I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

That night, the atmosphere in the post station was terribly oppressive.

Liu Ruyan was eventually half-dragged, half-carried back to her room by two rough-looking old women who rushed over after hearing the news. She didn't say a word the whole time, only biting her lip tightly, her eyes empty, as if all her soul had been taken away.

She knew she was finished.

It's completely over.

Her meticulously planned "gamble" ultimately ended in the most tragic and humiliating way she had never imagined, resulting in a complete loss.

The Crown Prince's words were like countless poisoned steel needles, piercing her pitiful self-esteem and pride, leaving her riddled with holes and utterly devastated.

"She's not even worthy to carry her shoes..."

"Dirty methods..."

"I think it's very dirty..."

These words echoed in her mind again and again, causing her unbearable pain.

She couldn't understand where she had gone wrong.

She lost to a woman named Ye An'an, whom she had never met.

How could a boorish military general's daughter, a woman who supposedly only caused trouble and ate in the palace, possibly receive such protection and favor from His Highness the Crown Prince?

Jealousy, like a venomous snake, gnawed at her heart relentlessly.

Meanwhile, in Xiao Jingshi's room, things were just as turbulent.

After closing the door, he did not go to rest immediately.

He paced back and forth in the room, agitated.

What he just witnessed disgusted him.

He had obsessive-compulsive disorder related to cleanliness, not only physically but also psychologically. Liu Ruyan's calculating and lustful eyes, and her self-righteous and despicable methods, filled him with a deep-seated disgust.

He went to the basin and carefully washed his hands three times with soap. It was as if only in this way could he wash away the unpleasant smell that had clung to him.

After washing his hands, he walked to the window and opened it.

The cool night breeze blew in, calming his restless heart a little.

He looked at the cold moon outside the window, but Ye An'an's face kept appearing in his mind, over and over again.

He remembered the radiant look on her face when she first made hot pot for him.

He remembered how confident she looked when she made a pot of "stinky" offal soup in order to earn money.

He remembered how earnestly and attentively she looked when she hid in the courtyard, secretly preparing dried meat and sauce for him, after learning that he was going to Jiangnan.

He remembered the serious and worried look on her face when she handed him that "epidemic prevention manual".

He also remembered how she always called him "Your Highness" without any respect for his age, how she would bicker with him, how she would act spoiled, and how she would force him to eat all sorts of strange but incredibly delicious things, with that cunning yet adorable look on her face.

Every aspect of her was completely different from Liu Ruyan and all the other young ladies from prominent families he had ever met.

She was real, vibrant, and open, like a flame that would never go out, carrying a vigorous and upward life force that could illuminate all the gloom around him.

When he was with her, he didn't have to put on airs like a prince, and he didn't have to think about those annoying court affairs. He could just be an ordinary man, waiting for his meal.

That feeling was very relaxing and comfortable.

He found that he seemed to be becoming more and more dependent on that feeling.

He misses her.

It wasn't because of her cooking skills, nor because of her intelligence.

It was simply that I missed her as a person.

I miss her smile, I miss her voice, I miss her pleasant scent, always carrying a faint hint of everyday life.

This longing, after the stark contrast with the incident involving Liu Ruyan, became even more turbulent and clear, almost overwhelming him completely.

He wanted to return to the capital immediately, to the Eastern Palace, and to the Tinglan Water Pavilion.

He wanted to see her immediately.

He wanted to hold her tightly in his arms and tell her that he missed her very much.

The thought startled even himself.

When did he develop such a strong, almost impulsive desire for a woman?

Xiao Jingshi rubbed his temples in frustration.

He felt like he had really failed.

He fell for that woman named Ye An'an, willingly and irrevocably.

……

The next morning, when the group set off again, Liu Ruyan's magnificent carriage had vanished without a trace.

She and her maids and servants seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth; no one mentioned her again.

But the atmosphere in the team was still somewhat somber.

Everyone was careful and dared not speak loudly, for fear of offending the Crown Prince, who was clearly in a bad mood.

Xiao Jingshi remained silent and sullen all day.

He was eager to return home, wishing he could sprout wings and fly back to the capital immediately.

He even felt that the horses were running too slowly.

Xie Zhao and Lu Chengyuan followed behind him, not daring to breathe too loudly.

"Oh no, oh no," Xie Zhao whispered to Lu Chengyuan, "His Highness is really angry. Look at his face, it's as black as the bottom of a pot."

"How can you not be angry?" Lu Chengyuan lowered his voice as well. "If it were you, and a woman you don't like used those methods to disgust you, wouldn't you be annoyed?"

"It's annoying, but does it have to warrant this much anger?" Xie Zhao asked, somewhat puzzled. "I feel like Your Highness is more like... sexually frustrated?"

Lu Chengyuan rolled his eyes at him: "Stop talking nonsense. His Highness is just... homesick."

Although he said that, he actually felt that Xie Zhao's words made some sense.

He felt that His Highness the Crown Prince was not simply longing for his "hometown".

Rather, it is a deep longing for "people".

He longed for the Crown Prince's concubine, the one who could make him let down his guard and aloofness, the one who could bring a smile to his face.

Moreover, he was thinking about it so much that he was almost going crazy.