"She is alive; this is her hairpin."
As long as she was alive, he had hope. Beneath the ginkgo tree, Wu Qing's bright, deep black eyes seemed shrouded in mist. He slowly tilted his head upwards, unwilling to appear fragile. Only when he had calmed himself did he slowly speak.
"She must have gone to Fengfen City. Let's go find her."
"Yes, Young Master." Qing Feng leaped up from the ground. Seeing his young master calm down and no longer despairing, he too felt a glimmer of hope. He stepped forward and urged his young master to leave.
As for this white jade hairpin, it was not dropped by Qing Yao, but deliberately left by Yin Xuan. Although his heart ached, he wanted her to be happy even more. So, when she wasn't paying attention, he quietly made his move, leaving behind the white jade hairpin.
He knew that as soon as Wu Qing returned, he would see this white jade hairpin. As long as he saw it, he would surely go looking for her.
Yet, who would have thought that the two would drift further and further apart.
The imperial capital of Huang Yuan Kingdom, Li Jing, was bustling with activity. Qing Yao and Yin Xuan, leading a few subordinates, found an inn to stay in. This inn was not the most luxurious in Li Jing, but a common one. The innkeeper, seeing such guests from out of town, was exceptionally hospitable and arranged the best rooms for them.
However, ever since Mo You learned that his mistress was coming to Li Jing, he had been restless along the way. Mo Chou noticed this and found it rather inexplicable.
Finally, he seized an opportunity to ask him.
"Mo You, tell me, what's wrong with you? Why have you been so uneasy?"
Mo You was startled, not expecting his behavior to be noticed by Mo Chou. He looked up, a fleeting confusion in his eyes, a rare sight. Mo Chou couldn't help but press further.
"What is really going on? Tell me, maybe I can share some of your burden. Even if I can't, we still have the mistress, right?"
Mo You was taken aback. Finally, he tugged at his lips and calmly shook his head. "It's nothing."
Without even looking at Mo Chou, he turned and went back to his own room. Mo Chou grumbled from behind, "What kind of person is this? If I ever concern myself with your affairs again, I'm not Mo Chou."
With that, she stormed back to her mistress's room. Qing Yao, seeing her impatient expression, quickly asked, "What happened?"
"Don't even mention it. It's that Mo You fellow. He's been uncomfortable all the way. I asked him, and he ignored me. If I concern myself with his affairs again, I'm not Mo Chou."
Qing Yao, who was sitting by the round table drinking tea, pursed her lips and remained silent. It seemed Mo You really liked Mo Chou. Besides this, she hadn't thought of anything else.
"Children grow up; they're bound to have some feelings. You shouldn't dwell on it."
"Has he grown up? I don't see it. He's clearly still a child," Mo Chou said resentfully.
Unbeknownst to them, Mo You was standing outside the door. Upon hearing Mo Chou's words, his expression grew even uglier. He stood there motionlessly for a long time before Yin Xuan emerged from another room. Seeing him standing there, he asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Mo You snapped back to attention and replied, "Oh, nothing."
The voices outside the door startled those inside. Qing Yao heard Mo You's voice and recalled Mo Chou's words. Mo You must be extremely hurt. She couldn't help but glare at Mo Chou, thinking, "She's almost twenty, why doesn't she have any girlish sentiments? Honestly."
Mo Chou, however, was still not in the picture. She turned, opened the door, and with a sullen face, stood behind her mistress.
Mo You and Yin Xuan walked in. Qing Yao first glanced at Mo You. His entire face was dark, his eyes gloomy and unfathomable. He walked in without a word and stood to the side. Yin Xuan, sensing the strange atmosphere in the room, asked curiously,
"What's going on?"
"Nothing. Why don't you rest for a while?" Qing Yao said with a smile.
Their group had traveled for more than ten days by carriage to reach Li Jing. Everyone should have been tired, but it seemed that wasn't the case now. Everyone was still full of energy. Since that was the case, why not find something for them to do?
"Mo You, Mo Chou, you two go to the street and look for little beggars. Remember, find those who genuinely want to follow us and make something of themselves. Don't find those who think we're deceiving them."
"Yes, Mistress," the two responded, and walked out. Finally, they glared at each other and left.
Qing Yao in the room felt both exasperated and amused. The two of them truly seemed like a bickering pair now. It's said that opposites attract, and she wondered what their ultimate ending would be. She hoped they would torment each other less. If you love, you love; if you don't, let go.
"What is it?"
Yin Xuan heard Qing Yao laugh and his gentle voice sounded. Qing Yao shook her head, gestured for him to sit down, and poured him tea. "Did you need something from me?"
"Even though we traveled for more than ten days, I still can't sleep, so I came to find you for a game of chess."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qing Yao was taken aback. She looked up and stared at him. "How do you know I play chess?"
Yin Xuan's face showed no particular emotion. He said nonchalantly, "Someone as intelligent as you wouldn't not know how to play chess, would they? That would truly surprise me."
His demeanor was serious, and he didn't seem to be hiding anything. However, Qing Yao intuitively felt he was someone else she knew, and suspected it was Chu Qianyi, the scoundrel. Otherwise, there was no one else.
"Alright."
Qing Yao agreed, turned around, and searched. There was indeed a chess set in the room. Although it was an ordinary set, in this place, it would have to do. She picked it up and began playing chess with Yin Xuan.
The room was quiet. Both were focused on their game. Outside the door, Yin Xuan's two or three subordinates stood guard silently, allowing no one to approach the room.
Time quietly passed. At first, it was out of boredom, but later, it became interesting.
Qing Yao was surprised by Yin Xuan's superb chess skills. Every move was ingenious and well-thought-out, leaving no room for her to maneuver, making her efforts futile.
Such a mind was truly agile.
A game lasted a full two hours. In the end, Yin Xuan won by half a move.
Qing Yao was stunned, looking at Yin Xuan. A person's image surfaced in her mind.
His chess skills were also extraordinary. This was the first time she had thought of him since leaving the palace. She wondered if he was doing well.
No matter what, she didn't hate him, nor did she blame him. He was Xiao Yu'er's father; that was an undeniable fact, and she did like him a little.
If they had met differently in the beginning, not during that test, or if he wasn't the emperor, perhaps they would have fallen in love and been like any other ordinary, loving couple. But precisely because he was an emperor, many things were taken for granted, and she couldn't accept his perspective.
This was not a matter of who was right or wrong, but a consequence of their backgrounds and environments.