Chapter 107: Will the Crown Prince Just Give It?

Upon hearing the two words "Eastern Palace," the old man lifted his head up once again.

"You... are you telling the truth? Did the Crown Prince send you to save me?"

Nan Xueyin gave a hum, "Shu Yu, do you remember him? A while ago, he bought a small black panther from your home called Xiaoyang. He came here with me; if you come with me, you can see him."

Hearing this, the old man finally chose to believe her words.

He stood up, his eyes already filled with murky, aged tears, "Good... good, I know Officer Shu, I have met him... You must be one of the Crown Prince's people, I believe you."

Nan Xueyin led the way in front, and listening to his muttering, she couldn't help but wonder, is Xiao Youlan's prestige among the common people really this high?

Returning to the inn, when the old man saw Shu Yu, his tears flowed even more profusely.

"Officer Shu!"

He shouted and was about to kneel.

Shu Yu hurried over to support him.

The old man gazed at him as if he had survived a disaster, his voice trembling, "I knew it! The Crown Prince would not ignore this matter, the Crown Prince would definitely come to save me..."

Until Nan Xueyin became a little impatient, "Are we going back to the Eastern Palace or not?"

The old man wiped his tears, "Going, going!"

"Miss..."

Seeing that they were about to leave, Hu Ga looked at Nan Xueyin with some unease.

Nan Xueyin understood what he meant, "I will ask as soon as I return, you wait here for now. I will be back within an hour."

"Many thanks, Miss."

Hu Ga thanked her sincerely.

Shu Yu asked curiously, "What are you going back to ask?"

Nan Xueyin briefly recounted Hu Ga's request from just now.

Shu Yu said with a grin, "There's no need to ask about this at all! As long as Miss Nan agrees, His Highness the Crown Prince would definitely give it without even thinking!"

Nan Xueyin:...

Hu Ga looked at Nan Xueyin thoughtfully.

"How about this, Miss Nan," Shu Yu said, "I'll take Old Man Jiang back to reunite with his daughter, and while I'm at it, have His Highness the Crown Prince give me whatever, then I'll come right back. You haven't left the Eastern Palace in a long time, so it's a good chance to get some fresh air here."

Without waiting for Nan Xueyin to say anything, Shu Yu pulled the old man along and left.

There happened to be two horses outside; after all, being a beast tamer for many years, the old man also knew how to ride.

And inside the inn, because of Shu Yu's words just now, Nan Xueyin felt that the way Hu Ga looked at her was a bit strange.

That look seemed to be saying: Does she have a thing with the Crown Prince?

This kind of look made Nan Xueyin feel guilty and embarrassed, so she turned and walked out.

In the backyard lay the envoys' attendants who had been beaten until they couldn't move; a few were injured by her, but most were beaten by Shu Yu.

They groaned and whimpered, their gazes toward Nan Xueyin carrying more or less hatred and resentment.

Yet, Nan Xueyin felt perfectly fine under this kind of scrutiny.

Under a tree in the courtyard stood a set of marble table and chairs; she walked over, picked up the unconscious envoy lying on the table, tossed him aside, sat down comfortably herself, rested her chin on one hand, and waited for Shu Yu to return.

Not long after, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard gate.

"I wonder if the Loulan Kingdom envoy is still..."

That voice, however, was not Shu Yu's.

The person who arrived pushed open the door, likely intending to ask if the Loulan Kingdom envoy was there, but halfway through his sentence, he saw the yard full of people lying on the ground, and his words got stuck.

Nan Xueyin looked sideways, a bit puzzled, "Bai Sheng?"

Bai Sheng also recognized her, "Miss Nan? Why are you..."

Halfway through his question, he suddenly understood; for what other reason could Miss Nan be here? Of course, it was because the Eastern Palace was also investigating the Loulan Kingdom envoy.

Nan Xueyin looked at him and realized something was wrong.

It was daytime, Bai Sheng had entered openly, and his tone just now had been very polite.

This meant he had not come alone.

Because if he were investigating in secret, he would definitely have chosen to sneak into the inn at night.

Such behavior now could only prove that not only had he come, but Xiao Mingyu had come as well.

Sure enough, before Bai Sheng could say anything, a familiar male voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Why are you standing frozen at the door? Who did you see?"

Bai Sheng told the truth, "Prince, it is Miss Nan."

Xiao Mingyu was clearly stunned; after a moment of silence, he stepped into the courtyard.

He saw Nan Xueyin in the courtyard at a single glance.

In his memory, Nan Xueyin wore dark-colored clothing most of the time, mostly men's attire, without any flashy decorations, and she never wore makeup or styled her hair; there was never a single hairpin or beaded ornament in her hair.

Yet today, Nan Xueyin had her hair styled in the cicada-wing fashion, wearing a dark green shirt with grape patterns and a long skirt with floral clusters; although she had only applied a thin layer of powder, she was already stunningly bright and beautiful.

She sat under the tree, the sunlight casting sparse light and shadows through the branches, reflecting her face like a full, blooming lotus flower, surpassing all other colors and appearances in the world.

As Bai Sheng watched, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Miss Nan is different now; the Eastern Palace has really raised her very well.

Xiao Mingyu was also watching, entranced, and for a moment, he even forgot to speak.

"Is that His Highness the Prince of Duan?"

Hu Ga heard the commotion, and after calming Sang Yue down, he came out from inside.

Xiao Mingyu took a moment to withdraw his gaze from Nan Xueyin and looked at Hu Ga, "I wonder who you are..."

Hu Ga smiled and introduced his identity.

Noticing that Xiao Mingyu kept looking at Nan Xueyin frequently, he thought Xiao Mingyu didn't recognize this young lady, so he kindly explained: "This is from the Eastern Palace; she is one of the Crown Prince's people."

The words "one of the Crown Prince's people" were truly grating to the ear.

Xiao Mingyu secretly gritted his teeth, but on the surface, he still feigned a calm appearance and asked, "Since you are a person from the Eastern Palace, why would you appear here?"

Hu Ga laughed, "This lowly one has a request for this young lady."

"Oh?"

"This lowly one wishes to obtain an item belonging to His Highness the Crown Prince," Hu Ga did not hide it, "The lords of the Eastern Palace said that if this young lady nods and agrees, His Highness the Crown Prince will certainly give it. The young lady has promised, and right now, she is waiting for the Eastern Palace to send the item over."

These words were obviously even more grating.

If Nan Xueyin wants it, the Crown Prince will give it?

What exactly is their relationship now?

Xiao Mingyu found it difficult to maintain a bland expression and sneered, "His Highness the Crown Prince's items are likely not easily taken out and given away; Lord Hu had better not hold too high of expectations."

Nan Xueyin heard the indifference and disdain in his words.

She looked at Xiao Mingyu.

Prince Duan actually possesses a very handsome face; in the past, Nan Xueyin would often be unable to resist taking a few extra looks, but now, she did not know if it was because she had seen Xiao Youlan's even more handsome face too much, but she actually felt that Xiao Mingyu's looks were nothing special.

Listening to him say those words, she even felt that his face was detestable.

It was also at this moment that the sound of horse hooves clattered outside and stopped, followed immediately by the hearty laughter of Shu Yu: "I'm back!"