Chapter 25: The Gifted Heir Apparent

Lady Qin, the Marchioness, was a woman of dignified and generous bearing, her face radiating kindness. Though she appeared to be a beautiful woman in her early thirties, well-preserved and elegant, she matched the memory of the person He Lingyi had once seen at a banquet. Yet, looking at her now, He Lingyi felt a profound shift in perspective, colored by the emotions of Lu Yan.

Despite their lack of familiarity, a strange sense of respect for an elder welled up within her.

The second son, Hai Yu, was younger, possessing a vibrant and flamboyant air with a broad frame and upright posture. Come to think of it, he bore a thirty-percent resemblance to his mother, Chi Guiwan, especially in the curve of his lips when he smiled—a clear mark of kinship. Seeing his elder brother and cousin approach with an unfamiliar young lady in tow, he asked with genuine curiosity, "And who might this young lady be?"

He Lingyi stepped forward gracefully, offered a formal salute to the three of them, and replied, "My grandfather is He Changzhang of Nanzhou. I, He Lingyi, pay my respects to the Marchioness, the second young master, and... the Heir to the Prince of Qi."

At the mention of the "Heir to the Prince of Qi," Shen Song'an, who had been sipping tea, looked up. As their eyes met, He Lingyi felt an overwhelming sense of being seen through to her very marrow.

He was a man barely in his prime, yet his expression was as solemn and cold as if carved from ice. He held his presence in perfect check; merely sitting there drinking tea, he exuded an aura of haughty power capable of holding off ten thousand soldiers. His eyes were as deep as the brightest star in a dark night sky. With just one glance, He Lingyi felt as though the strength had been drained from her limbs, leaving her compelled to submit.

His demeanor was regal, his tone indifferent, yet laced with an unquestionable dominance. After a fleeting, top-to-bottom appraisal of He Lingyi, he uttered a sentence that chilled her to the bone: "Miss He seems different from before."

He Lingyi was grateful for the wide-sleeved dress she wore today; otherwise, her tightly clenched fists would surely have been visible. As she struggled to suppress her inner panic and prepared to offer an explanation, she saw the Heir’s gaze sweep past her face once more before he said in a low voice:

"Before I arrived, my master specifically instructed that if you were unhappy staying in Bianzhou, I could send someone to escort you back to Nanzhou. However, judging by your complexion today, it seems my master was overly concerned."

Master? Was he referring to her grandfather, He Changzhang? But the old man had stopped taking on disciples many years ago. Where could this heir have come from, and why was he a prince? Her mind raced, searching through her memories for any connection, but she returned empty-handed.

It was the second son, Hai Yu, who broke the tension. "To think that Grand Scholar He’s granddaughter is such a stunning beauty. I truly have failed to recognize a mountain when it stands before me. My apologies, my apologies."

At his words, the Marchioness, Lady Qin, shot him a glare. "If you don't know how to speak, then learn. Miss He is a lady of both talent and beauty, with elegant manners; is she someone for a scoundrel like you to chat with at will? Enough—aren't you supposed to be taking the Heir out for a walk? Be on your way, so your circle of layabout friends doesn't grow impatient."

"Mother, you really don't leave me any room to breathe. You make me sound like some sort of vagabond. Miss He, please don't listen to my mother's teasing; those around me are all good teachers and helpful friends..."

Hai Yu’s words made everyone present chuckle. Even the eldest son, Hai Jin, showed a hint of amusement in his eyes. Only Shen Song'an, the Heir to the Prince of Qi, remained cold and otherworldly, lonely and aloof. There was a sense of detachment about him, as if he had transcended the mortal realm. He was imposing, causing others to recoil in awe. Wherever he stood, the very air seemed to congeal with frost, making those near him shiver involuntarily.

As he rose to leave, Shen Song'an passed by He Lingyi. He lowered his gaze slightly, observing that she was indeed different from the person in his memory. His eyes flickered with a faint ripple of emotion, but he quickly returned to his calm composure.

"Heir, let us go."

"Hmm."

Only after the three men had departed did the temperature in the flower hall seem to rise. Even in the heat of midsummer, the man’s presence had been oppressive. He Lingyi took a few breaths, finally calming herself.

Seeing this, Lady Qin explained with a gentle smile, "The Heir is a man of few words, a temperament entirely different from his father. It’s only because Yu'er isn't afraid of the cold that he loves to hover around him, and over time, they’ve become close friends. But his character is truly noble; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the closing disciple of Grand Scholar He. He has been traveling between Langzhou and Nanzhou for these past few years. Has Miss He never met him?"

He Lingyi thought of her empty memories and shook her head honestly. Lady Qin was not surprised, sighing as she said, "Many in the imperial court are plotting against him and his father, so it is normal that you haven't seen him. I suspect that besides Grand Scholar He, no one else in Nanzhou knows his whereabouts."

This cleared up He Lingyi's confusion. Since the Heir was intentionally avoiding notice, it was no wonder she was unaware of him. But what did he mean by that first sentence? What did he mean by "different from before"? Could it be that they had some special connection, one unknown to others?

Her mind was a tangled mess of threads, and she barely heard the voices around her until Chi Guiwan nudged her arm, interrupting her thoughts.

"Lingyi, what’s wrong? My aunt is asking you something."

"Ah? What was that?"

Seeing this, Lady Qin looked a bit puzzled, but she quickly brushed it off with a smile. "There are too many people here. Let's return to Zhaoyue Courtyard to talk."

"Very well."

Chi Guiwan was not affected by the Heir’s appearance. Once they returned to the Zhaoyue Courtyard, she poured out everything that had happened that day, finally adding with a hint of annoyance: "I never realized my mother was that kind of person. She’s already scraped so many precious things from me over the years, and she’s still not satisfied—now she wants me to hand over my mother’s dowry list so my second sister can choose from it! It’s truly going too far!"

At this, Lady Qin’s expression darkened. "Virtue not matching one's position inevitably leads to evil thoughts. Don't be afraid, Wan-er; no one shall get their hands on the dowry your mother left behind. Tomorrow, I will have Nanny Pang take people over to have a proper word with Minister Chi."

While Chi Yunqing was their brother-in-law, their families had not been close since the death of Hai's mother. They looked down on Chi Yunqing’s sycophantic behavior at court. Furthermore, he had remarried and fathered a child within half a year of his first wife's death, which did not strike them as the actions of a deep or righteous man. They maintained the standard courtesy of holiday gifts, but there was no intimacy between them. Having Nanny Pang go was already a gesture of face-saving from their Marchioness's estate; if the two families were to sit down and discuss these matters directly, Chi Yunqing would likely be unable to save any face at all.

Chi Guiwan nodded, clearly approving of her aunt's plan.

However, He Lingyi interrupted, offering a thoughtful analysis: "Minister Chi has already fallen out with Madam Guo and the second sister because of the Lu family’s visit. But this is, after all, a domestic matter; it is best resolved behind closed doors. If you send Nanny Pang to discuss this, it might backfire. It would be better to change direction—perhaps drop a hint to that mother-son pair from the Lu family, or even to Consort Lu in the palace. Once Madam Guo and the second sister begin to bicker over the spoils themselves, only then will Minister Chi be pained enough to finally put an end to their insatiable greed."

Chi Guiwan’s eyes lit up; as expected, a clever mind always provided a more precise strike. Lady Qin, hearing this, also agreed that the method was sound. She pondered for a moment and said, "Letting Consort Lu know that her future sister-in-law’s family is sitting on a mountain of gold—that is indeed a wonderful idea."