Chapter 429: He dotes on a woman so well (2/2)
“Why not?” Long Feiye asked coldly.
Empress Dowager Li was all serenity as she finally introduced Chu Qingge, who had been given the cold shoulder all this time. “Duke of Qin, this is the new Noble Consort that His Majesty took in yesterday, Noble Consort Chu. She’s from the Chu Clan in Western Zhou.”
Chu Qingge had been standing there waiting and staring for Long Feiye for ages. Her proud and haughty eyes were filled with an unspoken sorrow. Long Feiye, ah, Long Feiye, my heart still hasn’t died for you. But who knew that our next meeting would have us as brother and sister-in-law instead!
She assumed that Long Feiye would look her way. Her pride and self-respect made her hide all the feelings lingering in her gaze as she prepared for his gaze in return. However, Long Feiye didn’t even turn his head. Like this, Chu Qingge’s heart plummeted in her chest.
“Noble Consort Chu, this is His Highness Duke of Qin. You should have seen him before at my birthday banquet,” Empress Dowager Li introduced him.
Chu Qingge only felt unsatisfied and aggrieved, but bowed and said, “Greetings and ten-thousand blessings to Your Highness Duke of Qin.”
“Rise.” Long Feiye’s tone was turning impatient. “Empress Dowager, why can’t Qin Wangfei leave?”
Empress Dowager Li finally explained the jewelry exchange between the two women in detail. Han Yunxi didn’t even dare to look at Long Feiye while this was going on. He must be looking down on me for failing over something like this. Unknown to her, Long Feiye’s deep and icy stare was on her the entire time!
“Duke of Qin, your wangfei shouldn’t be a stingy sort, I hope?” the empress dowager said with a smile.
Even ten Empress Dowager Lis wouldn’t be able to match up to a single Long Feiye’s IQ. He took one glance at the solitary hair hairpin in her hair and immediately understood everything. Too lazy to waste words with the old woman, he grabbed his own sleeve and ripped off a long, thin strip of white fabric.
What’s he doing? The crowd stared at him in confusion. Han Yunxi was lost as well. But the next time she knew, Long Feiye walked behind her and held up the fabric next to her temples.
“How do you tie it?” he asked.
This…
In a flash, everyone sucked in a breath. They never expected His Highness Duke of Qin to tear his own sleeve as a hair tie for Han Yunxi! Moreover, he was going to tie up her hair in public here for all to see. This is the high and mighty Duke of Qin! His hands can move the clouds and make the rain, and he makes plans from his tent to command the lands without even shifting a muscle! Even in their dreams, the crowd had never expected him to do such things for a woman with his own hands—especially in front of their eyes!
Mu Liuyue pursed her lips as she fought to keep from crying, while Chu Qingge felt her heart ache as she was rendered mute. Neither of them had ever believed that this man really loved Han Yunxi. Even if he favored her, there had to be limits to his treatment.
But today, they witnessed with their own eyes that Tianning’s icy Duke of Qin knew how to dote on a woman very well.
Empress Dowager Li looked at the scene coldly without saying a word. She didn’t harbor any lovesick thoughts like Mu Liuyue or Chu Qingge. She was simply furious and discontent! The chance she’d created after so much effort, the plot that seemed impossible for even Long Feiye to break, had been shattered with that kind of stunt.
Originally, Han Yunxi only had two options. One was to take out her hair and give the hairpin to Chu Qingge, then find another way to tie it up again. The other was to figure out a way to re-tie her hair first, then give the hairpin to Chu Qingge. Either way would have resulted in shame for her and her family. Though the latter prevented her from letting down her hair in public, getting a hair tie from her servant girl or tearing her sleeve to make a temporary tie were both embarrassing things that would make her a laughingstock.
However, it was different if the Duke of Qin was doing her hair in her place. When news of this spread, it wouldn’t be a joke, but a lovely romantic anecdote! His Highness Duke of Qin dotes on Qin Wangfei so well that he’ll even tear his sleeve to tie up her hair.
What woman wouldn’t admire and envy such a tale?
The entire room of females had grown restless, but Long Feiye regarded them all as air. He held his strip of fabric against Han Yunxi’s hair, making comparisons here and there with a stern expression. In the end, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
Dammnit, I can do anything, but I’m stuck when it comes to hair.
He really didn’t know how to tie it up. Meanwhile, Han Yunxi was still lost in her own happiness to remember to help him. She knew that Long Feiye would get her out of here, but she never thought he’d do something like this to accomplish that goal. Her eyes lingered on Long Feiye’s torn sleeve as she felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.
Finally, Long Feiye grew unhappy and muttered again, “How do you tie it?”
Han Yunxi recovered her senses. She took off the jade hairpin in her hair, straightened out her bun, and re-arranged her hair into a ponytail before she said, “Your Highness, just tie it around this.”
Everyone else was still watching. She could have secured the ponytail herself, but she didn’t. He could have given her the hair tie himself, but he didn’t. Long Feiye’s hands were skilled and practiced with his sword, but it took him massive effort to tie up Han Yunxi’s ponytail. Although the end results weren’t very neat, it was tight and secure enough not to fall apart.
The jade hairpin was successfully recovered without a hitch.
“Noble Consort Chu, I give this white jade hairpin to you,” Han Yunxi said as she offered the item. Chu Qingge accepted it dejectedly. Here was a common hairpin one could buy off the streets. Even ten of them wouldn’t be able to compare to the price of her purple gold bracelet.
The women present all had sharp eyes. They could tell the value of an item at a glance. Nobody had ever offered up a present like this before. If news of it spread, people would only say that the Duke of Qin’s estate was a poor and shabby household. Noble Consort Xue didn’t miss the detail at all, and was about to speak up when Han Yunxi casually revealed her left wrist.
She gently stroked the jade crystal bracelet resting against her arm and said in a helpless tone, “Aye, the Duke of Qin’s estate is poor, so I’m afraid this wangfei has nothing worthy of value. I ask that Noble Consort Xue not to mind this white jade hairpin. After all, it’s the thought that counts.”