Chapter 49: Hearing Her Speak

It was not that Xiao Mingyu was unaware of all this, but hearing it spoken from the mouth of Wu Zhui was particularly irritating.

Xiao Mingyu's expression was stern, "So, you want this Prince to admit fault?"

Wu Zhui suddenly laughed, "Prince, you still do not feel you have done anything wrong. It is not just this matter of the rendezvous; last time, when I heard that Lady Nan saved the Crown Prince on the street, you urgently summoned Lady Nan to reprimand her. The time before that, Hua Lianying deliberately found the Lin father and son to make things difficult for Lady Nan, and when Lady Nan came to warn Hua Lianying not to ruin things, you still reprimanded Lady Nan. In truth, you know clearly in your heart that you reprimanded her because you care for her, you like her!"

The four words were cast with resonance; Xiao Mingyu instantly revealed a look of shame, annoyance, and fury, sternly shouting: "Shut up!"

"I will not shut up! There are some things I should have said long ago!"

Wu Zhui did not show any intention of backing down, "Prince, you probably do not know, but Lady Nan has actually always liked you."

Xiao Mingyu was suddenly stunned, as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his head.

"Lady Nan became an Assassin for your sake, and she carried out dangerous mission after dangerous mission for your sake. Once, she was severely wounded and running a high fever; when I went to deliver medicine to her, I heard her murmuring in her dreams, and the words she called out were 'Prince'—Prince, are you trying to say that since she likes you, why did she not show it?"

Wu Zhui sneered, "Prince, you have surely forgotten that there are always so many women around you; how could you expect Lady Nan to dare to show it? You even took in Lady Nan's cousin. When you were entangled in intimacy in the room, Lady Nan was standing outside the door in the wind and snow, listening..."

His voice carried a hint of choking, "I often wonder, is Lady Nan's affection so lowly, so unworthy of mention? The Prince always says that this is what Lady Nan owes you. The Prince did save Lady Nan's life back then, but over these years, Lady Nan has killed so many enemies for the Prince; the debt of saving her life has long been repaid! The Prince also says that everything Lady Nan has now is given by you, but what has Lady Nan actually received? The room she lives in is so small, she only has two or three sets of clothes to change into all year round, she has no jewelry, no hairpins, and in the Duan Prince Mansion, she has never even celebrated a single birthday! If it were not for her ability to heal from injuries, all she would have received by the Prince's side would be a body full of scars and severed limbs!"

Wu Zhui's words were like sharp knives, repeatedly stabbing at Xiao Mingyu's heart.

He found himself unable to catch his breath for a moment.

He sat there, his anger having long since extinguished, leaving only a pile of wretched ashes.

"With things having reached this point, I suppose I can no longer serve by the Prince's side," Wu Zhui raised a hand and wiped away his tears, "The Prince should return to Lianzhou in these two days, so take Hua Lianying back with you. This subordinate will stay behind to look for Lady Nan once more. Whether the Prince wants me to go raise horses or empty chamber pots, this subordinate will have no complaints."

The next day, the sky was faintly bright.

Nan Xueyin was on the bed, still not feeling much sleepiness; she did not know if it was because she had been unconscious for too long, but she felt her mind was incredibly clear.

She lay flat on the bed, her hands folded and placed over her lower abdomen, though she did not know what she was thinking about.

"Knock, knock."

Someone knocked on the door; after two sounds, a voice rose: "It is me."

The tone was clear and moist, like beautiful jade striking together.

It was Xiao Youlan.

The room was filled with silence.

Xiao Youlan waited patiently for a moment before pushing the door open and entering; when he stood still by the bed, the tip of Nan Xueyin's nose caught the scent of cool morning dew.

He must have finished the affairs of the Eastern Palace and rushed over through the night.

"Are you hungry?" Xiao Youlan asked.

Nan Xueyin did not speak and propped herself up to sit; he reached out to support her, but her movements were too fast, and she did not give him time to touch her.

Xiao Youlan paused, lowered his eyes, and looked at his own hands.

Sadness was a very brief emotion, flashing by in an instant; he looked at Nan Xueyin again, his voice remaining calm and gentle, "I had the small kitchen prepare some breakfast; I reckon it is almost ready. Get up and eat something."

Nan Xueyin's body had not yet fully recovered and needed to eat.

Therefore, she did not resist and moved to get out of bed.

It was also at this moment that Xiao Youlan crouched down by the bed and took the initiative to pick up her shoes and put them on her feet.

Nan Xueyin had never experienced such a thing; furthermore, he was the Crown Prince, golden and precious, yet he was putting on her shoes?

Her brows furrowed, and she moved her feet to the side to avoid him.

Xiao Youlan then used his left hand to grasp her ankle while his right hand supported the shoe, putting it on directly with a clean and decisive movement.

With both on, he raised his head and smiled slightly: "Done."

Nan Xueyin said nothing and rose to walk outside.

Xiao Youlan caught her hand again.

Nan Xueyin turned back with a cold face.

"Wash your hands first," Xiao Youlan said softly.

Nan Xueyin had no way to refute; when she was young, her mother often said this to her: wash your hands before eating.

She inexplicably had a strange feeling, uncontrollably following Xiao Youlan until they reached the rack placed against the wall.

The water in the basin had been prepared by the Momo before sleep yesterday and had not been used; he took her hands and submerged them into the water together, scrubbing them very carefully.

After washing, he picked up a dry towel and wiped every drop of water from her hands.

"Done," Xiao Youlan released her.

Nan Xueyin lowered her hands, hiding them in her sleeves and unconsciously rubbing them twice.

When they went out, breakfast and the bowls and chopsticks were already set.

Nan Xueyin sat down at the table; she was truly hungry, so she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat, picking up the nearest pickled vegetables, stacking them on the spoon in her left hand, and sending them into her mouth mixed with rice porridge.

When she went to pick up the second mouthful, she noticed that Xiao Youlan was not in a hurry to use his chopsticks, but was instead watching her hands the whole time.

She went to pick up pickled vegetables, he watched; she moved to pick up a steamed bun, and Xiao Youlan's gaze shifted over as well.

It was as if... he was observing her dietary preferences.

Nan Xueyin bit off a large piece of the steamed bun and chewed expressionlessly, thinking to herself that she was different from the Crown Prince; she became an orphan at ten and later became an Assassin, so as long as the food was not poisonous and could fill her stomach, she would accept anything, and it had nothing to do with whether she liked it or not.

Xiao Youlan probably did not realize this point; he watched her for quite a while before picking up his own bowl and chopsticks.

During the meal, the Crown Prince still maintained the excellent habit of "not speaking while eating, not speaking while sleeping," and there was only the sound of bowls and chopsticks clashing in the room.

Nan Xueyin ate quickly and was the first to be full.

She put down her bowl and chopsticks and took the napkin at her side to wipe the corners of her mouth.

"Is there anything you would like to do today?" Xiao Youlan also stopped.

Nan Xueyin put down the napkin, thinking that today she naturally wanted to find an opportunity to escape.

She remained silent, and Xiao Youlan continued on his own: "Yesterday when I returned to the Eastern Palace, I heard the report that Jiaoyuan has been mostly tidied up, and the Duan Prince will likely set off to return to Lianzhou in these two days."

Nan Xueyin did not even lift her eyelids.

If she were to escape this place, she would naturally not go to Jiaoyuan, but would return directly to Lianzhou; where the Duan Prince actually was did not have much influence on her.

"However, the Prince Duan's personal attendant is no longer by his side," Xiao Youlan added.

Nan Xueyin suddenly raised her eyes.

But Xiao Youlan seemed to have no intention of continuing, turning his head to instruct the Momo to come in and clear away the bowls and chopsticks.

Nan Xueyin knitted her brows.

Prince Duan had many attendants, but the only personal attendant who could draw the attention of the Eastern Palace was Wu Zhui.

Why was he no longer by Xiao Mingyu's side? Was it related to the failure of this mission?

After a long while, she slowly made a sound: "Are you speaking of Wu Zhui?"

She had not spoken for too long, so her voice was inevitably hoarse, even carrying a sense of exhaustion and weakness; Nan Xueyin had never been like this before, and for the first moment, she did not even realize it was her own voice.

Xiao Youlan was stunned for a moment, his eyes suddenly turning red.

—Finally, he had heard her speak.