Three days later, Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince's Mansion.
Night had fallen, and lanterns lit up one after another throughout the residence. When Yi Chen entered the Crown Prince's Mansion for the second time, the guards at the gate already recognized him. They didn't announce his arrival or stop him; they simply bowed and opened the gate.
He crossed the bluestone path and arrived at the study. Its door stood open, but no one sat behind the desk.
A servant hurried over from beneath the covered walkway and bowed respectfully. "Elder, His Highness has set up a tea gathering in the back garden. Please follow me."
Yi Chen followed the servant through two moon gates and into the back garden of the Crown Prince's Mansion.
The garden wasn't large, but it was laid out with exquisite care. A shallow pond lay at its center, with several clumps of bamboo growing along the bank. Their shadows swayed in the glow of the lanterns.
A small pavilion stood in the middle of the pond. Inside was a low table, with two cups of tea and a plate of pastries set upon it.
Xue Qinghe sat in the pavilion. Tonight, he wore a simple blue-gray robe, and his hair was tied back in an uncomplicated bun. Compared with the dignified crown prince he'd been during the day, he now seemed less solemn and more like an elegant young nobleman.
When he saw Yi Chen approaching, he rose and gave a slight nod in greeting.
Yi Chen entered the pavilion and sat across from him. He didn't rush to speak. Instead, he lifted his cup, breathed in its aroma, and took a sip.
"Good tea." He set down the cup and offered a brief assessment.
"This year's first harvest from the West Mountain Tea Garden. The yield was small, and I received less than a pound." Xue Qinghe's tone remained gentle and courteous. "If you like it, Elder, you can take some home with you when you leave."
Yi Chen didn't take the bait. He set down his cup and looked Xue Qinghe in the face, getting straight to the point. "Your Highness didn't invite me here tonight just to drink tea."
Xue Qinghe didn't answer at once. He lifted his cup and gazed down at the leaves drifting in the tea, then fell silent for several breaths. When he finally spoke, his voice was lower and more subdued than before. "I've thought a great deal about what you said when you left three days ago, Elder."
Yi Chen didn't interrupt. He waited for him to continue.
"I don't know how you found out, Elder, and I don't intend to ask." Xue Qinghe set down his cup and raised his head, meeting Yi Chen's gaze evenly. "But now that you know this secret, what do you intend to do?"
Yi Chen leaned against a pavilion pillar, his hands loosely folded over his abdomen. Relaxed in both posture and tone, he sounded as if he were chatting about what to eat for dinner. "I don't intend to do anything."
Xue Qinghe's gaze shifted slightly.
"Whether you're a man or a woman, whether you're Xue Qinghe or someone else, it makes no fundamental difference to me." Yi Chen's tone remained casual.
"What I value is your ability and your position. The identity of Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire is a crucial link in Golden Spatula's expansion. As for who's behind that identity, that's your business. I have no interest in interfering, and no interest in exposing you."
He paused, then added, "Though I do have one small request."
"Please, Elder."
"Next time we meet, could you come as yourself?"
Yi Chen still sounded relaxed, but there was a note of sincerity in his gaze.
"I'm not used to discussing cooperation with someone wearing a mask. You can wear it for others, but when it comes to your partners, I'd like to see the real you."
The pavilion fell quiet for a moment. A koi occasionally leaped from the pond with a soft splash, then sank back beneath the water.
Xue Qinghe lowered his eyes and fell silent for a long while. When she looked up again, her gaze had changed. It wasn't a hostile scrutiny, nor the panic of someone forced to reveal a secret. Instead, it was a look of appraisal and curiosity, as if she were seeing Yi Chen in a new light.
Then she made a move.
She raised her right hand and brought her index and middle fingers together, lightly touching the space between her brows.
A gentle golden light glimmered at her brow and flowed slowly along the contours of her face. The disguise conjured by the Angel Soul Bone began to fade from the edges of her face, like thin ice melting beneath the sun.
This wasn't a silicone mask, but a genuine transformation technique using a Soul Bone.
The Angel Soul Bone's power had flowed through her body for more than a decade, constructing an almost perfect masculine appearance. From the shape of her Adam's apple to the pitch of her voice, from the proportions of her frame to the texture of her skin, every detail was convincing enough to fool anyone.
Now, the disguise she'd maintained for more than twenty years was peeling away layer by layer, at her own will.
The disguise at her throat vanished first, revealing the slender line of her neck.
Then the shape of her face changed. Her square jaw softened, her cheekbones shifted slightly, and her strong brows took on a more delicate arch.
Last came her eyes. Beneath the golden glow, the warm black of her irises gradually acquired the sheen of amber.
The moment the disguise vanished completely, the pavilion seemed to brighten.
Yi Chen's hand, holding his teacup, stopped in midair.
He'd seen countless beauties in his previous life, but even so, Qian Renxue's beauty left him stunned for a moment.
It was a beauty that transcended the boundaries of gender—not delicate and fragile, nor cold and sharp, but imbued with divinity, almost too unreal to be true.
Her golden eyes shimmered like amber beneath the moonlight, as if they could see into people's hearts, yet held a thousand unspoken words.
Her features were so exquisite they seemed the work of a god's most careful hand. Every line was perfectly measured; a little more would have been too much, and a little less would have left something wanting.
What made her impossible to look away from was the innate pride and sharpness between her brows. It was the bearing of an heir to the Angel God Position, nobility and resilience carved into her very bones, beyond the reach of any disguise.
Looking at her, memories from his previous life rose in Yi Chen's mind.
He remembered her life: sent away in childhood to impersonate the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, she'd spent her entire childhood and adolescence surrounded by lies and danger.
She'd never known a single day of true familial affection. Her mother, Bibi Dong, hated her, and her father, Qian Xunji, was long dead. She had no one to rely on but herself.
Disguised as Xue Qinghe with the Angel Soul Bone, she'd navigated the court of the Heaven Dou Empire for more than twenty years, advancing step by step, always treading on thin ice.
Everything she'd done wasn't for power or revenge. It was only to prove that her existence had value.
He'd liked her a great deal in his previous life.
Not only because of her peerless beauty, but because of the pride and resilience she'd held onto even in the depths of despair.
(ps: A lot of people like Qian Renxue, right? Anyway, she's my favorite.)
She'd never bowed her head to fate. Even with the whole world against her, she'd kept her back straight and walked the path she'd chosen. That spirit moved him more than her beauty.
It took him about two breaths to recover. He set his teacup steadily back on the table and spoke, his voice a little lower than usual. "You really do suit this appearance better."
Qian Renxue tilted her head slightly. A hint of scrutiny and curiosity glimmered in her golden eyes. "Your reaction is much calmer than I expected, Elder."
"It's not that I'm calm." Yi Chen lifted his cup and took another sip, using the gesture to hide the momentary loss of composure. "I expected it, but seeing you in person, you're even more... beautiful than I imagined."
Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow slightly. She clearly hadn't expected Yi Chen to compliment her so directly. She'd expected him to be shocked, perhaps wary, perhaps to reassess her value and the threat she posed. She hadn't expected his first reaction to be to call her beautiful.
"...Your priorities are certainly surprising, Elder." There was a subtle trace of amusement in her voice.
"I'm only telling the truth." Yi Chen set down his cup and looked at her openly. "Your Highness—or should I call you Miss Qian Renxue—you're sitting here in your true form, discussing cooperation with me. That alone shows your sincerity. I won't betray it."
Qian Renxue watched him for several breaths, then smiled.
It was a smile utterly unlike Xue Qinghe's: colder and sharper, but also more genuine.
"You really are an interesting man, Elder." She lifted her cup and gestured toward Yi Chen. "Then let's hope our cooperation goes smoothly."
Yi Chen raised his own cup and lightly clinked it against hers. "To a successful partnership."
They each took a sip and set their cups down. Yi Chen stood and straightened his robe. "It's getting late. I won't keep you from your rest. As for Golden Spatula's affairs within the Heaven Dou Empire, someone will bring the first batch of files to the Crown Prince's Mansion tomorrow. You can look through them when you have time."
He left the pavilion and walked along the flagstone path toward the gate. After a few steps, he stopped and spoke without turning around. "By the way, that tea..."
Qian Renxue lowered her gaze to the cup before her.
"Next time I visit, I'll bring some tea more suited to your taste." There was a hint of laughter in Yi Chen's voice. "What girls like is probably different from what a crown prince likes."
With that, he continued on, disappearing into the mingled shadows of moonlight and lantern glow.
Qian Renxue remained seated in the pavilion, watching the direction Yi Chen had gone. She looked down at the teacup before her, then lifted it and took another sip.
The West Mountain First Harvest was indeed good tea.
But she also wondered what kind of tea he meant by "more suited to your taste."
She set down her cup and traced a finger lightly around its rim, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smile she didn't even notice.
Yi Chen was much more interesting than she'd imagined.