Young widow in her boudoir

"It's you."

Xie Rutang recognized him and remembered that he was the person she had met on the mountain road of Dao'an Temple.

She immediately took a step back. "Thank you for saving me, young master."

"What a coincidence, sir, you are also from the capital?"

After the initial shock, Xie Rutang's beautiful face showed surprise; the world was so small.

Li Guan stood with his hands behind his back, without saying a word.

Chen Fu, who was following behind him, thought to himself, "Unfortunately, the room you stayed in at the temple belonged to His Highness."

Even when you were verbally bullied by your sister-in-law at Dao'an Temple, His Highness happened to be passing by and saw it all. At that time, His Highness sighed that it was so difficult to be a daughter-in-law in a noble family.

Upon learning of the Shen family's mistreatment of their daughter-in-law, His Highness recently took the initiative to reprimand Shen Wen, who was serving in the Military Affairs Department, in court, pointing out a lapse in his duties.

The Crown Prince was known for his sullenness and taciturn nature, and rarely took the initiative to speak with court officials.

Li Guan stood there, his long eyelashes drooping slightly. Even he was surprised that he would meet her here again.

If it weren't for the hint of surprise in Xie Rutang's beautiful eyes, even he would have suspected that she had already investigated his identity and then deliberately approached him.

"Um."

Li Guan stood on the street, his bearing majestic and elegant. After staring at her intently for a moment, his thin lips moved slightly, and a voice as clear as a babbling brook flowed from his throat, like the gentle tapping of a jade chime.

Although he was dressed in plain clothes, you could tell from his voice that he was well-educated and came from a wealthy family.

However, Xie Rutang was still shaken by the mad horse and didn't notice much at the moment.

In a short while, the horse owner tamed the frightened horse and quickly went forward to apologize to her.

Xie Rutang said calmly, "It's alright, fortunately I wasn't injured."

Seeing that she was amiable, the horse owner thought he could get away with it and turned to leave.

Xie Rutang frowned, stepped forward to block his way, and said in a slightly cold voice, "Stop! Although no one is hurt, your runaway horse trampled this old lady's vegetable basket, ruining a whole basket of vegetables she had worked so hard to grow. You should compensate her for this loss in silver."

The horse owner's face darkened upon hearing this, and he said impatiently, pursing his lips, "It's just a basket of vegetables, worth a few copper coins? What a fuss!"

"Who told her to set up her stall on the street and block the way?!"

The horse owner glared at the old woman, his tone crude, "Consider it bad luck for her, I don't have any money to pay for it!"

He hurriedly pushed Xie Rutang aside and disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

The old woman watched his departing figure, her eyes instantly reddening. She squatted down, looking at the trampled vegetables scattered on the ground, sighing helplessly, "These are vegetables I picked before dawn, hoping to sell them for some rice money..."

Xie Rutang forgot the pain in her shoulder and took out a handful of copper coins from the pink satin pouch at her waist. "Auntie, please take this money as compensation for the loss of the vegetables."

She simply couldn't bear to see the poor people being bullied.

The old woman held the handful of copper coins, stunned for a moment, then her eyes reddened, and she choked out her gratitude repeatedly.

Li Guan did not leave, but stood on the side of the street watching the woman help the old woman up.

Sunlight fell on Xie Rutang's head, as if coating her with a layer of compassionate soft light, and a strand of her black hair fell across her smiling profile.

Li Guan admired martial prowess, but he also revered benevolent governance. Xie Rutang's compassion for the people was far more dazzling to him than the beauties sent from various countries. His harem was desolate, and he had yet to give birth to a grandson.

Chen Fu was surprised that Xie Rutang's sinister gaze had been fixed on him for so long, so he quickly lowered his head and pretended that he couldn't see anything.

His Majesty is the Crown Prince, the future Emperor. So what if he takes a fancy to a woman who has been married before, the daughter-in-law of the Shen family? What right does he have to object?

Under the whole world, could it be the king's land.

Besides, didn't Shen's wife just lose her husband?

Not only could he not say a word, but he also had to keep it a secret for His Highness and help him sneak out of the palace to meet with the young widow!

When Xie Rutang turned around, she found that the man in white was still standing there, holding the Taohe inkstone that she had originally set her sights on.

Perhaps due to their two previous chance encounters, Xie Rutang felt less reserved around him, and lowered her eyes, asking, "Are you also here to choose stationery, young master?"

Li Guan's gaze swept lightly over her delicate eyebrows and eyes, and the smooth, delicate skin on her slender neck was like silk. He paused for a moment, then his gaze fell back on the inkstone in his hand. "I heard that the Huizhou ink in this shop is of excellent quality, so I came here to take a look. I often come to this street."

The book stall had a canopy set up, with hanging cotton and linen cloth to provide shade. Sunlight spots covered the old books laid out, along with stationery items collected from various places.

Xie Rutang lifted the burlap sack and continued selecting items.

But her gaze kept drifting to the Taohe inkstone in Li Guan's hand. She bit her lip lightly, revealing a crimson hue, for it was clearly the one she had her eye on.

She stared at it for a long time until Li Guan put down the inkstone, and then she smiled.

The linen cloth was then laid down, instantly creating a secluded and enclosed little world, shutting out the bustling sounds of the street.

Xie Rutang caught a faint scent of the man again. She was stunned for a moment, her face full of unease. The ambergris was not strong, but it enveloped her in wisps.

She suddenly regretted her impulsive decision to come in. The space inside was cramped, and Li Guan was reading a book right next to her. The two were so close that she could touch the hem of his moon-white robe if she raised her arm even slightly.

Seeing her carefully selecting items, Li Guan lowered his voice, his throat bobbing like rough pebbles rolling through her eardrums, "The stationery items here are often of inferior quality."

Xie Rutang's heart tightened. She put down the inkstone she had been eyeing and withdrew her hand. "Is that so?"

He secretly rejoiced that he had given him a heads-up, otherwise he would have been deceived.

She gave him a slow curtsy, the light blue sash accentuating her slender waist. "Thank you for your guidance, young master."

Li Guan's face, no longer as composed and fierce as it was in court, now held a faint smile. "If Madam is looking for ink, you might want to check out pine soot ink from other places. I can recommend a good place to you."

Chen Fu, who was keeping watch nearby, was secretly amazed. This place was originally where the Crown Prince often came to look for calligraphy and rare treasures. He never expected that Madam Shen, a widow, would also come here.

Not only that, the Crown Prince actually kept Madam Shen to talk today. Has the sun risen in the west?

Xie Rutang loved painting and was most susceptible to the allure of such refined scholar's objects. As for the pearl and jade hairpins that young ladies vied for, she showed little interest. She was momentarily tempted, "Where is it?"

Li Guan's face was cold and hard. He looked at a nearby teahouse with bamboo tables and stools set up by the roadside. His gaze was aloof and arrogant. "I am short of someone to have tea with me. If you, my lady, can have a cup of tea with me, I will tell you."

Seeing that the Crown Prince was deliberately engaging Madam Shen in conversation, Chen Fu silently lowered his head, not daring to eavesdrop.

Normally, the Crown Princess, as well as the few concubines and secondary consorts in Li Guan's harem, would all try their best to get close to him, even more enthusiastically than the women in brothels, but unfortunately, they were all turned away.

And now, they can't even compare to a widow.

If they found out, wouldn't they be furious?