Chapter 49: The Warmth She Brought

Murong Xi stormed off angrily. Shangguan Ning tugged at the corner of Yun Qiange's sleeve and looked at her pitifully. "Bad person, bad person! What is a pretty boy? Is a pretty boy talking about me?"

She raised a hand to pinch his fair cheek. Her eyes curved into bright crescents, brimming with a tenderness so profound it melted the heart. "Don't listen to his nonsense. Ning'er is very obedient; you are not like that at all."

A trace of sinister darkness flashed deep within the young man's clear eyes. Though fleeting, it was still captured by Yun Qiange. It appeared he deeply loathed being touched by her. She forced a dry laugh and withdrew her hand. "Huoyue, take your master back."

"Young Master, let's go." Huoyue stepped forward and took Shangguan Ning's hand. Shangguan Ning flashed the woman a cute, bright smile. "Alright, bad person, bad person. Ning'er is leaving. Goodbye."

The moment the young man turned around, the adorable smile vanished from his face, replaced by an icy, bone-chilling grimace that could rival the Antarctic. As his arm dropped, his expression grew even more bewitching and wicked. His peach-blossom eyes, beautiful as polished agate, churned with a ruthless, biting cold. This woman actually dared to touch his face! Sooner or later, he would hack off her hand and feed it to the dogs!

Huoyue couldn't help shivering with a cold shudder. The Young Master was angry again. How terrifying...

Yun Qiange turned, intending to return to her room, but noticed that Moqi Haoyu was still standing quietly in the distance. He was dressed in a luxurious white robe edged with light blue trim around the collar, his ink-black hair secured by a jade lotus crown, radiating an inexpressible elegance and handsome grace.

He watched her walk toward him. His dark pupils gleamed with a lucid light, carrying hope, fear, and an indescribable bitterness. Would she hate him? She already knew about the affair between him and Xiyan; would she be furious? Would she fly into a rage?

Just as he stood there bewildered and at a loss for words, unsure of what to say, he saw her summon a maid to her side and murmur a few instructions. The maid hurriedly left, retrieved an object, and handed it to the princess. Suddenly, his palm grew warm as he felt her take his hand and place a hand warmer into it. "It's chilly outside. Go back inside."

Looking at her frightening face, yet seeing the clear depths of her eyes and feeling the gentle warmth in her words, his heart felt as though a warm current was gradually flowing through it, melting completely into softness in an instant. When he finally looked up again, there was nothing left before him except the tightly closed door, the tranquil sound of the wind in the air, and... the drum-like, violent pounding within his chest...

The next day, Yun Qiange, having enjoyed a sound night's sleep, finished washing up under the attendants' care and set about investigating the case. She took out the clues recorded at the brothel and murmured thoughtfully, "Hibiscus, white gloves, a bell. What connection could possibly exist among these three?"

The young woman rested her chin in her hand, her slender, fair fingers tapping rhythmically against the tabletop. She looked up and asked, "Dieyi, in what places does hibiscus grow?"

"Princess, are you joking with Dieyi? Hibiscus is the national flower; ordinary households are strictly forbidden from cultivating it, unless they are imperial relatives or influential aristocrats."

Yun Qiange called out to the empty air, "Sun, Moon, Light, Radiance." Four figures clad in black materialized instantly. These were the shadow guards her father had gifted her upon her release from prison and their subsequent parting.

"Go and compile a list of everyone who has ever harbored a grievance against this princess."

"Understood." Acknowledging the command, the four figures vanished in a flurry of movement.

"Princess, this is terrible! Last night, someone must have suddenly distributed white gloves to every household. Now, the white gloves are practically..." Xiangcao paused, her head bowing even lower. Trembling with fear, she dropped to her knees and gritted her teeth, saying, "They are practically in everyone's hands."