"Why are you staring at me like that?"
Even with Yuwenzhang’s thick skin, being watched like this left him feeling somewhat uneasy.
"This is the meal my mother made for the two of us."
He placed a deliberate emphasis on the words "the two of us." If Yuwenzhang had been a man of thinner skin, he would have taken the hint and left of his own accord. However, given that he was already seated, it was clear to anyone that he had no intention of getting up.
He looked at Ping'an with a provocative, carefree smile.
"All the ingredients here belong to the Crown Prince's Villa, and it was my coin that paid for them. Every flower, every blade of grass, every tree and shrub here is mine. Not to mention this food—even your mother ought to belong to me."
As he finished, Yuwenzhang raised an eyebrow and looked at Xie Zhixue. His gaze was complex, laced with a faint sense of possessiveness.
A blush rose to Xie Zhixue’s face, and even the tips of her ears felt hot. She had not expected Yuwenzhang to say something so roguish in front of Ping'an, and for a moment, she couldn't find the words to refute him. Seeing Xie Zhixue’s shyness, Yuwenzhang suddenly felt quite pleased. He didn't even mind Ping'an’s insignificant slights and provocations.
Yuwenzhang reached out and helped himself to a mouthful of vegetables, chewing slowly and deliberately right in front of Ping'an.
Ping'an pouted and tugged at Xie Zhixue’s sleeve under the stone table. Xie Zhixue gave a helpless smile, reached out to pat his head, and personally placed a piece of meat into his bowl. Only then was Ping'an appeased, his little scheme satisfied.
Yuwenzhang saw this but said nothing, simply continuing to eat. However, when Xie Zhixue wasn't looking, Ping'an made a face at him. Yuwenzhang noticed, but he pretended not to see it and focused entirely on his meal. He had to admit, her cooking was truly excellent; even simple home-style dishes tasted delicious.
Seeing that Yuwenzhang was completely ignoring him while the food on the table vanished at a visible rate, Ping'an grew anxious. He thrust his chopsticks into the fray, "fighting" with Yuwenzhang’s, neither willing to yield to the other.
Hidden in the shadows, a figure crouched behind a wall, watching the scene with utter disbelief. As the sunlight spilled onto her face, her features became clear. Had Xie Zhixue been standing there, she would have recognized her instantly: it was her close friend, Shen Wan'er.
Watching the scene in the courtyard, Shen Wan'er felt as if her heart were being cut to pieces. She had spent a considerable amount of silver and used both soft and hard tactics to barely bribe a young eunuch at the gates of the Crown Prince's Villa. Although the young eunuch was now half in her pocket, he would only send her word when a female guest arrived at the villa. It was only last night, while no one was looking, that he had snuck a message to her.
Once Shen Wan'er learned a woman had arrived at the Crown Prince's Villa, she naturally couldn't sit still. That was why she had begged Shen Tingbai to bring her here. Shen Tingbai had doted on his sister, who was five or six years his junior, since childhood; he had never been able to refuse her small requests. As it happened, the silk trees were currently in bloom, and since the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s wife truly did use silk tree blossoms for medicine, he had the perfect excuse. Even if Yuwenzhang had initially agreed, he would have found a pretext to let Shen Wan'er come in his stead.
Shen Wan'er had only known a woman was living there. She had used the excuse of picking blossoms to sneak out and investigate, never imagining she would find Xie Zhixue.
*How could it be her? And why her of all people?*
The flames of jealousy in Shen Wan'er’s heart began to roar, threatening to consume her reason entirely. Xie Zhixue’s reputation had been ruined by her own schemes long ago. Later, when Xie Zhixue was found to be pregnant, the desperate Xie Family had sent her to an estate under their name to carry and raise the child. Shen Wan'er had known all of this, and it was precisely because she knew that her vigilance had gradually faded.
In her eyes, Yuwenzhang was a man who could not tolerate a grain of sand in his eye. Even when he had returned triumphantly and asked the Emperor for Xie Zhixue's hand, she had felt more jealousy and resentment than fear. Fear was impossible; after all, given Xie Zhixue’s situation, if she truly married Yuwenzhang, both she and the Xie Family would be guilty of deceiving the Emperor.
*A withered flower, a woman who has been with everyone—how could she become the Crown Prince’s consort, the future mother of the nation? It’s an utter joke!*
Things had turned out exactly as she expected later on; the Xie Family had simply let it be known that "Xie Zhixue" had died in an accident. As for the rest, Shen Wan'er hadn't bothered to care. Whether Xie Zhixue had been sent far from the Capital or was truly gone, as long as she posed no threat to her becoming the Crown Prince’s consort, that was enough.
Shen Wan'er had always considered herself the top contender among the many women vying for the position, second only to Xie Zhixue. In terms of both family background and beauty, she believed she did not lose to her. With Xie Zhixue gone, she had thought that Yuwenzhang would eventually belong to her.
Yet, here was Xie Zhixue, still in the Capital! She was even with Yuwenzhang. Watching the three of them together in such harmony, Shen Wan'er found the sight eyesore to the extreme.
*That little bastard, and that bitch Xie Zhixue—how dare they share a meal with Yuwenzhang? She deserves to die! She deserves to die!*
Shen Wan'er was furious, but she dared not make a sound for fear of alerting them. If Yuwenzhang discovered her spying, she feared it would leave a poor impression. Before she became his true consort, Shen Wan'er did not want Yuwenzhang to harbor any misunderstandings about her. She gripped her handkerchief so tightly she nearly shredded it.
"Miss, we should go."
The maid behind her felt a shiver of terror seeing Shen Wan'er like this. The world saw Shen Wan'er as gentle and dignified, with top-tier beauty and breeding, but no one knew what she was truly like in private. The young maid had only spoken up because she saw that the people inside were finishing their meal, and she had to summon the courage to remind her.
Shen Wan'er bit her lip and left, consumed by resentment. As she departed, the feeling of being watched that had plagued Yuwenzhang vanished.
Inside, Xie Zhixue and Ping'an were completely unaware of the gaze that had been fixed upon them. As for Yuwenzhang, though he felt as if someone had been watching him, he had searched several times to no avail and eventually dismissed it. This was the Crown Prince's Villa; it was impossible for anyone untoward or malicious to have snuck inside.
The lunch ended with Yuwenzhang and Ping'an having eaten their fill after their silent war. Xie Zhixue had been caught in the crossfire of their bickering and hadn't managed to eat much before the food was wiped clean. Fortunately, Yuwenzhang still possessed a shred of conscience and told her she need not return to work for the rest of the day. After he left, he specifically sent someone over with fresh fruits and vegetables, providing her with both time and ingredients to make herself something else.
Even so, Xie Zhixue was exhausted. As she cleaned up and prepared to rest, she caught sight of a familiar shadow in the distance. Xie Zhixue’s body stiffened, and her heart was filled with disbelief.
*Could it be her?*