, he was just a guard—how could he compete with the Crown Prince for love? That was impossible!
"No need. I don’t want to force her." His heart beat wildly—Song Zhijue was thoroughly enjoying this feeling. So this was what it meant to be moved! It was truly wonderful. He didn’t want to spoil it, so he would work hard to show her that love was right beside her, and make her willingly become his woman!
************ Divider ************
PS: Dear reader, Qiu Lanjü really is a woman—she is! As for her identity and purpose... By the way, today’s update is pretty early, isn’t it? Please reward me, teehee~!