Zhen Zhen finally breathed a sigh of relief, “The Young Master is thoughtful. When I arrived at her place, she was reading a book by candlelight and had no intention of coming out to the lantern festival. She only came out to keep me company.”

“Consider it a job well done.”

“Master, shall we go over there and take a look?” Zhen Zhen asked, a bit worried.

“No need. Our business is done. We should head back to the residence,” Xie Yuanchu replied.

Zhen Zhen was slightly taken aback, “We’re going back now?”

Xie Yuanchu, gazing into the distance, turned his head upon hearing Zhen Zhen’s question.

His eyes met hers, and he felt a flutter in his heart.

Zhen Zhen, catching his gaze, lowered her head shyly.

She hadn’t made much effort to dress up for the evening, wearing a simple water-green padded jacket with an old-fashioned yet practical stone-blue outer garment, and a dark red skirt.

Her hair was styled in a simple bun with just a silver pin.

Amidst the lantern-lit city, her natural beauty shone even brighter.

“Why aren’t you wearing a cloak?” Xie Yuanchu asked.

“I was in a hurry leaving the Hou residence and didn’t have time,” Zhen Zhen explained. When Xin Zhu came to call her, she was organizing her books, and upon hearing it was an urgent matter, she left immediately.

Seeing her slightly flushed cheeks, Xie Yuanchu took off his own cloak and draped it over her shoulders.

Zhen Zhen’s face reddened further.

Just as she was unsure of what to say, she heard Xie Yuanchu’s voice, “There’s no need to hurry back. Let’s take a bit more time to stroll.”

---

Rong Rong walked alone in the lantern market for a while but quickly found it uninteresting.

Earlier, with Zhen Zhen accompanying her, they had excitedly talked about every beautiful lantern they saw.

Now, wandering alone, even seeing beautiful lanterns felt dull without someone to share her thoughts with.

Carrying a rabbit-shaped lantern she had bought earlier, Rong Rong also purchased a lotus lantern, planning to give it to Chun Xing.

As she was heading back, someone suddenly grabbed the corner of her clothing from behind.

Rong Rong turned around to see a short figure wearing a Sun Wukong mask.

Although the figure was masked, the white fox fur cloak made it clear who it was.

“Prince Yuanbao…” Rong Rong quickly crouched down, removing the mask to reveal Yuanbao’s delicate face, “Why are you alone? With such a crowd, even the guards can’t protect you if something happens.”

“I’m not alone,” Yuanbao smiled and corrected her, pointing towards the distance.

Rong Rong looked up and saw a figure wearing a red-faced Guan Gong mask standing not far away.

The figure was tall and straight, like a pine tree.

He wore a black robe and cloak, and since he was out of the palace for the lantern festival, even his belt was a plain silk ribbon with only a piece of jade embedded.

Despite his intact presence, even if he turned to ash, Rong Rong would still recognize him.

Rong Rong released her hand from Yuan Bao’s shoulder, took a deep breath, and stood up, deliberately avoiding looking at him.

“Yuan Bao wants to see the lantern festival,” she said lightly.

Rong Rong knew he was talking to her.

Through the red-faced Guan Gong mask, she could guess the expression he had while saying this—probably that superior, dismissive, indifferent look.

“Aunt Rong Rong, my father and I don’t know the way outside the palace. Can you help us?” Yuan Bao tugged at Rong Rong’s sleeve, his voice sweet and pleading.

Yuan Bao had saved Rong Rong from becoming disabled, so she had to agree.

“Where does His Highness want to go?”

Rong Rong asked Yuan Bao, but before he could answer, the Crown Prince spoke up: “East Lake.”

East Lake was a place full of high society in the capital, with more than ten pleasure boats on the lake, carrying talented and beautiful performers.

The young masters of the capital often invited friends to enjoy themselves on these boats.

Rong Rong glanced at the Crown Prince.

Yuan Bao was so young, yet he wanted to take him to East Lake?

But she had no right to argue with his decision and could only silently agree.

Yuan Bao, not knowing what East Lake was, looked excited and even grabbed Rong Rong’s hand, bouncing along as they moved forward.

The lantern festival was crowded.

There was a platform set up for guessing lantern riddles, causing frequent excitement.

Rong Rong held Yuan Bao’s hand carefully, protecting him from the crowd.

The Crown Prince, still wearing his mask, lagged a few steps behind.

“Aunt Rong Rong, your rabbit lantern is really beautiful.”

“I’ll give it to His Highness.”

“Aunt Rong Rong, Father said not to call me ‘Your Highness’ outside the palace. Just call me Yuan Bao. Right, Father?” Yuan Bao looked back and smiled at the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince nodded.

Rong Rong imagined the handsome face behind the mask was probably smiling, and she felt a pang of sadness.

He could smile, but in their past life, even after spending so much time with him, he had never smiled even once at her.

In her past life, she had only been close to one man and thought of herself as a palace maid with a low status.

She felt it was natural for him to treat her with indifference.

However, after meeting Xie Yuanchu, she realized that a master didn’t have to be so cold to their maid.

When she was sick, he cared for her gently, and when tired, he would even let her take a little rest.

Although Xie Yuanchu had a certain affection for the two maids around him, did the Crown Prince have such feelings for Jing Rong in the past?

Even though Zhenzhen and Xie Yuanchu were affectionate with each other, it was just holding hands.

What about him?

At night, he would hold her tightly, but in the morning, his face remained as cold as ice.

In the end, Xie Yuanchu did have some feelings for Zhenzhen, while the crown prince just treated Jing Rong as an ordinary accountant with no real affection.

Perhaps he would only smile at Yuanbao’s mother, the courtesan.

“Gugu Rongrong, are you unhappy?” Yuanbao looked up and asked.

“I…” Rongrong was about to speak when suddenly the crowd around them surged forward.

“The boss of Zhengxing Bank won the top prize in the lion dance competition and is handing out red envelopes!”

“I heard each red envelope contains five copper coins!”

“Five copper coins? Hurry up!”

The crowd, which had been moving slowly, suddenly rushed towards one direction.

Seeing this, Rongrong quickly squatted down and held the confused Yuanbao close.

However, as more and more people pushed toward them, it became difficult for Rongrong to stay standing.

She was afraid that if more people bumped into them, they might fall.

The Crown Prince, who had been standing behind her, moved forward, wrapped his arms around Rongrong, and formed a protective barrier around her and the crowd.

He was very tall, much taller than ordinary men and even taller than Rongrong.

Being so close, Rongrong’s forehead brushed against his chin.

At that moment, many blushing memories flooded her, making her feel uncomfortable.

She wanted to step back, but was afraid of the excited crowd around them.

Fortunately, she was holding Yuanbao, so she wasn’t pressed directly against him.

As the crowd continued to surge forward, the Crown Prince protected Rongrong and Yuanbao, slowly moving them toward the edge of the street.

When they finally reached a small alley, Rongrong quickly stood further away from him.

“Is it heavy?” he suddenly asked.

Rongrong looked at him blankly, then realized he was referring to Yuanbao in her arms.

She hadn’t felt it before, but now, his question made her arms tingle.

Yuanbao was already four years old, taller than other children his age, and the Crown Prince had made him into a round, chubby bundle, so he was quite heavy to hold.

“Daddy, I’m not heavy,” Yuanbao protested.

Rongrong knew that even behind the red face mask, his face was likely smiling.

Although there was a mask, she could feel that his eyes softened noticeably.

“Not heavy, Daddy will hold you.” Without waiting for a response, he reached out to take Yuanbao from her arms.

Because his movements were so quick, his fingertips brushed against Rong Rong’s chest.

Even though they were separated by a thick quilted jacket, Rong Rong could still clearly feel his force.

This made her recall the times they had been together before, when he enjoyed playing with her and teasing her, making her beg for mercy.

Just thinking about those moments made her shiver, and she couldn’t help but take a step back.

He noticed her reaction and looked up at her.

“Aunt Rong Rong, are you feeling unwell?” Yuan Bao, nestled in the Crown Prince’s arms, turned his head and asked with concern when he saw Rong Rong’s expression.

“Your Highness, I’m actually feeling a bit unwell and might not be able to take you to East Lake…”

Before Rong Rong could finish her sentence, the Crown Prince suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

After a moment of surprise, Rong Rong realized he was checking her pulse.

This…

Rong Rong’s heart raced even faster.

He was skilled in medicine, so he knew that whatever discomfort she mentioned was just an excuse.

Rong Rong decided to be honest; she didn’t want to go with him at all.

“The pulse is rapid, floating, and strong,” he said indifferently, with a meaningful tone.

Rong Rong felt both embarrassed and angry but couldn’t do anything about it.

Even without considering their significant status difference, she wasn’t a match for his cunning.

“Father, what does a rapid, floating, and strong pulse indicate?” Yuan Bao asked seriously.

“Your Highness, I’m not ill, just a bit tired.”

Yuan Bao looked at Rong Rong with his big eyes.

His long lashes fluttered, and a trace of dejection appeared on his pale face. “Is it because Yuanbao is too heavy that Aunt Rong Rong is tired?”

“It’s not that,” Rong Rong said, seeing Yuan Bao’s upset expression.

She quickly comforted him.

Yuanbao, still feeling down, leaned on the Crown Prince’s shoulder. “Father, from tomorrow I won’t eat until I’m not heavy anymore.”

“Your Highness is only four years old. How can you not eat?” Rong Rong said, hoping the Crown Prince would say something.

He was a frightening person, feared by everyone.

As long as he spoke, Yuan Bao would surely eat.

But to her surprise, the Crown Prince remained indifferent and simply said, “Alright.”

“Alright” what? Rong Rong was about to be driven crazy by this father and son pair.

There should be limits to spoiling a child.

It’s too much to let a child refuse to eat without any reprimand from the father, even if it’s just a tantrum.

Will he cater to every whim as the child grows older?

He might be the Crown Prince, and he can afford to give the child anything, but raising a child shouldn’t be about unrestrained pampering—it will spoil them.

If Yuan Bao’s mother were here, she definitely wouldn’t let them be so reckless!