“He—” I pointed in Xia Zhichun’s direction, struggling to decide which question to ask first. “She— The two of them— Is this really Xia Zhichun?”
“Absolutely true,” Moqu nodded. “Princess, please follow me.”
I looked at Moqu questioningly. Although I had not interacted much with him and rarely conversed, I remembered he had a deep, resonant voice and spoke quickly, often making it hard to understand him if one didn’t listen carefully. But this time, his words were much clearer than before, and his voice seemed to have changed somewhat.
He paid no attention to my questioning look, simply walked to Xia Zhichun, cupped his fists in greeting, and explained the purpose of their visit.
Xia Zhichun stood up, glanced at me with slight surprise, then placed the small white cabbage in the bamboo basket Su Hui carried, nodding and smiling at me: “Long time no see.”
Indeed, it was him.
Although he had grown taller and his features more defined, his always unhurried tone and demeanor were completely consistent with the gentle and kind third prince in my memory. I was unsure of my own feelings and returned his smile. He turned to Su Hui: “Hui’er, please take the princess to the hall to sit, I’ll change my clothes and be right there.”
Su Hui poured me a cup of tea, and I just stared at her, amazed by the bizarre scene. Moqu stood dutifully behind me, still not saying a word.
Finally, Su Hui, perhaps uncomfortable with my staring, spoke first: “Didn’t expect to meet here, what a coincidence.”
“Indeed unexpected,” I came to my senses, holding the warm tea, my mind full of questions. “I thought you liked An Jin.”
“My closeness with Brother An was by His Majesty’s order,” Su Hui smiled. “To investigate Brother An’s background and to drive a wedge between you and your husband.”
She spoke frankly, and I had no reason to be secretive. But the fact that Su Hui and I would have such an open conversation was truly unpredictable.
She quickly excused herself, saying she would prepare some tea and snacks. Mo Qu remained standing in the same spot, motionless, with an extremely faint sense of presence.
