In fact, he was not overreacting.
It only appeared to be abrupt because he did it without any warning.
Helian Wei Wei looked toward Baili Jia Jue with a bewildered face, her shapely eyebrows raising slightly.
"How could you drink something with such a terrible smell?" The young man did not look at her, instead, he spoke to Nangong Lie coldly.
Nangong Lie twitched his nose. "Does it really smell that bad? I reckon that it is quite delicious. Besides, eating more ginger during winter is good for health."
"Is that so?" The young man sneered and walked off.
Nangong Lie thought that he just simply could not bear the smell of ginger. However, when he woke up the following day, he found that all of the dishes in the Holy Worship Temple had turned into raw ginger.
Shadow stood beside him and reported with a serious look on his face. "Young Master Lie, His Highness said that you should eat more ginger since you think that eating ginger is good for your health."
Nangong Lie was speechless.
Wait a minute!
Make it clear before you leave!
If he is not unhappy with me, then what the hell is this?!
How am I supposed to eat, now that everything is ginger?
Might as well just poison me, that would be faster!
Nangong Lie almost had a breakdown. He could not stand it anymore, and pushed the things aside, bringing Helian Wei Wei along to deliver his flowers.
"Is she out yet?" Nangong Lie was still very bashful sometimes.
Helian Wei Wei glanced at him. "What are you worried about? Of course, Qing Zhan has to report to her master first after she enters the palace."
"I know." Nangong Lie stroked his chin. "But I feel like Ah Jue has been acting strange for the past two days. Do you think that he would bad-mouth me in front of Qing Zhan?"
Helian Wei Wei was inattentive. "He won't. Why would he bad-mouth you in front of Qing Zhan? He isn't so free."
"That makes sense." Nangong Lie stomped his feet. He must be thinking too much. Ah Jue was always a little slow in terms of the love relationship as he was keeping the Eldest Young Lady from the Helian family at an arm's length. He probably would not be able to tell that Nangong Lie had fallen for Qing Zhan. No, he did not fall for Qing Zhan. He just found the little girl interesting. Yes, that was it, he just found her interesting...
Helian Wei Wei raised her eyebrows. "What are you muttering about over there? Get the rose ready at once."
After all, Nangong Lie was a young master who could understand young girls' hearts. He snapped his fingers in a vicious manner.
A rose appeared in his hand, blooming beautifully.
Helian Wei Wei smiled. "I have truly underestimated you." No wonder he would grow up to be someone evil, as he had been learning tricks like these to play around with girls even at this age.
"I wake up to my handsome face every single day and this bothers me a lot." Nangong Lie curved his thin lips as though something had crossed his mind. "This flower is for you."
Helian Wei Wei knew his character and received it languidly without rejecting him. She then asked, "What else do you want to ask me?"
"Nothing much." Nangong Lie smiled wickedly. "Nothing except things that had happened between you and Ah Jue before." He wanted to at least understand why he would die as Ah Jue started to make his life miserable only after this woman came over.
Helian Wei Wei opened her mouth and was just about to speak when she felt someone behind her, giving her chills down her back.
She turned around and was met with those unfathomable eyes from the young man.
When did he come? Why did he make no sound at all?
Nangong Lie also saw Baili Jia Jue, but he did not focus on him and was instead looking toward the direction of Qing Zhan.
He recalled his own actions just now, feeling a sense of annoyance in his heart.
The girl saw him giving flowers to another girl, would she treat him like one of those playboys?
No way! He had to explain!
"Qing Zhan, continue your debriefing." The young man withdrew his gaze, crescent marks already forming on his palms from clenching his fists. He paced toward the courtyard, exuding cold indifference, stopping anyone from approaching.
Nangong Lie wanted to follow them but he was stopped by the shadow guards.
"Out of my way," Nangong Lie lowered his voice.
Shadow looked down but did not step aside. "Young Master Lie, His Highness has been in a bad mood recently, please don't go over there."
"In a bad mood?" Nangong Lie squinted and laughed. "Is it because the young lady from the Helian family has gone missing?"
Shadow remained silent and glanced at Helian Wei Wei.
In fact, His Highness had been depressed for the past two days.
He was constantly lost in his thoughts and was even inattentive when listening to debriefing.
Especially when he came back from the Holy Worship Temple last night, he had stayed up in his study all night.
He just sat quietly, with a fur cloak held in his hand. Nobody knew what was on his mind.
Shadow had only seen His Highness like this once before.
Eight years ago when His Highness was still young. He was sick at the time but he was still trying to look for this woman like a mad person. Even when he was running a fever and lying on the bed, he was begging, begging for her to stay...
Yet, there was not a single trace of this woman that could be found throughout the entire imperial palace.
Since then, His Highness had changed.
His eyes were spiritless.
During that time, the Eldest Prince had passed away. The Emperor was unhappy, but he did not punish the Murong family. Instead, the Emperor kept picking on His Highness.
Besides, when His Highness had disrespected the Empress, she locked him in the woodshed for three days and three nights without even giving him a sip of water to drink.
Both him and Biluo had been pleading around but they did not get a chance to see His Highness at all.
Fortunately, the Retired Emperor had returned in advance and berated the Empress and the Emperor.
However, in less than a year's time, there was a fire in the palace.
Since the fire, His Highness never left his house.
Afterward, His Highness unintentionally met the young lady from the Helian family.
He was no longer the same as before; he was no longer cruel to everyone.
Instead, he was noble and virtuous like a jade, and he was mature as if he had been reborn.
It seemed like nothing could stir his emotions anymore.
Unless that young lady was missing.
Then only would His Highness frown. Even so, he would remain indifferent.
Until now... His Highness looked like he was a little out of control.
"Your Highness?" Qing Zhan tilted her head. She was not a busybody, but she had been debriefing for quite some time, yet her master seemed like he was not listening to any of it.
In fact, Baili Jia Jue had forgotten about her existence ever since they entered the room.
The look on her face when she received the flower from Nangong Lie kept replaying in his head.
She looked so happy.
He had never seen that kind of smile on her face. The corner of her lips raised slightly, without any intent, merely smiling purely because of joy.
His heart felt as though it was filled with ice-cold water, so cold that he did not even feel like talking.
He slowly loosened his fists.
Eventually, he could not suppress his feelings any longer, and he punched the wall with his fist violently.
A loud bang resonated in the air!
Shadow rushed in immediately. He noticed that the young man's right hand was bleeding, and he shouted anxiously at Qing Zhan, "Get the imperial physician, right now!"
"No need." The young man stood there with a slender posture, allowing the blood to drip between his fingers. "Qing Zhan, I have something to tell you..."
Qing Zhan was still a young girl, around 12 or 13 years old. It was rare for her to see her master getting angry, but upon seeing this scene, she could not understand what was going on. Furthermore, His Highness said that he had something to tell her, and this made her even more confused. Did she make any mistakes recently that had caused His Highness thinking of sending her away?
"Someone has requested for you to go to the Holy Worship Temple." The young man's voice was cold but not piercing. Instead, it was like porcelain, infiltrating smoothly into her ears. "You have probably heard about it already during these past few days."
Qing Zhan nodded, the image of that wickedly handsome face appeared in her mind.
"The one who made the request was Young Master Lie," the young man said indifferently. "There is nothing bad about him, except that he loves to lay his hands on the maids. You'd better be careful when you go over there. You can come back anytime if you feel uncomfortable there."
Qing Zhan's facial expression changed promptly. "Lay his hands on the maids?"
"Of course, if you're unwilling, he won't force you." The young man swung his bleeding left hand and spoke calmly, "He will only express his good feelings toward you. This is a ploy that he frequently uses to everyone."
Qing Zhan gave it some thought, and her eyes darkened. "I understand. Young Master Lie has always loved to fraternize with others. Your Highness, do not worry, I know my place."
"Good." The young man curved his thin lips. "Go and get ready, you can go over there tonight."
Qing Zhan looked down and answered, "Yes."
Shadow was listening to the conversation the whole time with a weird expression on his face. After Qing Zhan had left, he spoke tentatively, "Your Highness, Young Master Lie isn't as undignified as you said, right?" Apart from his fondness of teasing others, there was nothing bad about him."
Upon hearing that, the young man wrapped his hand with a white handkerchief and glanced at Shadow leisurely.
That single glance made Shadow shut up!
He did not need any further confirmation to know that His Highness was trying to make Young Master Lie look bad!
His Highness was so good at making Young Master Lie appear awful without leaving any trace. Qing Zhan would probably not change her attitude toward Young Master Lie anymore even after she had gone to the Holy Worship Temple.
If Young Master Lie was just a playboy to Qing Zhan in the past, he was now a deflowering predator.
The phrase 'love to lay his hands on the maids' was very ambiguous...
At this moment, Nangong Lie had no idea what was going on. He was standing outside the entrance of the palace with a fur cloak draped around him, thinking about how he was supposed to explain to her.
He then noticed Qing Zhan walking out in the maid garment. Such a tiny maiden, with a sword at her waist, giving her a young and fresh aura.
Nangong Lie cleared his throat and put on that familiar wicked grin of his. "Little Qing Zhan, come over here, I have something for you."
Qing Zhan walked over, but she was not as friendly toward him as before. She spoke in a serious tone. "Young Master Lie, as subjected to His Highness' rules, a death knight is not allowed to simply receive things from others."
"I know, I know. You would just listen to His Highness," Nangong Lie said a little bitterly, with a half-smile on his lips. "But you have to accept this." While speaking, he reached his hand out to pull her close and was about to snap his fingers to give her the rose.
Qing Zhan's responded subconsciously by using this movement to directly throw him to the ground!
Helian Wei Wei could also feel the pain just by watching from the side, and the corner of her lips twitched.
Being thrown to the ground like that caused Nangong Lie to feel dizzy. Everything was spinning. In his dizziness, he heard Qing Zhan saying coldly, "Young Master Lie, please behave yourself. I'm not one of your young girls and I'm not as easy as you are."
The love confession that Nangong Lie had been preparing for the whole day was swallowed back down his stomach. He knew that she had misunderstood him!
However, it was still unnecessary to throw him to the ground so violently!
He felt that something was not quite right.
The look in her eyes when she stared at him was full of disgust!
However, she used to be bashful!
This did not make any sense!
Little Qing Zhan even turned to Helian Wei Wei and said with a sense of justice, "Elder Sister, Young Master Lie likes to randomly give flowers to people, you'd better be careful."
Nangong Lie was speechless.Read more chapter on our vipnovel.com
Since when did he like to give flowers to people?!
Did he, a worship administrator, need to give anyone flowers?!
The girls who courted him were already queueing from the inside to the outside of his palace!
"Little Qing Zhan, you've got a lot of nerve," Nangong Lie sneered. "How dare you throw me to the ground? Do I look like I need to give flowers to get a woman? All the women approach me willingly even if don't say anything."
He thought that by saying that, it would work on her.
Unexpectedly, she just stared at him with a stiff, expressionless face, and said, "I know." She then faded into the mist.
Nangong Lie felt resentment in his heart. He raised his hands and flicked them, scattering the rose petals all over the ground.
"How could this be?" The child was very annoyed.
Helian Wei Wei glanced at him. "There is a problem with your character and the things you said just now, really sounded like a scum."
"I..." Nangong Lie was despondent. "She used to be very easy to console, and she had feelings for me as well."
Helian Wei Wei comforted him indifferently. "Maybe she saw through your despicable character and suddenly came to her senses."
"Are you sure that you're comforting me instead of kicking me when I'm already down?" Nangong Lie still did not understand. "What is going on?"
Helian Wei Wei was also confused. Theoretically, Qing Zhan should have taken a fancy to this fellow ever since she was young, but right now it did not seem this way.
Both of them exchanged a glance. They both had the same vacant look on their faces, crouching down side by side in the snow with confused gazes.
The original love confession scene that they had imagined was not like this...
Crackle.
The firewood burning in the fireplace gave one last muffled sound.
The young man wrapped his hand in white bandages, listening to his underling's debriefing with a noble and virtuous face. He curved his thin lips. "Did Qing Zhan throw him to the ground?"
"Yes." Shadow knelt on the ground with one knee. After speaking, he raised his head and hesitated a moment before asking, "Your Highness, should we ask Qing Zhan to go to the Holy Worship Temple and apologize to Young Master Lie?" She had even thrown the Genius Worshipper to the ground, what would happen if he held a grudge against her?
"No need." The young man stood up with a profound gaze, speaking monotonously,
It's their Young Master Lie's fault for having a habit of giving flowers to others, so he deserved it."
Shadow did not understand. His Highness has always been on good terms with Young Master Lie, how could he not care about the fact that Qing Zhan behaved so rudely this time around?
Could it be that both of them had a falling-out?
Shadow was still speculating when the young man spoke again. "Send those official businesses on the table to the Holy Worship Temple and tell them those are urgent cases."
Again? He had made so many trips today just to send them! Even if Young Master Lie was a cat with nine lives, he could barely stand such torture!
Indeed, Nangong Lie could barely stand the torture anymore. That same night, he surreptitiously stumbled his way in the dark to Baili Jia Jue's study. He had an expression of sincere repentance on his face. "Ah Jue, as a brother, I'm begging you, what did I do to upset you? Can't you just give it to me straight?" Right now, he was suffering from a double-torment, both physically and mentally. For some reason, whenever Little Qing Zhan saw him, she kept a distance from him as if he had contracted a serious illness. Was he really so filthy?
The young man looked like he had just woken up. He was in a furry sleeping robe and his black hair was disheveled. He took a sip of tea and gazed at Nangong Lie who was standing before him, his narrow eyes as clear as a spring. He did not even give a single thought before giving him a kick.
Of course, he did not kick him for real.
Or else Nangong Lie would not be able to dodge it.
But this action alone was enough to make Nangong Lie cry out loud, "Ah Jue, how could you! Is this how you treat your brothers!"
"Sorry, I wasn't fully awake yet," the young man said in a deep voice, looking down lazily at the man who was lying on the ground.
Nangong Lie was speechless.
Not fully awake yet?
The coldness in your eyes almost froze me to death, yet you said that you were not awake yet? I'm not a fool you can lie to!
"Ah Jue, we've known each other for seven years." Nangong Lie knew that he could not beat him so he started flashing the friendship card, "It's been seven years. How many seven years does one have? You can't do this to me! You have to let me know the truth before I die!"
Baili Jia Jue looked at him and smiled slowly, yet there was no laughter in his eyes, "You look like you're quite close with the person that I sent to you."
Nangong Lie was smart, he shook his head immediately to save himself, "No, no, no! What you saw was just the outer appearance! In fact, we are not really close, not at all!"
"Why did you give her flowers?" The young man sounded a little indifferent.
But Nangong Lie noticed that his left fist was clenched tightly, so he started to clear his name, "That was because I wanted to thank her, it was her idea to give flowers. I was originally planning to give the flower to someone else."
"Do you mean Qing Zhan?" The young man said calmly, gazing back at him. The resentment that had been on his chest for so long finally faded a little.
However, Nangong Lie looked like he had seen a ghost, "How, how did you know?"
The young man snickered schemingly, "It's been seven years. Of course I have to be concerned about my only brother."
Nangong Lie, "..."
Damn it!
I don't need your concern at all!
Don't tell me that you were the one who talked bad about me to Little Qing Zhan!
These thoughts crossed Nangong Lie's mind, and his handsome face was filled with grief, "What are you trying to do? Please get to the point."
"Nothing." The young man continued to give him some clues, "I noticed that you have been so carefree for the past two days, going out of the palace to pick flowers and whatnot. So I figured you might prefer some excitement in your life."
Shadow, who was standing outside the door, raised his head in silence, ...I bet nobody would like this kind of excitement.
On the contrary, Nangong Lie did not assort to self-pity, instead, he put two and two together. All of a sudden, an evil grin appeared on his face and he placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, "Ah Jue, you should have told me earlier. If I had known that you've fallen in love, I could have lent you a helping hand a long time ago."
The young man gave him a sideways glance, his gaze casually sweeping over his hand.
Nangong Lie felt chills all over his scalp, so he drew his hand back immediately.
The young man brushed his clothes, spoke in a noble and virtuous voice, "Don't think too much, that woman has rubbed me the wrong way, that's all."
"Speaking of which, what is going on between you and that woman?" There was a certain playfulness in Nangong Lie's eyes, "She doesn't tell me anything no matter how I ask her."
The young man raised his head and gave him a look, speaking unhurriedly, "She had stolen something from me. I've been searching for her for eight years just to get it back."
Nangong Lie furrowed his bushy eyebrows. Thief? That woman doesn't look like a thief.
Instead, there was something that bothered him a lot.
That woman's appearance... was too similar to the young lady from the Helian family.
There must be more to that.
Nangong Lie's eyes were bright, he then spoke carelessly, "Since she is a thief, we could just chop her limbs off and throw her out of the palace. If that's not enough, you could just kill her. You could even torture her in any way, as long as you can vent your anger. You haven't made a move for so long, it doesn't seem like you. When I get back, I'll throw her out and then you can figure out what you want to do."
The young man remained silent.
Nangong Lie knew that he had agreed.
However, he did not think that Ah Jue would do anything to that woman.
If he really detested her, there were many ways to make a person disappear in the palace. Besides, Ah Jue's status was so high that he could just kill someone with a single word.
But the expression on Ah Jue's face did not seem like he was lying.
After all, he even mentioned the eight years specifically...
"Since there's a way to settle this problem, shouldn't you settle the matter with Little Qing Zhan as well? She turns on her heel and walks away whenever she sees me!" Nangong Lie was in a very bad mood upon mentioning this!
The young man was somewhat inattentive and ordered Shadow to call Qing Zhan over.
Nangong Lie, with his young master style, surely would not show up to this kind of occasion. He hid behind the screen and strained his ears to listen to the situation outside.
The young man's voice was husky and graceful as usual. He spoke unhurriedly, "Qing Zhan, I've heard about the incident that happened this afternoon. It seems like you have some misunderstandings about Young Master Lie."
"No." Qing Zhan's expression was serious, looking tender and naive, "Your Highness, I've seen how Young Master Lie usually behaves. He gets into conversations with beautiful ladies whenever he meets them, and this is no longer a secret in the palace. I know you're on good terms with Young Master Lie that you just don't have the heart to badmouth him. It is his good fortune to have such a good friend like Your Highness."
Nangong Lie, who was hiding behind the screen, felt like he had just taken a knife to his knees, and he had an upset look on his face.
Shadow, who was clear about the whole situation, was trying so hard to control his laughter.
Only the young man was calm and unruffled, "Actually he has many good qualities."
"Your Highness, do not worry. With you here, I will serve Young Master Lie well!" Qing Zhan promised. She was loyal and devoted even at a young age.
But Nangong Lie was very unhappy. He looked at the young man dejectedly after Qing Zhan left.
The young man said frankly, "I've tried my best. How was I supposed to know that you have the habit of getting into conversations with beautiful ladies on a daily basis?"
Nangong Lie remained silent. I'm regretting that now, okay!
"Alright, Qing Zhan will return to you in the future. Three years should be enough time to change her impression of you, right?" The young man massaged his forehead and spoke tiredly, "Shouldn't you be off to carry out your task now?"
Nangong Lie was still wallowing in his sorrows. When he went back to the Holy Worship Temple and saw Helian Wei Wei, the first thing he asked her was, "Did you take anything from Ah Jue back then?"
"No." Helian Wei Wei raised her eyebrows and asked languidly, "Why would you say that?"
Nangong Lie leaned slightly against the doorframe with an evil expression on his face, "I was at his place just now. He said that you had stolen something from him eight years ago and he had been searching for you for these eight years. He has finally caught you now, do you think that he would let you go? Oh dear, pray for yourself. I can only give you so many hints. Think about it. Perhaps you've taken something that is important to Ah Jue but you're not aware of it."
Helian Wei Wei squinted her eyes and gave it a thought. Eventually, she shook her head.
"Then there's nothing I can do anymore, you may leave now..."
"Leave?" Helian Wei Wei sat on the chaise lounge with her slender legs crossed, "Are you chasing me out? What about courting Qing Zhan? Did you change your mind?"
In his heart, Nangong Lie thought, If you don't leave now, I would never be able to court Qing Zhan!
"Baili Jia Jue told you something, didn't he?" Helian Wei Wei was smart, and the light in her eyes dimmed, "Did he ask you to chase me out of the Holy Worship Temple?"
Nangong Lie stroked the bridge of his nose, "I'm sure you know as well, fighting with destiny brings about endless fun, but fighting with him brings about one's own destruction. I can't hold on anymore, but I'll help you in secret."
"But you're still chasing me out." Helian Wei Wei rubbed the teacup in her hands and sucked in a breath, feeling a chill in her chest, "Do you know that it's snowing outside? Do you want me to freeze to death?"
The things she said made Nangong Lie feel guilty, which was something rarely seen in him, "The Emperor had just gifted me a fox fur cloak, I'll go and get it for you now."
"While you're at it, give me ten thousand notes as well. I'll need it out there," Helian Wei Wei requested with a faint smile, feeling a sudden dryness in her throat.
Nangong Lie glanced at her with a look that said she was absolutely merciless!
However, Helian Wei Wei did not think so. Initially, she had the intention of composing herself in the Holy Worship Temple, preparing to start over again.
But now, that person would not even allow her to stay in the Holy Worship Temple anymore.
If she did not try to get everything that she deserved, she would feel sorry for herself!
She felt very warm indeed with the Emperor's fur cloak draped over her body, but Helian Wei Wei's fingers still felt a little chilly.
When she walked out of the Holy Worship Temple, the palace maids and eunuchs stood in a circle, surrounding her. They looked at her before turning away and whispering to each other.
Well, there was hardly anybody being chased out at this hour.
Winter in the Capital was so cold that Helian Wei Wei's brain had frozen and shut down. Her mind was a mess too.
Was she really going to walk out of the imperial palace like this?
In the past, with Helian Wei Wei's temper, she would have left without any hesitation.
But now...
Helian Wei Wei lowered her head and kicked at the gravel in her path, muttering, "Baili Jia Jue, has your humanity been eaten by dogs? Chasing me out of the palace in such a cold winter, just you wait! One day, I'll..."
Helian Wei Wei could not finish her sentence, because standing right around the corner was a slender silhouette, his pale fingers gripping an oiled paper umbrella. His dark gaze fell on her and she had no idea how long he had been waiting there...
But one thing was sure, he had definitely heard all the things she said just now!
Helian Wei Wei paused mid-stride and her long leg that had stepped forward was becoming a little stiff.
The silhouette walked toward her step by step, with a fur cloak draped around his shoulders. It was snowing heavily, making the scene look like a stunning and refined ink wash painting of superb craftsmanship.
Helian Wei Wei thought, The adult version of him would inevitably have a composed yet imposing manner, making people afraid of looking directly into his eyes.
However, the young man now was extremely well-liked by people of all ages. Very few people could compete with his appearance and presence.
Soon, Baili Jia Jue was standing just one step away from Helian Wei Wei, gazing at her solemnly.
Shadow was right behind him. Basically, he would speak on his master's behalf for anything that his master found inconvenient to say, "According to the system, His Highness is in charge of the palace maids who have been chased out of the Holy Worship Temple."
Helian Wei Wei simply responded in agreement and said nothing more.
This was how she had always been, making it difficult to approach her when she was being cold.
Not only was she being intimidating, but she also exuded a feeling of oppression toward others.
Shadow noticed that his words did not have any effect on her, so he glanced at Baili Jia Jue.
The young man's side profile was still calm, but the warmth at the corners of his lips had faded. Besides that, he was personally holding the oiled paper umbrella. This made him look somewhat...forlorn?
Shadow could only brace himself and continued speaking to Helian Wei Wei, "You shall remain in the royal chamber first and wait for further arrangements."
Helian Wei Wei had no objections and nodded her head in agreement.
Shadow heaved a sigh of relief, "Please follow us then."
"Okay." Helian Wei Wei was distracted. She was still thinking that perhaps the extra umbrella that the young man was holding was for her. After all, it was unnecessary for Shadow and him to bring an extra umbrella. She was about to reach out to take it.
Then Baili Jia Jue said in an indifferent tone, "My humanity was eaten by dogs, so you shouldn't take this umbrella."
Without waiting for Helian Wei Wei to reply, he turned and walked into the snow. His pace was still gentle and graceful, but his figure was cold and unwelcoming.
Helian Wei Wei gave out a long sigh. He had really heard it after all. Since young, he had always been easy to hold grudges. It was really hard to deal with him.
Shadow did not say anything and promptly signaled Helian Wei Wei to keep up.
Both of them walked in silence, one behind the other.
Upon reaching the royal chamber, Baili Jia Jue took off the fur cloak without any emotions on his face. He sat at the wooden table and started to deal with the official business that had accumulated over the past two days. His voice was hoarser than usual, "Pour me some tea."
Helian Wei Wei was drowsy ever since she came in. Together with the warmth inside the royal chamber, as soon as her body touched the chaise lounge that was covered with a fur blanket, she started to nod off, her head sliding down little by little.
The shadow guards, who served His Highness when he got up in the night, were just about to wake Helian Wei Wei up.
But the young man raised a slender finger to his lips, gently making a shushing gesture.
The shadow guards kept their martial Qi away immediately and faded back into the darkness again.
Baili Jia Jue glanced sideways at the person who was sliding downward as she slept. Without any time to react, he knelt down beside her silently on the precious black carpet, with one knee on the ground. His lean waist was straightened, his back facing a few shadow guards and his shoulder bore the weight of her head automatically.
As if she had found the most comfortable position, Helian Wei Wei leaned her whole body into Baili Jia Jue's embrace.
The young man was momentarily stunned. He reached his arms out to surround her, yet he did not move, for she would definitely wake up if he moved.
The shadow guards were dumbfounded. They looked at each other in dismay, with astonishment on their faces!
Was... was this still the prince that they knew?
Holding a heater stove in his hands, Shadow did not approach and disturb them.
The shock in his heart was greater than anyone else's.
He had been staying by his master's side ever since he was young.
He did not know about others.
But this woman was probably the only person in the world who was able to make his master willingly abandon all his honor, hide away all of his vicious and foreboding aura, and hold this pose.
Halfway through, the shadow guards wanted to say something but were silenced by the young man's noble gaze.
But it had already been half an hour, no matter how soft the carpet was, kneeling on the ground for so long would definitely hurt his knee.
Fortunately, the one who dozed off finally opened her eyes. She stared at the young man who had his arms around her, still not completely wide awake yet, "There are times when you're still so young, you look so handsome."
As she spoke, Helian Wei Wei leaned over and pecked Baili Jia Jue on the corner of his lips.
However, the young man's eyes turned frigid in that moment.
It was a no-brainer.
Who did she take him for?
Instead of rage, what he felt was the feeling of emptiness within his heart.
Without any warning, the young man withdrew his hand as he stared down at her in a condescending manner. His tone was dark and cold, "When I allowed you to return, it wasn't so that you could slack on your job. You better learn the ropes on becoming a palace maid."
By the time when Helian Wei Wei's fingers touched the floor, she was wide awake. She frowned in confusion as she looked into his emotionless eyes.
Even though it was in the middle of the night, she was being ordered about. Not only was she instructed to pour tea for him, but she was also made to grind ink.
Helian Wei Wei did not find these tasks troublesome, but she disliked the feeling of being treated as a palace maid.
Especially when she had to prepare lunch to fete His Highness' confidante on the next day.
Helian Wei Wei felt that the entire world was simply filled with malice.
"This is spicy, I can't eat this." The lady in plain-colored clothes gazed at the boiled fish served by Helian Wei Wei and shook her head awkwardly. She was not being pretentious, rather, she really could not handle spicy food at all.
But Helian Wei Wei was calm and unfazed. As if wind spun from the heart of her palm, a surge of force exerted from her slender and pale fingers which sent the dishes flying into the air.
She immediately followed up with a gentle pat on the tabletop.
In a blink of an eye, the dishes landed back on the tabletop without any traces of spillage, the only difference being an altered layout of the dishes.
When the lady in plain-colored clothes saw this, her eyes were filled with astonishment, "You... With such plentiful martial Qi, you would be a first-class winner if you participated in a competition!"
There was also a change to the calmness within Baili Jia Jue's eyes. His fingers tightened around the chopsticks that he was holding.
All these years, he had been ignoring a question intentionally.
It was about how she avoided the guards in the imperial palace and disappeared back then.
At last, he had come to realization. Based on the agile trick she pulled just now, if she wanted to escape, none of the guards outside the royal chamber could stop her at all...
"Your Highness, Your Highness..." The lady in plain-colored clothes called him gently. She had obviously noticed the change in him and a sense of trepidation was evoked within her eyes.
"Hmm?" Baili Jia Jue replied, even his gaze toward her was soft. Naturally, this would make all the bystanders envious.
But only the lady in plain-colored clothes knew that kind of gentleness would be fake as time passed.
Since she had known him, people had feared him except during his childhood.
Later, he always acted chivalrous with a refined manner toward her. Not once did he get angry or moody before her.
Everyone said that he had given her all of his patience.
Truthfully, this kind of patience seemed forced...
"It's nothing." The young lady had forgotten what she wanted to say. Adding to her feeling of dread towards him since young, she was particularly cautious whenever she dealt with Baili Jia Jue.
As Nangong Lie watched from the side, the corner of his mouth lifted, "Ah Jue, have you found the thing you lost?"
"No." Baili Jia Jue replied monotonously as he wiped the corner of his mouth with a white handkerchief in his hand.
Nangong Lie glanced at Helian Wei Wei who was standing there, his smile became more apparent, "Well then, you better look for it carefully. Say, Ah Jue, that day was probably your first time being intimate with a woman right?"
Upon hearing this, both men did not change their facial expressions. However, the young lady reacted greatly as she flushed pink from both of her cheeks right down to her neck.
Baili Jia Jue looked up inattentively and met with Nangong Lie's smiling lips before uttering a single word from his mouth, "No."
"Oh?" Nangong Lie thought that he had it right. But upon hearing Baili Jia Jue's reply, the light within his eyes changed. He glanced over at the blushing maiden at the side, "Really, you... You guys have kissed before?"
Having heard this, Helian Wei Wei's fingers froze under her long sleeves. She looked back at the two people, one of them was cold and indifferent like a solid piece of jade while the other was extremely shy. The contrast between the two of them was quite a perfect match.
She chuckled silently and did not say anything, although her mind descended into a realm of confusion.
Based on her understanding of Baili Jia Jue, he would not do anything even if he wanted to leave an impression.
But if he had made a move, it indicated that it was mingled with sincerity and he meant it.
Helian Wei Wei creased her arched eyebrows and felt a slight pain around her temples.
She had never thought of this kind of situation.
But anyhow, even if that person had once given everything up for her, she could never allow her love to be tarnished.
Yet, even so, she had to bring him back.
It had nothing to do with liking or disliking.
Rather, it was a task that she must complete.
Helian Wei Wei moved her wrist and stared blankly ahead. Therefore, she did not notice the young lady shaking her head slightly.
On the other hand, it had piqued Nangong Lie's interest. He spoke into Baili Jia Jue's ear in a lowered voice that only both of them could hear, "If it's not her, then who did you kiss?"
Baili Jia Jue did not answer him. Instead, he ate with an apathetic face.
Nangong Lie was immensely curious about it, "Who exactly was it?"
"Please leave if you say a word again," the young man's voice was chilly.
Nangong Lie's sharp senses detected that he was unhappy today, so he looked in the direction of Helian Wei Wei.
During this period, whenever Ah Jue was unhappy, it was mostly related to this woman...
Helian Wei Wei was massaging her head having developed an intense migraine. It hurt so much that she could barely hear what the others were saying.
This was not normal.
Her stamina was getting poorer since yesterday.
What could be the cause of it?
Theoretically, there should be more than twenty days left and the time left was considered sufficient.
So why was she experiencing such an intense sensation?
Could it be that something had gone wrong with the guarding?
Thoughts were flashing through Helian Wei Wei's mind although she showed no traces on her face except that her eyelids were becoming heavier by the second.
Nangong Lie was admiring her for retaining her composure so well, when he noticed that the young man beside him was gazing at the woman with an expression that he had never seen from him before. It was an indescribable feeling.
But that kind of feeling made Nangong Lie think that it was exceeding beyond the original control. This might not be a good thing for Ah Jue...
Everyone had different thoughts running through their minds as they dined. Hence, they did not concentrate on their food. It just so happened that the Emperor needed Baili Jia Jue over for some matters, only then did the lunch came to an end.
When nobody was around, Helian Wei Wei tried to speak to the Red Soul Binding Rope around her wrist with the intention to summon the Fire Qilin from her consciousness.
But all she got in the end was a deafening silence.
Perhaps the method she used was incorrect.
Or maybe she could only get a word in when the Fire Qilin initiated a communicative connection with her first...
A series of conjectures only worsened Helian Wei Wei's headache. Even her body felt a little tired.
To recover effectively, Helian Wei Wei simply found a blind corner in the royal chamber and shut her eyes...