Chapter 60 "Whether you get tired of it or not, eat it first and then..."
He pursed his lips tightly, his phoenix eyes revealing a hint of suppressed anger, and his aura was extremely cold.
Yun Kui felt flustered under his gaze and subconsciously took two steps back.
The man slowly stepped forward, his cold eyes fixed on her, his tone carrying a suppressed calm.
What did you buy?
Yun Kui saw that the corners of his lips were slightly raised, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
But it wasn't like this when I gave her the silver notes. Could it really be a test?
She subconsciously clenched her fingers. "I...I went to Wangjiang Tower for dinner, and bought some gold jewelry, silk, fruits, and pastries, and also some for you..."
Before she could finish speaking, the man coldly interrupted her: "Anything else?"
Yun Kui tensed up at his cold tone, feeling both frightened and aggrieved: "Why is Your Highness being so fierce? Didn't you tell me to come back after I finished spending the money..."
"Is this because they think I'm spending too much?"
Seeing that she was changing the subject, the Crown Prince gave a cold laugh: "You even bought a house? You really don't want to shortchange yourself."
Yun Kui didn't expect that he was angry about this.
She bit her lower lip and replied softly, "Didn't Your Highness say that as long as we don't go to brothels or gambling dens, we can buy anything? What's wrong with a house? Compared to indulging in lavish meals and drinks, a house is still a valuable asset. I've seen it myself; the courtyard is huge, with five courtyards in total..."
As the man approached step by step, his scalding breath almost touching her forehead, her voice gradually weakened, and in the end she dared not utter a sound.
The Crown Prince stared intently at her. "Do you feel that I haven't treated you well enough, which is why you keep thinking about leaving the palace?"
"Or," he said, his gaze sharp, a smile almost self-mocking, "do you think I won't live much longer, and you're afraid of being a burden to me, so you want to leave my side as soon as possible?"
Yun Kui stood there in astonishment, not understanding why he thought that way.
"I had no such intention, nor did I ever mean to speak ill of Your Highness. Didn't Your Highness already know that I wanted to leave the palace? Besides, I'm not leaving the palace right now; I'm still serving Your Highness, aren't I?"
She sighed, lowered her head, and said, "Your Highness is kind to me, and I am very grateful. Whether in the past or in the future, I will serve you wholeheartedly until you tire of me. As for a position by your side, I have never dared to dream of it. I only beg you to be merciful and spare my life. Now that you are favoring me, I am only trying to secure my own future..."
The Crown Prince sneered: "You do seem to be mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace, and know how to plan ahead."
“Yes, I know how to be prepared for danger in times of peace,” Yun Kui’s eyes stung, her nails digging deep into her palms. “When His Highness is happy, he can take me out of the palace, reward me with delicacies and a thousand taels of silver, and he will stand up for me, even willing to risk his life to protect me from assassins. But when you are unhappy, you can lock me in the torture chamber at any time. If you don’t want to see me, you can not see me for ten days or half a month. You give me silver, and I actually spend it, but then you scold me… You tell me to always remember my identity, and I remember that, but I’m stupid, I can’t fathom His Highness’s thoughts, I’m not sure…”
She finally couldn't hold back any longer and poured out all the emotions she had been holding back for so long, but by the end, her voice was trembling uncontrollably.
The crown prince stared intently at her reddened eyes, his voice lowering: "Unsure about what?"
Yun Kui's fingertips turned white from clenching her fists, and she forced herself not to shed tears.
She didn't even know what she was saying.
Or perhaps he's delusional.
"It's nothing," she gritted her teeth and forcefully shoved the palm-sized brocade box into his hand. "This servant knows her mistake and will go to reflect on it now."
The moment I turned around, the bitterness in my heart finally overwhelmed me, and tears streamed down my face like a broken dam.
"Stop right there!"
Yun Kui didn't know where she got the courage, but she bit her lip tightly and ran outside without a care in the world.
The crown prince clutched the brocade box in his hand, staring intently at her departing figure, veins bulging on his forehead.
As the crown prince, he was revered by all the subjects of the land. Even Emperor Chunming only showed him flattery. No one ever dared to disregard his orders or turn away in front of him.
Cao Yuanlu and Qin Ge exchanged a glance outside the door, and the latter immediately sent Huai Zhu out with them.
Only after the person disappeared from sight did the man lower his sharp and cold gaze. After a long while, he noticed the brocade box in his hand, picked up the copper lock with his fingertips, and slowly opened it.
A smooth and translucent jade thumb ring lay quietly on the satin surface. Although the jade was not as fine as the best jade in the palace, it was still delicate and flawless, warm and translucent, and shimmered with a lustrous sheen on the dark black satin surface.
The prince twirled the thumb ring between his fingers, his heart tightening slightly as if someone were squeezing it.
Huaiqing watched helplessly as the girl ran out in tears, not knowing what had happened, when he heard that His Highness the Crown Prince had summoned him. He hurriedly went into the room to report.
The crown prince sat at his desk, staring at the jade thumb ring in his hand, his face expressionless.
Where did she go today?
Huaiqing immediately recounted her itinerary for the day and everything she had bought.
But when the topic turned to snow-white satin, the Crown Prince's fierce eyes lifted slightly, and his voice was low and hoarse: "Was this also bought for me?"
Huaiqing nodded, "The young lady said she wanted to make two nightgowns for His Highness by hand, but she was afraid that her embroidery skills were not good enough and His Highness would dislike her."
The crown prince's expression softened slightly, but a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
Her embroidery skills were so good that even the needlework bureau wouldn't give her a single meal, yet she dared to embroider nightgowns for him.
Huaiqing continued, "The ring on His Highness's hand was also bought by the young lady for six hundred taels of silver. The young lady blushes a little when she thinks of His Highness."
The prince paused slightly with his fingertips: "Blushing?"
“Yes, the young lady lingered in front of this ring for a long time,” Huaiqing guessed cautiously. “It seems she was recalling her past with His Highness…”
The prince's fingertips traced the smooth inner surface of the thumb ring, a barely perceptible dark glint flashing in his eyes.
Huaiqing said, "The young lady also made a gold ornament for His Highness, but it took two or three days to complete, so it hasn't been brought back today."
Gold jewelry... How could she even think of that?
He has never liked gold jewelry.
Even if she's faking it, she should at least pretend to be agreeable.
The crown prince pondered for a moment, then raised his sharp black eyes. "She also bought gold locks for the two of you?"
Huai Qing's face paled, and he instantly became nervous: "This subordinate did not speak up for the young lady only because he accepted her gold lock. What this subordinate said is true, and I beg Your Highness to see the truth!"
The Crown Prince, hearing that her thoughts aligned with his own, remained silent for a moment before asking, "What's the story behind that house?"
Huaiqing told the truth: "The young lady had more than three hundred taels left after using it all. She happened to see a broker selling it urgently on the street, which is why she had the idea."
Huaiqing could actually understand Yunkui's concerns.
"Just like us bodyguards, no matter how high the salary is, none of us want to live a life of constant danger and uncertainty. We all want to earn enough money to settle down in a beautiful place and live a peaceful life in our later years."
"The imperial court and the harem are full of intrigue and treachery. Without your life, all the wealth and honor you have will be for naught."
"Let alone the fact that you're just a palace maid serving the Crown Prince now, even if you become his concubine, without a powerful family to rely on, how far can you go relying solely on His Highness's favor?"
Upon hearing these thoughts, the Crown Prince's eyes darkened. After a moment of contemplation, he raised his hand and said, "You may leave now."
Huaiqing agreed, got up, and left.
The crown prince sat in silence for a long time, finally sighed, got up and walked to the corridor, glancing at Qin Ge: "Where is she?"
Qin Ge sensed the oppressive atmosphere emanating from his master and cautiously replied, "Miss has left Songyuan."
Seeing the Crown Prince's expression change drastically, he quickly added, "I have already sent people to follow her, and I will make sure nothing happens to the young lady."
Crown Prince: "Where is it? I will go there myself."
...
Yun Kui wandered aimlessly down the street, biting into the last candied hawthorn she had bought from a vendor. The sugar frosting was thick, but she tasted only bitterness.
Recalling what had just happened, she still couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.
How could someone be so audacious? Daring to show disrespect to the Crown Prince.
But she didn't want to go back and obediently admit her mistake, and she didn't want to see his cold face.
She didn't understand why His Highness the Crown Prince was always so unpredictable, sometimes distant and sometimes close, his moods so hard to discern.
He sometimes treated her extremely well, making her believe that she was ultimately different from others in his heart.
At times, he was cold and distant. Once she said or did something wrong, sometimes even she herself didn't know what she had done wrong, and he would revert to being that aloof prince.
She felt uneasy and lost, unsure which one was the real him, and dared not hope that he harbored any feelings for her.
What right did she, a mere palace maid serving the emperor, have to make such extravagant demands?
The cold moon hung high overhead, and the early spring night wind still felt bone-chillingly cold on my skin.
From the joy she felt when she received the three thousand taels of silver in Pingzhou Prefecture, to this moment, it felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, chilling her to the bone. Her heart ached and swelled, as if she were soaking in salt water, and she longed to cry her heart out.
It was already very late at night, and only a few shops on the street still had their lights on. She felt a slight stirring in her heart, and found some loose silver in her sleeve. She ran to a tavern, bought a pot of wine, and drank it as she walked.
At first, when she smelled the alcohol up close, she was a little hesitant, afraid that she might be drunk and not be in a good enough mind, and might do something outrageous. But then she thought, she even dared to pin down and forcibly kiss the Crown Prince, so what did she have to be afraid of!
With a determined heart, I tilted my head back and gulped down a large mouthful of the hot liquor. The burning sensation of the liquor rolled down my throat, and my whole body felt like it was on fire.
Her face was flushed, her eyes were burning, and she felt unsteady on her feet as she staggered down the street.
Huai Zhu, fearing she might fall, quickly followed and helped her steady herself.
"Miss, you should go home early. It's not safe to be out so late, and His Highness will worry."
Yun Kui's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were red. "He won't worry about me at all. He'll just yell at me..."
Huai Zhu sighed, "No, that won't happen."
Yun Kui was downcast, her voice trembling slightly: "Sister Huaizhu, is he usually this fierce to you? Is he also hot and cold towards you?"
Huai Zhu has always been cautious in her words and actions, and never dares to speak ill of her master. To be honest, His Highness the Crown Prince only treats them with coldness and ruthlessness. To be precise, he is strict with them, obeys their orders without question, and does not tolerate betrayal.
As for "heat," Huai Zhu had never experienced it.
As long as the bodyguards are well-trained and reliable, they can earn a generous salary by using their abilities and will not make any emotional demands on their masters.
Huai Zhu didn't know why the two had started arguing, so he could only silently follow and protect her. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of the house they had just bought for three hundred taels of silver.
The vermilion gate, the black tiles and green walls—Yun Kui rubbed her eyes, still remembering the two stone lions at the entrance, and whispered, her voice choked with emotion, "This is my home now."
She pulled out a large bunch of keys from her embroidered bag, but because she was so drunk and dizzy, she couldn't get them into her eyes. It was Huaizhu who helped her find the house key so she could open the gate.
Yun Kui walked around the screen wall and through the hanging flower gate. What came into view was a lush courtyard with flowers and trees. The back room, living room, bedroom and side room were all exceptionally spacious. This was only the first and second courtyards. She did not look closely at the later courtyards. She only saw a large garden and pond. Everywhere was a beautiful scene.
I was too impulsive when I bought it. I only thought about spending the last three hundred taels of silver, but I didn't think about how I would live in such a big house.
But that doesn't change the fact that three hundred taels was really a worthwhile purchase.
But His Highness doesn't seem to like this house. Should she return it? Or sell it? Or give it back to him?
Yun Kui found a windless spot under the corridor, sat down with her knees drawn up, and slowly finished the rest of the wine in the pot.
The vast mansion made her slender, moon-like figure appear small and lonely.
Where is her home, really?
She only possessed it briefly; everything was given to her by His Highness the Crown Prince, and he could take it back at any time if he didn't like it.
Perhaps today is a wake-up call for her, reminding her of her place and that she should never covet what does not belong to her.
"Isn't he just after my body? This time in Pingzhou Prefecture, I'll feed him everything until he's completely had his fill, tired of me, and thinks I'm nothing special. Then I'll take my reward and leave unscathed!"
"From now on, the sky's the limit, and I'll never have to worry about what others think, nor will I have to rack my brains trying to figure out if he's interested in me or not, and I won't have to go back to the palace to face my future crown princess..."
Thinking of this, Yun Kui felt that she had a direction for her future.
As I got up to go back, I suddenly saw a tall, gloomy figure standing behind me, having stood there for who knows how long.
She blinked hard, her eyes still blurry, and finally saw the man's cold, handsome face. "Your...Your Highness?"
The crown prince stared intently at her with his phoenix eyes, his back teeth almost grinding to powder.
When she was lifted up in her arms, Yun Kui was still in a daze. The night breeze dissipated her slight intoxication, and she belatedly asked, "Why did Your Highness come here?"
The crown prince shoved her into the carriage, staring at her with intense gaze. After a long while, he finally spoke, "The two answers you wanted."
"Intended."
"Whether we get tired of it or not, let's eat it first and then talk about it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
