Leng Yue’er threw those words at him and turned to leave without another glance.
Pei Qingmin’s head rang incessantly, a buzzing that filled his ears, echoing only with the sentence she had left behind.
That little girl… in truth, he could no longer remember what she looked like. The only impression left in his mind was the faint, almost imperceptible reddish mark at the corner of her eye that had somehow taken root deep within him.
He did not dare recall it too often. He feared that if he reached for it, it would be scattered away by the wind, leaving nothing behind at all… not even that faint trace.
“Heh…” He let out a bleak laugh and tilted his body, collapsing onto the couch.
By the time Eunuch Minghai brought the unconscious Prince Wei back to the residence, Leng Yue’er had already moved back to the quarters assigned to dark guards.
The residence was in chaos half the night before things finally settled down again.
When Pei Qingmin stayed inside the residence, Leng Yue’er stayed in her quarters. When he went out, she would keep a measured distance while shadowing him with the other guards. It was, in fact, quite leisurely.
Two or three days passed like this before someone knocked lightly on her door.
She had been lying in bed with her eyes closed in light rest. At the sound, she rolled off the bed in one smooth motion and opened the door.
Standing outside was a little maid who looked somewhat familiar.
“What is it?” Leng Yue’er leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, her voice cold.
The maid first stretched her neck to peek inside the room. Leng Yue’er shifted aside slightly to let her see.
“If you want to look, then look properly. Don’t act all sneaky. What is it? Speak. If you don’t, then get lost.”
Her mood had been inexplicably bad these past few days. She felt like she was just bored out of her mind. No entertainment, nothing interesting to watch. It was dull.
“Ah Yue, Her consort wants to see you,” the maid said.
“Which consort?” Leng Yue’er did not immediately recall.
“The mother of Prince Wei, Consort Zhu Jing,” the maid replied, puffing up her cheeks slightly.
“Oh.” Leng Yue’er raised a brow, not moving from her posture. “What does she want to ask?”
“Her Consort wants to know what His Highness Prince Wei has been doing lately, whether there have been any abnormalities. She wants you to find a chance to enter the palace and report back.” The last sentence was added by the maid herself, a hint of smugness in her tone, as if she expected Leng Yue’er to be punished.
“Then get lost,” Leng Yue’er said flatly.
“You!”
“Get lost.”
With that, Leng Yue’er hooked her foot against the door and slammed it shut. In that moment, she thought she saw a pale moon-colored figure standing not far away.
“Useless and troublesome… serves her right,” she muttered as she flopped back onto the bed again.
The next day, a female guest arrived at the residence. Leng Yue’er only heard about it while going to the kitchen at midday to find food. After hearing just a couple of sentences, she already knew who it was.
Another cousin of Pei Qingmin, Zhu Yan’er.
Zhu Yan’er had not been in the residence for a few days and had apparently gone out. Now that she had returned, she heard that Prince Wei had fallen seriously ill recently, so she immediately came to visit.
Leng Yue’er paid no attention to such irrelevant people. She finished her meal in the kitchen and headed back. Halfway there, a servant stopped her and told her she was assigned to accompany Prince Wei on an outing with his cousin.
Without hesitation, Leng Yue’er waved her hand to show she understood, returned to change into a dark red guard uniform, tied her hair up high, and left.
With a light leap, she was already on the rooftops. A few quick movements later, she reached the entrance of the Prince Wei residence.
She saw Pei Qingmin being helped into a carriage by a servant.
Behind him stood a young lady of about fifteen or sixteen years old, delicate and lively, still trying to cling to him and speak more. Eunuch Minghai blocked her gently and coaxed her into another carriage instead. The two carriages then slowly left the residence one after the other.
Eunuch Minghai did not follow. When he turned and saw Leng Yue’er on the roof, his face immediately broke into a wide, chrysanthemum-like smile.
He still did not understand what conflict had arisen between Prince Wei and Leng Yue’er, and he did not dare ask either. As for Prince Wei, he could not speak. As for Leng Yue’er, he also did not dare.
This one was terrifying when her face darkened, like the King of Hell himself.
Only their prince, who clearly had a death wish, would occasionally approach her anyway.
Minghai smiled and cupped his hands at her. The meaning was clear.
Leng Yue’er curled her lips slightly, then shot off into the crowd.
The streets were not too crowded. She followed the carriage at an unhurried pace, almost leisurely, even stopping at a nut stall to buy a handful of melon seeds. She ate while walking.
Eventually, they reached a lively district. The two people in the carriage got down.
Zhu Yan’er immediately latched onto Pei Qingmin, chattering excitedly. He looked helpless yet indulgent, letting her talk without interruption.
They entered a jewelry shop.
Leng Yue’er stood at the entrance, leaning against the doorframe, calmly cracking melon seeds. She did not even glance inside.
Pei Qingmin naturally knew she was following today. He both looked forward to seeing her and felt a faint sense of fear toward her gaze, which was always cold, almost devoid of emotion, or perhaps carrying only mockery and disdain.
When he saw her figure at the entrance, he finally felt slightly relieved. At least she was doing her duty properly.
“Eldest cousin, does this look good?” Zhu Yan’er waved a white jade hairpin with gold edging in front of him, smiling brightly. She also glanced toward the entrance where Leng Yue’er stood.
A dark red-clad guard, head lowered, seemingly eating melon seeds.
Only then did she feel reassured, her smile brightening further.
“If you like it, buy it,” Pei Qingmin said lightly, as if uninterested.
“Eldest cousin is buying it for me!” Zhu Yan’er exclaimed happily, eyes sparkling.
“Mhm.”
“Thank you, eldest cousin!”
Her voice was sweet and clear.
Leng Yue’er finished the last melon seed, tossed the shell into the shop’s waste bin, brushed her hands clean, and casually picked at her ear.
By the time she looked up again, the two had already left the shop and were discussing where to go next.
At that moment, Leng Yue’er’s eyes sharpened.
In the next instant, she shot forward, pulled Pei Qingmin into her arms, and kicked Zhu Yan’er away. At the same time, she shifted and landed safely to the side with him.
“Aah!” Zhu Yan’er screamed as she was sent flying. The shop’s signboard crashed down heavily behind her with a thunderous sound.
“What happened?” Pei Qingmin, already weakened in health these past few days, turned deathly pale from the shock. His fingers clenched tightly into Leng Yue’er’s clothes.
“Nothing. You won’t die,” she replied flatly, as always without emotion.
“Bastard! Who kicked me?” Zhu Yan’er shouted in pain and humiliation as she lay in the street.
“Miss! Are you alright?”
“Do I look alright?” she snapped, then turned toward Pei Qingmin. “Eldest cousin, I think I can’t get up. It hurts so much!”
She was clearly in real pain. Although Leng Yue’er had held back slightly, it was still not something she could easily endure.
“I was the one who kicked you. If you don’t get up soon… hehe, you won’t need to get up anymore,” Leng Yue’er said with a faint smile, glancing toward the end of the street.
A carriage was approaching.
“Cousin, get up quickly. A carriage is coming!” Pei Qingmin urged.
“I can’t get up!” Zhu Yan’er insisted stubbornly.
“Cousin!” Pei Qingmin frowned.
“I was really hurt!” Zhu Yan’er said through clenched teeth, clutching her stomach.
Pei Qingmin looked toward Leng Yue’er, who remained completely indifferent. In truth, this outcome was already lenient enough. Otherwise, she would have been crushed under the signboard with blood everywhere.
The carriage drew closer. It was a large black vehicle with a heavy, reinforced exterior. It looked ordinary from outside, but its interior was lined with iron plates. Even assassination attempts would be difficult to succeed against.
“It’s the carriage of Xun Junwang. Xun Junwang has returned. Your Highness, why don’t you just stay unconscious?”
A faint smile appeared on Leng Yue’er’s face.