Chapter 55: He Loves Her So Much

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: He Loves Her So Much

As they spoke, the carriage came to a stop.

They had arrived at the Duke Zhao Mansion.

Shen Hanyue, who had been vexed the entire way, was still frowning.

Cui Lingyao patted her hand. "The elders will handle this matter. There’s no use for an unmarried young lady like you to worry about it. Just listen to your brother and pretend you don’t know anything."

Since they were out attending a banquet, they might as well enjoy themselves.

Thinking of the people and events she might encounter today, Cui Lingyao had already braced herself, ready to face whatever came.

She was the last of the three to alight from the carriage.

Peeking through the carriage curtain, she saw that Shen Tingyu was already standing before her, holding out his hand.

His clean, slender fingers were right before her. Cui Lingyao was about to place her wrist on his hand when her heart suddenly clenched. She instinctively looked up and met a pair of familiar eyes.

Xie Jinbai.

He was standing at the main entrance of the Duke Zhao Mansion, likely about to go inside, when he happened to run into them.

’What a coincidence.’

’He caught me red-handed.’

Even from a great distance, she could see the gloomy, fierce look in his eyes.

’It’s a little terrifying.’

"...Yaoyao?" Shen Tingyu’s clear voice sounded by her ear.

Cui Lingyao’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She withdrew her gaze and placed her hand firmly in his palm. Holding her skirt with her other hand, she stepped onto the small stool and alighted from the carriage.

Xie Jinbai’s eyes never moved the entire time.

He stared at her slender, straight back.

He stared at the way she slightly tucked her chin, her neck habitually leaning forward.

...and he stared at their joined hands.

His jaw tightened abruptly.

He was no fool. From the age of sixteen, the first time he felt his heart pound in his chest, he knew he had fallen in love.

Because he knew his own heart, he couldn’t bear to neglect her in the slightest from the very beginning.

He never shied away from it. Once he realized he liked her, he accepted it, allowing no room for error as he properly married his beloved and brought her home.

He loved her so much.

So very much!

It was just a simple act of getting off a carriage.

And yet, he could tell this was his Yaoyao.

Even if she were reduced to ashes or in a different body, he would recognize her in a single glance.

In the three years they had spent together, his attentiveness to her had, through subtle influence, reached a point he himself had not realized.

He remembered even such minute details with perfect clarity in his subconscious.

Meanwhile, Cui Lingyao, having alighted from the carriage, naturally lifted her gaze to survey her surroundings. Her expression froze almost imperceptibly.

The Zhao Family was hosting a banquet today, so there were naturally many guests, all of them unmarried young men and women.

In the time it took for them to get out of the carriage, several more groups of people had arrived. They should have entered the mansion to converse, but Xie Jinbai was still standing silently at the main entrance.

His status was noble; as long as he didn’t move first, no one dared to pass him and enter.

Seeing his unblinking stare fixed in one direction, everyone else’s gazes followed.

They all landed on them.

And her hand was still joined with Shen Tingyu’s...

Cui Lingyao felt a bit awkward and instinctively went to pull her hand away. Shen Tingyu didn’t stop her.

He released her hand, was the first to ascend the steps, and bowed with his hands clasped. "This humble subject greets Your Highness, Prince Yu."

Shen Hanyue suppressed her excitement, led her two younger sisters forward, and curtsied flawlessly in greeting.

Xie Jinbai didn’t bid them rise. His gaze ignored everyone else, landing on the slender figure at the very back.

There, Cui Lingyao was also in the middle of a curtsy.

One breath...

Two breaths...

Silence fell all around.

This inexplicable scene left everyone feeling a bit bewildered.

’When did the Duke Shen Mansion offend Prince Yu?’

’I haven’t heard anything about that.’

Moreover, they noticed that Prince Yu’s gaze had not shifted from the very beginning, remaining fixed on...

Amidst the silence, Xie Jinbai finally spoke. "You may rise."

Behind him, a few young masters acquainted with the Shen Family let out a long sigh of relief.

The hosts also hurried to speak and ease the atmosphere.

Today, the ones from the Zhao Family receiving guests were the Second and Third Young Masters. The Princely Heir, Zhao Shijie, was staying by his wife’s side, having even taken leave from court and rarely leaving her.

Xie Jinbai’s arrival was also sudden, so the old Duke had not yet been informed.

Faced with such a scene, Second Young Master Zhao offered a few placating words, then raised his arm and said, "Thank you, our honored guests, for gracing us with your presence. The food and wine are ready inside. Quickly, this way, please."

Xie Jinbai turned a deaf ear. He glanced at the girl who kept her head bowed and her eyes downcast, not daring to meet his gaze. He slowly withdrew his line of sight and let it fall upon Shen Tingyu.

Just then, Shen Tingyu also lifted his eyelids slightly.

In that instant, the two men’s gazes collided in mid-air.

One was calm and gentle.

The other was gloomy, cold, and exceptionally ruthless.

Shen Tingyu seemed not to notice, gently reminding him, "The guests are all waiting outside. If Your Highness does not go in soon, you will hinder the hosts from receiving them."

Although this was a district for the powerful and wealthy with sufficiently wide streets...

...with so many carriages blocking the way, the road would still become congested.

A ruthless glint flashed in Xie Jinbai’s eyes. He stared at Shen Tingyu and gave a slight smile, then turned his head to ask the Zhao family members behind him, "Has your esteemed mansion prepared any curiosities for everyone to see today?"

"Yes, yes, we have,"

Second Young Master Zhao hurriedly introduced, "Over by the Nine Bends Pavilion, there is a flower field enclosed in a glass conservatory, where many flowers not easily seen this season are grown."

Xie Jinbai’s expression remained impassive, his interest clearly lacking.

Third Young Master Zhao had no choice but to recommend something else. "The Music Pavilion has trained a group of Dancing Girls. They are all criminal slaves purchased from the Music Bureaus of various regions. They are skilled in playing instruments, singing, and dancing, each with her own specialty. They have not yet been presented to guests. If Your Highness..."

Xie Jinbai glanced at the girl in the corner and scoffed, "No."

Such a clean and sharp refusal.

No one knew what the two young masters of the Zhao Family were thinking.

But the air did fall silent for a moment.

After silently muttering ’We can’t afford to offend him’ a few times, Second Young Master Zhao spoke again. "The mansion has a leopard room where several fierce beasts are kept. If Your Highness is interested, how about I arrange a Fighting Beast banquet?"

Xie Jinbai finally showed some interest. His eyebrows arched slightly, and he gave a light nod. "Done."

Second Young Master Zhao let out a breath of relief, silently praying to his ancestors. With a smile, he said, "This way, Your Highness."

"No rush,"

Xie Jinbai looked around and asked, "Would all of you care to join this prince in watching the Fighting Beast banquet?"

As soon as he said this, the crowd responded in unison.

Only the members of the Shen Family did not express an opinion.

Xie Jinbai had no intention of inviting *him*. He just shot him a cool glance and commanded, "This prince enjoys a lively atmosphere. All of you will come along."

With that, he turned and entered the mansion.

The other guests hurried to follow.

The crowd around them thinned. Cui Lingyao lifted her stiff neck. Beside her, Shen Hanyue tugged at her sleeve, her voice filled with unconcealable excitement. "His aura is so intimidating."

A great general who has held the commander’s seal, been on the battlefield, and commanded thousands of troops in countless slaughters possesses an aura so powerful that a single glance can make one’s entire body freeze.

Young ladies like them, coddled in wealth and comfort, didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly in his presence.

Shen Hanyue was afraid, but at the same time, she found herself liking it.

’He rejected the performance of the Dancing Girls offered by the Zhao Family.’

’Dancing Girls that the Zhao Family would specially introduce as a rare sight must be far from ordinary.’

’Yet he refused without a second thought.’

’He truly is deeply devoted to his late Princess Consort.’

"..." Cui Lingyao was rendered speechless.

’Is this what a fangirl’s filter looks like?’

’She only sees his good qualities.’

Meanwhile, she, the "late Princess Consort" herself, only felt that after not seeing him for three years, the man had become even more mercurial and unpredictable.

’What kind of guest torments their host like this?’

’And the Fighting Beast banquet... was it a spur-of-the-moment idea, or has he arranged something to test me?’