Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Chapter 199 Birthday Gift

Xiao Yan closed the door and went into the inner room. Lu Ziqing followed slowly and asked, "My Lord, is there something you want me to do?"

Xiao Yan came out from the inner room with a brocade box in his hand. He handed it to Lu Ziqing carefully.

"this is for you."

"what is this?"

Lu Ziqing took it and opened it. Inside was a white jade hairpin in the shape of a tree branch. It was translucent and extremely beautiful.

He was stunned for a moment, "Why did the Marquis give me this?"

Xiao Yan's eyes flickered slightly. "In February, I was still in Shuzhou and hadn't returned yet. I think this hairpin is very suitable for you. Consider it a birthday gift to make up for it."

"Birthday gift?" Lu Ziqing lowered his eyes in doubt, then raised them to look at him, "How did you know my birthday was in February?"

"Huh?" Xiao Yan seemed unprepared for the question, but he quickly realized, "It's... Su Chengfeng who said that. Yes, I heard him talk about it when I was in Shuzhou."

Lu Ziqing agreed, but then habitually refused, "This thing is too valuable, I don't..."

"You accept it." Xiao Yan knew he was going to refuse, and immediately said, "When I saw this hairpin, I felt it should be yours. Its cool and lustrous color perfectly complements your simple and elegant appearance. I have accepted what you gave me. Don't refuse what I give you."

"This..." Lu Ziqing hesitated for a moment, then suddenly pursed his lips and smiled, "A bowl of noodles in exchange for a white jade hairpin, my Lord has made a huge loss."

Xiao Yan smiled and said, "I made a profit. I'll put it on you."

Lu Ziqing was about to raise his hand to stop him and say no, but Xiao Yan was one step ahead of him and took off the hairpin on his head.

Her hair flowed down like ink-black silk, with a few strands falling on her fair neck, making her look even more charming.

Xiao Yan's breathing stagnated and he was a little dazed for a moment.

When Lu Ziqing's eyes met his, his heart skipped a beat at the tenderness in his eyes, and he turned away awkwardly.

At this moment, the air seemed to be frozen, and it was so quiet that only the sound of each other's breathing could be heard.

Lu Ziqing's face flushed slightly with embarrassment under those fiery eyes, and he reminded softly.

"Thank you for the gift, my Lord. I can do it myself."

Xiao Yan finally came back to his senses and said softly, "You can't see it, so I'll do it."

He picked up the hairpin and carefully put it on Lu Ziqing's hair, his movements were extremely gentle, as if he was treating a rare treasure.

"nice."

Lu Ziqing's eyes flickered, not daring to look him in the eye. "My Lord, please stop teasing me. It's getting late. My Lord, please go to bed. I'll be going back first."

Without waiting for anyone to answer, he turned and went to the door. He was in a hurry to get out before the door was fully opened, and his shoulder hit the door panel with a bang.

Xiao Yan heard a muffled sound from behind, and he walked over immediately. Before he could get close to anyone, Lu Ziqing hid faster than a rabbit in a panic, knocking on the door and leaving.

Xiao Yan stood at the door, putting Lu Ziqing's fleeing look into his mind, and savoring it over and over again.

After a while, he smiled sweetly and whispered softly, "Is this considered... shyness?"

The moment Lu Ziqing closed the door, his heart was still pounding. He felt like he was sick. He wasn't giving the girl a token of love, so why was he being so embarrassed and pretentious?

He rubbed his shoulders and walked to the bed and sat down, thinking silently, then closed his eyes and lay on the bed thinking.

He didn't know how long he slept in the dim light, but he got up again as if possessed by a ghost. He took the hairpin on the table and looked at it for a while. Finally, he put it into the brocade box and placed it on the wooden box of the clothes that Xiao Yan had given him before.

Because of the matter of that monster, Xiao Yan would go for a walk on the street whenever he had nothing to do. When he passed by the Princess's Mansion, he remembered the questions Xining asked him yesterday, and he felt that he should explain something.

He dismounted and knocked on the door. Someone soon came out. It was Su Xin.

When Su Xin saw that it was Xiao Yan, she was both nervous and happy. She quickly invited him in and ran to the backyard in a hurry.

Xining stood in the yard in a depressed mood, picking leaves with a branch. Seeing Su Xin running towards him in a panic, he said in annoyance.

"What's the hurry?"

Su Xin was delighted, "Princess, the Marquis is here and is in the front yard."

"What?" Xining excitedly grabbed Su Xin. "He's here? Really?"

Su Xin nodded, "It's true. I think he also felt that he had neglected the princess, so he came here on his own initiative. Princess, please go quickly."

Xining dropped the branch and turned to the front yard. Seeing Xiao Yan standing under the tree with his hands behind his back, she walked over and called him.

"Master Marquis is here."

Xiao Yan turned around and said, "I was busy before, and I came over now that I have some free time. I have a few words to say to the princess. I should have come earlier, but I couldn't get away."

When Xining thought that he would come and comfort her, the annoyance in her heart immediately dissipated by half.

She smiled and said, "My Lord, you are very busy with military affairs. I am very happy that you can come here. If you have anything to say, please tell me."

Xiao Yan said bluntly, "I came here this time to tell you, Princess, that I have no feelings for you at all. I agreed to this marriage out of helplessness. I came here now because I don't want this matter to be unclear later and cause you to misunderstand me. I want you to be mentally prepared."

Xining was struck by lightning, and her heart went cold. She was speechless for a moment, and only heard Xiao Yan speak again.

"I'm sure the princess has heard about my previous rejection of marriage proposals. So, I'm not saying this out of dissatisfaction with her. It's just that when it comes to love, she's no different from any other woman. I don't love any of them."

"As for why I agreed to this marriage, you should know that it's difficult to disobey the emperor's order. Furthermore, after what happened to you, the emperor, the queen mother, and the prince are worried about your reputation. So, I agreed to this marriage. Since the imperial decree has been issued, I am powerless to change it. I just want to tell you my true thoughts."

Every word was cold and heartless, which made Xining feel harsh and heartbroken. However, she knew very well why this marriage was brought about and could not refute it.

She used to like Xiao Yan's bravery and handsomeness, but now she hated his outspokenness. She tried to think that even if Xiao Yan didn't like her, as long as he didn't say it clearly, they would be able to develop feelings for each other in the future.

As long as the window paper is not broken, there is still room for improvement.

And now, those cold and piercing words were confessed so bluntly in the sunlight. It was truly a shameful thing that was both shameful and heartbreaking.

Xining's eyes were red, and she endured the pain in her heart and asked, "Do you... have someone you like?"

Xiao Yan couldn't bear to see a woman cry, so he sighed quietly and said bluntly: "Yes, there has always been, but I can't tell the princess who he is."

Xining thought of the girl Xi who walked into the Marquis's Mansion and felt it was both ridiculous and pathetic.

How could a princess like me, a princess of noble birth, be defeated by an unknown person in the martial arts world?

For the sake of that kind of person, Xiao Yan would rather admit it so decisively than tell a white lie, even if it would make her naively think that Xiao Yan was just opposed to marriage and not that he really had a lover.

Not even willing to keep this last bit of fantasy, Xining pinched the fabric of her clothes with her fingertips, as if enduring the pain and resentment of untold humiliation, and barely squeezed out a hint of relief.

"My Lord...it doesn't matter if you don't like me now. I will wait."

Xiao Yanyan had nothing more to say. He turned around and left the house, riding his horse across the street. When he turned the corner, an old man wearing a coarse linen robe and a conical hat suddenly lowered the brim of his hat and walked straight through the crowd across the street.

He exchanged words with a small-eyed man wearing a green robe and a small hat in the teahouse across the street, and they parted ways after a few words.

The man in blue clothes and a small hat rode his horse to the west city and stopped in front of Yan's house.

Yan Qian sat in front of the chessboard in the pavilion in the yard and listened to his whispers. After everyone left, Yan Mengjiang stared at the chessboard and placed the black piece.

Yan Qian placed his white piece and said, "Father, Taoist Qiu has already taken care of it. As long as we have someone report Lu Ziqing to the court tomorrow morning, he will be convicted of being a demon."

Yan Mengjiang didn't respond. He stared at the chessboard and placed another piece, smiling slightly. "This game, I win again."