After crying for a long time and feeling satisfied, Yuwen Helan watched Cen Ang and his two servants drinking tea in her room. Then, the girl said something to Cen Ang.
"Aunt Cen, I'm hungry."
Cen Ang bowed and replied:
"This servant will go and prepare the meal immediately. What would the princess like to eat?"
Helan sniffled twice, then realized his nose was stuffy from crying and he couldn't sniffle anymore, so he took a handkerchief and blew hard.
"That's quite a commotion," Lan Youxin said, looking at her with disdain.
Where did you learn your manners?
"Didn't my elder brother teach me any manners?"
"..."
Then Yuwen Helan continued speaking to Cen Ang:
"I want to eat pig's trotter soup, roast goose, and..."
"Alright, alright, you haven't eaten for days. Eating something so greasy will make you feel sick later. Ah Cen, just make these two for her, and a vegetable dish with them. Don't make too much." Lan Youxin instructed from the side.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Cen Ang and Hua Luan left the room, leaving only Lan Youxin and Yuwen Helan inside.
"It's not a big deal. It's just that Li Yi and his cousin hugged at the door. If you're upset, just go and ask them what happened. Why put yourself through this?"
Helan felt a little awkward. From childhood to adulthood, the only person she had ever bowed her head to was Li Yi.
She liked him, with feelings she had never experienced before, that first longing for love, that fantasy of a partner, all of which were embodied in Li Yi.
She didn't know how to speak; sometimes, she felt that as a princess, she shouldn't act this way...
So humble.
But she still had the nerve to say it in front of Lan Youxin.
“How can I, a princess, act like a shrew and question others? Besides… even if I were a shrew, I have no official status.”
The Crown Princess thought Yuwen Helan's brain was already useless. "You're a princess, go ask his friends or his family!"
Besides, Lan Youxin didn't believe that Li Yi had no feelings for Helan.
Just as Helan herself said, she is a princess, beautiful, and passionate and sincere to the people she likes. How many people wouldn't like such a wonderful girl?
Therefore, she had already heard that Li Yi had been subtly inquiring about Yuwen Helan's situation these past few days, but he couldn't enter the palace because his rank was too low.
The man often lingered outside the palace gates, and would not say what he was doing when others asked him.
"Why don't you send someone to ask? Send someone to investigate? Never mind."
Lan Youxin looked at the stubborn Yuwen Helan and then continued:
"You're lucky, Li Yi has been asking your nephew's men about you these past few days, they've been squatting at the palace gate for a while every day, do you want to..."
The Crown Princess wanted to say, "Why don't you wait a few more days?"
Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Helan rushed out like a gust of wind.
When Cen Ang and Hua Luan brought the food into the room, only their master was left.
"Your Majesty, where is the princess?" Cen Ang asked.
Lan Youxin didn't stand on ceremony, picked up her chopsticks and ate first, then waved to Cen Ang and said:
"It's alright, I'll be back soon after meeting my lover."
Over here, Yuwen Helan arrived at the palace gate and saw Li Yi looking towards the palace from a snack stall through the crack in the door.
The girl asked the guard:
"How many days has he been here?"
Do you come every day?
The guard answered frankly:
"Your Highness, that person has come every afternoon for the past three days, staying for two hours each time before leaving at nightfall."
Hearing this, Helan smiled happily, lowered his head somewhat embarrassed, and then took out the bronze mirror from his purse to look at his appearance.
Her eyes were red, and she looked pitiful. Helan was quite satisfied with her current appearance, though she looked a little weak and clearly had just finished crying.
The girl walked out of the palace gate and headed straight for Li Yi.
She went up to the man and sat down opposite him.
"Your Highness."
Seeing Helan's appearance, Li Yi's voice softened, losing its usual aloofness and indifference.
"Has Your Highness been feeling unwell these past few days? Or perhaps you're in a bad mood?"
The girl guessed correctly; her appearance was truly heartbreaking.
Lan Youxin was watching the commotion with Cen Ang and Hua Luan, giggling through the crack in the palace gate. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could see Yuwen Helan's feigned hesitation in his eyes.
And Li Yi looked distressed.
The sound of sunflower seeds crackling filled the air. Lan Youxin not only ate some herself, but also gave a handful to the guards so they could eat with her.
Anyway, Cen Ang and Hua Luan were quite happy following their master's lead.
"Look at our Helan, he's quite the actor."
Hua Luan smiled and replied:
"His Highness the Crown Prince is exceptionally intelligent, with one clever trick after another to win the heart of a beauty. As the Crown Prince's aunt, the princess is naturally no less capable."
The young girl, Helan, didn't answer Li Yi's question. Instead, she forced a smile and asked him directly:
"Was the woman you embraced at the street corner that day your sweetheart?"
These words left Li Yi completely bewildered. What the heck, a sweetheart?
The man remained silent for a long time, then slowly and incredulously asked:
"The princess isn't asking about my cousin, is she?"
Yuwen Helan sneered, then mocked:
"Indeed, cousins, childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven."
"..."
"Brother! Look at my new dress, isn't it beautiful?"
My cousin is from a border town, and people can tell just by her voice. When she came back from the market, she saw my cousin having dinner with a girl she didn't know. Shouldn't she go up and ask her what was going on?
Li Yi didn't turn his head, looking at Yuwen Helan with an absurd expression, pointing to Yang's second cousin who was running behind him, and asked her:
"You mean, the person I love is just like her?"
My cousin was sweating profusely from shopping when she saw Li Yi and slapped him on the back with a loud thud, making Yuwen Helan's back hurt.
"What's wrong? Why are you pointing at me? What bad things are you saying about me?"
"Brother, can you order me a bowl too? I'm hungry too, and I'll add three servings of meat."
After saying that, my cousin casually sat down next to the man, put her legs on the stool, and acted as unrestrained as could be.
This time, Yuwen Helan stopped overthinking.
This thing, if it were Li Yi's sweetheart, she would say whatever she wants.
Their relationship is more like that of brothers than even the biological brothers in the royal family.
"Hey little sister, who are you? What's your name? You're so pretty!"
"Where did you buy this hairpin? It must be very expensive. I'm getting married soon, and I'd like to buy a set for myself."
Yuwen Helan remained silent when asked, but slowly replied:
“I am… my name is Helan.”
The girl blushed slightly at the compliment, then removed the hairpin from her hair, placed it on the table, pushed it towards her cousin, and said:
"This hairpin can't be bought anywhere else. I'm giving it to you now that you're getting married."
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