Chapter 11

On the way back to the mansion, Dongfang Yan rarely didn't ride a horse, but sat in the carriage with Lin Qingyue, taking the opportunity to ask her some things.

"When did you learn mystic arts? Why didn't this Prince know?"

"This concubine knows many things; it's just that the Prince knows very little."

Indeed, Dongfang Yan's understanding of Lin Qingyue was almost equal to zero.

Before they were married, when he visited the Hou Mansion, he had occasionally crossed paths with Lin Qingyue a few times. Each time, the young girl would lower her head and eyes, looking timid.

Dongfang Yan hadn't even seen clearly what she looked like.

At this moment, he raised his eyes and saw the woman in the carriage, her slender fingers lifting the curtain, looking at the scenery outside the window with great interest.

On the long street outside the carriage, the lanterns were just lit. The warm yellow light passed through the window, outlining her features with a touch of soft beauty.

In those pitch-black eyes, there were emotions he couldn't understand—clearly, there was a smile in her eyes, yet there was not a trace of sincerity or joy to be seen.

For the first time, Dongfang Yan couldn't help but want to peek into her true thoughts and understand what kind of person she really was.

Suddenly, a different kind of brilliance rippled in those autumn-water-bright eyes, as if attracted by something.

"Stop the carriage!" Lin Qingyue suddenly shouted, and then, without waiting for the carriage to stop steadily, she jumped down impatiently.

"Careful!"

Dongfang Yan almost subconsciously shouted, and after he got out of the carriage, he saw Lin Qingyue standing in front of a jewelry stall, looking at a hairpin in a daze.

That hairpin was just a simple wooden hairpin, with clusters of bright yellow osmanthus flowers dotted on the head. Although the design was elegant, one could tell at a glance that the materials were not precious; it was just an ordinary item from the marketplace.

But Lin Qingyue was stunned by it, until Dongfang Yan said: "If you want a hairpin, this Prince can accompany you to the Treasure Pavilion to choose one. The jewelry products there are made of precious materials, which cannot be compared to small marketplace stalls."

Remembering the events of last night, he thought about giving her a set of jewelry as a thank you.

"No need." Lin Qingyue took off the gold hairpin from her hair and handed it to the vendor, "I didn't bring any money today, so I'll trade this gold hairpin for your wooden one."

Dongfang Yan asked curiously: "If you really like it, this Prince will buy it for you."

Lin Qingyue had already handed over the gold hairpin and said to the vendor: "No need to wrap it; I'll wear it."

Dongfang Yan looked at the osmanthus wooden hairpin on her head, and the more he looked at it, the more of an eyesore it became.

"You are a dignified Princess, after all. Wearing a simple wooden hairpin and parading through the streets, do you want people to think this Prince has treated you harshly?"

"The most precious thing in the world is what I like in my heart."

When she said this, her tone was light, and there were emotions in her eyes that he couldn't understand.

Her slender fingers touched the osmanthus flowers on the hairpin; each of those small flowers seemed to carry memories of a past life, rushing toward her overwhelmingly.

She seemed to see that person again, standing under the osmanthus tree, smiling and saying to her: "Osmanthus flowers are evergreen all year round, and the fragrance is long-lasting, symbolizing unwavering love."

At that time, Lin Qingyue had countless beautiful men in her harem and had long since developed a heartless and ungrateful nature. Even in the face of true sincerity, she didn't think it was valuable.

She broke off a bunch of osmanthus flowers, sniffed them, and threw them away: "Unfortunately, flowers have a time to wither, and love has a day to dissipate. Don't talk to this seat about unwavering love; it's boring."

She flicked her sleeves and left, and the corner of her eye caught his lonely figure as he bent down to pick up the bouquet.

A few days later, he personally made an osmanthus wooden hairpin and said to her: "Your Majesty does not like flowers to fall, so this subject made this hairpin of osmanthus flowers that will never wither for you. Does Your Majesty like it?"

"Heh, vulgar." Her mouth was full of disdain, but in the end, she accepted the hairpin.

Later, when her atrocities were overthrown and she died by self-immolation, the three thousand beauties in the harem scattered like trees falling and monkeys dispersing.

Only he crossed the chaotic crowd, crossed the sea of fire and flames, and ran toward her like a moth to a flame...

After crossing over, her state of mind changed a lot.

She deliberately stopped mentioning the past. Only tonight, the osmanthus hairpin she saw unintentionally evoked many memories.

Actually, Dongfang Yan was not wrong. This hairpin was indeed a bit simple, far less exquisite than the one that person made.

Unfortunately, flowers have a day to bloom again, but people have no time to meet again.

There wasn't much road left to the Prince's mansion, so Lin Qingyue simply abandoned the carriage and switched to walking.

Strangely, Dongfang Yan didn't take the carriage either, condescending to walk by her side, but Lin Qingyue was in no mood to continue being hypocritical with him.

The prosperity of the long street was left behind, and a black shadow suddenly darted out from the street corner ahead, stumbling and falling to the foot of the wall with a "thump."

It turned out to be a very thin tabby cat covered in blood and filth.

"Where is that beast?"

"Damn it, daring to ruin my good deed, I'm going to skin it alive and throw it in a pot to stew!"

"The dead cat is there, it can't run away!"

Three men holding bricks and sticks rushed out, cursing.

Seeing Lin Qingyue and Dongfang Yan, as well as the guards and carriages behind them, they were all startled.

"Nobles are here, do not disturb. Get out!" The guard scolded with a cold face.

The leading man gathered his courage and explained: "Nobles, don't blame us. We brothers were walking on the road just now when suddenly a crazy cat rushed out and scratched us. It was that beast—let us take the cat away, so as not to let the cat suddenly attack and hurt people again, disturbing the nobles."

Dongfang Yan swept a cold glance at those people, only to see that they all had deep bloodstains on their faces and hands. Some wounds were still bleeding.

It really was a crazy cat!

Dongfang Yan had never liked cats, and even less disdained to be with commoners, so he walked away without a word.

The guards were only responsible for protection and didn't want to meddle in other people's business.

After those people nodded and bowed to Dongfang Yan a few times, they hurried to the tabby cat, grabbed its hind legs, and lifted it upside down.

The tabby cat had already fainted, but when its hind legs were pulled, it woke up in pain. The cat's head struggled slightly, and a few weak meows came from its bleeding mouth.

Lin Qingyue stopped her steps and suddenly said: "Wait a moment, you cannot take that cat away."

The few people froze, and one of them explained with a fawning face: "This is a crazy cat that bites everyone it sees. The old people and children nearby have all been bitten. We brothers couldn't stand it, so we wanted to catch it and deal with it."

"Oh, is that so?" Lin Qingyue smiled, "But it just said that it saw the three of you bullying a woman, so it attacked you."