Chapter 499: The Duke of Qin’s instigation (1/2)

Chapter 499: The Duke of Qin’s instigation

The carriage gradually rolled to a stop, but neither Long Feiye nor Han Yunxi moved from their seats. One sat with her head bowed, her expression hidden. The other stared expressionlessly out the window. Finally, Han Yunxi got up first, only for Baili Mingxiang to hasten to her side.

“Esteemed wangfei, let Mingxiang support you.”

Han Yunxi didn’t reply and simply jumped off the carriage herself. She wasn’t some weak and pampered flower, much less an invalid. Who needs to help me off a carriage? Even the driver felt helpless at the sight. In the past, it was always His Highness who helped esteemed wangfei on and off the carriage. This time, Long Feiye broke out of his daze before quietly descending the steps. He cast Han Yunxi a glance before heading towards the imperial study with her following behind him. Baili Mingxiang didn’t go after them, she instead waited outside with the driver.

Han Yunxi was clearly very restless and never realized that Baili Mingxiang wasn’t coming with them. As she walked, she began to have trouble keeping up with Long Feiye and his long strides. He was so tall that one step by him equated to two steps for her. In that moment, she realized that he had always slowed down for her sake in the past. Thinking up to here, she gave up on chasing him and walked at her usual pace. But Long Feiye didn’t slow down; he merely walked faster and faster until the distance between them grew even more.

Upon seeing this, Han Yunxi’s expression turned dark. She nearly turned on her heel and left. With his current attitude, he probably won’t even notice if I suddenly disappear. That damned Emperor Tianhui, summoning Long Feiye is more than enough. Why bother to call for me as well?

Sulking and unhappy, Han Yunxi inwardly cursed Emperor Tianhui the whole way in. By the time she reached the imperial study, Long Feiye had already been waiting for a long time, his face a solid block of ice. She sped up for the last few steps, but had hardly reached him when he stepped inside the room and left her behind.

Long Feiye!

Han Yuni was so angry that she glared at him, but his back didn’t have any eyes to notice her angry look. She stepped in with a long stride and quickly caught up as if they weren’t strangers, but her expression looked even worse than Long Feiye’s. Emperor Tianhui disliked Long Feiye’s icy face to begin with, but grew even more depressed when he saw Han Yunxi’s dark expression. Neither husband nor wife were giving him any face today. I had absolutely nothing to do with the assassination attempt, so what do they mean by their attitudes?

“Come and have a seat. Yunxi ah, were you frightened during this time?” Emperor Tianhui asked in concern as he moved to the tea table. He had summoned them both simply for a chat.

“No,” Han Yunxi replied brusquely. How could she admit she was afraid here? Could she tell him that she’d long be shot to death if it wasn’t for Gu Qishao? Could she say that she had truly felt scared after seeing Gu Qishao’s back riddled with wounds and injuries? No, she couldn’t!

She wasn’t here to complain to Emperor Tianhui and make a laughingstock out of herself!

If Long Tianmo and Mu Qingwu hadn’t painted the incident as a threat against the capital, Emperor Tianhui might even have been thanking those archers for targeting her in the first place!

“Were you injured?” Emperor Tianhui asked next.

“I wasn’t!” Han Yunxi replied quickly.

Emperor Tianhui had intended to express his care, but Han Yunxi’s terse replies made it impossible for him to carry a conversation with her. He sat down and made a motion with his hands before Long Feiye settled in the seat across from him. There were only two seats total in the study, leaving Han Yunxi to stand by herself. Emperor Tianhui should’ve motioned her to sit as well, but he simply went on to slowly steep his tea. Long Feiye refused to speak as well, leaving Han Yunxi to stand behind him like some sort of servant girl. Her head hung as her eyes drooped, but her back was still ramrod straight.

Emperor Tianhui was about to pour Long Feiye some tea when he said, “Chendi doesn’t dare. I’ll do it myself.”

His movements while pouring tea were 100 times more elegant than Emperor Tianhui. “Imperial brother didn’t find chendi only to drink tea, I take it?” He had changed the topic without acknowledging Han Yunxi once.

Emperor Tianhui gazed at Han Yunxi’s despondent form, feeling flabbergasted. Did the Duke of Qin get fed up with this woman? Wasn’t he doting on her constantly in the past? Why is he leaving her out to dry today without a single word about her welfare?

“Hehe, Zhen really did just summon you for tea. Ever since the black market explosion, Zhen’s had no peace,” Emperor Tianhui sighed with feeling.

“Imperial brother surely has exhausted yourself with affairs of state, Long Feiye expounded.

Emperor Tianhui only sighed and asked, “Any new clues regarding the crossbow archers?”

“Only the imperial guards would know. Chendi is waiting for news as well,” Long Feiye had cleanly absolved himself of all responsibilities.

Emperor Tianhui suddenly lost his temper slapping the table as he spoke. “Those imperial guards are nothing but rice buckets! They’ve trapped the turtle in a jar, but still can’t catch him! Zhen gave Mu Qingwu three days’ time to find the culprits; otherwise, Zhen will depose him!”