Du Yulan’s beautiful eyes watched Nangong Yi quietly. As expected, he was not a rake; he had been biding his time, and it was likely he would achieve great things in the near future. It was a pity, though, that she probably wouldn’t live to see it.
A single tear slid from the corner of her eye and landed on Nangong Yi’s hand. Startled, Nangong Yi released his grip. Du Yulan fell heavily to the ground, her face ashen like a ghost, panting for breath. She had thought she was doomed, but Nangong Yi had let go at the last moment. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to be truly cruel to her.
“If a third person learns of this, do you know the consequences?” Nangong Yi looked down at Du Yulan from his superior position. “I detest women who think they are clever.”
Du Yulan nodded slowly. So, he loved Xiao Man. His playful teasing with Xiao Man was merely his way of spending more time with her. Moreover, anyone who could remain by his side must be the one he cherished. Though she understood this perfectly, she had deluded herself into believing they could never be together.
“Get out.”
Du Yulan got up from the ground and stumbled towards the exit. After two steps, she stopped. “Your Highness, Yulan doesn’t understand. If you love her, why would you ruin your reputation and push her away?”
Nangong Yi tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and swallowed all the bitterness in his heart. “If loving someone meant taking their life, would you still love them?”
Du Yulan looked at Nangong Yi in shock. So, the notoriously dissipated Prince Qi also had moments of vulnerability, moments of sadness and pain. It was just that no one saw his fragility and his suffering.
“Yulan will always stay by your side, Your Highness.”
Nangong Yi turned away. “You should go. Remember, you are not to reveal her identity.”
“Your Highness, rest assured, Yulan will never let a third person know about this.” Du Yulan bowed slowly, pulled her collar higher to hide her reddened neck, and walked out. As she opened the door, a woman suddenly stumbled in, almost falling. It was Nangong Yi’s favored concubine, Consort Nian.
“Nian Nu Jiao!” Du Yulan exclaimed in surprise, looking at Nian Nu Jiao’s slightly bulging belly. Had this woman been eavesdropping outside the door? How much had she heard? This was suicidal!
Nian Nu Jiao swallowed hard, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at Nangong Yi. “Your Highness, your concubine… your concubine just arrived and heard nothing…”
Nangong Yi’s face showed no emotion. His eyes were cold and ruthless, his thin lips parted, and his voice was sharp. “Deal with it.”
Xiao Man, weakened by her allergy, had gone to bed early. In the middle of the night, she felt someone push her, but her body was too exhausted to move, so she ignored it.
To her surprise, the person persisted and pushed her again. Impatiently, Xiao Man opened her eyes and felt a wave of helplessness when she recognized the person sitting by her bedside. “Your Highness Prince Qin, what are you doing here so late at night instead of sleeping?”
Nangong Yu’s expression was grim. He pushed Xiao Man again.
Xiao Man’s head ached. She sat up with effort. “What madness is this now?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were allergic to jasmine?” Nangong Yu asked, his voice laced with jealousy. Why did his thirteenth brother know about Xiao Man’s jasmine allergy, but he didn’t? If it weren’t for the intelligence from his secret guards, he wouldn’t have known Xiao Man had nearly lost her life due to the allergy.
“It’s not a big deal, why make such a fuss?”
“Not a big deal? Do you know you almost died today?” Nangong Yu asked, annoyed.
Xiao Man leaned back against the pillows, her complexion poor and her head throbbing. Yet, Nangong Yu wouldn’t let it go. “It was just an accident. I didn’t know jasmine was mixed into the pastry. If I had known, I wouldn’t have eaten it.”
“Why did my thirteenth brother know?”
“Your Highness Prince Qin, I grew up with him, we were inseparable. It’s not surprising he knows!” Xiao Man said amicably. “He discovered my allergy to jasmine, and for my safety, my father forbade me from telling anyone else.”
“Am I ‘anyone else’?” Nangong Yu asked dangerously.
Xiao Man smiled. “From now on, I’ll tell you everything. Can we move past this now? By the way, it’s so late, is there a reason you came to find me?”
“If I hadn’t come to see you, were you not going to tell me about what happened?”
“It was just an accident.”
“This time it was an accident. Who can guarantee there won’t be a next time?”
Xiao Man listened and nodded in agreement. “That’s true. I need to find a way to overcome this weakness. I wonder if the method of using poison to fight poison would work?”
Nangong Yu was amused by her words, which turned into a laugh. “What, are you planning to eat jasmine pollen until you’re no longer allergic?”
“Wouldn’t that be suicidal?”
“You admit it would be suicidal!” Nangong Yu said, both exasperated and amused. He opened the soup pot beside them; the food inside was still steaming. “I had someone prepare soup. You didn’t eat dinner, so you must be hungry.”
Xiao Man took the bowl Nangong Yu handed her, stirred the soup with her spoon, and stole a glance at Nangong Yu. Seeing this, Nangong Yu chuckled. “If you like this face of mine, you can look openly. There’s no need to sneak glances.”
Xiao Man gritted her teeth and continued drinking the soup with her head down, ignoring Nangong Yu. Before, she could easily provoke him into a fit of anger, but now his temperament had completely changed. He was even more shameless than she was.
“Drink slowly. This entire pot is for you. I won’t snatch it from you.”
Xiao Man handed the empty bowl to Nangong Yu. “Another bowl.”
Nangong Yu smiled and refilled it for her. “How does it taste?”
“It’s good. Not too salty, not too bland, just right,” Xiao Man said sincerely. “Have you put medicine on your hand?”
Nangong Yu quickly hid his hand in his sleeve. Xiao Man finished the soup in her bowl, placed the empty bowl aside, and opened the bedside cabinet, taking out some medicine.
“Show me your hand.”
Nangong Yu hesitated, not moving.
Xiao Man grabbed his hand. “When did you become so effeminate?”
Nangong Yu gritted his teeth. “When was I ever effeminate?”
“Isn’t this coy demeanor of yours effeminate?” Xiao Man shook her head, looking at Nangong Yu’s scalded hand, and applied the medicine for him. “This is Prince Chu’s manor. Come here less often, lest you arouse Prince Chu’s suspicion.”
“How much longer will you stay in Prince Chu’s manor? Come to my manor. I’m always on edge when you’re here,” Nangong Yu said gently. His brothers were not easy to deal with, and perhaps only Xiao Man found them approachable.
“I am Prince Chu’s retainer.”
“If I asked my third brother for you, do you think he would give you to me?” Nangong Yu leaned closer to Xiao Man and asked.
Xiao Man rolled her eyes at him. She had a purpose for being in Prince Chu’s manor, and her objective had not yet been achieved, so she couldn’t leave. Moreover, the investigation she was conducting was showing signs of progress.