books44 Chapter 323: A Heart Full of Love
Chapter 323: A Heart Full of Love
Chapter 323: A Heart Full of Love
"Young master, you just recited a beautiful poem." The woman smiled at Shen Bin and said, then lowered her head, her face slightly flushed, and remained silent.
"It seems you are also a lover of poetry, young lady," Shen Bin said with a polite smile.
"How dare you! What do you mean by 'girl'? This is Princess Xiangping! You're not even bowing!" The maid beside the woman angrily rebuked Shen Bin, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Upon hearing the maid's words, Shen Bin looked at the woman with some surprise, pondering how to defuse the awkward situation. However, he couldn't neglect proper etiquette, so he bowed and said, "This humble subject is blind; I hope the princess will forgive me."
Princess Xiangping looked at the maid beside her with a hint of reproach and said, "Cuiyu, you mustn't be rude. Young master, it's alright. It's just a princess title, there's no need to be so formal."
Shen Bin was somewhat surprised by Princess Xiangping's words. Although he had never seen much of the imperial family and nobility, he had heard tales of palace intrigue, the dark side of the court, and the endless schemes and machinations. In short, to Shen Bin, everyone in the palace was dangerous. But now, seeing Princess Xiangping, he realized his considerations were flawed, and perhaps his understanding was wrong.
"May I ask what brings you to this palace, young master?" Princess Xiangping asked, standing with Shen Bin and looking at the shimmering lake.
"It's nothing special, I'm just here to take up a post," Shen Bin said, his eyes fixed on the lake, without even looking at Princess Xiangping.
"Today you take office, are you perhaps the top scholar Shen Bin?" Princess Xiangping said excitedly upon hearing Shen Bin's words, her eyes filled with an indescribable smile.
"Hmm," Shen Bin replied indifferently. Princess Xiangping, seeing that Shen Bin seemed unwilling to say more, remained silent. The two stood together, enjoying the gentle breeze. They stood there for an unknown amount of time, until beads of sweat appeared on Xiangping's forehead. A maidservant, seeing this, quickly offered a handkerchief to wipe them away, but Princess Xiangping stopped her, indicating that she was fine.
Shen Bin, who was standing to the side, seemed to have noticed this as well, and said to Xiangping, "Princess, please take care of your health and don't overexert yourself." Princess Xiangping smiled slightly and said, "It's alright, this can be considered a form of exercise."
Shen Bin didn't know what to do, so he remained silent. After a while, seeing that the beads of sweat on Xiangping's forehead were increasing, and since the weather wasn't very hot, he worried that something might have happened and said, "I hope Your Highness will take good care of yourself. I will come again another day." Shen Bin bowed to Princess Xiangping as he spoke.
Xiangping didn't care much about anything else and carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Seeing Shen Bin about to leave, he became a little anxious and looked at Shen Bin's figure, saying, "I wonder if Young Master Shen is married?" After saying that, he felt uneasy, yet he also hoped for Shen Bin's answer.
“Princess, this humble subject has a fiancée,” Shen Bin said calmly, his back to Princess Xiangping. Princess Xiangping, who had been looking at Shen Bin expectantly, suddenly darkened her eyes, clutching her handkerchief tightly, her face showing indescribable sadness. However, considering her status, she could only say, “Congratulations, Young Master Shen. May I befriend your fiancée?”
Shen Bin didn't refuse and simply said "Mm," before turning and leaving. Princess Xiangping watched Shen Bin's departing figure, feeling an indescribable sense of loss, but then she gave a wicked smile. Cuiyu, standing beside her, felt a little creeped out, but she had seen it once or twice before and was used to it.
"Let's move to my father's palace," Xiangping said to Cuiyu beside him as Shen Bin's figure gradually disappeared. Cuiyu had no choice but to lead Xiangping to the emperor's bedroom.
Upon reaching the emperor's bedchamber, Princess Xiangping was about to push open the door when she heard a woman's voice inside. She had been excited to see her father, but seeing this scene, her knuckles creaked as she rubbed them together inside her sleeves. Princess Xiangping could no longer bear it and kicked the door open.