Chapter 52: Chance of encounter
"..."
"..." The awkward silence between them made Qing Guang break into a sweat. She bit her lip before saying, "Please don't tell me that someone just locked the only way out of this place and now we are stuck here."
"Ugh…" Hu Ye also broke into a sweat. His looked to the side and somehow felt guilty.
"Oh, heavens…"
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"So, Your Highness." Qing Bo had a stern expression on his face. His sharp eyes took in the other man's casual dark clothing, which were obviously trying to hide his identity as a royal. "What is the urgent business you wanted to discuss with this official?"
"Qing Young Master, before we get to that, why don't we enjoy the festival first? My second brother informed me that there are many good stores here."
"Stores? So is it about the capital's economy?" Qing Bo furrowed his eyebrows.
"As expected from the Zhuangyuan. You take everything seriously, don't you?"
"It has nothing to do to with being a Zhuangyuan. The man in front of me is the crown prince himself, so how can I not be serious?"
It did not slip by Qing Bo's notice that the crown prince had dropped the formalities and was talking to him like he would a close friend. A frown tugging on his lips, he placed his hand on his forehead while thinking, wondering what exactly this man in front of him was planning.
"This is why they must say that you are very capable. But don't be too serious, Qing Young Master, you won't get a single woman with that attitude."
"That is just fine with me. I'm not planning on marrying right now."
"Hmm… I was told the opposite. I heard that the Left Prime Minister's Residence once sent someone to court the First Young Miss of the Hu family. Doesn't that mean you are searching for a marriage partner?"
"...Who told you that?" Qing Bo jolted. It was a story of long ago.
"It was my Second Brother. He said that they came with a proposal in order to make the now Madam Zhi your fiance." Jin Min chuckled. "It was a very interesting story."
"No, it was just that old man's doing…" Qing Bo clicked his tongue, not bothering to speak politely about his father in the crown prince's presence.
"Anyway, we have arrived." Jin Min looked at the plain looking green carriage's drape. "This is the store Second Brother mentioned to me."
"A bookstore?" Qing Bo observed.
"You don't like going to bookstores?"
"No, I just figured that we were going to a restaurant or a clothing store that sells jewelry or something of that sort."
Qing Bo never thought that the prince would ever visit such a small bookstore like this. He wondered what was inside that could make Jin Min come here personally. Jin Min, seeming to be able to have read his mind, simply smiled.
"It's true, I want to take you to those other places too, but for now, let's go and see the bookstore."
"But doesn't the imperial library have multifold more collections?"
"Possibly," he replied.
"Then, why?" Qing Bo still didn't understand what the crown prince was thinking.
"Qing Young Master," Jin Min said, "please stop asking questioning and just follow me."
Now there a bit of chill detected in the crown prince's tone of voice. Qing Bo's brows knitted together but he wisely did not persist any further. Trying to calm down, he remembered something. "Pardon, Your Highness. Please use your straw hat so that the commoners won't be in an uproar when they see you."
"Ah, it completely slipped my mind." Taking one of the straw hats from Qing Bo, he stepped out of the carriage and gestured for him to follow.
The bookstore didn't just sell books but stationary objects such as ink and paper too. While he was strolling between the bookshelves, Qing Bo's thoughts wandered back to the reason he had been dragged here, wondering if the palace didn't provide everything the crown prince needed. But there was really nothing worthwhile or extraordinary in the store. It was completely ordinary.
The smell of ink in the air made Qing Bo think of the imperial library. He finally glanced up at the shelves and scanned the books being sold there. His eyes suddenly fell to one particular book on the top shelf. The cover was blue and was covered in traditional chinese writing, telling potential readers about the identity of the maker of the book. He read the title first, then the author's name. "The author's name is…Hu Cheng Se?" He paused in shock.
Just in time, a girl's familiar voice was heard. "Can I take a look at that one?"
"Huh?" Qing Bo had not predicted that he would hear her voice in this place. He was completely taken aback.
"Shh, Qing Young Master, be careful. Don't make a suspicious sound like that. You are making it obvious that we are spying on her!" The crown prince reminded Qing Bo.
"Spying on her?" Qing Bo titled his head.
"You are making it obvious again." Jin Min raised an eyebrow. "Keep quiet and act like you are looking around the store."
Jin Min dragged Qing Bo to a hidden space behind one of the bookshelves so that she wouldn't be able to spot them. Qing Bo peeked at the young maiden who wore a beautiful orange hanfu, a flower hairpin in her black hair. She was standing near the shelves. "Why is she here?"
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