After sitting for a while, Zhuang Dongqing not only didn’t let go, but also unconsciously treated Cen Yan as something special. One hand was holding on, and before long, the other hand followed suit, tightly gripping as well.

For a moment, Cen Yan felt like he was a lifeline. Liu Qi watched with a mix of shock and fear, but Cen Yan remained silent throughout, allowing Zhuang Dongqing to continue.

After a long while, as his heartbeat finally calmed down, Zhuang Dongqing let out a long breath, his spirit returning to him. With a slight movement, he felt warmth under his palm. When he shifted his right hand, he accidentally touched a string of beads.

Zhuang Dongqing hesitated.

He looked down.

He was stunned.

“Feeling better?” A male voice came from above.

Zhuang Dongqing nodded, desperately raising his eyes to see Cen Yan’s face.

Ah, ah, ah, what is he doing?!

Is this really something you can grab?!

Under the immense shock, Zhuang Dongqing unconsciously loosened his grip, while Cen Yan remained calm. Once he let go, it was only natural for him to withdraw his hand.

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

His tongue felt tied.

Still so useless.

Cen Yan’s gaze fell on Zhuang Dongqing’s face, noticing that he was more embarrassed than scared, and he finally let out a sigh of relief.

“I know, it’s for you.”

“…Oh, oh, oh.”

But he had no idea what he was saying “oh” about.

Suddenly realizing something, Zhuang Dongqing tried to change the subject, “Do you want to sit down?”

The guards had been sent to stand by the side, while Liu Qi and Liu Qi stood far away outside the pavilion. Only Zhuang Dongqing and Cen Yan were inside. However, Zhuang Dongqing found himself sitting alone in the middle of the wooden bench, leaving space on both sides, but not enough for another person to sit, which felt… very inappropriate.

This wasn’t something a person who just eats and sits around should be doing!

Cen Yan’s gaze dropped again, and their hands separated. At that moment of being watched, Zhuang Dongqing obediently scooted over a bit, then moved again, wanting to shift more, but Cen Yan said, “That’s enough.”

Cen Yan sat down beside Zhuang Dongqing and immediately noticed his bright red ears.

Cen Yan chuckled, “You’re quite shy.”

Zhuang Dongqing: “…”

He lowered his head to adjust his sleeves, and Cen Yan teasingly said, “It’s not like you haven’t touched me anywhere on my body.”

Zhuang Dongqing: “?”

Zhuang Dongqing: “!”

Boom—Zhuang Dongqing’s inner self was in turmoil!

“By the way, you…”

Cen Yan looked up again, momentarily stunned.

Their eyes met, and one of them couldn’t hold back, suddenly bursting into laughter.

It was simply because Zhuang Dongqing’s entire face had turned as red as a cooked shrimp.

Zhuang Dongqing: “…”

Cen Yan laughed heartily.

In the middle of it all, it was clear he wanted to hold it in, turning his head to look elsewhere, his fist pressed against his nose, but his expression was barely controlled. Every time he glanced at Zhuang Dongqing, he would laugh even more joyfully.

After a few rounds, it was evident that it was quite funny.

Gently closing his eyes, Zhuang Dongqing comforted himself, it’s okay, it’s just embarrassing.

But the effect wasn’t great because he felt his face getting even hotter in Cen Yan’s laughter.

So embarrassing.

He couldn’t control it.

By the time Cen Yan finally stopped, Zhuang Dongqing was almost numb from laughter.

Catching a glimpse of that bright red face, Cen Yan put on a serious expression and said, “This time it’s nothing, but you should avoid looking for Li Yang for a while.”

Zhuang Dongqing agreed, “I know, I caused trouble for everyone today.”

He lowered his head and said softly, “Sorry.”

Hearing this, Cen Yan raised an eyebrow, disapprovingly saying, “You got bitten by a mad dog on the road, and the dog didn’t even do much, why are you blaming yourself?”

“Ah?”

Cen Yan: “Did you provoke Li Zhuo?”

Zhuang Dongqing shook his head.

“Then it’s not your problem.”

Zhuang Dongqing was taken aback by Cen Yan’s unexpected response.

After a while, Zhuang Dongqing said, “But it’s also because of me…”

Cen Yan understood, “You think I’m blaming you for looking for Li Yang?”

Zhuang Dongqing fell silent.

He didn’t dare to speak.

But his expression was easy to read, making Cen Yan shake his head.

After thinking for a moment, he felt that if he let Zhuang Dongqing ponder it himself, he might overthink it, so Cen Yan clarified, “As for my people in the Wangfu, I will protect them myself, no one else can touch them.”

“That’s my principle.”

Cen Yan continued, “So whether I hand you over to Liu Qi, Hao San, or Xu Si, I’m at ease.”

“But Li Yang is different,”

“To put it nicely, he’s pure-hearted; to put it bluntly, he hasn’t even grown up yet.”

“When he invites you to his palace, he should properly send you back, but what happened? Hmph…”

Cen Yan’s expression turned cold, “Not only did he not send you back, but with all that commotion outside his palace, he didn’t even come out to check. What can you expect from such a little prince?”

Zhuang Dongqing was stunned.

Cen Yan said, “So, not letting you look for him is simply because I don’t trust him.”

“He has a noble status, and his birth mother is a favored concubine. Even if he causes a huge mess, the Shufei and the Emperor will protect him; nothing will happen.”

Turning to Zhuang Dongqing, his light-colored eyes seemed to see through to his heart, “He’s fine, but he doesn’t handle things thoroughly. If something happens, only the people around him will take the blame. Do you understand this?”

Zhuang Dongqing swallowed hard and nodded seriously.

He understood it all too well; otherwise, he wouldn’t have given up on the path of the male lead.

Being so obedient made Cen Yan smile again.

He thought, not smart, but simple, and obedient… that’s good. Quite rare too.

Having seen many people, being foolish isn’t scary, and being smart isn’t worth boasting about. The two types Cen Yan despised the most were those who were foolish and unaware, and those who thought they were clever with a bit of wit.

Fortunately, Zhuang Dongqing wasn’t one of them.

Zhuang Dongqing nodded and assured, “Then I won’t look for him anymore.”

Cen Yan, however, didn’t make it a hard rule, “The palace is crowded; it’s best not to go. Once we return to the capital, we’ll do as we please.”

“?”

Cen Yan said, “I see you two get along well; are you really willing to give up this friend?”

Zhuang Dongqing felt complicated.

He wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start.

After a while, he blankly squeezed out a sentence, “…I understand.”

Then sincerely added, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

This earned him a playful glance from Cen Yan, who raised his chin and said with a sense of entitlement, “You should thank me.”

On the way back, Cen Yan talked about the Third Prince Li Zhuo, saying, “He knows my temper and doesn’t dare to easily touch the people of the Wangfu, but he’s not a good person. It’s best to avoid him next time you meet; don’t take any chances.”

“Of course, if he comes looking for you, you don’t need to be afraid. He’s the type to bully the weak and fear the strong; the more afraid you are, the more he’ll come at you.”

After saying this, he thought that these things weren’t really under Zhuang Dongqing’s control, so he simply said, “How about this, wherever you go, just let Liu Qi know, and he’ll follow you. If anything happens, he can arrange for Hao San.”

Before Zhuang Dongqing could respond, Liu Qi quickly agreed, “Understood, Master.”

This matter was settled.

Upon returning to the palace assigned to them in the Dingxi Wangfu, Cen Yan had other matters to attend to, and the two parted ways.

Zhuang Dongqing returned to his room, lost in thought for a while.

When Liu Fu asked, he quietly said, “It’s nothing, I just feel that the prince is actually quite good.”

Unlike Li Yang, Cen Yan’s goodness was only visible to the people of the Wangfu.

As long as they were from the Wangfu, he valued them and didn’t treat them lightly.

Although he didn’t have a good reputation, he was very clear about his capabilities and could protect those he wanted to protect.

Zhuang Dongqing murmured, “By chance, I guess I made the right choice.”

At least with Cen Yan, it was the kind of protection Zhuang Dongqing wanted.

Liu Fu didn’t understand, and Zhuang Dongqing didn’t explain further, instead asking what was prepared for supper.

Liu Fu said he didn’t know, and Zhuang Dongqing suggested going to take a look, and the two happily ran to the kitchen together.

• A group consisting of royalty, nobility, and ministers, with various palace attendants, was busy organizing the palace and arranging logistics, which took a whole day. It wasn’t until the third day that the spring hunt officially began.

Zhuang Dongqing saw Cen Yan dressed in riding attire.

From a distance.

He squinted.

There was no way around it; he wasn’t an important figure, so no one would care if he didn’t show up. Therefore, he naturally slept in until he woke up on his own.

Many tents were set up outside for the nobles who couldn’t fit in the venue to rest. By the time Zhuang Dongqing got up and found the tent exclusive to the Wangfu, the sun was already high in the sky, and the spring hunt had been going on for a while.

Liu Qi was in the tent and quickly called him to sit down when he saw Zhuang Dongqing arrive.

There weren’t many people in the tent. Liu Qi said, “The prince took Hao San and Xu Si into the hunting grounds. Young Master Zhuang, what kind of meat do you want to eat? In the afternoon, I’ll have them hunt more.”

Hearing this, Zhuang Dongqing perked up.

His eyes sparkled.

“What kind of meat is there?”

“Oh, there’s plenty. This year, they specially released an old tiger in the mountains, but it’s not guaranteed they’ll encounter it,” Liu Qi said, then changed his tone, “But there’s a high probability they will. However, the master won’t hunt; this morning, the Emperor said that whoever catches a tiger will be heavily rewarded.”

Zhuang Dongqing understood. Large animals could showcase bravery and also represent the emergence of great talents, so hunting them was a good omen.

Such things that please the old Emperor were naturally what the princes were eager to do. Cen Yan, being a prince of a different surname, had already won the Emperor’s favor, so there was no need for him to compete with the princes over this.

Zhuang Dongqing nodded, “Cat meat is sour; it’s not a big deal.”

“Let’s talk about the good stuff.”

He cupped his face, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Liu Qi laughed, “Common animals in the royal hunting grounds include rabbits, snakes, birds, and deer; there are also chickens and ducks, but they are mostly raised for the palace kitchen. The noblemen who are good at riding and shooting don’t really like to hunt free-range wild chickens and ducks; they find it uninteresting. There are also wild geese, foxes, and small bears, but these are hard to hunt, depending on luck.”

“Those are about it. What does Young Master Zhuang like to eat?”

Zhuang Dongqing had plenty to say, “Rabbits are delicious; rabbit meat is tender and smells great when roasted.”

“Wild chicken is also good; the meat is firm.”

“I haven’t tried wild geese or foxes, but if there are any, I can give them a try.”

“Snake meat doesn’t have much flavor, but there’s only a little meat on a snake, so it’s just for novelty.”

“Deer meat is very tender and suitable for roasting.”

After thinking it over, feeling that everything sounded good, Zhuang Dongqing finally said, “Whatever they bring back from the hunt, let’s eat that; I should be fine with anything.”

After all, it was all wild game, and Zhuang Dongqing was curious about it.

Liu Qi was a bit surprised; Zhuang Dongqing hadn’t eaten wild geese or foxes but had tried deer meat, which felt a bit off.

But it was just a fleeting thought in his mind. He poured Zhuang Dongqing a cup of water and talked about wild game for a while, and soon, Zhao Ye also arrived.

Zhao Ye got up early, but he usually practiced health routines after breakfast, and only came after finishing his exercises, arriving just after Zhuang Dongqing.

After greeting each other, he checked Zhuang Dongqing’s pulse.

Liu Qi thought of something and stood by.

After checking the pulse, Zhao Ye said, “It’s fine; you can stop taking the medicine today. We’ll see how the acupuncture works later.”

Zhuang Dongqing nodded repeatedly.

While Zhao Ye was packing up his medicine box, Liu Qi leaned over and quietly asked a couple of questions.

It was nothing else, just whether Cen Yan and Zhuang Dongqing could share a room.

These past two days had been too busy, and he hadn’t found the time to ask, so it had dragged on until now.

Zhao Ye had been paying attention to this matter and said to Liu Qi, “It’s fine for now. I specifically asked; the young master said he hasn’t smelled that fragrance in the past two days, so the toxin should be temporarily suppressed.”

Liu Qi let out a sigh of relief.

Turning around, he saw Zhuang Dongqing standing up, pointing outside the tent, asking, “Is something happening?”

Liu Qi followed Zhuang Dongqing’s finger and saw several teams of guards in armor, like a dragon, gathering in one direction, rushing over.

There were many of them, each carrying a quiver of arrows, clearly not a regular patrol.

Liu Qi’s heart skipped a beat, but he said, “I’ll send someone to ask.”

When the person returned, it turned out something had happened.

“There are wild beasts appearing near the perimeter; several members of the patrol team were bitten to death, and the commander is seriously injured and being treated.”

“The Emperor has ordered the guards to capture the beast that caused the injuries.”

Liu Qi asked, “What kind of wild beast?”

They had released a tiger in the mountains, but the hunting grounds had defined its activity range, so it wouldn’t easily come out.

The guard replied, “The injured guard said it was a black bear.”

Zhuang Dongqing was surprised, “Didn’t they say they only released cubs?”

The guard confirmed, “That’s right; the person in charge of the hunting grounds has confirmed that it wasn’t their released cubs that caused this.”

“Therefore, they are now fully focused on capturing the beast that injured people, and the nobles who entered the deeper parts of the hunting grounds have also sent guards to search.”