Chapter 469 That’s your business, it has nothing to do with me!
The woman raised her head abruptly upon hearing this. "Princess," her voice trembled deliberately. "My father is Zhang Huaiyi, the deputy director of the Imperial Observatory. Tonight, I was saved by His Royal Highness the Regent from the clutches of the thieves. This kindness is like a rebirth. I...I truly have no way of repaying you!"
She took a deep breath, as if she had mustered all her courage, and her voice rose a few notches, "I am willing to ask to enter the Regent's Palace and serve as a slave to repay the prince for saving my life tonight!" After that, she knelt down and kowtowed deeply, her forehead almost touching the cold snow, but her body was slightly tense, waiting for a response.
Lan Xiyue's lips curled up into a half-smile, her clear eyes flickering with a playful glint. She slowly turned to the tall and straight Mo Liyuan beside her, her tone lazy and with a hint of teasing: "Husband, listen, this girl is so sincere that she wants to repay you by becoming a slave?"
Mo Liyuan didn't even bother to raise his eyelids to look at the kneeling woman. He stretched out his long arm, domineeringly and naturally wrapped his arm around Lan Xiyue's slender waist, pulling her into his arms. A deep and mellow laugh rang out with undisguised doting: "Yuer, when did I ever save her? This is such a trivial matter, why would I need to intervene?"
He paused, his gaze finally coldly sweeping over Zhang Xiner's tearful face. The disgust in his tone was as sharp as an ice cone. "Besides," he said with a slight movement of his thin lips, "this ugly bastard... seeing her in the mansion every day, wouldn't it ruin the appetite of the prince and the princess?"
"Puchi!" Qian Duoduo on the side couldn't help but laughed out loud. The crisp sound was particularly abrupt in the silent snowy night.
"Ugly! Hahaha..." The prince's mouth was really vicious! She laughed and pointed at Zhang Xiner, whose face turned pale instantly. After all, she was considered a beautiful girl, right? But...
Qian Duoduo winked at Lan Xiyue with a smile, "Compared with our Yueyue's stunning beauty, she's just ugly! Hahaha..." Her laughter was full of merciless sarcasm.
The three words "ugly" were like the sharpest icicles, piercing Zhang Xiner's heart.
Her body trembled violently, and the forced weakness and hope on her face shattered in an instant, replaced by great humiliation and embarrassment.
The tears accumulated in her eyes could no longer be controlled, and they rolled down in big drops, hitting the snow in front of her.
She suddenly lowered her head, her shoulders twitching uncontrollably and she let out a suppressed sob.
After a moment, she seemed unable to bear the huge embarrassment any longer. She suddenly raised her hand to wipe the tears from her face, turned around and staggered towards the carriage parked not far away.
Tianyi, who had been standing by, snorted lightly but with disdain.
He took a half step forward, bowed in the direction of Mo Liyuan and Lan Xiyue, and said in a clear and cold voice, "Master, Princess, this woman's father, Zhang Huaiyi, is none other than the incompetent deputy director of the Imperial Observatory who couldn't even calculate an auspicious date for your wedding. Like father, like daughter. Letting her ride in your carriage would only soil it."
Mo Liyuan's eyes didn't even waver, he just snorted indifferently, "Hmm."
Lan Xiyue blinked. This carriage was just any one in the palace, not the one she usually rode in. But since this woman had given it to her husband, let her fend for herself.
Just as Zhang Xiner stood up and stumbled to the side of the carriage, desperately reaching out to grab the cold shaft and trying to climb up...
A dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of her like a ghost, and An Yi's body was like an insurmountable iron wall, completely blocking her from the carriage.
An Yi's voice was completely devoid of warmth. "Are you deaf? You want to go back to the city? Walk back by yourself."
Zhang Xiner's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and her body instantly felt like it was falling into an icy cave.
She turned extremely slowly, her face streaked with tears, nearly frozen in the chill air. She gazed at the godlike, yet relentless, man, her eyes filled with tears welling up on the verge of collapse. With a final, feeble plea, she bowed, her voice broken: "Your Highness, Your Highness the Regent... This... This cold night is long, the snow is deep, and the wilderness is desolate... Your Highness... Your Highness, Your Highness, how can I, a weak woman, even walk back? Please, Your Highness..." Her words trembled with despair.
The only response she got was Mo Liyuan's even more indifferent voice, "That's your business, it has nothing to do with me!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already nimbly embraced Lan Xiyue in his arms, and with a light tap of his toes, the two of them landed steadily on the back of a majestic black horse.
He put one arm around her waist, grabbed the reins with the other, and clamped his legs against the horse's belly. "Gee!" The horse neighed, raised its hooves, and sent a cloud of snow and mist flying. It shot off like an arrow from a bow.
Qian Duoduo looked at Zhang Xiner's distraught look, wrinkled her small nose proudly, snorted loudly in her direction, and said with her hands on her hips: "You deserve it!!! I saved you and you still don't know what's good for you. Who told you to be a toad wanting to eat swan meat? How dare you think about our Yueyue's husband! Wishful thinking!" Her voice was crisp and loud, and every word was clearly heard by Zhang Xiner, like a whip lashing her heart.
Lan Shenye, who was standing by, had been looking at Qian Duoduo gently. Seeing her angry look, the smile in his eyes deepened.
He took a step forward, naturally took her hand, and said in a gentle voice, "Duoduo, it's a bit stuffy in the carriage. Why don't I take you on horseback riding?"
Qian Duoduo's anger immediately turned into joy, his eyes curved into crescents, and he nodded vigorously: "Yeah! Okay!" His voice was full of excitement.
Lan Shenye smiled slightly, put his arms around her waist, and lightly stepped on the ground. The two of them floated like a light feather and landed on another horse.
He held her gently in his arms, and with a low roar, the horse began to spurt out its legs, following the hoofprints of the Regent in front.
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