His Royal Highness (2)
The crisp cracking sound was particularly jarring in the deathly silence, and the nectar splashed everywhere, instantly shattering the Second Prince's maniacal laughter and everyone's thoughts. Everyone instinctively looked at her.
Gu Jinghong looked panicked: "This servant deserves to die! Please forgive me, Your Highness and Second Prince! This servant... this servant was frightened by the Second Prince's words!"
Everyone stared blankly at Gu Jinghong, wondering how this mere maid could be so timid and ruin their good show. Only Xiao Chengyan glanced at Gu Jinghong, then took a sip of wine with great interest.
He knew Gu Jinghong; she was about to begin her performance.
Gu Jinghong feigned confusion and said, "Your Highness, please forgive my ignorance, but I really don't understand why Your Highness speaks of my lord in this way. My lord... he is clearly very good! There are countless noble ladies in the capital who admire him! In the time I've spent in the Prince's mansion, I've personally witnessed... many ladies and young misses have been asking around about the Prince's preferences, and the love poems and handkerchiefs they've collected are almost overflowing the storeroom!"
"Especially the young lady from the family of Vice Minister Li of the Ministry of Personnel, and... that Miss Liu, the top courtesan of Zuihong Pavilion who is said to have a close relationship with Your Highness, didn't she also praise my Prince's 'dragon-like appearance and phoenix-like demeanor, captivating all the ladies' in front of them at the flower viewing banquet a few days ago? If someone as remarkable as Miss Liu said such a thing, it shows how charming Your Highness is!"
“This servant…this servant has gone to great lengths to barely earn a comment from the Prince that he is ‘somewhat different.’ To be able to serve him so closely is already a great blessing! Second Prince, how can you say that the Prince is ‘incompetent’? This…this is questioning even the judgment of Miss Liu and so many other noble ladies, isn’t it?”
Xiao Chengyan's hand holding the wine glass froze completely.
For the first time, a clear look of shock flashed across his deep phoenix eyes in front of Gu Jinghong! He had never expected her to retaliate in this way! The information about Liu Yiyi that she revealed was precise, ruthless, and hit the nail on the head! This was something no ordinary maid could know, much less dare to say!
That phrase, "somewhat different," was even more... She actually "declared" it in this way at this moment? This bold declaration, amidst the thunderous revelation, was like a small hook, gently scratching at the deepest part of his heart. He looked at Gu Jinghong, who seemed terrified and helpless, but in reality had thrown out a thunderbolt, his eyes filled with extreme complexity—inquiry, shock, scrutiny, and a very subtle ripple stirred by that "different" declaration.
Changfeng and the others were utterly dumbfounded. Their eyes were filled with horror, and a hint of unspoken awe, as they looked at Gu Jinghong. This girl… she's incredibly bold! And her methods are…
Although the others tried to keep their heads down, their prickled ears and slightly trembling shoulders betrayed the turmoil in their hearts. The daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the top courtesan of Zuihongxuan, the Second Prince… any one of these things, if it got out, would be enough to shake the capital!
Xiao Chengjue suddenly became fully lucid! What is this crazy woman saying?!
His face instantly changed from a smug red to a liver color, then from liver color to deathly pale, and finally to a deathly blue!
The Second Prince finally regained a voice from the immense shock and humiliation. He slammed his fist on the table, making the cups and plates rattle, and pointed at Gu Jinghong, his voice hoarse and distorted: "You...you wretched servant! How dare you...how dare you slander me! You're spouting nonsense! Guards! Get him..."
Xiao Chengyan finally spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable, icy pressure that instantly suppressed the Second Prince's roar: "Second Brother."
He put down his wine glass, his movements elegant yet carrying an invisible strength. "Why bother arguing with a little girl who is 'unruly' and 'eager to protect her master'? Whether what she said is true or false, Second Brother naturally knows in his heart. To argue in public like this, if word gets out, it might not be good for Second Brother's reputation..."
The second prince trembled with rage. Looking at Xiao Chengyan's unfathomable eyes, then at the perked-up ears around him, and then at the trembling maid on the ground who had already inflicted heavy damage on him... he knew that he was completely finished today! Continuing to entangle himself would only make the scandal escalate faster!
He glared fiercely at Gu Jinghong, his eyes filled with a desire to devour her alive, then he spat out a few words through gritted teeth at Xiao Chengyan: "Fine, fine fourth brother! Fine 'unique' girl! I'll remember this!"
Having said that, he had no face to stay any longer. With his trembling followers who hurriedly followed, he fled in disgrace, like a defeated rooster.
Gu Jinghong watched Xiao Chengjue run away, his shoulders trembled, and he lowered his head and chuckled.
Unbeknownst to them, the usually cold and aloof man, upon seeing the barely perceptible tremor in her shoulders and the almost suppressed laughter, had a slight, almost imperceptible upturn at the corners of his mouth, a curve so quick it was almost an illusion.
After finishing his meal, Xiao Chengyan prepared to leave Qiongju Pavilion, and Gu Jinghong got up to follow him.
As Gu Jinghong passed Yun Ni, who was standing to the side holding a pipa, he deliberately stopped and greeted her with a smile.
“Miss Yunni, thank you so much for what you did earlier. Your performance of ‘Yangchun’ was truly wonderful. It soothed His Highness’s spirits as he listened and watched. In particular, the melody was so serene and beautiful, it was as if one were under the shade of a sycamore tree, which was exceptionally cool and calming. I imagine it would be very beneficial to His Highness’s health. If His Highness finds it enjoyable, perhaps we can trouble you to play a few more pieces for him next time.”
Yun Ni felt a chill run down her spine—"Under the shade of the parasol tree," "cool and peaceful"... Qingwu has lost contact?
Xiao Chengyan seemed surprised that Gu Jinghong would take the initiative to chat with Yun Ni. He turned slightly to look at the two of them. He had indeed found Yun Ni's zither music calming. Gu Jinghong must have seen how relaxed he was just now? So, was she actually... concerned?
Yun Ni respectfully returned the greeting: "You're too kind, Miss. It's my honor to be liked by the Prince and Miss. I'll be at your service at any time and will do my best."
Gu Jinghong nodded, turned around and followed Xiao Chengyan. In that instant of turning around, her gaze met Yun Ni's for a very brief, almost imperceptible moment.
...
The carriage drove towards the Jinwang Mansion on the gradually quieting streets.
The carriage was warm and cozy. Xiao Chengyan leaned against the soft cushions with his eyes half-closed, while Gu Jinghong sat to the side, his head swaying slightly with the movement of the carriage.
My mental defenses, which had been in place for days, gradually crumbled amidst this wavering state and extreme exhaustion.
She closed her eyes, trying to sort out her chaotic thoughts. The chaotic scenes that had just occurred at Zhuoyue Tower spun and flickered like shattered glass...
Her eyelids quickly grew heavy, and her consciousness seemed to sink into a sticky swamp, gradually becoming blurred and slumping.
Just as her consciousness was about to completely sink into darkness, the wheels suddenly rolled over a pothole, and the car lurched.
Already disoriented and with her body limp, Gu Jinghong completely lost her balance and control. Like a leaf blown by the wind, her upper body uncontrollably tilted towards Xiao Chengyan.
The next moment, her forehead gently rested on a solid object with a slightly cool touch—Xiao Chengyan's shoulder.
The slightly cool touch made her flinch almost imperceptibly in her dazed state, as if instinctively wanting to avoid it. But an overwhelming weariness instantly swallowed up that faint glimmer of consciousness.
Before she could even form any clear thoughts, her body completely gave up struggling, sinking deeper into the ground, adjusting to a more comfortable position, and resting her head completely and gently on his shoulder.
Her even, deep breaths brushed against the fabric of his neck, and she sank completely into the dreamless darkness, like a butterfly that had finally found a harbor to dock in, utterly exhausted.
The moment Gu Jinghong leaned in, Xiao Chengyan's body stiffened abruptly, and his eyes, which had been slightly closed, snapped open.
What came into view was Gu Jinghong's unguarded sleeping face.
Her face was extremely white, as white as snow in winter. Her long eyelashes covered her face quietly like butterfly wings, casting a faint shadow under her eyes. Her nose was delicate and high, making her features appear more three-dimensional.
She was so close that he could smell the faint, cool scent of her hair, feel her warm breath, and sense the weariness emanating from her body.
All pretense, all aloofness, all guardedness vanished without a trace in that moment. Only a pure, overdrawn vulnerability remained.
His gaze fell on a stray strand of hair that fell across her forehead, slightly damp with fine sweat. With the swaying of the carriage, that strand of hair gently brushed against her smooth forehead, seemingly unconsciously agitating his tense nerves.
Driven by an almost instinctive impulse that he himself was unaware of, he raised his slender fingers very slightly, with a hesitation he had never shown even in the heat of battle, and gently tucked the unruly strand of hair behind her delicate ear.
After making this move, the warmth and focus that had briefly appeared in his eyes because of her fragile sleeping face, which he himself was unaware of, vanished instantly, replaced by a deeper scrutiny and a hint of cold self-mockery—he had lured her into the game, watched her maneuver, but he never expected that this little girl would not only dare to charge recklessly on the chessboard, but would also turn around and take a bullet for him, although the way she took the bullet was rather shocking.
However, beneath the self-deprecation lies a more complex and indescribable emotion.
Xiao Chengyan clearly remembered that at Qiongju Pavilion, when he was talking to Yun Ni about the musician and listening to the music with his eyes closed, he caught a glimpse of her lowered eyelashes trembling almost imperceptibly, the slightly pursed corners of her lips, and the almost elusive sense of restraint that was revealed in her body for a moment, as well as Gu Jinghong's words of advice to Yun Ni when they left...
A subtle feeling quietly crept into her heart—it turned out that she wasn't completely oblivious; it was just that she had rarely experienced romantic love and hadn't even realized it herself.
The carriage was silent except for the occasional soft crackling of the charcoal fire, the monotonous rumble of the wheels rolling over the road, and the even, long breaths of the woman resting her head on his shoulder.
He closed his eyes again, but his body was not as stiff and tense as before. Instead, he silently adjusted his posture slightly, making the heavy "burden" on his shoulders more secure.
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