Before Wei Wenqi could answer, a servant suddenly entered and said beside the crown prince, “Your Highness, His Majesty has summoned you back to the palace.”

Although the voice was soft, it was loud enough for Liang Ying to hear. She also saw the crown prince’s face instantly turn cold. He didn’t speak immediately, as if he was thinking about what to do. After a moment’s thought, Liang Ying stood up before him.

The crown prince’s attention was drawn to her, and she began to sign, “Your Highness, since it’s His Majesty’s order, you should return to the palace.”

The crown prince was still young. If his relationship with the empress wasn’t good, the only person he could rely on was Wei Yan.

Liang Ying didn’t want to damage the relationship between father and son.

However, after understanding her sign language, a flash of hurt appeared in the crown prince’s eyes. That hurt somehow also pierced Liang Ying’s heart, making it ache and tighten.

But Liang Ying acted as if she hadn’t seen it, slightly averting her gaze.

Time stood still for a long while, until Wei Wenqi, as if certain that his mother wouldn’t keep him, finally said, “Then I’ll go back.”

Liang Ying nodded gently.

After a while, she heard the crown prince ask again, “Can I take the pastries back?”

This made Liang Ying pause. When she looked up, Wei Wenqi was no longer showing the hurt and grievance from before; he was smiling at her. “Didn’t Madam say I could take some back?”

His smile was a blend of youthful vigor and childish innocence, yet he pretended to be mature like an adult.

He looked… adorable.

Liang Ying’s heart softened, but she didn’t show it, still politely gesturing to the servants to pack the extra pastries for the crown prince to take away.

Because of the crown prince’s strong objection, Liang Ying didn’t see him off. She just stood in the courtyard, quietly watching his departing figure.

The garden gradually quieted down. The boy’s figure was gone from her sight, but Liang Ying seemed to see Wenqi’s unsteady little figure when he had just learned to walk.

No matter how many people were around, the little guy would stumble towards her, oblivious to everyone else.

Liang Ying took a deep breath, suppressing the sudden surge of sadness.

Wei Yan had once said that he would make her the most respected woman in Da Wei, and Wenqi would be his only son, the unshakeable crown prince.

Although he had broken his promise to her, he had at least fulfilled the latter part of it.

***

Liang Ying stayed in the plum garden for a while longer. After lunch, Zhou Huailin returned.

Liang Ying saw him from afar, still in his black clothes. She rested her head, watching the man walk towards her with steady steps.

Even from a distance, she could feel his gaze on her. Perhaps because she couldn’t speak, whenever they were together, he would always stare at her to avoid missing any of her reactions.

The man who entered the pavilion remained silent, only glancing at the brazier beside her and her clothes, as if carefully checking them.

When he took her hand, the warmth of his hand seemed to satisfy him, and his expression visibly softened.

“Why don’t you sit inside?” Zhou Huailin sat down beside her.

Liang Ying pointed to the distance, and he followed her gaze to the blooming plum blossoms.

The white snow adorned the bright red plum blossoms, creating a unique charm. Seeing his appreciative expression, as if he were seeing them for the first time, Liang Ying couldn’t help but smile, yet it was strangely sweet.

It seemed that he could hardly see anything other than her; it seemed that only she was the most important to him.

Liang Ying had to admit that she was a common person, who liked the feeling of being loved wholeheartedly.

She handed Zhou Huailin the tea simmering on the stove. The man took it. In the winter afternoon, there was a rare patch of sunlight. The two sat by the stove like that.

Liang Ying asked him, “Did you prepare those pastries?”

Zhou Huailin hummed, “Did the crown prince like them?”

Liang Ying laughed and told him that the crown prince not only liked them but also took some back to the palace. But as she gestured, her smile gradually faded, and her movements paused for a moment before continuing, “Don’t do that again.”

She knew Zhou Huailin wanted to maintain their mother-son relationship.

But she didn’t think it was a good thing. Just as she was thinking, her hand was grasped. When she looked up, she saw Zhou Huailin’s slightly furrowed brows. The man already had a somewhat fierce look, and this frown made him look even more frightening.

But…

“Liang Ying.”

He was calling Liang Ying’s name. These two words in his mouth seemed to have magic, softening his whole being.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has never left the palace without wearing court attire,” Liang Ying heard him continue. “He dressed so formally today to come here, he must have wanted his mother to see him.”

Liang Ying’s heart felt as if it had been struck, unable to recover for a long time, until Zhou Huailin’s hand touched her face, and she realized that she had been crying without knowing it.

She remembered the slightly restrained yet hopeful look in the young man’s eyes.

When she was far away in Junzhou, when she heard that he had been appointed crown prince, she was both happy for him and regretted that she hadn’t been able to see his enthronement ceremony in person. Perhaps at that time, it wasn’t just her who felt regret.

But she had been so cold just now. Would Wenqi think that his mother didn’t like him?

Whenever she thought she had rationally sealed her love for Wenqi, she would always be at a loss because of this sudden sadness.

Her tears flowed more and more, and Zhou Huailin had already taken out a handkerchief from his bosom to wipe them away.

“You don’t need to think so much.”

Hearing his voice, Liang Ying looked up. Through her tear-blurred vision, she felt the man’s face soften even more. “Liang Ying, you only need to do what you want to do. He is His Highness the Crown Prince, and he is your child. How you want to treat him, treat him that way, so you won’t regret it later.”