18 Leng Yufeng's First Encounter

In the early morning, Shang Wuxin woke up early. Because she woke up too early, her mood was very bad. Her already cold expression now had an added layer of sharp ice.

"Your Highness!" Wuqiu, somewhat timid, came to the prince's side and watched him elegantly having his breakfast. After thinking for a moment, she firmly said,

"May I serve by your side today?" Recently, she had grown more and more admiring and respectful of the prince. Moreover, she had slowly begun to strive to become stronger, to be the prince's trusted right hand. This was different from the numb desire to protect the prince she had never met before. Now, she sincerely wanted to become a subordinate the prince could rely on. Even though she was just a woman, Wuqiu was fearless and willing to serve the prince diligently. She believed she would not disappoint him.

Wu Wei almost dropped her chopsticks upon hearing Wu Ju’s words about the Crown Prince. She had always known Wu Ju was smart and strong. If Wu Ju had met the Crown Prince first, she might have been even more capable than herself. More importantly, after so many days of interaction, Wu Wei had seen Wu Ju’s loyalty clearly. They had also become good friends in private, working together to serve the Crown Prince. When the Crown Prince entered the palace this time, she had thought about whether he would bring her along, but she didn’t dare to ask. After all, the last time she entered the palace was still vivid in her mind, and it was that experience that made her realize only strength could protect oneself; otherwise, she would just be a burden.

“Heh!” Shang Wuxin put down her chopsticks. Having gotten up too early, she had no appetite for breakfast. Now, hearing Wu Ju’s words, her mood improved a bit.

“This is a birthday banquet, not a private summons from Father Emperor, so of course you can come along. But once inside the palace, watch and listen more, speak less. I don’t want you to cause any trouble, do you understand?”

Wu Ju’s heart leapt with joy, and she and Wu Wei quickly bowed.

“Thank you, Crown Prince. We will definitely abide by our duties and not bring trouble to you!” They knew very well that although the Crown Prince looked like an immortal, he actually hated trouble.

Shang Wuxin nodded with satisfaction.

“But since you are my people, you can’t let others bully you. It’s good if you don’t cause trouble, but if trouble comes your way, don’t embarrass me. If anything happens, I will take responsibility!”

"Mm!" Fearless and Intrepid nodded vigorously; being able to follow by the Crown Prince's side was the greatest blessing of their lives.

"Crown Prince, the carriage is ready, but are you going to enter the palace now?" Chief Steward Hai asked from outside the door. Thinking about the birthday gift the Crown Prince had prepared today, he still felt a bit worried, but knowing the Crown Prince's wisdom, he realized he was probably just worrying unnecessarily.

However, if the Emperor was truly angry with the Crown Prince, the current Crown Prince might not even be taken seriously.

Shang Wuxin stood up, took the handkerchief from Fearless's hands to wipe his own hands, then led the two maids toward the carriage outside the Crown Prince's residence. But as he stepped out, he saw a tall black carriage made of fragrant wood; even without looking inside, the exterior alone showed that this carriage was worth a fortune.

"Who made this?" Shang Wuxin asked without any expression, his face revealing no hint of joy or anger.

The steward hurriedly ran to Shang Wuxin's side and smiled, saying, "It was made by your old servant. Does the Crown Prince like it?" It used to be that the Crown Prince's residence was too poor to afford such extravagance, but now that the Crown Prince's residence is so wealthy, how could they let the Crown Prince down? When he saw so much silver in the Crown Prince's residence, he immediately discussed with Wuwei and made this carriage.

Shang Wuxin knew very well the intentions of Chief Hai, and nodded slightly.

"Chief Hai has done very well, I like it very much!" Saying this, she walked into the carriage. As expected, the carriage was arranged according to her current preferences—simple yet luxurious, and most importantly, comfortable. She was never one to wrong herself; if she had the means to enjoy life, why should she suffer?

When Chief Hai heard that the Crown Prince was satisfied, he laughed cheerfully. His round, plump figure combined with such a smile made him quite amusing. Even Wu Wei and Wu Ju couldn't help but chuckle quietly, let alone the guards who were secretly enjoying themselves. It turned out that the usually stern and fearsome Chief Hai was actually quite fun in front of the Crown Prince.

Shang Wuxin, sitting in the carriage, listened to everyone's smiles and was also drawn into a faint smile. Unfortunately, this smile was not seen by others, or else who knows how many young girls' hearts it would have stolen.

Outside, the carriage was driven by Wu Wei and Wu Ju, with the Crown Prince's guards surrounding it. Seeing this scene, everyone grew extremely curious about the Crown Prince. Nowadays, the common people all spread the reputation of the Crown Prince as someone who kept a low profile and cultivated his talents quietly. But unfortunately, the Crown Prince had never appeared publicly, so the commoners had no chance to see him. Not to mention the commoners, even the officials in the court had never met the Crown Prince. Since the Crown Prince was not yet sixteen and could not attend court, many officials had come today for the birthday celebration specifically because of this Crown Prince.

"Wow, is this the prince's carriage? It looks so big and beautiful. I wonder if the prince is inside!" The whispers of the women on the street floated by. For these frequent visitors, who wouldn't want to marry into the royal family? They once thought the prince was a fool, but now, hearing the rumors about him, many have developed a fondness for this mysterious prince.

"Of course it is! Just look at this carriage—none of the other princes can compare!"

"I wonder what the crown prince looks like? Could he be very ugly?"

Wu Wei and Wu Ju were very angry to hear a woman say the crown prince was ugly, but they also knew there was nothing they could do at this moment.

However, they thought that if these people could see the crown prince’s face, they definitely wouldn’t say that. The crown prince’s appearance was probably unmatched by anyone in the world.

Shang Wuxin listened to the various discussions outside without caring. The common people were often the most innocent and kind, but more often they were the most cruel and heartless. They only saw the surface, but public opinion was something that could be used to their advantage.

"Your Highness, we have arrived at the palace!" a fearless voice called out, but Shang Wuxin did not dismount the carriage like some of the other officials' daughters. This was because the Crown Prince had the right to drive a carriage or ride a horse within the palace—an entitlement granted to every Crown Prince.

Hearing this, Shang Wuxin slightly lifted the carriage curtain to let the guards at the gate clearly see her face. This inspection was mandatory, and of course, Shang Wuxin would not resist it.

However, it wouldn’t be long before she would no longer allow others to inspect her so freely.

At that moment, Shang Wuxin felt a gaze directed at her.

Although there was no malice, the scrutinizing intent was too strong. Shang Wuxin frowned slightly and looked toward the owner of the gaze. The person was dressed entirely in black, sitting tall on a horse, with a face carved like a god’s—sharp and chiseled. Even sitting quietly on the horse, he was strikingly handsome, with an extraordinary aura that gave off a solemn and refined feeling. His wheat-colored skin was smooth and radiant, especially those eyes embedded in his jade-like face, sparkling like stars—unforgettable at a glance.

"Who is that person?" A flicker of interest passed through Shang Wuxin's eyes. This man was exactly to his taste; even at a glance, it was clear he was a true iron-blooded man.

Wuwei followed the crown prince's gaze, then lowered his head and said, "This person is Leng Yufeng, a famous general of the Shang Kingdom, and also Your Highness's tutor. In a couple of days, he is supposed to come to the crown prince's residence to teach martial arts knowledge!" Since he already knew this man was the crown prince's tutor, he had inevitably investigated many things, and this general was indeed a man worthy of respect.

"Hmm!" Shang Wuxin lowered the carriage curtain, and the carriage slowly drove into the imperial palace…