Shen Yueshan didn't say it explicitly, but Shen Xihe knew the hidden worry in his eyes.
He was afraid that everything Xiao Huayong did to her, including the favor he showed her, was just a calculation. Even though he could not help but be mean-spirited, people's hearts are hidden. Living in a family like theirs that walks on the edge of a knife, he can only assume the worst of everyone in order to stay awake at all times and protect himself.
He was afraid that he would be shaken by these favors and end up in irreparable situation.
Shen Yueshan moved his mouth, and finally seemed to sigh softly. He said nothing more, feeling a little embarrassed as to what to say.
"Father, don't worry. If he doesn't plot against me, I won't plot against him either. I won't be greedy for power and do something bad to him." Shen Xihe misunderstood Shen Yueshan's worries.
As for Xiao Huayong, he was chosen from the beginning because he was a legitimate son and...
But she never thought of poisoning him and killing him if he lived longer.
"Yo yo... Daddy just wishes you well." Shen Yueshan finally said this in a gentle voice, his words were profound and thought-provoking.
Like Shen Yun'an, he knew that her heart was as hard as a rock and difficult to shake. But she was just a little girl after all. How could she know how hard it would be to refuse a boy's enthusiasm if he really tried to please a girl with all his heart? How could a living person with flesh and blood really have no feelings at all
He hoped that his daughter would live a happy life in the future, with someone to protect her, escort her, and be loyal to her, so that she could relax and be happy. But he was also afraid that people's hearts would change easily. After she understood this, she would suffer, be tired, and be hurt by love.
Parents' worries about their children are probably never-ending.
Finally, Shen Xihe entered the palace. Xiao Huayong cooked Tibetan tea. The tea made with warm fresh milk could dispel all the cold air as it blew in the cold wind.
"Thank you for the gift of pearls today. Such a precious thing is not something you should accept without merit. However, it is difficult to refuse your kindness, so Zhaoning has also prepared a gift. I hope your Highness will accept it." Shen Xihe personally took a few comfortable boxes from Zhenzhu and handed them to Xiao Huayong, "Your Highness, take a look. Do you like it?"
Xiao Huayong opened it and found a set of excellent tea bowls. The Xing kiln porcelain was as white as snow, thin and glossy, with exquisite craftsmanship. Xiao Huayong, who had countless tea bowls, couldn't help but praise it: "Good tea bowls."
"Zhaoning is not good at tea ceremony, so this item is given to Your Highness so that it will not be buried in vain." This was a set of Xing kiln utensils that was donated every year by Shen Yueshan when a Xing kiln craftsman died and was rescued by Shen Yueshan. Most of them were given to Shen Xihe by Shen Yueshan.
"You are so polite. You gave me incense and coal, and I gave the princess Northern Pearls. It was just a gift of reciprocity. You then gave me a tea bowl, so I don't know what to give the princess." Xiao Huayong did not repay the previous favor, but only said that the Northern Pearls were a return gift for the incense and coal.
This made Shen Xihe seem too polite, but Shen Xihe didn't care: "The incense and coal are not worth it. Your Highness has helped Zhaoning a lot in the past, and Zhaoning should be grateful to Your Highness. In the past years in the northwest, there were no other female relatives or elders in the family, so Zhaoning was in charge of the food. She has a good relationship with the family, and whenever there are any rare things in the palace, Zhaoning will give them some."
She told Xiao Huayong clearly that her actions were just ordinary human interactions. She just didn't treat him as a stranger, but she didn't really think about him in everything.