25 Leng Yufeng's Concern

Night quietly fell. Shang Wuxin stood on a hillside outside the capital, riding a pure white steed. There, thousands of soldiers and numerous supply wagons loaded with provisions were already waiting. Everyone wore plain black clothes, and even the banners had been taken down by the Crown Prince.

"Crown Prince, the supplies have all been counted, and the soldiers are all assembled!" Leng Yufeng said as he approached the Crown Prince. Under the moonlight, he wore black clothes with a black cloak draped over them. His dark hair was tied back, flowing down behind him. Tall and handsome, his black eyes were cold and indifferent. His thin lips were tightly pressed, never smiling, exuding a frost-like aloofness.

Shang Wuxin nodded slightly.

Just then, an official approached the Crown Prince with some curiosity and asked, "Your Highness, why depart at night? And why not allow everyone to wear military uniforms?" It wasn’t just this official who was puzzled; even the others didn’t understand, so they all perked up their ears to listen to the Crown Prince’s explanation.

The man asking the question was about thirty years old, holding the position of Assistant Minister.

However, he was actually Bo Shaolin, the son of Minister Bo. His appearance was quite ordinary—not outstanding—but he had inherited his father’s upright character. He had come along with the Crown Prince to the south on his father’s orders. His father had told him that the Crown Prince was no ordinary person, and he wanted to see for himself the prince whom his father had praised repeatedly.

Seeing that although the soldiers appeared to be watching the provisions on the carriage, their ears were all alert, Shang Wuxin spoke directly: "This journey is to deliver food to the people, not for leisure. There’s no need for a grand escort of civil and military officials. Leaving at night also catches many ill-intentioned people off guard. As for changing your clothes, if you wear military uniforms so conspicuously, isn’t that like openly telling others to come and rob you, like those mountain bandits?"

Some bandits on the hills to the south harbored extreme hatred for the court officials because many of them had become outlaws due to the court’s incompetence. The court had suffered several times from having all their goods robbed.

However, if they changed their clothes, even if the bandits still robbed them, they would be less inclined to fight desperately.

Bai Shaolin suddenly understood the prince's intentions and felt somewhat ashamed. He quickly knelt before Shang Wuxin, saying, "The prince is wise; it is I who am ignorant!" The other soldiers also looked at the prince with admiration. They had heard that the prince was very intelligent, but hearing about it was nothing compared to seeing it with their own eyes.

Leng Yufeng glanced at the prince standing there with a sense of appreciation. If it were him, he would have done the same.

However, he had experienced many battlefields to develop such thoughts. Yet, the prince, a young man raised deep within the palace, was already considering so much. Leng Yufeng had to admit that the prince of the Eastern Palace was truly incomparable to other princes.

Despite the soldiers' admiring gazes, Shang Wuxin showed no pride. She spurred her horse and led the vast troop to set off.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, the sound of hooves came from behind. Shang Wuxin tightened the reins and looked back, seeing Huan Mo Che riding swiftly toward them in a blue brocade robe. His face was as handsome as a jade crown, exceptionally beautiful—a true elegant gentleman. The gentle smile on his face was like a warm spring breeze, seemingly able to warm one's heart.

"Crown Prince, I want to follow you!" Huan Mo Che came before Shang Wu Xin. Both were seated high on their horses. Shang Wu Xin could see the slight sweat on Huan Mo Che's forehead, but his heart remained cold.

Shang Wuxin glanced at Leng Yufeng. This trip was a very secret matter; apart from their group, no one else knew. As for Huan Mochen knowing about it, it was probably because Leng Yufeng told him. Moreover, Shang Wuxin also knew that the friendship between the two was likely quite deep.

Leng Yufeng looked at the Crown Prince with a somewhat evasive gaze for some reason. He knew his friend was very interested in the Crown Prince and kept asking him about him, so he told his friend. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that.

Although he was a general, he was sharp-witted. But now, looking at the Crown Prince, he suddenly wondered if he had done something wrong.

Shang Wuxin knew that even if she tried to stop it now, it would be useless. Huan Moche was not an ordinary commoner; he was the top son of the capital, someone whom even the emperor had to show considerable respect to. More importantly, Shang Wuxin saw Huan Moche take out the emperor’s edict, instructing her to accompany him to the south. Now, whether the reason was legitimate or not, it was all settled. She still had important matters to attend to, so she mounted her horse and left directly.

Meanwhile, a happy smile flashed in Huan Moche’s eyes as he followed the prince’s horse, and Leng Yufeng sighed helplessly and followed closely behind.

Everyone originally thought the crown prince was very delicate. Even though the crown prince was a boy, he was still a young man raised in luxury. But seeing the crown prince traveling with everyone, riding horses and crossing mountains together, everyone’s respect for the crown prince grew even more.

Arriving at a forested area, Shang Wuxin and the other two stopped.

Although they were eager to rush south, they still needed to conserve their strength to handle any sudden situations.

"Rest here!" Shang Wuxin dismounted, and everyone else also got off their horses to rest.

Leng Yufeng checked the food supplies and then sat down beside the Crown Prince, while Huan Moche sat on the other side.

At this moment, Bai Shaolin came to the three of them holding a few wrapped cakes, and said somewhat embarrassed, "Crown Prince, General, Young Master Huan, it seems there is no game here, so we can only use these cakes to stave off hunger!"

Bai Shaolin felt that he had been inconsiderate. General Leng was probably fine since he had been on the battlefield for many years and was likely used to this, but if the Crown Prince and Young Master Huan had to eat these, Bai Shaolin glanced at the Crown Prince anxiously, fearing he might get angry. He now greatly admired this Crown Prince.

Huan Mo Che looked at the hard, stiff biscuit and thought about how, although the meals in the Crown Prince's residence were not luxurious, they were exquisite and very well-prepared. More importantly, the Crown Prince looked quite frail. Huan Mo Che felt a bit reluctant, but then saw Shang Wu Xin casually take the biscuit and start eating it as if it were nothing.

The Crown Prince's manner of eating was extremely elegant. Every movement she made while eating was filled with a kind of allure, as if what she held in her hand was not a hard biscuit but some rare delicacy. This made the few onlookers momentarily stunned, and after that moment of surprise, they developed a great admiration for the Crown Prince's way of doing things.

Huan Mo Che saw that the Crown Prince didn't seem to dislike it, which slightly eased his mind. He took the cake and began eating, but kept sneaking glances at the Crown Prince. He felt that no matter what the Crown Prince did, it was always so pleasing to the eye. This was the first time he had paid such close attention to someone.

Leng Yufeng watched the Crown Prince eat the cake without any reluctance, and in his heart, he thought more highly of the prince. The prince looked frail, but unexpectedly, he was quite different. Leng Yufeng felt that being the Crown Prince’s tutor wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Bai Shaolin saw that the Crown Prince did not disdain the coarse food they were eating at all, and he finally understood why his father held such a high opinion of this silent and taciturn prince. He had already decided to pledge loyalty to the Crown Prince’s faction from now on. Over the years, he had never joined any prince’s faction, not for any other reason but because he looked down on those princes and disliked them. But now, the Crown Prince made Bai Shaolin feel willing to serve loyally.

Everyone quickly ate some cakes to stave off hunger, then all sat down to rest in their original places, leaving some people to keep watch. Shang Wuxin stood up to leave but was stopped by Huan Mochen.

"Where is the Crown Prince going?"

"Just take a casual walk, the journey is long so you should rest early!" Shang Wuxin said to Leng Yufeng, who was about to get up.

"Don't worry, I know my limits!"

Although Leng Yufeng and Huan Mochen were very worried, seeing the unquestionable look in the Crown Prince's eyes, they both sat down.

However, Leng Yufeng still spoke up, "Please, Crown Prince, do not go too far. Although there are many soldiers, this wilderness is still full of dangers!"

Shang Wuxin nodded slightly and left, ignoring the concern of the two.

"Yufeng, you seem very concerned about the Crown Prince!" Huan Mochen asked.

Although his friend was a general with some sense of responsibility, he was not a kind-hearted person. Yet just now, he spoke up to warn the Crown Prince, which showed that his friend did care about the Crown Prince. But he himself did not want his friend to pay attention to the Crown Prince; he…

Leng Yufeng glanced at his friend's unnatural expression and said, "Aren't you also very concerned about the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince is a good person, and since we are his tutors, it's only our duty to care for him! But you, it seems you care about this Crown Prince a bit too much!"

However, Leng Yufeng himself knew deep down that he also seemed to care about the Crown Prince more than he admitted.

Huan Mo Che raised his eyebrows, his expression becoming filled with a gentle warmth like a soft breeze, radiating the warmth of spring, but he remained silent, for even he had not yet figured out his own feelings.

Shang Wuxin arrived at a lakeside, his voice gentle and elegant, like the rustling sound of wind passing through a bamboo forest, mixed with the unique fragrance of the night breeze.

"You've followed all the way here, why haven't you come out yet?"

As soon as the words fell, a man emerged from the forest. He wore a red brocade robe, his black hair slightly tied back, with a slender lock of bangs gently resting on his cheek, making his melon-seed-shaped face appear even more delicate and refined. If his arched eyebrows gave him a hint of arrogance, then his perfectly sculpted nose completely softened the pride in his expression.

"Ah, you always catch me every time, there's really no fun at all!" Han Xuanhao came to Shang Wuxin's side. Looking at Shang Wuxin standing next to him, he felt very satisfied inside, but seeing that Shang Wuxin was only as tall as his chest and had an overly thin body, he suddenly felt a bit dissatisfied. These past few days, he had been wondering why he paid so much attention to this prince, why he felt something more like affection for the prince who was so different from others. Yes, he had already confirmed that he liked the prince. As for what exactly that meant, he didn't know himself. He was originally someone who followed his heart, so since he knew he somewhat liked the prince, he would just stay by the prince's side and see what kind of feelings he truly had for him.