Chapter 13 Chapter 13 I knew you would like these. …
It turns out... Xie Zhi dislikes her like this.
The servants' words ruthlessly shattered her last bit of self-comfort. He threw away the jade cake she gave him just because he despised her.
Nie Xiangyi returned to the mansion in a bad mood, snuggled in the quilt, and wrapped himself up like a thick cocoon.
This realization made her extremely sad. She felt like she would not be able to hold back her tears in the next second, and tears welled up in her eyes.
The exquisite heavenly palace lantern was still hanging in the room. The night wind blew past the window, making the tiny silver bells on it tinkle in a clear and pleasant sound.
At this moment, she only felt noise in her heart.
She thought Xie Zhi treated her differently.
His gentle voice at the Lantern Festival seemed to still ring in my ears, "I'd like to give you this lantern as a return gift. Thank you for the white jade mask, young lady."
But that didn't seem to be his temperament.
Xie Zhi was always like that. Though as desolate as the bright moon in the sky, he still carried the courtesy and calmness expected of a gentleman. Even if he didn't like her, he would just quietly throw away her pastries and silently replace the items in the car.
But Nie Xiangyi felt even sadder.
Xie Zhi had clearly rejected her, but she was clinging to him like a piece of taffy, which must have annoyed him even more.
She even wondered if Xie Zhi still remembered her, would he treat her differently? Would he happily accept her pastries, just like he had accepted the mask?
Thinking of this, she became more and more upset, and simply covered her head with the quilt, and was enveloped by the stuffy air around her.
"Girl? What's wrong with you?" Han Xu saw that she looked unhappy and asked worriedly.
A muffled voice from under the quilt carried the faint sound of a young girl crying, "I'm fine. Don't ask."
Nie Xiangyi was in a state of gloom for several days. She never left the house, let alone went to look for Xie Zhi.
It was another evening. Xie Zhi looked up at the sunset outside the window. The clouds were like fire, and the magnificent sunset covered most of the sky.
Such a beautiful sunset always seems to make people look forward to something.
But everything is as quiet as ever.
"Ling Zhu." He called out.
There was a slight creak as the door was pushed open, and Ling Zhu bowed and walked in. "Your Highness?"
Xie Zhi was silent for a while, then frowned slightly, "Forget it, nothing happened."
Ling Zhu was slightly puzzled and was about to push the door open to leave when he heard his own prince pause for a moment and then asked, "The Nie family... has there been any movement in the past few days?"
"No." He answered honestly.
Xie Zhi's tone seemed to choke for a moment, and then he spoke more clearly, "Where is Nie Xiangyi?"
"I haven't seen Miss Nie go out these past few days." Ling Zhu paused, "I wonder if it's because of the rumors."
"gossip?"
"Miss Nie has moved to another courtyard. A few days ago, a rumor spread from somewhere, saying that Miss Nie's words and deeds were inappropriate and that Marquis Yongyi could no longer tolerate her, so he ordered her to move. What's more... it was explicitly stated that Miss Nie had become an abandoned daughter of the Nie family..."
As he spoke, his expression became hesitant. "If this is the Nie family's plan, I really can't see it clearly. With the seemingly legitimate reputation of being an abandoned daughter, I'm afraid even finding a husband for Miss Nie will be difficult. If she's just trying to get close to His Highness, isn't that a bit too desperate..."
Xie Zhi frowned, "Find an excuse to go to the mansion across the street and ask around."
Another day passed like this. Hanxu saw that Nie Xiangyi was still looking depressed, so she asked her tentatively, "Why haven't you gone to see the Third Prince these days?"
When she asked this, Nie Xiangyi recalled what happened that day. She pursed her lips and shook her head with a look of grievance.
Seeing her expression, Hanxu had some guesses in her mind, "But His Highness doesn't like the Jade Powder Cake?"
She then gently advised, "Perhaps Your Highness doesn't like sweets? Don't think too much, young lady."
"It's more than that!" Once he started talking, he couldn't stop anymore. Nie Xiangyi told Hanxu everything he saw that day like pouring beans.
Her eyes were red, and tears as big as beans rolled down her smooth cheeks. She looked like a wronged cat, crying and accusing, "Your Highness just dislikes me!"
Hanxu finally understood.
She thought for a moment, then gently advised her: "His Highness may not dislike the girl, who knows, he may just be that kind of person!"
As she wiped Nie Xiangyi's tears with a piece of silk, she spoke slowly, "Young lady, think about it. His Highness has always been aloof and reserved. I've never heard of a woman riding with him. His Highness ordered the carriage to be changed, perhaps to avoid suspicion."
Seeing that Nie Xiangyi had stopped crying, Hanxu thought she might have listened, and continued to persuade her, "Besides, the young lady gave His Highness so many things, and His Highness didn't throw them all away. Maybe he simply doesn't like sweet food."
"You do have a point..." Her words of comfort only made Nie Xiangyi feel a little less aggrieved. But she still pursed her lips, her voice muffled by the sound of tears, "But I'm still a little unhappy..."
Han Xu covered her lips and chuckled, jokingly saying to her, "The girl is like His Highness, that's why she's like this."
Nie Xiangyi blushed upon hearing this, but refused to admit she was shy. She just stiffened her neck and pretended to be natural, "Of course. From the first time I saw him in Shanzhou, I liked him. Later, when he gave me that lantern, I liked him even more!"
But as she spoke, her expression became anxious again, "It's just that he doesn't like me... He even forgot that I recognized the wrong person."
"Love grows over time, it doesn't happen overnight."
"Why is it that I fell in love with him at first sight, but he fell in love with me over time?"
Hanxu couldn't answer.
Seeing that Nie Xiangyi was getting a bit too obsessed with something, she smiled and tried to distract her. "Young lady, stop thinking so much! You're getting bored staying in the yard all the time! Why don't we go out for a walk? I heard Qinglangzhai has made a lot of new jewelry. Your butterfly hairpin fell off last time, so it's a good time to buy some new ones."
Seeing Nie Xiangyi nod, she happily ordered people to prepare the carriage.
Qinglangzhai was the largest jewelry shop in the capital, boasting a dazzling array of gold, silver, and jade wares. It was a must-visit for every noblewoman. It was even so famous within the imperial palace that even the princesses and concubines used it for their own exclusive use.
Nie Xiangyi took a stroll and spent a lot of money to relieve the depression he had been feeling for the past few days.
"I want this!" "I want that too!" "Pack them all up for me!"
Seeing her generosity, the waiter behind her smiled widely and hurriedly introduced her to the purple jade fox hairpin. "Miss, would you like to see this? It's carved from a single piece of purple jade. It's flawless and has an even color. It really complements your skin tone!"
Her gaze followed him and fell on a purple jade hairpin.
The lustrous purple jade is carved into the shape of a sleepy fox, a very rare style, novel and unique, yet lively and cute.
Nie Xiangyi's mind moved, and he showed a look of interest, and was about to ask to buy it.
"Boss, please wrap this hairpin for me." A familiar voice spoke first.
Nie Xiangyi frowned and turned away impatiently. Her mood had just improved a little, but now she was furious at having her love snatched away from her. She wanted to see who was trying to snatch the hairpin from her!
As soon as she turned around, she glared at him angrily, "Why are you here again?"
"Ms. Nie... Miss Nie!" Wang Hezhang's eyes widened when he saw her, and his fair face instantly turned red all the way to his neck. "Why are you here?"
"I should be the one asking you this! Most people here are girls buying jewelry, what are you doing here?" Nie Xiangyi put her hands on her hips and glared at Wang Wulang, "Last time you tried to steal my book, and now you're trying to steal my hairpin again!"
"Who snatched it from you?" Wang Hezhang was a little unconvinced, "I was looking at this hairpin too!"
There was a waiter standing beside him, bowing, who seemed to be introducing the hairpin to him. Seeing that they both happened to like the same one, he hurriedly apologized with a smile.
Nie Xiangyi pouted impatiently, "Every time I want to buy something, I run into you, and every time you choose the same thing as me, I think you do it on purpose!"
Wang Hezhang's face suddenly turned redder because of these words, and his voice became much lower. "This only proves that we have the same vision and interests..."
"What did you say?" Nie Xiangyi tilted his head, not quite hearing.
Seeing that the two of them seemed to be familiar with each other, the waiter hurriedly smiled and tried to smooth things over, "It shows that the girl and the boy are in tune with each other!"
Wang Hezhang's face suddenly felt hot.
"Who can be so in tune with him!" Nie Xiangyi was like a cat whose tail was stepped on when she heard this. "Why would he, a man, try to snatch a jade hairpin made for women from me?"
Wang Hezhang then touched the tip of his nose and said, "My sister's birthday is coming soon, and I want to pick out a gift for her."
Seeing that he was choosing a birthday gift for his sister, Nie Xiangyi gave up the idea of competing with him. She just curled her lips, waved her hand and said with a lack of interest, "Forget it. I'm not in a good mood today and I don't want to argue with you. I don't want that hairpin anymore."
Having said that, she turned around and went out with Hanxu.
"Hey!" Wang Hezhang hurriedly paid the money and ordered the servant to deliver the jade hairpin to the palace. Then he hurriedly chased after her, "Miss, you are in a bad mood, is it because of the recent rumors?"
He seemed to be trying to persuade her, "Rumors are nothing but gossip. People's praise and criticism are like floating clouds, gathering and dispersing. There's really no need for you to worry about it..."
Before he finished speaking, Nie Xiangyi tilted her head and asked curiously, "What rumor?"
She stayed at home these days and never went out, so she didn't hear anything.
Wang Hezhang paused at this, thinking he'd said something wrong. But meeting her searching gaze, he could only bite the bullet and say, "There are rumors...that the young lady was expelled from the Nie family and moved to a separate courtyard, becoming their abandoned daughter..."
I thought she would be furious when she heard such a rumor, but I never expected Nie Xiangyi to just sneer and turn to look at Hanxu with a smile, "Hanxu, look, you actually got it right."
Hanxu's eyebrows were raised, "That's all they have!"
"If I were angry about these bitches, I would have exploded a long time ago." She turned to look at Wang Hezhang and shrugged nonchalantly, "Thank you for your understanding. But I'm not upset because of this."
Seeing her thank you, Wang Hezhang blushed, "I don't know why the young lady is angry. But I know a new and unique way that will surely make the young lady forget the sadness in her heart."
Nie Xiangyi's curiosity was piqued by his confident words, and her eyes widened in curiosity. "Where?"
"When it gets darker, the girl will know." Wang Hezhang shook his head proudly, just trying to be mysterious.
As soon as dusk fell, Wang Hezhang's carriage headed north of the city. After passing through eight streets and nine alleys, before getting off the carriage, Wang Hezhang handed Nie Xiangyi a veil and said mysteriously, "Here! Remember to wear this."
Seeing that he also put on a mask to cover his face, Nie Xiangyi couldn't help but become more curious, with a glint of curiosity in his eyes, "Where is this place? Why is it so mysterious?"
After getting off the carriage, Nie Xiangyi realized that the place was crowded with people, stalls were set up everywhere, and it was as crowded as a street market in broad daylight.
However, everyone on the street was wearing a veil, and even when communicating with the stall owners, they mostly used gestures, with an inexplicably strange silence.
Nie Xiangyi widened his eyes. This was actually a ghost market!
All kinds of novelties can be found everywhere here, including antiques, antiques, and embroidery. Even swords, bows, crossbows, and imported items can be found.
"The goods here are not of clean provenance," Wang Hezhang explained to her in a low voice, "so everyone carries a veil when doing business."
Nie Xiangyi was almost overwhelmed by the variety of new things, and the mystery of the hidden transactions added a bit of inexplicable excitement. She lowered her voice and asked Wang Hezhang in surprise, "Where did you find such a place?"
Wang Hezhang was quite pleased with himself, "I knew you would like these."
Nie Xiangyi nodded excitedly, "It's worth it that I gave you that hairpin!"
As he was strolling around with curiosity, Nie Xiangyi's attention was suddenly attracted by a sardonyx cup.
It was obviously agate from Persia, with beautiful color, extraordinary craftsmanship and very exquisite.
Nie Xiangyi looked around and imitated their way of doing business. He kept silent and only made gestures in his sleeves to buy the agate cup from the stall owner.
Even when she returned home late at night, she was still reluctant to leave. While playing with the agate cup, she told Wang Hezhang, "If the market opens next time, remember to take me with you!"
Looking at her eyes full of expectation, Wang Hezhang felt his face burning and nodded heavily.
Here, it was already late at night when Xie Zhixia was on duty, and there was no one in front of the Shen Ce Division.
His eyes unconsciously fell on the street corner, and he couldn't tell what he was expecting.
"Your Highness, today I went to the mansion across the street to inquire under the pretext of returning the lunch box. I heard that Miss Nie went out for a stroll."
Xie Zhi in the carriage hummed lightly and didn't say anything else.
As Xie Zhi approached the mansion, he was about to get off the car when the girl's bright and cheerful voice suddenly reached his ears. But she wasn't calling him.
"Wang Wulang!" The voice was eager and lively.
He lifted a corner of the curtain and watched coldly as Nie Xiangyi got off Wang Wulang's carriage.
It turned out that he went out for a stroll with Wang Wulang.
In the darkness of the night, she just waved happily to Wang Wulang, as if bidding him farewell, "Remember to call me next time!"
Xie Zhi clenched the curtain with his knuckles and sneered for no reason.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Xiao Xie: Stare
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
