"You—! Fine...! Let us not talk about unnecessary people already... So, you waited for me this long just for this?" Duan Zitong impatiently took a sip from her teacup and asked in suspicion!
"I guess so… But of course, this younger brother was also concerned about sister…! I wonder if elder sister had any gains from this trip to the Xiao Estate today…" Duan Xingyi saw that Duan Zitong's expression had finally soften, so he no longer bothered her with Duan Jingyang's case.
"Nothing much... At the very least, Xiao Yuxuan had no other choice but to follow me back to the palace…" Duan Zitong's cherry lips pursed into a smile as a brilliant light burst forth from her eyes!
General Xiao Manor
When the wind blew, the withered leaves blew along with it, scattering around the hearth, dancing unpretentiously. However, no matter how beguiling the scenery was, it could not escape the moment of desolation.
Feng Xue and Cui Xin each held a broom and helplessly swept across the ground. When suddenly, a white rabbit appeared out of nowhere!
"Ah… Where did this white rabbit came from!" Feng Xue hurriedly went forward and caught the white rabbit in her arms! Cui Xin looked at Feng Xue upon hearing her exclaim. When she noticed the animal in Feng Xue's embrace, she put down her broom and excitedly ran to her side!
"So cute!" Both chimed in while petting the small animal.
"I wonder if Wangfei likes it… Look at how the Wangfei has been depressed these past days! Perhaps with this white rabbit, her mood will improve…" Feng Xue purposely raised her voice!
"It could be possible… Look at how cute this rabbit is... And she's very obedient…" Cui Xin also praised loudly!
"This white rabbit… Where did it come from?" As the two of them conversed, Qiu Yue slowly stopped and suspiciously looked at the white rabbit in Feng Xue's embrace!
"Ah… Yue'er! Who knew where this rabbit came from! But seeing its obedient look, why not give it to the esteemed Wangfei to relieve her boredom…" Feng Xue eagerly asked!
"That's right… If the Wangfei doesn't like it, then we can send it to the kitchen!" While Cui Xin was speaking, she did not forget to look at her left and right!
"Then... Then give it to me… Let me ask the Wangfei... But if Wangfei would not like it, just let the poor rabbit go. How could you bear to send it to the kitchen...!" Qiu Yue felt pity in her heart, and she took the white rabbit from Feng Xue's bosom!
Looking at Qiu Yue leaving, Feng Xue and Cui Xin secretly exhaled a breath of cold air. They immediately picked up their broom and ran into the dark!
"Su Jinxiu... nothing will happen bad right?" Feng Xue trembled with fear as she looked at Su Jinxiu. Even though she wasn't willing to cooperate with Su Jinxiu, who in the entire manor didn't know of Su Jinxiu's position in the heart of the Prince of Qi? If they offended her, then they wouldn't be able to keep their job!
"As long as you both keep your mouth shut, nothing will happen to you both! From now on, you haven't seen any white rabbit, nor have you given anything to Qiu Yue! Do you hear?!" Su Jinxiu laughed coldly as she spoke, her expression was extremely ferocious. Her sharp gaze was directed at the direction where Duan Muyan resided.
Inside the bedroom, Duan Muyan quietly sat in front of the embroidery rack. She held an embroidery needle in her hand, and as the purple threads flew about, a prancing Qiu Yue suddenly barged inside the room.
"Esteemed Wangfei… Look at what we found outside!" Qiu Yue joyfully hugging a white rabbit as she walked to Duan Muyan's side. The white rabbit seemed to be well-behaved. When she walked to a stranger's place, there wasn't even the slightest trace of struggle or fear!
"This... Where did it come from?" When she saw the white rabbit, Duan Muyan really liked it. She casually put down what she was doing and eagerly took the rabbit into her embrace.
"Feng Xue and Cue Xin picked it up… Originally, they said that this rabbit should be given to Wangfei to relieve her boredom, but then also said that if Wangfei would not want it, they would just send it to the kitchen. When this servant heard this, she decided to carry it back with me without trying to know where it really came from or who owned it!" Qiu Yue blinked as she reported!
"Looks like this white rabbit has to thank you... Otherwise, it might have become a delicacy for tomorrow…" Duan Muyan pursed her lips. Her clear gaze landed on the snow-white rabbit, and her slender fingers slowly caressed its body!
"Wangfei's heart is truly benevolent…" Qiu Yue pursed her lips and smiled. Naturally, she was happy from the bottom of her heart. She rarely saw the wangfei smile!
"Go get some water, he seems to be thirsty!" With the white rabbit in her embrace sniffing at her wrist, Duan Muyan assumed!
Duan Muyan slowly placed the rabbit on the table just beside a porcelain plate filled with water, urging it softly to drink.
In the study.
"What?! Say that again?!" The stylus in Xiao Jinfeng's hand snapped in two as he glared coldly at Su Jinxiu who was kneeling at the table!
"This servant deserves to die… This servant originally wanted to get some water for Xiao Rou, so she left it in the backyard. But when this servant came back as fast as she can with the water, she didn't see Xiao Rou and couldn't find it. So, this servant came to report it to His Highness..." Su Jin Xiu kneeled on the ground, her entire body trembling like a fallen leaf in the wind. She was very clear about Xiao Jinfeng's temperament regarding 'Xiao Rou' in his heart.
"Su Jinxiu! You know very well how important 'Xiao Rou' is to this Prince yet you actually have the guts to lose it?!" Xiao Jinfeng's eyes were red as if they were full of fire as he slammed the table and rose to his feet!
"This servant knows her wrong... This servant was just afraid that it would get thirsty…" Su Jinxiu's tears fell like rain upon hearing his voice. She kept kowtowing, her forehead hitting the ground! Rather than letting Xiao Jinfeng take action, she might as well take the initiative and act more sincerely and have less physical pain!
In just three or four kowtow, Su Jinxiu's forehead was already swollen red. Xiao Jinfeng frowned as he walked around the table and looked at Su Jinxiu who was trembling on the floor. He let out a cold snort and again slammed the table!
"Then what are you waiting for! Quickly find Xiao Rou now! If anything bad happened to Xiao Rou, this Prince will definitely not let you off lightly!" Xiao Jinfeng left the study with ruthless steps. Behind him, Su Jinxiu narrowed her eyes. The curve of her lips was extremely strange! 'Xiao Jinfeng, Xiao Jinfeng... The next time you will see that damned rabbit, do you still have the mood to think about me!? It seemed like the show was about to begin!'
Only after seeing Xiao Jinfeng walk far away did Su Jinxiu slowly get up and follow him.
In the main hall, Xiao Jinfeng sat upright, his cold, bone-chilling gaze sweeping across all the servants and maids before him. The sharp, black eyes were so cold that even Old Zhou was intimidated!
"Did any of you see Xiao Rou in the manor today?" Xiao Jinfeng's voice was chillingly cold seeming to have come from the deepest part of hell, his gaze swept across the people in front of him.
When everyone heard the voice, they couldn't help but shivered and look around. Only few people knew about 'Xiao Rou', so when Xiao Jin Feng asked about it, almost everyone was confused. However, Feng Xue and Cui Xin who were at the back of the crowd felt chills running down their spines as realisation dawned on them!
"Your Highness… Are you looking for a white rabbit?" Old Zhou saw the confusion in everyone's eyes, so he took a step forward to ask Xiao Jinfeng.
"That's right! A white rabbit! This white rabbit was a gift from this Prince to Shi Rou! The gates of the manor were tightly shut since it was last seen. So for sure, the rabbit is still here and someone should have seen it...!" Xiao Jinfeng's expression was serious as he spoke coldly!
With that said, Feng Xue and Cui Xin, who were at the back of the crowd, looked at each other. At that moment, their legs went weak and they placed their hands on their chest, afraid that someone might notice their heart thrashing aggressively!
"If you don't want to cause trouble to yourself... Don't say anything…" Su Jinxiu raised her eyebrows. The coldness in her eyes was no less than Xiao Jinfeng's! Feng Xue and Cui Xin now knew that they were tricked by Su Jinxiu! But they had no choice but to keep quiet!
"There must be one here who saw it!" Noticing that no one was responding, Old Zhou turned around and respectfully walked to the side of Xiao Jinfeng.
"Your Highness, they probably haven't noticed it, so why don't we let them search the manor… Maybe by then it could be found…" Old Zhou suggested!
"Be it then! But no matter what, this rabbit must be found today. Otherwise, none of you will have to eat anymore!" Xiao Jinfeng spoke coldly and took the lead to leave the main hall and head towards the backyard! He had to find Xiao Rou! Shi Rou was no longer here! He couldn't lose Xiao Rou too!
Seeing that Xiao Jinfeng had left, the rest of them stood rooted, unsure of what to do!
"What are you waiting for?! Do you really want to starve to death!? Quickly go and start looking!" Old Zhou urged.
Suddenly, the entire manor started to boil up. All of the servant girls put down their work and started to look for the rabbit.
Within the bedroom, Duan Muyan worriedly looked at the motionless rabbit on the table.
"Yue'er, could it be that this white rabbit is hungry instead?"
Off to the side, Qiu Yue also looked at the rabbit strangely. Even if it was obedient, it couldn't just obediently lie there right?
"Esteemed wangfei, then I'll go to the kitchen and get him a carrot…" As Qiu Yue spoke, she stood up and left the room, heading straight for the kitchen.
When passing by the garden of the manor, Qiu Yue suddenly realized that something was amiss with the ambiance. Normally, few people would pass through the garden, but today, it seemed much more lively!
"Sun Chu, what is going on...?!" Qiu Yue asked doubtfully as she pulled the servant who entered the manor with her!
"Shh… Quiet down and just start looking for a rabbit! The prince's rabbit was missing. Everyone in the manor was looking for it! If the rabbit couldn't found, don't even think about eating!" Sun Chu looked around and saw that no one was looking, so he opened his mouth to speak in a low voice!
"Looking for a rabbit…? Looking... What rabbit?" Qiu Yue's face paled when she heard that. She couldn't help but feel a jolt in her heart. Could it be the white rabbit she gave to the wangfei?
"The Prince said that this rabbit was the one he gave as a gift to his late consort and was very precious! And from the looks of it, the prince was really anxious in finding that rabbit! " Sun Chu whispered!
"Yes … Is that so… I... I still have things to do..." Qiu Yue fiercely choked and felt uneasy in her heart! If it really was that white rabbit, then the wangfei and the prince would definitely clash again. She might as well go back and let that rabbit go, no matter who found it, it had nothing to do with the wangfei and her!
Just as Qiu Yue turned around to go back, Su Jinxiu, who had been observing from the shadows for a long time, stared at her with cold eyes, her red lips slightly curled up as she walked toward Xiao Jinfeng!
"Your Highness… We've searched the entire backyard, but we haven't seen any sign of 'Xiao Rou'. Could it be that it has run into some room?" Su Jinxiu spoke timidly with tears in her eyes!
"Then search one room at a time!" Xiao Jingfeng said fiercely!
"This servant will look for it now…" Su Jinxiu pretended to turn around in fear, but she took a few steps back.
"Prince, even servants can go to other places, but the side concubine's room…" Without waiting for Su Jinxiu to finish speaking, Xiao Jinfeng's cold black eyes had landed on her!
"This servant deserves to die… This servant wasn't implying that the secondary concubine might have Xiao Rou...! It's just that... This servant will look for it now…" Su Jinxiu lowered her eyes and turned to leave! However, the moment she turned around, a menacing smile appeared on her lips!
'Duan Muyan?! It better not be you!' Xiao Jinfeng's hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves as he pondered for a moment. Then, he took large strides towards Duan Muyan's bedroom!