The Art of Language

A young man in a long robe of blue cloth stood at the stairway landing. He was just over twenty, his long black hair tied with a blue cloth ribbon and hanging neatly behind his head, giving him a refreshing air.

This was none other than Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the present-day Heaven Dou Empire.

"Duke Lin, greetings!" Xue Qinghe flashed a hearty smile and offered Lin Rong a polite greeting.

Lin Rong looked at the person before him, greatly surprised inwardly:

It's her, Qian Renxue. What is she doing at Moonlight Pavilion? Studying court etiquette?

Thinking about it carefully, eleven years from now, Xue Ke, the royal family's only princess, would also come to Moonlight Pavilion to study court etiquette.

If that was the case, then although Qian Renxue was posing as the Crown Prince, it was not impossible for her to come to Moonlight Pavilion to study court etiquette.

The real Xue Qinghe should have been around twenty now, which matched the age as well. So Qian Renxue really had come here to study court etiquette?

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

After briefly returning the greeting, Lin Rong turned to leave.

His plans concerning Qian Renxue came later; it was not yet time to deal with her. Lin Rong did not wish to get too entangled with her and risk unforeseen complications.

Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished.

This fake Xue Qinghe was very curious about what business Lin Rong, a six-year-old child, could possibly have with Tang Yuehua.

Thus, brimming with curiosity, Xue Qinghe asked indirectly:

"Duke Lin has only just turned six, and it is still far too early for you to study court etiquette. May I ask what business brings you to Madam Yue today?"

"Could it be that Duke Lin, despite your tender age, has already fallen for Madam Yue's beauty and come to confess your feelings to her?"

Hearing this, Lin Rong stopped midway down the stairs and thought:

Well, well, Qian Renxue. Just because I don't want to provoke you doesn't mean I don't dare to.

Since your curiosity is so strong, don't blame me for saying something hurtful!

Lin Rong leaned over the stair railing, looking down at Xue Qinghe as he said softly:

"Your Highness, you jest."

"Madam Yue, as a woman, founded such a great enterprise as Moonlight Pavilion all by herself. She is truly a heroine among women."

"Both my parents have passed away, and Uncle Yu has supported Duke Mansion all these years. In order to take over all the affairs of Duke Mansion in the future, I came to seek some guidance from Madam Yue."

At this point, Lin Rong shifted the subject.

"However, speaking of heroines among women, one cannot avoid mentioning Your Excellency the Pope."

"In recent years, Spirit Hall has grown ever stronger under the Pope's leadership, which is enough to show her exceptional methods."

"Truly worthy of being Spirit Hall's first female Pope in history."

"As a woman, the Pope holds a position of great authority and manages Spirit Hall in perfect order."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you and I are both men. How could we possibly imagine the hardships behind all this that outsiders do not know?"

"The Pope holds a lofty position and is busy with countless affairs. Fortunately, she has no children and no attachments to worry over."

"Otherwise, if the Pope had children but spent all day handling affairs and could not care for them, how pitiful would those children be, unable to receive their mother's love?"

"Wouldn't you agree, Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

Lin Rong's final remarks were like sharp thorns stabbing viciously into Qian Renxue's heart.

The face of the Xue Qinghe she impersonated instantly turned extremely ugly. Her hands clenched into fists as she roared madly inwardly:

That woman—what is so remarkable about her? She merely seized the magpie's nest and stole the position of Pope that belonged to the Qian Family!

Back then, there was no one in the Qian Family, and I was still young. That woman was only temporarily holding the position of Pope for me!

And besides, such a vicious woman is unworthy—unworthy of being a mother. Unworthy!

Although Lin Rong could not read minds, having read the original work, he could roughly guess what Qian Renxue was thinking at that moment.

In truth, Qian Renxue desperately longed for a mother's love. She was merely too deeply trapped to see her own heart clearly.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Lin Rong put on an apologetic expression as though he had only just realized something.

"My apologies, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"I forgot that Your mother has also already..."

"My words just now were too careless. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

Qian Renxue, who was no lovestruck fool, truly deserved to be a formidable figure of her generation. The Xue Qinghe she impersonated quickly calmed herself and retaliated:

"Not at all. Duke Lin spoke without ill intent."

"Besides, though my mother has passed away, I still have my Imperial Father to give me a father's love. I can also be filial to him and fulfill my duty as his child."

"Compared to Duke Lin, whose parents have both passed away, Qinghe is already very fortunate."

The two of them were both saying things that stabbed at each other's hearts, but unfortunately, as a Transmigrator, Lin Rong had little affection for the parents he had never met in this life.

Qian Renxue's words had no effect whatsoever.

Still, this fake Xue Qinghe actually had the mind to strike back. It seemed she still had plenty of fighting spirit and was unwilling to admit defeat.

Since that was the case, Lin Rong decided to make the "Crown Prince" before him lose even more thoroughly.

Thus, Xue Qinghe did not see Lin Rong reveal any expression of sorrow or grief, leaving the comforting words he had prepared with nowhere to go.

Instead, he saw Lin Rong smile and say:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, there is no need for you to pity me."

"Although my father unfortunately passed away before I was born, and my mother died of excessive grief because of it, I have never lacked familial affection."

"My butler, Grandpa Yu Yuan, is no different from my own grandfather in my heart."

"With this bond between grandfather and grandson, I had a very happy childhood."

"On the other hand, Your Highness the Crown Prince, your grandfather—the previous emperor—had already passed away before you were born."

"You never spent time with your own grandfather, so I imagine you cannot understand the affection between grandfather and grandson either."

"Therefore, Your Highness the Crown Prince, you would not know how painful it is to be unable to stay by one's grandfather's side."

Having said that, Lin Rong turned to the Old Butler behind him and said:

"Grandpa Yu, your grandson is tired. Grandpa, could you carry me back?"

As he spoke, Lin Rong grabbed the Old Butler's hand and shook it, truly looking like a grandson acting spoiled with his grandfather.

The Old Butler crouched down at those words, a kindly smile appearing on his aged face as he scooped the young master into his arms.

As they walked down, Lin Rong tugged at the Old Butler's beard while smilingly bidding Xue Qinghe farewell:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Grandpa Yu and I will be leaving first. Until we meet again!"

"U-until we meet again!" Xue Qinghe replied with a forced smile. Beneath his sleeve, his clenched fist dug its nails deeply into his flesh as he repeatedly reminded himself:

Hold it in, hold it in. I'm carrying out an undercover mission right now.

Although I miss Grandpa too, returning to Spirit City to see him would mean admitting defeat to that woman.

Absolutely not. I volunteered for this mission myself. No matter what, I cannot give up.

Because I have to prove to that woman just how outstanding I am, and what a terrible mistake she made when she abandoned me.

The streets of Heaven Dou City bustled with traffic and crowds.

Sitting in the carriage, Lin Rong sensed through Life Sense an intensity of emotional fluctuations unlike anything he had ever encountered. He could not help but shake his head as he thought:

So unable to keep her composure. She will be incapable of bearing great responsibility in the future.

Qian Renxue, I have prepared an enormous surprise for you in the future. You had better not get so agitated that you accidentally drop dead.

After all, some plans will still require your help.