"You don't want to wake up early to accompany this king for breakfast?" This sentence was still said by Xiao Xu in an unhurried and even tone, not a trace of his mood was discernible.
They finally returned to this original matter, only that the words coming from Xiao Xu's mouth made her feel somewhat strange.
Chu Qing-Yan rubbed at the tears on her face, and said in a voice choked with sobs. "It's not that Qing-Yan doesn't want to have breakfast with Your Highness. Rather, it's because my courtyard is somewhat far. I'm afraid I won't make it in time and delay Your Highness from going to morning court."
If she were to deny it directly, then it would seem somewhat fake. Therefore, words that were half-true and half-false would make it more believable.
Xiao Xu nodded, "You are being so considerate for this king. This king is also not an unreasonable person. Since it's like this, you're excused from getting up early in the morning."
Chu Qing-Yan choked, it was this easy to be let go of? She had thought she needed to waste more words to persuade him.
However, Chu Qing-Yan thought that this was still somewhat inconceivable. If this person was this easy to talk with, then what would the things she did these past few days and his response be considered as? And what about when she disregarded her image and cried loudly today? Fortunately, children didn't really have any image to speak of. She also didn't care if she had lost face or not!
"Thank you, Your Highness. Your Highness really is a broad-minded good person!" Chu Qing-Yan pulled back her lips in a smile and said.
Xiao Xu looked at her harmless face that completely lacked that vicious, fiend-like, crying and 'making a disturbance' appearance from just now. From this, his heart gained an understanding. Women were indeed one of the two life forms in the world that shouldn't be offended. However, the thought of teasing her arose in his mind.
"Really? But this king isn't broad-minded to the point of disregarding being grabbed by the collar. Although this king doesn't really want to squabble with you over this, for good or bad, this king is still the prince of a nation. If I let you continue like this, then maybe next time someone will learn from you to embarrass this king. Then where would this king's dignity be?"
The matter she deliberately ignored was still brought to the surface for discussion.
Chu Qing-Yan was a little discouraged, what ought to come couldn't be avoided.
"Chu Qing-Yan was temporarily muddle-headed, Chu Qing-Yan was wrong. If you want to beat or punish Chu Qing-Yan, there will absolutely be no complaints!" Chu Qing-Yan's head drooped down, wanting to cry but lacking the tears. This was simply settling accounts at an opportune moment! As expected, this Prince Ying wasn't a master to be provoked.
"But this king doesn't seem to have a habit of squabbling with a child." Xiao Xu turned around and sat in the chair once again. The tea on the table was already replaced with a new one. He picked up the teacup by lifting up the lid with one hand. Through the rising spirals of vapor, he looked at the her who was petite, "If you can find a reason to convince this king to let you go, then this king will let bygones be bygones."
Chu Qing-Yan was amazed at his change at this moment. However, she was still worried that he would change his mind at any time, so she focused, pondering on how to respond.
"This king is not a patient person, so ——" The threat after this was self-evident.
Chu Qing-Yan didn't have time to consider much else and blurted out, "Your Highness Prince Ying, Qing-Yan is young and ignorant. Those that are unaware are innocent, because of this, I plead for you to be magnanimous and not squabble with a child."
Her meaning was extremely clear. I'm but a child who doesn't understand matters. If you want to make things difficult for me, then go ahead, but you'll end up with the image of a petty person. Let's see what you'll choose!
"Barely enough to enter the ear." Xiao Xu lowered his eyes to drink tea, as if he hadn't heard the deep meaning behind her words.
Seeing that she had passed this ordeal, Chu Qing-Yan let out an even bigger breath of relief. And because her whole body relaxed at this moment, a mixture of feelings poured in: tiredness, exhaustion and even hunger. She had come rushing in early in the morning, and after crying and making a fuss, it wasn't surprising that she was tired and hungry.
However, this person sat there like a bell, unmoving, like he didn't have any thoughts of leaving. If he didn't leave, how would she return to her own little courtyard earlier and rest?
As a result she 'kindly' reminded him, "Your Highness, the time is not early. Don't you have to go to morning court?"
This question suddenly incited everybody's glowering eyes. Chu Qing-Yan got scared, she just said an ordinary sentence, why did it provoke everybody's anger? Just as she was trying to make heads or tail of this, the person in front of her unhurriedly answered.
"In this period of time, this king doesn't need to go to morning court."
A rumbling sounded, like a bolt from the blue ah!
Until she walked out of Jade Garden, she still had a dazed look in her eyes, her footsteps stepping into emptiness, she was quite unstable.
Xi Ning didn't know what happened inside to her master. When she walked out, she had a dazed expression, giving people the misconception that she had a one-sided love. At this moment, she stared tensely at her master, fearing that she would do something stupid. All of a sudden, Chu Qing-Yan crouched down, supported by the wall. Xi Ning hurriedly walked over and only heard fragments of her mumbles to herself.
"Bastard, I'm going to draw circles to curse you!"
Xi Ning's head was full of questions, what did this mean?
If she knew that he didn't need to go to morning court, why would she bother to come struggling with him for these past few days? Today, she even went tit for tat, creating a lot of faux pas. This Xiao Xu's heart was simply black to the extreme. She was even happy for quite a while when she finally got his permission. But it turned out that he simply didn't need to go to morning court, and so, there simply was no need for her to accompany him that early for breakfast!
She must draw circles to curse him!
After Chu Qing-Yan walked out, Fire Spirit came in with a smiling expression, whereas Earth Spirit's face was like someone owed him 1.80 million dollars.
"Master, I heard that the Chu family's miss was angered quite a lot by you!" Fire Spirit laughingly said.
"She's only a child." Xiao Xu recalled that fair and tender face suddenly flushing red a while ago, and couldn't help but feel it was a little funny.
Earth Spirit sneered, "Your Highness, this person's manners are vulgar and rude. You simply don't need to waste your thoughts on her."
Hearing Earth Spirit's words, Fire Spirit's pair of ears immediately perked up. With a curious expression, he looked at his family's master, "Master, this subordinate feels that recently, the way you do things is different from normal. After hearing what Earth Spirit said, is it possible that you really have other plans for this Chu family's little miss?"
Xiao Xu shot him a glance and didn't respond. Earth Spirit coldly smiled at the side and said, "When will your elm wood-like brain get enlightenment? Such a simple matter and you can't even figure it out?"
Being slandered by Earth Spirit in front of their master, Fire Spirit was just about to rebuke and win his face back when he heard Earth Spirit's next words.
"The reason why master did this was merely to incite her and make her take the initiative of bring up the matter of abandoning this marriage."
Being poked like this by Earth Spirit, Fire Spirit finally saw the light. He clapped his hands and smilingly said, "No wonder Master would suddenly want to eat meals with her at the same table, and even endure her deliberate provocations. So, it turned out that it was used as a pretext to make her endure hardships until she couldn't bear it and take the initiative to bring it up." Suddenly, he thought of something. Fire Spirit turned his head and curiously asked his family's master who was unperturbed, "Since Your Highness wants to let her go, why not take the initiative to ask her?" Why make such a big circle around the topic?
"It's not like she mentioned it, and this king doesn't like showering affection on an uninterested party." Xiao Xu said faintly.
Sneer, sneer——don't like showering affection on an uninterested party, but pressured the person to this point. Fire Spirit shook his head in his heart. Master's way of helping people really was one of a kind! A pity that that Chu Family's little miss didn't grasp the hidden meaning behind this and let go of an opportunity in vain.
This matter now exposed was not brought up again.
Earth Spirit's appearance was solemn and respectful, "Master, His Majesty wanted to let you recuperate for a period of time. I'm afraid it's because he doesn't believe you. Now, he has already sent people to investigate you."
"Let him do what he wants." Xiao Xu covered the teacup, his eyes becoming colder.