Chapter 90: She Has Been Angry Lately

While Shu Yu was speaking, Nan Xueyin had already taken the little black leopard and cradled it in her arms.

The little black leopard whimpered and fussed as if acting spoiled; Nan Xueyin found it unbearably cute and couldn't help but reach out to stroke its head.

"Don't!"

Shu Yu wanted to stop her.

The little black leopard opened its eyes, saw Nan Xueyin's approaching finger, and opened its mouth.

Only two words remained in Shu Yu's mind: It's over!

With skin as delicate as this, a single bite would break at least two fingers!

Yet, right under everyone's noses, the little black leopard merely stuck out its tongue and licked Nan Xueyin's finger.

Shu Yu was slightly stunned.

Nan Xueyin's eyes felt sore and warm, and she rubbed the little black leopard's head.

"It seems it likes you very much," Xiao Youlan said in a warm, gentle voice.

Nan Xueyin gave a hum, struggling to suppress the emotions in her heart and the lump in her throat, and for the first time ever, she said to him, "Thank you."

Xiao Youlan curled his lips in pleasure, "As long as you like it."

Shu Yu took in this scene, scratched his head in wonder, and remembering something, said, "Right, this little black leopard is quite rare. They say it's a very uncommon breed from the north, not easy to raise, and there are many particularities to it. The merchant gave many instructions, but I couldn't remember them all, so I asked him to come with me. He said he had to look after the other fierce beasts in the courtyard, so he sent his daughter instead."

Xiao Youlan glanced at him, "She's at the Eastern Palace?"

Shu Yu said, "She is waiting outside the palace gate, just waiting for the Crown Prince's summons."

Xiao Youlan asked Nan Xueyin first, "Do you want to see her?"

Nan Xueyin did not hesitate, "Yes."

Shu Yu turned and went out to relay the message.

At this moment, the little black leopard had woken up; perhaps feeling a bit constrained in her arms, it began to squirm in Nan Xueyin's embrace.

Nan Xueyin smiled, a rare sight, "Want to get down?"

Xiao Youlan stood to the side watching her, and seeing her smiling face, his gaze trembled slightly, and he followed suit by curving his eyes a little.

Nan Xueyin placed the little black leopard on the ground.

The little black leopard was very happy; it shook its head, stood steady, and then ran a circle around her.

"You understand it so well?" Xiao Youlan asked.

"When I was little, my family kept a puppy," Nan Xueyin was in such a good mood that she spoke directly to Xiao Youlan about the past.

"What kind of puppy?" Xiao Youlan asked. He was genuinely curious; he wanted to know everything about her.

Nan Xueyin said calmly, "Just a very ordinary dog, a yellow dog."

"I never kept a dog," Xiao Youlan said softly.

Nan Xueyin felt that even if the Crown Prince were to keep a dog, he wouldn't keep a yellow dog.

In the past, Xiao Mingyu had said that yellow dogs were too common and too inconspicuous, not befitting the status of imperial nobility.

"When I was little, I kept a lion cat."

Nan Xueyin looked sideways at him.

"But I didn't keep it for long, because the little cat died."

Nan Xueyin's puppy had also died; because of these words, she felt a sense of shared sorrow with Xiao Youlan and asked, "How did it die?"

Xiao Youlan looked at her deeply, "Xiao Mingyu pressed it into the pond and drowned it."

Nan Xueyin was startled.

"Your Highness, the person has been brought in."

Shu Yu's voice sounded at the right moment.

Nan Xueyin was a beat late, then looked over.

She saw a girl of about ten years old following behind Shu Yu. She was dressed in the attire of an ordinary commoner, with a petite figure, and the first things to catch one's eye on her palm-sized face were those clear, bright, black almond eyes.

She was cautious and nervous, keeping her head lowered, which made her appear even more pure and innocent, like a resilient yet beautiful white magnolia flower in the wind and rain.

"Quick, greet the Crown Prince," Shu Yu kindly reminded her.

The girl stole a glance, and upon seeing the tall and handsome Xiao Youlan, her small face instantly flushed bright red. She lowered her head again and said with a trembling voice, "Gr-greet the Crown Prince."

Shu Yu prompted her again, "Tell the Crown Prince your name."

The girl's face turned even redder, and she stammered, "I... I am surnamed Jiang, Jiang Lian'er."

She bit her lip and gathered her courage to add, "Lian as in lotus flower. Because when my mother was pregnant with me, she really liked eating lotus seeds..."

After saying this, she was so flushed it seemed as if she were about to bleed.

Shu Yu smiled and explained for her, "The little girl hasn't seen such a great figure as Your Highness before; she can't help but be nervous."

Xiao Youlan didn't mind this much and said, "Then let's start by talking about what one needs to pay attention to when raising this little leopard."

Jiang Lian'er still had a red face and replied "Okay," but she still didn't dare look at Xiao Youlan. She looked left and right, and finally saw the little leopard.

After getting on the ground, the little black leopard was curious about everything around it and had already been sniffing its way all the way to the corner of the wall.

"Xiaoyang, come here."

Jiang Lian'er squatted down and called out.

The little black leopard immediately lifted its head and trotted toward her.

In front of the familiar black leopard, Jiang Lian'er was finally not quite as nervous.

Xiao Youlan asked, "What do you call it?"

Jiang Lian'er immediately replied, "Xiaoyang."

She lifted her face to look at the Crown Prince, her cheeks flushed, "Because it really likes eating mutton, so I call it Xiaoyang."

Nan Xueyin was even more suspicious that this little black leopard was her puppy; the puppy used to love gnawing on mutton bones the most.

The Nan Family was poor and could only eat mutton during festivals; the little dog knew how to cherish it, hugging the mutton bone to gnaw on, unwilling to finish it all at once, gnawing on it for two or three days at a time.

"Xiaoyang," Xiao Youlan repeated.

But the little black leopard on the ground heard this and showed not the slightest reaction, still rubbing against Jiang Lian'er's palm.

Jiang Lian'er said apologetically to Xiao Youlan, "Please forgive me, Crown Prince, Xiaoyang has been with me since it was small, and it might not get used to strangers so quickly."

Xiao Youlan said indifferently, "It is fine. It was not mine to begin with."

Jiang Lian'er was puzzled, "Crown Prince... did you not want to raise this little leopard yourself?"

Xiao Youlan denied it, "Not entirely."

Jiang Lian'er was stunned, "Wha..."

It either is or it isn't; what does "not entirely" mean?

Xiao Youlan looked toward Nan Xueyin beside him, "I bought this little leopard to amuse her."

Jiang Lian'er noticed that when the Crown Prince looked at her, his eyes were as gentle as water; for some reason, an unspeakable sense of melancholy welled up in her heart.

She took a deep breath and asked, "Who is this older sister?"

Nan Xueyin said, "I am no one."

Xiao Youlan said, "The future Crown Princess."

The two of them answered at the same time, and Jiang Lian'er was stunned for a moment, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Xiao Youlan smiled, "She is angry recently and is deliberately refusing to admit it."

Nan Xueyin glared at him; he said she was full of lies, but he was no better himself.

Xiao Youlan was still smiling slightly, looking back at her.

Jiang Lian'er was lost in thought looking at the Crown Prince's face; he... he was truly too good-looking, especially when he smiled—how could there be such a good-looking person in this world?

She was even more curious: who was this young lady? Such a good-looking Crown Prince was so doting and gentle toward her.

Nan Xueyin was in a good mood today, and for the sake of the little black leopard, she did not bicker with Xiao Youlan about anything; she crouched down and called, "Xiaoyang."

Jiang Lian'er came back to her senses and instinctively said, "Xiaoyang is shy with strangers; it won't get close to a strang..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the little black leopard kicked off its four legs and ran toward Nan Xueyin, rubbing against her palm even more affectionately than it had just done with Jiang Lian'er.

Jiang Lian'er was startled; how could this be?

"Continue," Nan Xueyin said, "what should one pay attention to when raising it?"