After settling the various matters inside the wangfu, Song Jia went to bed while worrying about Zhao Cheng. As expected, he had not returned to the wangfu. He must still be in the palace.
Even if she knew that he was the best candidate for being the next monarch, there was still the slightest probability that not everything had gone according to her plans. She recalled Hongwu Emperor's expression when they visited him and scrutinized the subtle hints that she might have missed during their exchange before.
It was true that his gaze slightly lingered on the fourth prince, but Song Jia didn't place any importance on it, thinking that Hongwu Emperor was only evaluating him and comparing him to Zhao Cheng.
But what if that old man suddenly changed his mind and replaced his heir?
Song Jia tossed and turned, unable to bear the thought that something might have gone wrong along the way. It was already the hour of Shen when her eyes drifted closed, her troubled mind becoming drowsy.
The moonlight spilled into the room, casting shadows on the floor. The silk curtains fluttered aimlessly in the breeze, coming from the windows that had suddenly burst open. A tall figure wearing indigo robes quietly stepped into the room. He took off his ink-black boots and sat on the bed, staring at the sleeping Song Jia for a moment.
Then he laid down beside her and scooped the girl into his arms, hugging her tightly. His warm breath tickled Song Jia's ear, and she shifted in his embrace, feeling uncomfortable.
"Jia'er."
The slightly hoarse voice woke up Song Jia. With difficulty, she opened her eyes. When she saw that her face was being pressed against a hard chest, her heart jumped a little. It took a while before she got her bearings and asked in a confused tone, "Wang ye?"
Zhao Cheng dropped a kiss on her forehead. "En, it's me."
Song Jia slightly pulled away to see his face better. When she saw that his expression didn't look good, she immediately asked, "What happened?"
Zhao Cheng's arms on her waist tightened, "Jia'er, I don't want to become the Emperor."
Song Jia didn't know what to say. It was her mission to make him the monarch of this world. How could she console him without turning into a hypocrite? This man was really making it difficult for her to properly do her job, ah...
Song Jia racked her brain for a good solution and immediately found one. Her face turned serious.
"Wang ye, do you still remember qie's san mei asking you why qie decided to marry you in the first place?"
Zhao Cheng blinked. His somber eyes suddenly held a spark of interest. An exceptionally mischievous smile blossomed from the corners of his mouth.
"That's right, why did Jia'er decided to marry me?"
Whatever her reason was, Zhao Cheng thought, he was very grateful for it. He used to dislike the fact that girls pursued him for his looks or for his status, but if it was the girl in front of him, he thought he would probably seek to climb the highest peak of either two just to satisfy her.
Song Jia lightly his his arm and scolded, "Is wang ye thinking that qie must have chosen him for a very superficial reason? Wang ye doesn't really think much of qie."
In chagrin, Zhao Cheng touched his forehead with hers. "I've never interacted with you before, so why else would you like me if not for my superficial traits?"
"Those superficial traits, qie has no interest in." Song Jia snorted. "Being a noble is too bothersome. And if qie wants a handsome face to look at, qie will keep pretty boys to entertain her."
Zhao Cheng's voice became dangerously low, "Pretty boys?"
Song Jia giggled. "Wang ye is a pretty boy too."
The two of them engaged in flirty talk for a brief moment before Zhao Cheng steered them back to the original subject of their conversation, "Why did Jia'er decided to marry me?"
Hmph, you did not want to know before, but you're so interested now. Inside her mind, Song Jia severely criticized him. However, to all outward appearances, her smile was still soft and sweet, "Wang ye doesn't know, but qie met wang ye outside the palace before."
She pointed at the open windows where the moon was now hidden by dark clouds. Occasionally, bright flashes of lightning could be seen. "At that time, it was also raining."
"You were there to wait for Prime Minister Li?"
Song Jia nodded, "Qie was waiting for him inside a carriage near the palace gates. He was taking too long, so qie decided to lift up the curtains to pass the time by catching raindrops. Coincidentally, your Highness decided to walk by. Qie remembers, your Highness did not have an umbrella with him and was drenched from head to toe. But your Highness didn't seem to notice and continued on walking without paying any heed to the surroundings. Qie was very dismayed, and very shocked to see it."
Zhao Cheng's eyes that were staring at her rippled with some unnamed emotion. He remembered that day very clearly, because it had been one of the worst days of his life. However...Jia'er was there?
"Qie saw that all of your servants were too afraid to step forward and give you an umbrella because your Highness' expression didn't look too good. Qie remembered there was an extra umbrella inside the carriage, so qie hurriedly went out to offer your Highness that extra umbrella. However, you didn't seem to hear qie and just continued walking. So qie pulled on your sleeve to grab your attention."
Song Jia usually flipped through Li Jia's memories without looking too deeply into it, as there were too many of them. But that day was so vivid in Li Jia's mind that Song Jia couldn't help but take pause. When Zhao Cheng had turned around to face her, she wasn't sure because of the rain but..he seemed to be crying? He only stared unseeingly at her face for a brief second before he continued walking, not sparing her another glance.
It was at that precise moment that Li Jia felt like someone's hand had plunged into her chest and squeezed her heart tightly. From then on, she inquired into all matters related to Zhao Cheng with a single-minded focus of a woman obsessed, wanting to know about this man as much as possible.