“Yuanbao, let’s go back and play with the other two princes,” Rongrong said, crouching down and gently pulling Yuanbao’s hand.

Hearing Rongrong call him, Yuanbao turned around, looking upset and pouting.

“What’s wrong? Do you want your father to play with you? He will come over and play once he’s done with his work.”

Yuanbao shook his head and pouted, saying, “I’m angry.”

“Angry with your father?”

“No,” Yuanbao said, puffing out his cheeks. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered, “I’m angry with the Grandmother Empress. She doesn’t keep her word.”

“You’re angry with the Empress?”

Rongrong wasn’t sure how to comfort him, so she simply held Yuanbao’s hand and said, “You’re covered in mud. If you want to see the Empress, let’s wash your face and hands and change your clothes first, okay?”

“Okay,” Yuanbao’s smile returned as he listened to Rongrong’s gentle words.

He thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll play with Liu Yu and Liu Lin for a while first.”

“Sure,” Rongrong replied, leading Yuanbao back to the muddy area.

As they arrived, they saw Liu Yu and Liu Lin being carried out and having their hands and faces cleaned.

“Yuanbao, where did you go?” Liu Yu asked.

Yuanbao didn’t answer the question. “Aren’t you playing anymore?”

“We thought you were done playing, so we came out,” Liu Yu said, pointing to some pastries nearby. “Liu Lin was hungry, so we’re washing up to eat.”

After playing all morning, Yuanbao was also hungry.

Seeing Yuanbao’s eyes on the pastries, Rongrong quickly had someone bring over a basin of warm water and helped Yuanbao wash his hands and face.

The three children were lively together.

Even though they were all given enough pastries, it was more fun to eat them together.

Once their hands were clean, they all ran to the pastry table.

Liu Lin, who usually needed to be fed at home, now had his mouth full and both hands grabbing pastries, which was quite amusing to see.

Yuanbao picked up a piece of mung bean cake, took a bite, and had an idea.

“Aunt Rongrong, this mung bean cake is really good. Please take it to Father and let him try it.” Yuanbao pushed the small dish toward Rongrong.

Rongrong hesitated.

If the Crown Prince wanted to eat it, he could have someone bring it to him anytime.

Why did she need to deliver it? But seeing Yuanbao’s big eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to voice her doubts.

She had to take the dish to the Crown Prince.

Inside the pavilion, the Crown Prince and Liang Muchen were playing chess. Rongrong watched from a distance, thinking they seemed well-matched, yet she felt a strange emptiness.

“Miss Rongrong, what brings you here?” Anru, standing nearby, approached her.

Rongrong replied, “Prince Yuanbao liked this mung bean cake and asked me to bring it for His Highness to try.”

Anru’s gaze fell on the mung bean cake.

This was a regular treat made daily by the Imperial Kitchen, and it was nothing new for Yuanbao and the Crown Prince.

“Prince Yuanbao’s gesture is thoughtful, but the Crown Prince is currently playing chess with Miss Muchen. Please just leave the cake and go; don’t disturb them.”

“Yes.” Rongrong nodded and walked to the pavilion.

The attendants there lifted the curtain for her.

Inside the pavilion, the Crown Prince placed a jade chess piece firmly on the board.

“Your chess skills are excellent. With this move, I see no way out,” Liang Muchen said.

Her chess skills were quite good, but she had been at a disadvantage after over thirty moves.

The Crown Prince replied slowly, “It’s not the end yet. You can try again.”

Liang Muchen, still unconvinced, carefully examined the board but shook her head.

“Sit on my side and play with the black pieces. Let’s continue.”

Change positions? Liang Muchen’s face reddened again, but she nodded.

As she stood up, Rongrong entered with the dish of pastries.

Rongrong lowered her head, following Anru’s advice to quietly place the pastries and leave.

However, at that moment, the Crown Prince suddenly spoke, “What’s this?”

“Prince Yuanbao enjoyed this mung bean cake and asked me to bring it for Your Highness to try.”

“Very well.” The Crown Prince wiped his hands with a cloth and tasted a piece.

Seeing that he had tried it, Rongrong was about to leave when the Crown Prince spoke again.

“There are pine nuts over there. Please peel them.”

He actually wanted her to stay and peel pine nuts?

Rongrong was reluctant but had to obey.

She cast a frustrated look at the Crown Prince.

He had taken the spot where Liang Muchen had been sitting and picked up a white chess piece, placing it gently on the board.

“Here?” Liang Muchen asked, puzzled. “This is a dead end; it won’t change the outcome. In ten moves, I’ll win.”

“Try it,” the Crown Prince simply said.

Liang Muchen picked up a black piece and confidently made her move.

As Rongrong watched them play chess, she sat on a nearby embroidered cushion and began peeling pine nuts.

Peeling pine nuts didn’t sound hard, but it was not easy.

While Rongrong could use her teeth if she were eating them herself, she had to do it properly for the Crown Prince and Liang Muchen.

She had struggled for a long time and managed to peel only three or four pine nuts.

Sighing, she looked up and saw the two people who seemed like celestial beings, engaged in a game of chess.

The Crown Prince was simply dressed in a plain robe, but just sitting there, the light from outside the pavilion highlighted his refined and handsome profile.

Liang Muchen sat opposite him, her appearance in no way diminished; she looked like a flawless beauty—elegant and charming, fitting for the position of Crown Princess due to her noble background.

The Marquis of Weiyuan’s family was well-known for its loyalty and honor, making her lineage suitable for such a role.

Today’s scene in the Imperial Garden was well understood by Princess Zhaoyang, Xie Yuanrui, and naturally, Rongrong as well.

Liang Muchen was likely to become the future Crown Princess.

Watching Liang Muchen play chess with the Crown Prince, Rongrong felt no jealousy.

She and Liang Muchen were entirely different—one was on the ground, the other in the sky.

Could a humble chicken on the ground envy a phoenix in the sky?

No, the chicken only seeks a simple and safe existence, indifferent to the appearance of the phoenix above.

Suddenly, as Rongrong’s thoughts drifted, she felt a sharp pain in her fingertip and couldn’t help but exclaim.

“White piece was indeed your move!” Liang Muchen said, holding a black piece and unsure where to place it. “Your Highness, your chess skills are truly impressive. I’m genuinely in awe.”

The Crown Prince frowned and looked over at Rongrong. “What’s wrong?”

“I accidentally…” Rongrong started to explain.

“Come here,” the Crown Prince interrupted.

Rongrong stood up and walked over to him, intending to kneel and apologize.

However, he reached out and gently held her finger.

It wasn’t a serious injury, just a small cut from a pine nut shell with a little bit of blood.

But her delicate, white fingers made even a tiny amount of blood very noticeable.

“Your Highness,” Rongrong felt uncomfortable under Liang Muchen’s gaze.

The Crown Prince let go of her hand and said casually, “Clumsy. Go back.”

He seemed annoyed by the disturbance, which affected his game with Liang Muchen. If he truly disliked her, he wouldn’t have examined her hand.

As Rongrong left the pavilion, her heart raced uncontrollably.

She kept saying she disliked him, but even a slight approach from him immediately unsettled her.

“Rongrong, is your hand alright?” An Ru asked as she came out.

“It’s nothing. I just accidentally cut it. Please ask the old lady to send someone in to peel the pine nuts again.”

An Ru smiled wryly.

The Empress had moved to admire the flowers to give the Crown Prince and Liang Muchen an undisturbed game.

No one expected that Yuanbao would send Rongrong in with pea cake, or that she would end up peeling pine nuts, and even less expected the Crown Prince to check her injury in front of Liang Muchen.

As the Empress’s confidant, An Ru had to do something, or the Emperor and Empress’s efforts would be in vain.

“Rongrong, come with me. I’ll tend to your wound.”

“It’s just a small cut; it’s not a big deal. The old lady doesn’t need to trouble herself.”

“Even a small wound shouldn’t be ignored,” An Ru said firmly, leading Rongrong to a nearby room in the Imperial Garden.

Perhaps because Anru spoke with a tone similar to Aunt Anlan, Rongrong felt a strange sense of awe and respect towards her.

She stood respectfully in front of Anru, letting her clean the blood from her fingers and apply ointment to her wounds.

“Fortunately, the bleeding has stopped,” Anru said.

“Thank you, Nanny.”

Anru smiled and looked at Rongrong. “Sit down; let’s talk for a bit.”

Rongrong felt a bit anxious but sat down as instructed. “Nanny, do you have any advice?”

“We’re both serving our masters. I’ve just been in this position for a few more years than you, so I’m not giving advice. I see you’re a well-behaved person, which is why I’m willing to say a few more words. If you don’t want to hear it, just ignore it.”

“Please, Nanny, feel free to speak.”

“What do you think of Miss Liang Muchen?”

What could she say about Liang Muchen? Rongrong was momentarily stunned but quickly understood Anru’s intention.

She replied, “Miss Liang is very beautiful, with a graceful and refined demeanor. She can play chess with the Crown Prince and is the daughter of the Marquis of Weiyuan. It would not be an exaggeration to call her a favored daughter of heaven.”

“It’s good that you think so,” Anru said. “You’re a sensible and good child, and the Empress knows that. As long as you act appropriately and don’t always try to be in the spotlight, the Empress won’t forget you.”

Try to be in the spotlight?

Rongrong realized Anru misunderstood her and quickly said, “Nanny, I’m staying in the Eastern Palace because of Prince Yuanbao, not because I have any unrealistic desires for the Crown Prince. I really don’t intend to compare myself with Miss Liang.”

Anru raised her hand, signaling Rongrong to stop.

“The Empress is aware of your situation. I’ve said what needed to be said.

As long as you stay within your bounds, there will naturally be a place for you by the Crown Prince in the future.

It’s almost time for lunch; let’s go.”

Rongrong felt troubled but couldn’t refute.

Anru had a point.

The Crown Prince did have a certain level of interest in her, and her arguments would seem laughable to Anru.

Anru probably thought she had used some sort of charm in the pavilion to make the Crown Prince hold her hand in front of Liang Muchen.

It’s all his fault, all his fault!