"Ahem, cough, cough..."
The servant standing behind him jumped in fright and hurriedly offered him a cloth. "My lord, are you all right?"
Shen Mother no longer had time to wait for Su Huaihuan's reply. She patted Shen Yangge's back and sighed. "Why did you drink so quickly? Let me see. Did you burn yourself?"
As she spoke, Shen Mother gently wiped the corners of Shen Yangge's mouth with her handkerchief. At such close range, the red marks concealed around his neck were exposed right before her eyes. Her hand froze for a moment.
She was just about to ask him something when a shout came from the entrance. "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
Everyone froze.
Shen Yangge coughed even harder, reflexive tears welling in his eyes. With his mouth closed, his cheeks inevitably puffed out whenever he coughed. To hide his embarrassment,
he had no choice but to clench his fist and hold it in front of his mouth.
Chu Xuanzhen stepped inside, dressed in wide-sleeved robes trimmed with gold, his face expressionless. As he approached, that breathtaking face made quite a few people lower their heads.
Even though he was not yet the emperor of Great Chu, his exalted status and position as heir to the throne gave him an inexplicable air of authority.
The authority of a sovereign.
The servants dropped to their knees with a thud. Su Huaihuan, who had still been standing, hurriedly offered a formal bow of obeisance. Shen Mother naturally had to do the same, but before she could kneel, Chu Xuanzhen said, "There is no need for ceremony. All of you, rise."
The chill in his voice raised goosebumps all over them, especially the servants in the hall. They had never witnessed anything like this.
They nearly lost their composure.