Nianyao didn’t react at first.
But when she caught a glimpse of that somewhat invasive gaze.
Nianyao looked down, her face flushing as if stained with unblended crimson rouge, strikingly vivid.
She tugged her clothes upward, lowering her head, not daring to look at anyone.
A strand of hair fell loose by her temple, adding a touch of captivating charm.
Pei Jinyan knew that if he continued to look at her like this, she wouldn’t eat no matter how hungry she was.
He shifted his gaze away. “Come over after you finish eating. I have something to say to you.”
Only when she felt that gaze no longer lingering on her did Nianyao finally relax, but the next moment, her tension returned.
A flicker of panic flashed in her eyes.
Talk to her? What could the Crown Prince possibly have to say to her?
Could it be…
Nianyao’s eyes froze.
Could it be that the Crown Prince already knew it was her that night?
Nianyao’s expression turned panicked, but fortunately, Pei Jinyan had already walked behind the screen.
She hastily finished the shrimp porridge, not even registering its taste.
After Nianyao finished the porridge, tidied her clothes, and got off the bed.
Pei Jinyan glanced at her complexion.
Rosy and radiant, a sign of good health.
Pei Jinyan lowered his head. “I need your help with something.”
Nianyao was taken aback, the tension from earlier instantly dissipating.
However, in front of Pei Jinyan, she didn’t dare to show it too obviously.
Thus, no longer nervous, Nianyao pondered for a moment before carefully speaking.
“How may this servant assist Your Highness?”
Nianyao didn’t know what about her could be of use to Pei Jinyan.
Still, not being recognized was the best outcome.
Pei Jinyan’s clear voice rang out. “Do you know if there is a palace maid in Shouning Palace with a begonia flower mark on her shoulder?”
Nianyao froze, instinctively asking, “What?”
Nianyao suddenly felt the begonia flower on her right shoulder—a mark she had begged a nanny to tattoo in her childhood out of playful vanity—burning intensely.
So hot it felt as though it would scorch the fabric of her clothes.
Nianyao shivered, lowering her head to murmur, “Th-this servant doesn’t know.”
Pei Jinyan was lost in other thoughts and didn’t pay extra attention to her expression.
Nianyao’s response was within Pei Jinyan’s expectations.
If it weren’t too abrupt, Pei Jinyan would have wanted to see if she indeed had that begonia flower on her shoulder.
Nianyao watched him lost in thought and mustered the courage to ask, “This servant would like to know, why are you looking for… this palace maid?”
Pei Jinyan snapped out of his thoughts, his gaze settling on her.
His brow slightly raised, as if surprised by her question.
Pei Jinyan instinctively assumed she was jealous.
Admittedly, his mood improved, and even the chill in his voice lessened as he spoke.
“That person stole something of mine. I want to find her.”
“Find her?” Nianyao swallowed. “And then?”
Pei Jinyan sneered.
“A thousand cuts.”
Nianyao: !!
Nianyao’s breath caught, her hands stiffening, as she forced an extremely awkward smile.
In her eyes now, Pei Jinyan was no longer the aloof and noble Crown Prince.
Instead, he was a living demon king, sickle in hand, walking toward her!
But the living demon king hadn’t found her yet, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
Nianyao quietly swallowed, looking at Pei Jinyan with growing reverence in her eyes.
She had not expected that the esteemed Crown Prince, who possessed so many fine things, would be so stubbornly fixated on an inconspicuous little Jade Ring.
Nianyao noticed that Pei Jinyan’s gaze had been fixed on her, yet she had been lost in thought for a long time without answering him.
Nianyao mustered her courage before speaking: “Then, I wish Your Highness success in finding that maid soon.”
The smile on her face was stiff, and upon closer inspection, it carried a hint of reluctance.
But Pei Jinyan did not notice; he only felt that Nianyao’s voice was as soft as a spring breeze, different from the other palace maids, and truly pleasant to the ear.
He sensed nothing amiss.
However, Li Fuquan, standing nearby, felt an indescribable strangeness about the situation.
Li Fuquan glanced at the Crown Prince, who was swaying the Jade Ring hanging from his waist.
The tassel at the end of the Jade Ring swayed with his movements.
Li Fuquan calmly withdrew his gaze, as still as an ancient well.
Hah, it seemed the Crown Prince had been utterly and completely bewitched by beauty!
He recalled how aloof and detached his master had once been, so indifferent to worldly matters that even the most beautiful maids attempting to climb into his bed were met with cold disdain—chillier than the lotus atop a snowy mountain peak.
But…
Thinking of Pei Jinyan’s ethereal, icy demeanor, Li Fuquan feared that if not for the Crown Prince’s ruthless methods in certain matters, his master might have ascended to the heavens to become an immortal.
As Li Fuquan pondered this, he silently shifted his gaze to Nianyao.
Fortunately, now the Crown Prince also harbored the desires of an ordinary man, which moved Li Fuquan, who had followed His Highness since childhood.
His gaze toward Nianyao even held a trace of peculiar gentleness.
The atmosphere in the entire hall was rather peculiar.
Nianyao could not ignore the strikingly different gazes directed at her by the master and servant.
She lowered her eyes, staring at the tips of her shoes, without making any improper movements.
Nianyao spoke slowly: “Regarding Your Highness’s matter, this servant will do her best. However, as I am no longer in Shouning Palace…”
Before she could finish, Pei Jinyan interrupted.
“This Prince has his own ways.”
Nianyao’s words caught in her throat, and she looked up at him with slight confusion.
Pei Jinyan continued.
“You need only remember the task this Prince has assigned to you.”
Nianyao gritted her teeth.
She had just found the only remaining bloodline of her aunt in this world.
And now he wanted to send her back to Shouning Palace with a single command?
Nianyao lowered her head: “This servant has her own ways to return. There is no need for Your Highness to trouble himself.”
Her words carried a hint of sharpness, causing Pei Jinyan’s brow to furrow slightly.
No woman had ever dared speak to him like this. Jiang Nianyao was the first.
Pei Jinyan narrowed his phoenix eyes, his gaze resting on her delicate, upturned nose.
Nianyao’s beauty was truly overwhelming; even Pei Jinyan had to admit it.
He, too, had once been momentarily dazzled by her appearance.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly grew tense, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Nianyao’s forehead.
Yet her back remained straight. If given the choice, she would say the same thing again.
“Hah.”
Pei Jinyan let out a light laugh, and the room’s atmosphere returned to its earlier lightness.
As if the suffocating tension of moments before had been nothing but a figment of Nianyao’s imagination.
“Very well. This Prince will see how you, by your own means, return to Shouning Palace to resume your role as head maid.”
After saying this, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked out of the hall.
Nianyao suddenly let out a sigh of relief, only to realize her back was already soaked, sticky and uncomfortable.
Li Fuquan hurriedly helped her up.
“Miss, why must you do this?”
Nianyao forced a faint smile but said nothing.
Li Fuquan had no choice but to escort her out of the Eastern Palace.
The morning light was faint, the winter sun rising from the east.
Orange-gold rays scattered across Nianyao’s face, a flicker of confusion passing through her eyes.
Had it really been an entire night?