Chapter 69: You Won't Be Returning

  Arriving at the east wing, Lin Yue'er and her loyal maid had just finished dinner in a side room of the courtyard.

  Chu Hao swaggered into the courtyard and loudly said: "Yue'er, quickly brew tea for Xiao Wang."

  During this time, Chu Hao has not been idle and often runs towards Lin Yue'er. Of course, he still thinks of himself as very serious and proper, and when the two meet, they only stop at chatting and joking. However, Chu Hao does want to further develop their relationship, but unfortunately, Lin Yue'er doesn't give him this opportunity, except that she no longer often shows a cold face towards him, everything else remains unchanged.

  Moreover, Lin Yue'er is a girl who yields to softness but not to hardness, and she's very stubborn. However, Chu Hao has a lot of absurd logic and strange stories in his belly, which makes Lin Yue'er's stiff face unable to last for long.

  Although Lin Yue'er's impression of Chu Hao has changed, Chu Hao is still the one who took her to Wang Ye's mansion and caused her family to be separated... Even more so... Thinking about this, Lin Yue'er felt extremely complicated in her heart, a wave of anxiety and confusion, even she herself didn't know why.

  Chu Hao used to come to the east wing every day to discuss the truth of life with Lin Yue'er, and occasionally "make a poem" to boost morale and attack her heart with poetry. However, with the Flower Lantern Festival approaching, he couldn't focus his mind, and today he came to find Lin Yue'er also to talk about something.

  At this moment, Lin Yue'er heard Chu Hao shouting outside and her face turned cold. She didn't even bother to respond and walked straight into the house. Xiao Die was collecting bowls and chopsticks on the side, saw Chu Hao, and still bowed to him.

  "Little Butterfly, you're getting more and more lovely, tsk tsk, in the future you'll definitely be a great beauty." Chu Hao looked at Little Luo Li, nodding his head in a pretentious manner, and even reached out to pat Little Butterfly's soft shoulder.

  Xiao Die had a certain tolerance for Chu Hao's crazy words, but when she heard this, her pretty face turned bright red, and she shrank back, trembling as she said: "L...Little Prince Wang, please restrain yourself..."

  "Bang..." A crashing sound came from the room, followed by the shattering of porcelain. Chu Hao's expression changed and he stopped teasing Xiao Die, rushing inside instead. Xiao Die was also startled and followed closely behind him.

  All that can be seen is the outer hall of the house, Lin Yue'er is currently kneeling on the tea table, and in front of her is a shattered porcelain bowl, scattered all over the floor, with broken porcelain still swaying slightly on the ground.

  Chu Hao let out a breath of relief and looked at Lin Yue'er, who was motionless. He took a step forward to check on her, but Lin Yue'er's face turned cold and she said, "Don't come over."

  Chu Hao chuckled and said, "Xiao Wang is concerned about you, how can you be so careless?"

  Lin Yue'er hummed and didn't respond to him. Xiao Die, on the other hand, was extremely nervous, running to Lin Yue'er's side, holding her pale hand, with a blood stain on her thumb. Suddenly anxious to the point of tears, "Miss, are you okay?"

  Chu Hao shook his head. This little loli was really made of water, breaking a bowl and actually getting nervous like this.

  Lin Yue's face was calm and unruffled, her gaze swept past Chu Hao's face without leaving any trace, seeing the latter's indifferent expression, her pretty face suddenly fell, then she withdrew her hand from Xiao Die's hand, saying lightly: "It's nothing, I won't die." That appearance, it seemed like a henpecked little wife.

  Chu Hao also caught sight of the scratch on Lin Yue's thumb at this time, his face tightened, and then he pulled her wrist over regardless of Lin Yue's vigilant gaze.

  "What are you going to do!" Lin Yue'er exclaimed

  Chu Hao didn't respond, and from his bosom he pulled out a bottle of "Jade Frost Dew", gently wiping it onto Lin Yue'er's pinky finger. Lin Yue'er's fingers were slender and delicate, like crystal shining with light. And her fingernails, even more sparkling and translucent, pinched her tender and boneless small hand, just after applying the medicine, Chu Hao hadn't even had time to carefully examine it, when Lin Yue'er already pulled back.

  Lin Yue'er turned her face away, her expression unclear, "No need for your pretended kindness."

  Chu Hao rubbed his nose, thinking about leaving Beijing tomorrow, and suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of sadness. He waved to Xiaodie and said faintly, "Xiaodie, you go down, Xiao Wang will clean up here."

  The little butterfly wanted to speak but stopped, looking at Chu Hao's stern face, she felt a bit intimidated, staring at the young lady for a moment before reluctantly retreating.

  Chu Hao didn't say anything for the time being, but instead put the bottle of "Jade Frost Dew" on the table, then squatted down to pick up the broken pieces of porcelain.

  He looked at the teapot on the table, steaming hot, it seemed that Lin Yue'er had already prepared it long ago, and was probably waiting for him to come over. These past few days, he didn't know if she did this every day.

  Chu Hao's heart warmed up, he took out a Qingmao cup from the cabinet, then poured himself a cup of tea, and lightly sipped it. However, his mouth was bitter as he continued: "Yue Er, do you know why Xiao Wang came to find you today?"

  "You are a noble person, the young master Wang, I am just a commoner girl, how can I know so much." Lin Yue'er also didn't know if she was being stubborn or because Chu Hao discovered that she had already prepared tea and felt embarrassed, anyway, she refused to turn her face around.

  Chu Hao smiled slightly and gently placed the Qingmao cup on the table, making a faint sound. He then said calmly: "Moon child, you can go back tomorrow."

  Lin Yue'er's slender body trembled imperceptibly, her voice trying to remain calm but still unable to conceal her tension and trembling: "You... what did you say... what do you mean?"

  "Xiao Wang means that you can go home tomorrow and leave this place." Chu Hao threw his token onto the table, looking at Lin Yue's beautiful and delicate profile, with a hint of tenderness in his heart: "This is Xiao Wang's token, with it, you can come and go freely from the Wang Manor, back to your original jewelry store."

  Lin Yue'er breathed rapidly, her body unable to calm down, and asked with difficulty: "Why?"

  At this time, she finally turned her head around, a strand of hair scattered on her forehead, the absolutely beautiful face had a faint blush on both cheeks. And her eyes were slightly narrowed, it could be felt that her heart was beating very fast.

  "No need to explain, you're free now." Chu Hao smiled lightly, hiding his true feelings. He knew that Lin Yue'er would be very happy when she heard the news. At this point in time, he didn't have enough power in this world. Although he admired Lin Yue'er's strong personality, more often than not, it was just pity. This feeling wasn't enough to make him want to take her to Du Rui City and face the unknown dangers together with her.

  Moreover, he also didn't know what Lin Yu'er was thinking.

  After a moment of silence, the entire space was filled with only Lin Yue'er's breathing, echoing violently and unfamiliarly.

  At the beginning of entering the Wang Fu, Lin Yue'er dreamed of returning home, but she knew that once she went back, the Lin family would be subjected to the Prince's overwhelming pressure, their family, their jewelry store, in the capital and even in the empire, could no longer stay...

  She almost always thought about leaving the palace cage and breaking free from the crown prince's disgusting grasp.

  But now, after staying in the palace for a month, when she finally heard the word "freedom" that she could only hear in her dreams thousands of times, her heart did not feel as excited and joyful as it had been in those recurring dreams.

  Some of them even made her feel a sense of inexplicable panic.

  This detestable prince, after taking her innocence, is going to throw himself away like a plaything?! Her heart was searching for an excuse for that inexplicable emotion, but that sour and bitter feeling seemed to be a thick fog, spreading across her mind, impossible to shake off.

  Chu Hao felt a wave of confusion, looking at Lin Yue'er who seemed to have lost her soul, standing there in a daze, and was greatly surprised in his heart.

  He had thought that Lin Yue'er would be very happy, but now she looked like this, and even he himself was a bit bewildered. His mind had long been muddled by the unpredictable lantern festival tonight and tomorrow's departure from the capital, where could he go to think about these details that were usually easy to understand?

  "Chu Hao said in a low voice: 'What's wrong? Yuer, aren't you happy?'"

  When Lin Yue'er heard Chu Hao's question, she finally came back to her senses. Afraid that Chu Hao would notice anything unusual, a forced smile appeared on her face as she controlled the calmness of her voice: "Happy, of course... certainly happy."

  Chu Hao felt that Lin Yue'er was a bit off, but he didn't think much of it and took another sip of tea, shaking the teacup and staring at the pale greenish-white tea surface. He said lightly, "Today, Yue'er brewed North Garden Tea using Huishan Stone Spring Dragon Well Tea. Isn't that what Little Wang said?" During this time, Chu Hao had also learned a few tricks about tea tasting from Lin Yue'er, although he was still far from proficient and occasionally got it right. In his own words, it was all just "modest modest, excessive praise".

  Lin Yue's delicate body trembled again, and this wave of palpitations made even herself feel flustered. In fact, it was not the spring water and Longjing tea that Chu Hao had mentioned, but rather Yandang Mountain Spring and Qingbo tea.

  Lin Yue'er lowered her eyelids and said: "En, en... Yes, Young Master Wang's taste is quite accurate."

  Chu Hao was overjoyed to have guessed correctly, and his spirits lifted immediately. He spoke freely: "A true friend is indeed like that. Whatever tea you brew, Xiaoyue, as your confidant, I can naturally taste them all."

  Staring at the purple sand tea tray on the table, which was shaped like a large inkstone, with a wisp of steam rising from the spout of the purple clay teapot. Lin Yue'er fell silent for a moment before saying, "You, why did you think of letting me go?"

  Chu Hao originally wanted to say that Xiao Wang was also reluctant, but unfortunately you are not the one I am destined to be with, and Xiao Wang can only find happiness elsewhere. But at this moment, the atmosphere made him unable to joke, he paused for a moment, then said: "Because tomorrow morning, I will leave Beijing, go north, to Duolun City near the border."

  Lin Yue'er smiled, and this smile had a few hints of an indescribable, melancholic flavor. Chu Hao's eyes were shrouded in tea mist, and when he blinked again, the smile was gone. He only heard Lin Yue'er say: "Yes, you are the young master, and later you will become the Duke. This trip to Du Rui City should be the Duke letting you go to hone your skills."

  Chu Hao nodded and said lightly: "Yes, the military is ruthless, it's indeed hard to find a good tea like Yue'er's."

  Lin Yue'er didn't say anything, lost in thought.

  After a while, she raised her head and looked at Chu Hao, with a hint of expectation in her eyes, saying: "Today is the Lantern Festival, does the young master know?"

  "Of course I know, Little Wang will go to Cuiyue House in a while." Chu Hao said with a smile.

  Lin Yue'er's face turned even colder, and she knew exactly where Cuimonth was. Although the flower lantern festival was supposed to be about appreciating "flowers" and watching "lanterns", hearing it now still made her feel uncomfortable.

  "She said: 'It turns out that the young master had already made arrangements.'"

  Chu Hao originally wanted to take Lin Yue'er out for a stroll, after all, he would be leaving tomorrow. Having stayed in the army for half a year, it was impossible to find another beauty like Lin Yue'er. Even if he couldn't really get together with Lin Yue'er tonight, occasionally having some tofu would still serve as a memento.

  He thought that since he still had some entanglements with the Purple Cloud Sect at night, he didn't feel at ease letting Lin Yue'er follow him. Then, after thinking for a moment, he said: "If Yue'er also wants to go see the flower lantern festival, taking Xiao Wang's token, she can naturally go take a look too."

  Saying that, Chu Hao felt it was getting late and he had said what needed to be said, so he stood up by himself and smiled: "Alright, Little Wang is leaving now. Moon, if you feel bored later, go out for a stroll with Little Die."

  Lin Yue'er didn't respond, she just nodded slightly, and a hint of worry seemed to appear between her eyebrows. However, Chu Hao didn't notice it. He picked up the Qinghao cup, weighed it on his palm, and put it in his pocket.

  Chu Hao smiled and said, "Let's just leave a memory." Then he strode out of the hall, walking briskly out of the courtyard.

  In the elegant room, Lin Yue'er's eyes were lifeless, and she stood still for several seconds before getting up in a panic. She leaned against the door, only to find that Chu Hao had already disappeared from view.

  With a soft sigh, Lin Yue'er suddenly felt a bit suffocated in her heart. She cupped her hands over her cheeks, which still retained some warmth. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly walked towards the inner room and then took out a small, pale green box from the drawer of the dresser. When she opened it, she found that it was filled with rice paper.

  On each sheet of rice paper, there are the occasional lines of poetry that Chu Hao has been reciting over this period of time. Later, Lin Yue'er transcribed them onto the rice paper. At first, she didn't think about the reason for doing these things, but intuitively felt that those poems shouldn't be buried like that, so she recorded them down.

  She flipped through the rice paper for a while, and Lin Yue'er took out one of them. Looking at the poem on it, her face became somewhat complicated and difficult to express in an instant. Like this, she stood for a long time before taking a deep breath and putting the rice paper on the desk, as if she had made up her mind about something.

  She only saw her walk out of the room, pick up the "Yu Shuang Lu" and the prince's token on the tea table and put them in her sleeve. Then, she called to the little butterfly outside: "Little Butterfly, come in, we're going out to see the flower lantern festival."

  "Oh, miss, can we go out?" Little Butterfly rushed in flusteredly.

  "Little Butterfly, you come in and change too." Lin Yue'er didn't say much, just nodded slightly and walked back into the inner room to start changing her clothes. Little Butterfly was puzzled, but when she saw Miss coming out dressed up, she stared with wide eyes and exclaimed: "Miss, what's going on...?"

  At this moment, Lin Yue'er was wearing a fluttering official robe, with a crown on her head, surprisingly dressed as a man. Her elegant demeanor was imposing, and her powdered face showed an unusual handsomeness, just like a weak scholar. She waved her slender fist and said firmly, "We're going to the Emerald Moon Residence!"

  The little butterfly's mouth was wide open and it didn't come back to its senses for a long time.

  Lin Yu'er raised an eyebrow and urged, "You still haven't gone to change into your servant attire." Xiao Die covered her mouth and nodded, finally going in to change under Lin Yu'er's intense gaze.

  As she watched the small butterfly enter, Lin Yue'er floated to the outside of the courtyard, gazing up at the gradually rising moon, and thought of the poem on the rice paper earlier. She lowered her eyelids, softly humming:

  "I want to lend you my clothes, but you won't return them; I don't lend you my clothes and you're cold again. Between lending and not lending, I'm in a difficult situation..."

  Here is the translation:

  "Below is a recommendation for a new book, a fantasy novel, currently rising on the new book chart."