Chapter 92: Little Xue, Leaving

Xiao Youlan stared at Nan Xueyin and asked in a deep voice, "Why didn't you wait for me to have dinner?"

Nan Xueyin frowned and looked at him in confusion, "Just because of this? You're unhappy?"

"Yes."

Nan Xueyin was speechless for a long moment before squeezing out a word: "Childish."

Xiao Youlan's eyes grew even deeper, "Not only did you not wait for me to have dinner together, you even called me childish."

Nan Xueyin simply couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind.

Xiao Youlan turned away, making a show of leaving, "I have some matters to attend to, I'm going to find Wu Zhui."

Nan Xueyin immediately grabbed his sleeve.

Xiao Youlan glanced sideways, "What is it?"

Nan Xueyin bit the bullet: "You... have you had dinner? I'll accompany you to eat."

Xiao Youlan, however, said: "I have already eaten."

Looking at her, he said word by word: "I ate alone, and the food was cold."

Nan Xueyin wanted to say, if the food was cold, you should have asked the small kitchen to heat it up! How can you blame me for this?

But for the sake of Wu Zhui, she desperately held her tongue, thought for a moment, and said: "Then do you want to eat something else? I'll accompany you to eat a little."

"No need," Xiao Youlan said, "I am too childish, I don't deserve it."

Nan Xueyin was again speechless for a long moment.

Why is the Crown Prince so hard to coax?

She gritted her teeth and simply asked him: "Then what do you want me to do so you'll stop being angry and stop looking for trouble with Wu Zhui?"

Xiao Youlan looked at her deeply: "You must promise me one thing."

"What thing?"

"You must first guarantee that you will definitely promise me."

Nan Xueyin pondered for a moment, looking at him thoughtfully, "You... want me to accompany you to attend the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet?"

There haven't been many major events recently, and this is the biggest and most grand one.

Seeing that she had guessed it, a look of appreciation appeared in Xiao Youlan's eyes, "Does this mean you've agreed?"

It really was what he was thinking of.

Nan Xueyin let go of his sleeve and asked in return: "If you take me there, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will both see me, and they will also ask you who I am. How will you answer then?"

Xiao Youlan's lips moved as if to reply, but Nan Xueyin coldly interrupted him in advance: "You cannot say future Crown Princess."

Xiao Youlan paused, "You don't believe that I will marry you?"

Nan Xueyin did not speak.

She is an Assassin, with no family standing or background, possessing only the skill to kill and hands full of human blood.

He is the most noble Crown Prince of the Ye Dynasty, who will inherit the throne in the future and govern all the people under heaven.

She marry him?

No one in the entire world would approve of this marriage.

"So be it," Xiao Youlan lowered his eyes, "After all, you don't like me yet, and I used means to keep you by my side."

But this little feeling of disappointment only lasted for a very short moment; soon, he looked at Nan Xueyin again, "At that time, I will say you are my savior."

Nan Xueyin was confused, "Savior?"

"Forgotten? Outside the city, an Assassin almost took my life, and it was you who saved me."

Actually, if one were to really talk about it, it was even earlier than that.

At that time, she was still wearing the mask of Doukou, appearing on the street like a goddess descended from heaven, stopping the out-of-control carriage with her bare hands.

Xiao Youlan would never forget that scene in his entire life.

"At that time, I will say that you saved me, but were injured because of it, and stayed in the Eastern Palace to recover."

Nan Xueyin thought for a moment, "That works."

Seeing that she had agreed, a smile finally appeared on Xiao Youlan's face; he touched her cheek and asked: "Where is Xiaoyang?"

"Asleep."

"Then I won't disturb it," Xiao Youlan said, "You should rest too, I still have many things to be busy with."

Nan Xueyin nodded.

After Xiao Youlan left, she turned and walked two steps toward the room, then suddenly realized something, stopped, and frowned.

It was just not waiting for him to have dinner, just saying he was childish; how could he possibly be angry to this extent?

It is clear that he had already planned for her to go to the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, and therefore deliberately used the opportunity to find trouble, step by step luring her into his trap.

Nan Xueyin ground her teeth.

Truly... deep-scheming!

But since she had already agreed, Nan Xueyin would not go back on her word halfway; she could only count it as her own bad luck.

In the following days, the entire Eastern Palace remained busy.

Because it was fed well, the little black panther had grown visibly larger.

Linglang was finally able to muster the courage to touch the little black panther's head and feed it a few pieces of meat.

On the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday, Xiao Youlan got up very early.

He still squeezed onto Nan Xueyin's bed, and after waking up, he didn't get out of bed, but first came to nudge her, "Little Xue, wake up."

Nan Xueyin was a light sleeper; she opened her eyes abruptly and happened to meet Xiao Youlan's gaze.

Xiao Youlan asked her: "Awake?"

Nan Xueyin asked him in return: "What did you just call me?"

"Little Xue."

Nan Xueyin blushed slightly, "Didn't I tell you before, you are not allowed to call me that."

Xiao Youlan nodded slightly, without saying anything like he wouldn't call her that again in the future, just smiling as he said, "Get up. We must pay our respects at 5:30 AM, don't be late."

Nan Xueyin didn't fuss with him too much and slowly sat up.

Attending the birthday banquet of Empress Dowager Zong today, Xiao Youlan was dressed rather formally in a long robe with a round collar, wide sleeves, and a ruyi-patterned floral design, wearing a leather belt with jade plaques, carrying a tassel-adorned mutton-fat jade pendant, and all his dark hair was meticulously bound within a Gold Crown with jade rings and cloud patterns, completely revealing his handsome face that was without a single flaw.

Looking at him for a moment, Nan Xueyin felt that his face was truly a bit too ostentatious.

Having this thought, she herself was stunned for a moment.

She tried hard to cast this thought out of her mind.

"Let's go, Little Xue."

Xiao Youlan stepped forward to meet her.

Perhaps because of that thought, Nan Xueyin didn't even react at first to how he had addressed her.

Halfway there, she frowned and glared at Xiao Youlan, "I said it already, you are not allowed to call me that."

Xiao Youlan did not reply, but with a smile on his face, he reached out and straightened the palace sash hanging from her waist.

"Crown Prince."

At this moment, a familiar voice came from ahead.

Nan Xueyin raised her eyes and indeed saw Xiao Mingyu.

His gaze landed on Xiao Youlan's hand, the emotion in his eyes difficult to discern.

"Fourth Brother." Xiao Youlan was unhurried as he withdrew his hand.

Discovering that Xiao Mingyu was looking at Nan Xueyin, he was not angry, but instead curled one corner of his lip and asked leisurely, "I wonder how Fourth Brother's injuries are?"

Xiao Mingyu was already irritable because he saw Nan Xueyin standing beside his arch-rival, and upon hearing this, he became even more irritable—if it weren't for Nan Xueyin going to the Eastern Palace, how could he have been injured!

He managed to squeeze out a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Crown Prince, it is already mostly healed."

Xiao Youlan nodded slightly, "The Yan Family is also coming today, Fourth Brother, do be more careful, don't show anything amiss, and don't let Miss Zhirong worry."

On the surface, this was telling him to mind his injury, but it also had a second meaning: to tell him not to stare at Nan Xueyin like that, as he was about to marry Yan Zhirong, wasn't he?

Xiao Mingyu understood his meaning and instead laughed, "Speaking of which, the Empress Dowager has been worried about your marriage, Crown Prince; at today's birthday banquet, she will surely mention it to your face. Crown Prince, have you made full preparations?"

This was an insinuation that Nan Xueyin's status was insufficient to be accepted as the Crown Princess.

Xiao Youlan smiled slightly: "Recently, Father Emperor has entrusted me with the security of the capital and the preparations for the birthday banquet; it is inevitable that minor matters like marriage have been neglected. As for Fourth Brother, you are currently in Fengdu just waiting to marry into the Yan Family, truly leisurely and carefree, to the point that you can even consider the affairs of the Eastern Palace; it really makes one envious."

Nan Xueyin couldn't help but glance at him.

Showing off that he was trusted with important tasks while belittling the Prince of Duan for being idle—he was really quite passive-aggressive.

Xiao Mingyu's smile stiffened on his face for an instant.

Without waiting for his reply, Xiao Youlan called out softly, "Little Xue, let's go."

Xiao Mingyu heard that form of address and was suddenly stunned.

Little Xue.

This was calling Nan Xueyin.

To think he could actually call her that; it sounded much more intimate than "Yinyin," and he had never called her that.

And also...

How come she didn't refute it, but tacitly allowed the Crown Prince to call her that?!