Chapter 91: The Crown Prince is Unhappy

For some reason, Jiang Lian'er felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.

Perhaps it was because the little black leopard she had raised for so long was no longer as close to her, leaving her feeling a bit dejected.

Or perhaps it was because she felt that the Crown Prince was noble and handsome, yet could never be hers, as his heart and eyes were entirely filled with another woman.

And Jiang Lian'er truly felt that this young lady possessed peerless beauty, making them a match made in heaven with the Crown Prince, someone she could never compare to.

All these things combined made Jiang Lian'er feel extremely down.

But when faced with Nan Xueyin's questions, she quickly adjusted her mood and truthfully explained the precautions for raising the leopard.

Nan Xueyin listened carefully and noted them down one by one.

Once she finished, Xiao Youlan parted his thin lips slightly: "Reward her."

Feihong quickly came over holding white silver in his hands.

Looking at the gleaming white silver, Jiang Lian'er widened her eyes in disbelief; she and her father had sold so many fierce beasts, yet they had never seen so much silver! The Crown Prince was truly generous!

Seeing her dazed, Shu Yu smiled and reminded her: "What are you standing there for? It's a reward for you, why don't you take it quickly?"

Jiang Lian'er subconsciously wiped her hands on her clothes before solemnly accepting the silver.

With a blushing face, she looked toward Xiao Youlan, "Th... thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Xiao Youlan's expression remained indifferent as he instructed Shu Yu, "You, escort Miss Jiang back."

"Yes."

As a young girl of only ten or so, it certainly wouldn't be safe for Jiang Lian'er to carry so much silver, so it was only natural for Shu Yu to escort her personally.

On the way, he asked thoughtfully: "You said your name is Jiang Lian'er because when your mother was pregnant with you, she liked eating lotus seed pods..."

Jiang Lian'er nodded, "That's right, is something wrong?"

Shu Yu asked curiously: "Then why aren't you called Jiang Peng'er?"

Jiang Lian'er was stunned.

This question really stumped her.

"If it were a boy, it would naturally be called Jiang Peng'er. But since it is a girl, she was named Jiang Lian'er."

A deep, resonant male voice answered his question.

The two had arrived at the entrance of the Jiang Family home, and the one who replied was Jiang's father, who had come out to greet them.

Shu Yu suddenly realized, "So that's how it is!"

Jiang's father bowed respectfully to him, "My lord, would you like to come into my humble home for a short sit?"

From the small courtyard behind him, the low growls of a fierce beast could be faintly heard, making one's hair stand on end; Shu Yu waved his hand, "No, no, I still have things to do and must return."

Jiang's father said with regret: "Very well."

As Shu Yu was about to leave, Jiang Lian'er waved her hand, "Goodbye, my lord."

Gazing at his retreating back, Jiang Lian'er felt a sense of loss; entering the Eastern Palace earlier and seeing the Crown Prince had felt like a beautiful, unreal dream, and as he walked further and further away, she understood that it was time for this dream to wake.

"Lian'er, what are you looking at?" Jiang's father asked.

Jiang Lian'er withdrew her gaze, "No... nothing."

The father and daughter entered the courtyard, and once Jiang Lian'er recovered her spirits, she handed over the bundle she had been clutching to her chest, saying excitedly: "Father! Look, so much silver, it was all a reward for me!"

Jiang's father smiled and praised: "It must be because my daughter performed well!"

Jiang Lian'er lowered her head shyly.

A low growl came from the house again, revealing the beast's restlessness and unease.

Jiang Lian'er asked: "Father, that's the sound of the mother leopard, right?"

Jiang's father sighed, "Yes. She only gave birth to two little leopards in this litter; one died as soon as it was born, leaving only one alive. She was already doting on it, and who would have thought the little leopard would be sold by us... She is going to be angry for several days. You must be careful, stay away from that cage these few days; there's no telling when she might go wild, and it would be bad if you got hurt."

Jiang Lian'er nodded, "Daughter will remember."

"Thump, thump!"

A knock on the door sounded, and someone outside asked: "I heard that one can buy fierce beasts here?"

Although they spoke the official language of the Ye Dynasty, it did not seem very fluent.

Jiang's father let out an 'ah' and replied enthusiastically: "Coming!"

He then whispered to Jiang Lian'er, "Go quickly and put this silver away; this is a reward from the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace."

Upon hearing "Crown Prince," Jiang Lian'er's cheeks flushed red again.

Eastern Palace.

After the afternoon, the entire Eastern Palace became busy.

Shu Yu was also busy, but he still valued friendship and specifically made time to come over and secretly tell Nan Xueyin: "The Empress Dowager's birthday is approaching, and the Emperor has entrusted the security of Fengdu to the Crown Prince. The Prince trusts me and has handed this matter to me to handle. I am truly too busy, so helping you find bugs will have to be put aside for now."

But he still swore solemnly, promising Nan Xueyin: "Once I finish this busy spell, I will definitely help you find the scariest bugs!"

Nan Xueyin was feeding the little black leopard mutton and didn't even lift her eyelids as she agreed.

Almost everyone in the Eastern Palace was so busy they couldn't touch the ground, and only Nan Xueyin and Linglang were at leisure.

At times like this, it was even more evident how far-sighted Xiao Youlan was in gifting this little leopard to Nan Xueyin.

Nan Xueyin didn't feel bored at all, and for the moment, she stopped thinking about leaving the Eastern Palace.

She finished feeding the little black leopard the mutton and played with it in the courtyard.

Linglang was timid; although she found it novel, she only dared to watch from a distance.

The little black leopard pounced toward Nan Xueyin, and she shouted in fear: "Be careful! Miss!"

Seeing that nothing happened, she patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief.

The little black leopard bit Nan Xueyin's sleeve with an 'aowu', and Linglang screamed in fright: "Miss, are you alright!"

Nan Xueyin gave a light push, and the little black leopard fell onto the ground with its four limbs in the air, even exposing its belly.

Linglang's heart settled once more, and she patted her chest.

Perhaps because she had been playing with the little black panther, her physical energy was depleted quickly, and Nan Xueyin was hungry before it was even time for dinner.

She asked Linglang to go and ask when dinner would be served, and Linglang returned, saying, "His Highness the Crown Prince has not finished his work yet; he says to ask the young lady to wait a little longer."

"Who told me to wait?"

"Lord Feihong."

Nan Xueyin understood, "Then we won't wait; have the small kitchen just make me something to eat first."

Linglang hesitated for a moment.

Nan Xueyin urged her, "I am truly hungry."

Linglang had no choice but to comply.

After Nan Xueyin filled her stomach, the sky gradually darkened, so she led the little black panther back to her room.

Linglang dug out a half-old embroidered pillow, and Nan Xueyin used this as a bed for the little black panther.

The little black panther tried it out, liked it quite a bit, kneaded it twice, and then laid down.

It must have also been a bit tired from playing; it looked at Nan Xueyin, its eyes slowly narrowing, and finally closed them.

Nan Xueyin watched it until it fell asleep, only then rising with peace of mind.

Before she had taken two steps, the room door was pushed open from the outside.

Xiao Youlan walked inside with his hands behind his back, his face devoid of expression, making it impossible to tell if he was happy or angry.

Nan Xueyin tried to leave, but he stepped sideways, blocking her path.

She changed direction, and he raised his hand again, stopping her.

He looked down at her from above, his pair of black eyes slightly darkening.

This was a sign that the Crown Prince was displeased, so Nan Xueyin asked irritably, "What is it again?"