Chapter 164 Two more
Steward Hu walked out of the study with the midday meal and sighed as he saw Qi Ling waiting at the door, shoulders slumped, shaking his head.
Qi Ling didn’t know what to say, feeling despondent, as if even breathing was a waste of energy.
Ever since the Crown Prince had returned from the Qishun Building that day, he had been like this, silent. For two consecutive days, he had stayed in the study, ceaselessly reading Memorials to the Throne, without sleep or rest. He hardly ate unless reminded to do so, and he didn’t ask for tea; he drank whether it was cold or hot.
Steward Hu carefully asked Qi Zhu several times what had happened that night. However, except for sighing in despair, Qi Zhu couldn’t give any clear explanations. Steward Hu clearly felt that this time it was different—was it because of Prince Duan’s interest in arranging a marriage for the Commandery Princess?
From Steward Hu’s perspective, this matter was bound to happen eventually. Unlike the younger ones like Qi Ling and Qi Zhu, having spent decades in service, he knew to let nature take its course. He had discerned the Commandery Princess’s feelings for the Crown Prince, and if the Crown Prince had not reciprocated those feelings, he would not have allowed her so much freedom in the Crown Prince’s Mansion over the years.
Steward Hu felt that the Crown Prince, since childhood, had borne all the hopes of Nanzheng State. With Emperor Jingzhi critically ill, ready to leave Nanzheng at any moment, the three Grand Tutors competed to facilitate the Crown Prince’s rapid assumption of Nanzheng State’s great responsibilities. The Crown Prince had never enjoyed the carefree times of childhood, always diligently studying poetry and the strategies of statecraft. Compared to the Empress and Emperor Jingzhi, Steward Hu seemed more like a senior to the Crown Prince, having witnessed every small change in him and all the hardships he had endured.
Only in these recent years, with the Commandery Princess’s intrusion, did the Crown Prince finally show a smile, bringing genuine warmth to his gentle face.
Steward Hu didn’t think too far ahead or have grand visions, just like all short-sighted and fiercely protective parents, he simply wanted the Crown Prince to be happy.
Could it be because Prince Duan looked favorably at her, that Her Royal Highness the Princess wanted to sever ties with the Crown Prince? This was what Steward Hu could think of, and looking at Qi Ling and Qi Zhu’s expressions, what else could it be?