"He came uninvited."
Gu Zhaoyan blinked. "This palace didn't ask you."
Oh no.
Why did she say what she was thinking right out loud?
"This prince will have someone arrange for the Eldest Princess to leave through the back door."
"This palace hasn't done anything underhanded, why should I leave through the back door?" Truth be told, Gu Zhaoyan was curious about what Song Hesheng wanted with Qi Yelin.
"Is the Eldest Princess afraid that this prince is secretly colluding with him?"
In her past life, Gu Zhaoyan would have been half-doubtful, but after witnessing Qi Yelin personally behead those three men, she understood. Even if everyone else in the world betrayed her, he alone never would.
"This palace is afraid he'll seduce you."
The temper Qi Yelin had just managed to suppress flared right back up at those words.
"Really."
Gu Zhaoyan straightened her face, her tone exceptionally earnest, solely to make Qi Yelin believe her. "Before choosing him as Imperial Son-in-law, this palace had him investigated. He's ambiguously handsome, appealing to both men and women. I'm telling you this just to give you a heads-up. His father, Grand Tutor Song, is a slippery old fox."
This was the first time Qi Yelin had ever heard the Eldest Princess say so much in one breath, and every single sentence was said with consideration for him.
Could she really be that kind-hearted?
"If this palace wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have saved you in the carriage. Hurry up and go see him before he gets impatient." Gu Zhaoyan knew how clever Qi Yelin was, so she urged him to go see the visitor, while she herself sat down to calmly continue drinking tea and eating pastries.
Qi Yelin collected his breath and focused his mind. After sizing up the Eldest Princess for a few moments, he cupped his fist in salute. "This prince will return shortly."
"Go on, go."
Gu Zhaoyan cheerfully waved him off, but the moment he left, she caught the eye of her trusted confidante, Jintang. "Follow him."
Jintang nodded, turned, and briskly followed.
In the deliberation hall.
The instant Qi Yelin stepped inside, Song Hesheng, who had been sitting down, sprang to his feet. "Song Hesheng pays his respects to Prince Shen—"
"State your business. This prince is busy."
Hearing this, a flash of awkwardness crossed Song Hesheng's face, but having long heard tales of Prince Shen's temperament, he cut straight to the point: "The Eldest Princess has called off the marriages between our three families and arranged official positions for the three of us instead..."
Only upon hearing this did it dawn on Qi Yelin that everything the Eldest Princess had said was true.
Yet why would she do such a thing?
Selecting an Imperial Son-in-law in the first place had cost her a great deal of effort.
"Prince Shen?"
Qi Yelin snapped back to reality, meeting Song Hesheng's face, while Gu Zhaoyan's words echoed in his mind: *Song Hesheng has an ambiguous beauty, he's definitely going to seduce you.*
Ambiguously handsome? He honestly couldn't see it.
To him, the Song Hesheng standing before him was merely lean and thin, with long limbs and pale skin, resembling nothing more than a boiled chicken.
"She called off the marriages for all three families, so why come to this prince?" Qi Yelin sneered. "Could it be you think this prince was meddling behind the scenes?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant. It's just that the three of us and the Eldest Princess were only one marriage certificate away from finishing it, and now that the Emperor has stripped her of her authority, I just thought..."
Qi Yelin narrowed his eyes. If his instincts served him right: "You're afraid she'll drag your three families down with her?"
Song Hesheng froze, staring at Prince Shen with utter bewilderment. "That's not what I meant, I was—"
"If that's not the reason, then what is?" Qi Yelin let out a mocking laugh. "Aren't you gentlemen trying to fulfill your ambitions? The Minister of Personnel personally helped arrange positions for you, what more could you possibly be dissatisfied with?"
"It's not... dissatisfaction. It's just all so sudden." Song Hesheng's voice gradually tapered off. "There was no warning that she wanted to take us as Imperial Sons-in-law, and after we and our families finally accepted this arrangement, she suddenly drops it. The impact this has on the three families..."
"The Eldest Princess is the biological elder sister of His Majesty. To pick your three families out of so many candidates—what an immense honor! Now that she has chosen not to take you as Imperial Sons-in-law, why don't you reflect on what you might have done to displease her, instead of running to this prince to complain that she's inconvenienced you?"
Whenever Qi Yelin encountered anything concerning the Eldest Princess, not only did he talk more and speak faster, but every single word carried a barb. "Song Hesheng, your father is the Grand Tutor and the Emperor's preceptor. How is it that you haven't learned even a fraction of his scholarship and only busy yourself with such underhanded tricks!"
Song Hesheng's face burned hot, as if he had taken several invisible slaps, but he was naturally resilient. He bent his waist, cupped his hands, and lowered his posture. "Precisely because I do not know where I offended the Eldest Princess, and dare not go ask her in person, I came to Prince Shen to seek guidance."
"Seek guidance from this prince?"
Qi Yelin frowned as he looked Song Hesheng over, utterly perplexed. "This prince and the Eldest Princess have always been at odds. When you're desperate, you shouldn't just turn to any doctor..."
"Anyone else would certainly think so, but I..." Song Hesheng slowly straightened up, meeting Qi Yelin's deep gaze. "...do not think so."
Qi Yelin's brow furrowed tightly. He thoroughly disliked Song Hesheng's sudden shift in attitude. "You seem quite certain that this prince can help you?"
"Although the Eldest Princess has been stripped of her authority by the Emperor, the political network she has laid out in the court cannot be replaced overnight. Add to that the fiercely loyal cohort of advisors within her estate—if one wants to completely strip her of her voice in the imperial court..."
"Audacious!"
With an angry shout, flames blazed in Qi Yelin's eyes. He took back what he had said earlier: Song Hesheng hadn't failed to learn a fraction of his father's scholarship; he was simply far more ruthless and opportunistic. "What kind of nobody are you to dare plot against the Eldest Princess?"
"Prince Shen, calm your anger."
Faced with Prince Shen's fury, Song Hesheng did not flinch. Instead, he immediately dropped to his knees to explain: "Everything I say stems from my loyalty to the Emperor and my sense of responsibility to the people of the realm. The Eldest Princess monopolizes supreme power, throwing court discipline into chaos. Aside from the officials she personally designates, other officials have no opportunity whatsoever to display their talents. If this continues for long, all civil and military officials will belong solely to the Eldest Princess. Where does that leave His Majesty?"
Qi Yelin narrowed his eyes, his lower eyelids twitching involuntarily as his fists clenched tight with rage. "Song Hesheng, did Grand Tutor Song teach you to say these things?"
"No."
Song Hesheng raised his head, staring unflinchingly into Prince Shen's furious gaze. "My father taught me from childhood to be a good man who upholds Dayan's stance, bears responsibility, and keeps the people in his heart. My words are not directed at the Eldest Princess herself, but solely at her improper actions. Prince Shen, you are also someone who cares deeply for the people. You should know better than anyone that the Eldest Princess's actions have severely threatened the stability and development of Dayan."
"Do tell, what actions of hers have threatened the stability and development of Dayan?" Qi Yelin was genuinely laughed to anger by Song Hesheng's high-sounding rhetoric. "Looking across the history of Dayan, to produce an Eldest Princess proficient in both literary and martial arts is Dayan's great fortune and the people's blessing! How on earth did she become a scourge to the country and the people in your mouth?"
Hearing this, Song Hesheng was actually filled with confusion.
Before deciding to come to Prince Shen's Estate, he had never imagined that Prince Shen—who had always been at daggers drawn with the Eldest Princess—would actually speak up in her defense.