Rong Rong quietly followed the Crown Prince to behind the screen.

The Crown Prince stopped, facing away from her and spreading out his arms.

Rong Rong lowered her gaze and stepped forward to assist him with changing.

In fact, the Crown Prince didn’t always avoid having women attend to him.

When Jing Rong was in the Eastern Palace, she was the one who helped him dress every morning.

Therefore, Rong Rong was capable of handling this task without needing Fu Quan’s reminders.

His clothes were custom-made by the Shangyi Bureau, and he had a particular preference for tightly fastening his sash.

Unfastening it required great care to ensure neither too much force nor too little, a balance that only someone experienced could master.

Thus, Fu Quan’s advice to handle things lightly was sound.

Focused, Rong Rong carefully removed his jade crown, letting his long, slightly wavy hair fall loose.

She used a comb to smooth his hair and then secured it with a hairpin.

Next was the clothing.

Rong Rong moved to his front, bending down to untie the golden and amber belt. As expected, the belt was tightly fastened, cinching his waist narrow.

Although Rong Rong could have removed it directly, she exerted careful effort to untie it, taking a bit of strength to do so.

Once the outer robe was removed, and with only underclothes remaining, the Crown Prince stood before her, his figure like a finely sculpted statue.

Rong Rong averted her eyes and quietly draped a bathrobe over him.

Despite her caution, she accidentally brushed against the dragon design on the robe.

Although she was familiar with such details, each encounter still made her uneasy.

She lowered her head further and stepped aside.

It felt as if the Crown Prince’s gaze turned slightly colder.

When the Crown Prince emerged in the bathrobe, Xie Yuanchu was already dressed and waiting outside the screen.

“Come, let me show you something new,” Xie Yuanchu said, his gaze briefly flickering to Rong Rong before he waved mysteriously at the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince’s icy demeanor softened a bit, and he followed Xie Yuanchu towards a nearby hot spring pool.

This hot spring pool was separated from the others by a small piece of rocky terrain. Even from a distance, one could already smell the fragrance of grapes and a faint hint of wine.

Upon approaching, Rongrong saw the hot spring pool, which was a deep purple, resembling a giant goblet of wine.

“A few days ago, we received two barrels of fine wine from the Dashi region. Here it all is,” Xie Yuanchu explained.

The Crown Prince glanced at Xie Yuanchu with a hint of disdain and commented mildly, “Wasteful.”

Xie Yuanchu was not offended but instead smiled.

Rongrong could tell that although the Crown Prince’s remark seemed severe, there was no real reproach in it.

Xie Yuanchu continued to defend himself, “What is wasteful? Good things are only wasteful if they end up in the hands of those who cannot appreciate them. People only know that wine is precious, but they do not understand its delicate balance of sweetness and chill. Wouldn’t it be better for these two barrels to go into my pool than into the bellies of those who cannot appreciate it?”

“If someone were to criticize my wine pool and meat feast in the future, you should stand up and repeat what you just said.”

“A meat feast? Are you referring to me?” Xie Yuanchu teased.

“Get lost!” The Crown Prince laughed at Xie Yuanchu’s joke and began to remove his robe.

Rongrong stepped forward to take the robe from him, lowering her head and assisting him into the pool.

As she bowed, she caught a glimpse of something that made her cheeks flush red.

Her memories of the intimate moments spent with him made her cheeks turn bright red.

Xie Yuanchu noticed her embarrassment and, smiling, turned away to avoid her gaze, sitting opposite the Crown Prince in the hot spring.

Rongrong hung their robes on a nearby screen and brought the tea and snacks provided by Fuhuan to the edge of the pool, serving tea to the Crown Prince and Xie Yuanchu before kneeling beside them.

The Crown Prince and Xie Yuanchu chatted casually, discussing matters of little consequence rather than official business.

Xie Yuanchu, though a military man, was quite adept at light conversation, and they appeared to get along well.

Rongrong served them silently, which suited her fine.

As the atmosphere grew more relaxed, Xie Yuanchu casually shifted the topic, “On this return to the capital, I heard something from my mother.”

“What is it?”

“Recently, the Empress has been frequently summoning noble girls from various families. It seems…” Xie Yuanchu hesitated, struggling to find the right words and finally settled on, “It seems that you may be nearing a significant event.”

“Significant event?” The Crown Prince’s face was obscured by the mist from the wine pool, making his expression unreadable.

However, his tone did not suggest he was particularly pleased by the news. “All my royal brothers are married. Naturally, it is my turn.”

Xie Yuanchu knew he had touched on a sensitive subject but was focused on his sister, Xie Yuanrui, so he pretended not to understand, “Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Do you have anyone in mind?” The Crown Prince responded with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Rong Rong immediately understood what the Crown Prince meant. It was clear that he was displeased with Xie Yuanchu’s probing.

“I dare not make presumptuous remarks,” Xie Yuanchu said, bowing his head in submission.

“If you are a subject, you naturally must not make presumptuous remarks. But if you are Xie Yuanchu, there should be nothing between us that cannot be discussed.”

Xie Yuanchu was momentarily at a loss for words and somewhat moved.

Years ago, when the Crown Prince left the palace to enter the monastery, the Emperor selected six young nobles of similar age to accompany him to Daxiangguo Temple.

Daxiangguo Temple was the national temple, highly respected and famous in the martial world.

Apart from studying, the Crown Prince spent his time practicing martial arts with the monks.

The temple’s martial arts were external techniques, known for their intensity and tedium.

The basic training alone involved years of mundane tasks like squatting, carrying water, and lifting stones.

Only after mastering these basics could one start formal martial training.

When news of such rigorous training reached the palace, it was dismissed as mere manual labor.

Although the Crown Prince voluntarily chose to endure hardship, it seemed unreasonable to engage in such labor.

There were plenty of teachers in the palace who could teach various martial arts techniques.

The young nobles were more interested in swordplay and spear techniques, and martial arts was meant for physical fitness and enjoyment.

Even for a prince, it seemed unlikely he would need to master such harsh techniques for a brawl.

At that time, the young Crown Prince, still a child, didn’t immediately make a decision.

He first compared the skills of the monks with his palace guards.

Seeing how his guards’ punches barely affected the monks, he decided to engage in the grueling tasks of carrying water and chopping wood.

Since the Crown Prince decided to practice this way, those accompanying him had to do the same.

This type of labor was no easy feat, and while most people soon withdrew, begging to return home, Xie Yuanchu chose to stay with the Crown Prince.

Xie Yuanchu’s persistence earned him the Emperor’s and Empress’s respect and a special bond with the Crown Prince.

The Duke and Duchess of the Xie family were both pleased and wary of their son’s unusual friendship with the Crown Prince.

They understood the risks of serving a ruler and advised their son to maintain appropriate boundaries.

Xie Yuanchu, wise as he was, understood his parents’ concerns and had always carefully managed the balance between his friendship and his official duties.

However, today, Xie Yuanchu found himself crossing that line for the sake of his sister.

“The Empress has told me about the wedding arrangements. Everything will be decided by the Emperor and Empress. I haven’t worried about it,” said the Crown Prince.

Xie Yuanchu listened to the Crown Prince and suddenly understood his feelings.

He felt a bit sad.

He looked up at the Crown Prince and asked, “Your Highness, is there something you can’t let go of?”

Can’t let go?

The Crown Prince has someone he can’t let go of?

Rong Rong was confused and wanted to understand who it was, but the Crown Prince remained silent.

Xie Yuanchu did not press the issue.

For a moment, only the sound of the bubbling water in the pool could be heard, creating a restless atmosphere.

“Did you hunt any deer today?” After a while, the Crown Prince asked.

His tone was calm, without anger or joy.

Xie Yuanchu knew he didn’t want to talk about the wedding and nodded, saying, “Luck was good. The hunter found a roe deer in the trap this morning. For dinner, we made a soup with deer tendons and old hen. It seems Yuan Bao enjoyed it a lot. The deer meat is still roasting; I’ll check if it’s done.”

“Let the servants handle these tasks. We’ve had a long day. Rest early and we can talk again tomorrow.” The Crown Prince dismissed him.

“Alright, I’ll send the deer meat to you.” Xie Yuanchu left the pool, carrying a hint of wine aroma.

Rong Rong, unsure whether to stay or leave, looked at Xie Yuanchu.

He gave her a signal, and she took a cloth and went to clean and change.

Rong Rong didn’t expect that only she and the Crown Prince would be left by the hot spring.

Without Xie Yuanchu speaking, the hot spring became very quiet.

The Crown Prince sat in the pool with his back to Rong Rong, so she could only see the back of his head and shoulders.

Her breathing slowed.

After a while, the Crown Prince spoke in a deep voice, “Can you massage shoulders?”

Rong Rong wanted to say she couldn’t, but in the Crown Prince’s residence, the maidservants were all skilled at massaging shoulders.

She had to say, “I’m not good at it. Usually, Zhen Zhen does it for the young master.”

“Try it,” he said softly, giving no room for refusal.

Though Rong Rong couldn’t see the Crown Prince’s eyes, it was clear from his brief response that he didn’t believe her claim of being clumsy.

She moved forward, knelt, and began to massage his shoulders.