The study.
Incense smoke curled upward.
"Miss Shen, please have some tea."
Fang Heng had Aunt Yun brew tea for Shen Qiushui as he secretly sized her up, his mind full of doubts.
Shen Qiushui had actually come to visit him?
When he had first heard the servant's report, he had been greatly startled.
The legitimate daughter of the Martial Prime Minister had come alone to see him.
It was truly... somewhat unbelievable.
He wondered whether the Martial Prime Minister knew about this.
He had heard that the Martial Prime Minister was a thoroughgoing daughter fanatic.
"This common girl has come to trouble Your Highness. Please forgive me."
After exchanging pleasantries, Fang Heng took the initiative to ask.
"May I ask what brings Miss Shen here today?"
Shen Qiushui glanced at Yun Menglan, pursed her red lips, and gave a meaningful look.
Fang Heng immediately understood and gave Yun Menglan a look.
"This servant will wait outside. If Your Highness needs anything, simply call for me."
With that, Yun Menglan moved with lotus-like steps and left the study.
Only after the study was left with just herself and Fang Heng did Shen Qiushui slowly speak.
Her voice was soft and sweet, stirring an urge to protect her.
"This common girl came today to thank Your Highness for your guidance that day."
"Miss Shen is too courteous. It was merely a trifling trick."
Fang Heng spoke lightly. He truly had not taken his guidance that day to heart.
But Shen Qiushui disagreed and shook her head.
"Your Highness is far too modest."
"If I had not known that method came from Your Highness, this common girl would have thought it was the work of some reclusive mountain chancellor, hidden away from the world, with the people of all under heaven in his heart and sleeves clean of dust."
The corner of Fang Heng's mouth twitched. He hurriedly took a sip of tea to calm his shock.
The people of all under heaven in his heart?
Sleeves clean of dust?
Hidden away from the world?
A mountain chancellor?
Those four phrases did not have the slightest thing to do with Lord He.
This Miss Shen truly had... an eye for people!
"Besides..." Shen Qiushui pursed her tender red lips, her expression hesitant and conflicted. "There is... there is one matter for which this common girl wishes to seek Your Highness's consent."
"What is it?"
Shen Qiushui's bashful manner piqued Fang Heng's curiosity.
In Fang Heng's eyes, although Shen Qiushui was a refined young lady from a prominent family, she had always been poised and generous. He had never seen her like this.
As though she had made some enormous decision, Shen Qiushui took a deep breath and slowly said,
"Your Highness, this common girl will write the matter of you teaching me how to distribute porridge into my storybook. I hope Your Highness will permit it."
A storybook?
Fang Heng slightly raised his brows and looked at Shen Qiushui in surprise.
Shen Qiushui seemed to grow embarrassed under his gaze as well.
It felt like an online fiction author being recognized in public offline.
"Your Highness, what do you think?"
Shen Qiushui's voice lowered somewhat, drawing Fang Heng back to himself.
"May I ask what storybook Miss Shen writes?"
"The Legend of Heroine Shen. I brought the manuscript for the newest installment."
As she spoke, Shen Qiushui took out a stack of manuscripts from her Sumeru Ring, clearly well prepared.
This time, Fang Heng was even more shocked.
Although he had never read The Legend of Heroine Shen, he had heard of it.
It was currently the hottest storybook in Yujing City.
From streets and alleys to taverns and marketplaces, people could be heard discussing it everywhere.
Even his imperial mother was a fan of The Legend of Heroine Shen. Its influence was plain to see.
He had never expected it to be Shen Qiushui's work.
Fang Heng roughly skimmed through the contents of the newest installment of The Legend of Heroine Shen.
What was written there was precisely the episode of Shen Qiushui distributing porridge and receiving his guidance.
"Miss Shen, this storybook... was it perhaps created with you as the prototype?"
Having been seen through at a glance by Fang Heng, Shen Qiushui's pretty face burned hot, radiant as peach blossoms in the second month.
How embarrassing!
Shen Qiushui felt as though she had been completely seen through.
"Your Highness, I secretly wrote The Legend of Heroine Shen. My family knows nothing about it. Please help me keep it secret."
Shen Qiushui pressed her hands together and cast Fang Heng a pleading look.
Compared to her usual poised manner, she seemed especially adorable and playful.
"Rest assured, Miss Shen. I will keep it secret for you."
Fang Heng understood Shen Qiushui's state of mind very well.
In his previous life, he had written online fiction too, but he had never discussed it with his family. They did not even know what he wrote.
Mainly because it was far too socially mortifying.
Upon hearing Fang Heng's promise, Shen Qiushui let out a long breath.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Your Highness, do you see anything that needs correction?"
"I believe there is one part that needs changing."
"Where?"
Fang Heng pointed to the contents of the manuscript.
"The storybook says that Heroine Shen received guidance from a prince while distributing porridge. That is inappropriate."
"But... the truth is that Your Highness guided me?"
Confusion appeared in Shen Qiushui's bright eyes.
"Cough, cough!"
"Writing storybooks requires artistic embellishment."
"You cannot simply copy the original events."
"How could a young prince possess such astonishing wisdom?"
"It is too jarring and does not fit the logic."
Fang Heng spoke with a perfectly serious expression.
The Legend of Heroine Shen was far too popular. If it truly followed the first draft and stated that some prince had taught her how to distribute porridge,
Fang Heng was certain that it would not be long before the identity of the "certain prince" in the book was discovered.
He did not want the title of "Virtuous Prince" hanging over his head yet.
The title of Virtuous Prince brought no benefits whatsoever.
It would only increase the Crown Prince and the others' hostility toward him.
"Then how does Your Highness think it should be changed?"
"Change it to guidance from some chancellor who retired and returned to his hometown. That would be much more reasonable."
"After all, did Miss Shen not say yourself that mixing sand into the porridge seemed like the work of a mountain chancellor?"
Fang Heng's reasoning persuaded Shen Qiushui.
Shen Qiushui repeatedly nodded, admiration filling her eyes.
She felt that coming to visit the Ninth Prince today had been absolutely the right choice.
"Your Highness is entirely correct."
"Your Highness has guided this common girl many times. This common girl has no way to repay you. I have brought a few worthless belongings with me; please allow Your Highness to choose one as compensation."
"Shouldn't you be offering yourself in marriage instead?"
Fang Heng teased her in a playful tone.
Shen Qiushui's pretty face instantly flushed crimson, as though blood could drip from it.
Her head dipped slightly as she stared at her toes, not daring to meet Fang Heng's gaze.
Her red lips parted faintly, and her voice trembled.
"Your Highness, you... you must not speak such nonsense."
Seeing how thin-skinned Shen Qiushui was, Fang Heng felt too embarrassed to keep provoking her.
If he made her cry and drew the daughter-obsessed Martial Prime Minister here, he would be in for more than he could handle.
"Ha ha ha!"
"Miss Shen, you are too courteous. I merely gave you a little guidance. Why would I need compensation?"
Fang Heng had wanted to refuse Shen Qiushui's goodwill, but Shen Qiushui was extremely insistent.
"No!"
"If Your Highness will not accept, this common girl will not be at ease."
"Please choose one, Your Highness, and set my heart at rest."
Since Shen Qiushui had put it that way, Fang Heng could only agree helplessly.
A flash of spiritual light passed over the Sumeru Ring.
Bottles, jars, and all manner of things appeared atop the desk.
Fang Heng took a look. Shen Qiushui had collected a truly mixed bag of items.
There were not many things related to cultivation. Most were miscellaneous objects instead.
Suddenly, a black chess piece caught Fang Heng's attention.
Destiny!
That black chess piece contained destiny.
If Fang Heng had not personally come into contact with destiny many times before, he would never have noticed it.
"I'll take this chess piece."
Fang Heng took the black chess piece. The instant he grasped it, the Fate Map stirred.
Destiny Points +20!
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