Chapter 719 Xie Qi's First Gift Was Returned

After the group saw the Empress off, Hongxiu said, "I need to go back to the Jiang family now. Miss Lu, are you going to the Jingzhao Prefecture with Prince Qi?"

"I'll take you there!" Xie Qi said.

"No need, I'm going to take care of some other things on the way, so I won't disturb His Highness Prince Qi and Miss Lu." Hongxiu was going to Xiangya Pavilion to wait for news from Lin Yu.

Xie Qichao said to the guard, "Pan Yang, escort Miss Hongxiu back to the Jiang residence."

"No need, I..." She wanted to say that she had someone else.

Xie Qi said, "Her Majesty the Empress entrusted you to my care. Now, anyone associated with the Jiang family is being watched. It's not safe for you to be alone."

Xie Qi wasn't stupid. The Emperor had spoken with him before he left the palace. This case was crucial to whether the Jiang family could overcome their difficulties. Even the Emperor believed Jin Ji wouldn't kill anyone, which meant someone really wanted to kill the Jiang family.

Hongxiu did not refuse. "Thank you, Your Highness. You and Miss Lu should also be careful. If anything happens, leave a message at Xiangya Pavilion."

The two then saw Hongxiu off.

Lu Xuefei asked casually, "Is Your Highness going to the yamen to hear a case?"

"With Lord Zhang and Minister Tang here, I can postpone my trip for now," Xie Qi said calmly.

Lu Xuefei wanted to ask but didn't know how to bring it up: "So what do we do next?"

"I want to go somewhere, Miss Lu, please accompany me!" He added, "Once we get there, we can go to the Jingzhao Prefecture together to find Lord Zhang."

"Shall we go together?" she asked.

Xie Qi smiled slightly, "Let's remain friends!"

Lu Xuefei was stunned, a little embarrassed. "Of course!" It turned out he had always considered her a friend.

Xie Qi laughed and said, "I think so too, let's go!"

Lu Xuefei followed behind him. People were coming and going on the street. She didn't know where he was going, so she just followed him step by step.

Her mother always wanted her to get married, but she already had someone in her heart. Xie Qi had always treated her as a friend; he had never liked her, not before, not now, and probably never will!

Xie Qi is now a prince and also works in the Court of Justice. His father said that he is likely to become the next Court of Justice. He is very smart and also very studious and hardworking.

The granddaughter of Grand Tutor Pan is indeed quite beautiful. She knows that girl. Xie Qi's marriage to Grand Tutor Pan's family should be very helpful to him, after all, Grand Tutor Pan has a high prestige and reputation.

Xie Qi noticed that she had slowed down and fallen behind without realizing it. He stood there and waited for her to slowly approach. It had been so long since they last met, and Lu Xuefei seemed to have something on her mind. What was wrong with her?

A carriage was approaching from behind, but Lu Xuefei didn't hear it. Seeing this, Xie Qi strode forward and grabbed her arm to prevent her from being scratched by the carriage.

He asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Lu Xuefei then snapped out of her daze and stared in the direction of his hand. "What's wrong?"

Xie Qi naturally pulled her aside, protecting her in a safe position. "A carriage just passed by and almost hit you. Didn't you hear the driver shouting to make way?"

Lu Xuefei indeed didn't hear it. "Did he shout?"

"I shouted it," Xie Qi said seriously.

"I didn't hear you."

"What are you thinking about?"

Lu Xuefei gave an excuse, "I was thinking about Madam Li's death. She must have been frightened before she died, because her mouth and eyes look like this."

Lu Xuefei made a face with her mouth open and eyes wide open, which suddenly made Xie Qi laugh.

"why are you laughing?"

Xie Qi said, "I'm laughing at your foolishness."

“You’re the idiot,” she said again. “Don’t you find it terrifying?”

Xie Qi's eyes were filled with Lu Xuefei's image: the way she spoke, her cuteness, how she comforted and helped him, and how he liked her.

"Your Highness Prince Qi." Lu Xuefei waved her hand in front of him when she saw him in a daze.

Xie Qi grabbed her hand. "I'll take you somewhere."

Lu Xuefei was completely dumbfounded, letting him take her hand, not knowing where he was going to take her.

Xie Qi took her to a jewelry store and asked the shopkeeper for an exquisite jade hairpin, which he then placed in Lu Xuefei's hair. "It's very beautiful."

Lu Xuefei blushed and took off the hairpin. "How did you know I liked this hairpin?"

Xie Qi said, "I'm glad you like it."

Lu Xuefei then remembered that the hairpin was actually very expensive, and Xie Qi didn't have much money either. She quickly returned the hairpin to the shopkeeper, saying, "I don't like it. Here you go. We don't want it."

The shopkeeper said, "Young master, I've already said I don't accept returns, this..."

Xie Qi snatched it away, saying, "We didn't say we didn't want it, and we didn't return it. Keep the money."

He paid a deposit when he passed by last time, but he didn't have much money on him, so he didn't pay the full amount. He hadn't seen Lu Xuefei for a long time, and he was busy with things at the yamen, so he hadn't come to pick up the hairpin.

In the past, when he and Lu Xuefei passed by here, she would always take a look at the jewelry she liked. Lu Xuefei would never buy jewelry worth thousands of taels.

He said, "I've already bought this hairpin. I bought it especially for you. Thank you."

Lu Xuefei was touched that he had specially bought her something she liked as a gift, but she felt it was really expensive. Her father was an honest official, and she would neither sell nor wear such luxury items.

Lu Xuefei said, "Actually, I don't like it anymore. A girl's likes can change. Let's return it!"

She then said to the shop owner, "I know you can return things here..."

"No refund." Xie Qi snatched it away. How could he return something he had just given as a gift? Lu Xuefei must have thought he didn't have money, that's why she said she didn't like it.

He didn't have much money when he first established his own residence, but now he has money. After all, he is a prince and received a lot of shops and estates when he was enfeoffed as a king. As long as he manages them carefully, he will have more and more money, which will be more than enough to buy a hairpin.

Just as the two were struggling, a girl in a pink dress walked in from outside the shop.

The visitor was none other than Pan Xiuying, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Pan. She said, "Your Highness Prince Qi, Miss Lu."

Lu Xuefei's hand was in Xie Qi's hand. When she saw Pan Xiuying, she was so frightened that she quickly let go, and the jade hairpin in her hand fell down.

Xie Qi caught it with lightning speed. After practicing martial arts for so long, he was quite agile, which drew cheers from Pan Xiuying. "Wow, Your Highness is so amazing!"

She took the jade hairpin from Xie Qi's hand. "This hairpin is so beautiful, I love it! Your Highness, could you let me have it? I want to buy it."

"Can."

"no."

Xie Qi and Lu Xuefei said in unison.

Pan Xiuying paused for a moment, then asked, "Whose hairpin is this?!"

Lu Xuefei said, "Shopkeeper."

Xie Qi said, "It belongs to this king."

Pan Xiuying glanced at them again, and Xie Qi said coldly, "If I say it can't be sold, it can't be sold. There's no room for discussion."

Lu Xuefei wondered what Xie Qi meant by giving her something in front of Pan Xiuying. Wasn't he and the Pan family discussing marriage?

Pan Xiuying looked at him with a mixture of admiration and adoration; she was certain that Pan Xiuying liked Xie Qi.