Chapter 50 Returning Fengxue Bracelet, Qin Jiao’s Turmoil

Chapter 50 Returning the Fengxue Bracelet: Qin Jiao's Heart in Turmoil

Xie Nai accompanied Qin Jiao back to the tent, and Cong Shuang came out to greet them. She was still happy to see Xie Nai, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

After bidding farewell to Xie Nai, Qin Jiao pulled Cong Shuang into the tent.

Cong Shuang had looked after Qin Jiao for over a decade, and she could tell he wasn't in the right mood. "Did something happen when you went out with the prince?" she asked in sign language.

"Sort of," Qin Jiao said, sitting on the edge of the bed, his voice a little flat. "Well, actually, it's not a big deal."

Qin Jiao's hesitance made Cong Shuang worry. She looked ready to fight. "Did the prince bully you? I'll go find him!"

"No, sister, where did you get that idea?"

Qin Jiao had no idea how Cong Shuang's mind had leaped to that conclusion.

"Forget it, let's rest first. We have to travel tomorrow."

Seeing Qin Jiao a little down, Cong Shuang didn't press him further. "Alright, I'll go get some water for washing." After giving Qin Jiao a reassuring pat on the head, she left the tent.

At that moment, Qin Jiao sat there in a daze, and his mind kept drifting back to what Xie Nai had said: "Just that I don't hate him as much as I used to."

So, he still hated him, right?

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The next day, before the team set off, Qin Jiao went to find Xie Nai again. Cong Shuang noticed he looked fine when he left but came back with a sour expression. When she pushed for details, Qin Jiao just shook his head and stayed silent.

Over the next few days, Qin Jiao stopped seeking Xie Nai out, and Xie Nai seemed busy as well, so they never met again.

Time flew by; half a month seemed to disappear in a blink. Tomorrow they'd arrive at the capital.

That night, the army would camp and rest outside the capital. It was already deep winter, and soon it'd be New Year's. The farmhouse gates on the outskirts were decked out with festive red lanterns.

Not all of the Lingnan Army would enter the city; most would stay camped outside. That evening, Qin Jiao was watching Cong Shuang pack when Luo Yue showed up smiling.

"Young master, the prince wants to see you."

Even though Qin Jiao hadn't seen Xie Nai in a while, he'd run into Luo Bei and Luo Yue often.

"I'm not feeling well, so I'll pass. Please let the prince know, Luo Yue," Qin Jiao said softly.

"Unwell? Then I'll get Military Doctor Hou to check your pulse, young master."

Luo Yue didn't think much of it—he just figured Qin Jiao was exhausted from days of travel.

"No need, I'll just rest. Also, tomorrow we won't ride into the city with you." After a moment's hesitation, Qin Jiao added, "And take this bracelet back with you, too."

As he spoke, Qin Jiao removed the Fengxue Bracelet from his wrist and handed it to Luo Yue.

"Young master, you ought to keep this bracelet..."

With the Fengxue Bracelet in his hand, Luo Yue felt like he was holding a red-hot coal.

He'd only come to deliver a simple message, so how'd he end up with this hot potato?

"No need. I'm fully recovered. Take it back—something so valuable isn't right for me to keep." Qin Jiao paused. "Some other day, I'll go to the Lingnan Prince's Mansion in person to thank him."

Since Qin Jiao had made his stance clear, Luo Yue could no longer insist. He pocketed the Fengxue Bracelet, nodded to them, and went back to report.

In the dim candlelight, Cong Shuang looked at Qin Jiao, confused.

It seemed like ever since his last meeting with the prince, Qin Jiao had been acting off.

Cong Shuang had hoped Qin Jiao could keep it, but she also knew how precious it was. Since he was fine now, keeping someone else's valuable gift really wouldn't be appropriate.

Cong Shuang opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, kept quiet.

Early the next morning, Cong Shuang sent a letter to Luo Yue. Qin Jiao had written it, asking Luo Yue to pass it to Xie Nai. After that, the two of them left camp with light packs and headed for the capital.

At the first light of dawn, two tall figures stood on the high lookout tower.

A ray of morning light cut through the mist, landing on Xie Nai's face. He watched from afar as Qin Jiao's carriage left, holding the letter Qin Jiao had left behind.

"Your Highness, should I have someone tail the young master?" Luo Yue asked quietly from beside him.

Xie Nai's voice was ice-cold. "No need. He wouldn't even say goodbye in person, so why should I indulge him? Contact Fu Shenqing. I want to see him."

"Yes!" Luo Yue replied and quickly turned to leave. He could tell that ever since the prince got the Fengxue Bracelet back last night, he'd been holding back his anger. The prince never had the best temper, and now he was even more unpredictable.

The morning light was pale, and startled birds burst from the woods.

In the distance, Qin Jiao's carriage had vanished from sight, but Xie Nai still hadn't budged. A long gust swept across the vast distance; it wasn't strong, yet it stirred unseen ripples in the heart.

...

The Lingnan Army's camp outside the capital was only a half-day's ride from the city. Qin Jiao set out in the morning, and around noon, Cong Shuang suddenly noticed someone chasing them.

Qin Jiao immediately wondered, could it be the accomplices of those black-clad men from Nanzhou?

He was about to spur his horse and bolt, but the person chasing them had already caught up at lightning speed!

"Whoa—"

On the wide main road, horse hooves kicked up clouds of dust. "Young master, wait!"

"Luo Yue?" Qin Jiao was stunned. He hadn't expected that the one chasing them would be Luo Yue.

As Luo Yue dismounted with an agile movement, Qin Jiao asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"

"The prince sent me to deliver something to you, young master!"

In Luo Yue's hand was a familiar antique clothes chest. He shoved it into the hands of a bewildered Cong Shuang. He thought, So much for "I won't interfere," so much for "No need." My horse's legs nearly gave out.

Qin Jiao glanced at the antique clothes chest.

He remembered that this chest was the treasure of the Zhaoxiu Tower that Xie Nai had bought for a thousand taels of gold. When he had stayed at the Nanzhou military camp, Qin Jiao had returned the chest to Xie Nai. Why was it being given back to him now? His first reaction was to refuse: "I don't want it..."

"The item has been delivered. I'll take my leave now. Safe travels, young master!"

Luo Yue's "refusal" came faster than Qin Jiao's. He spoke quickly, mounted his horse swiftly, and left just as fast, leaving only Qin Jiao's words "Hey, wait..." drifting in the wind.

"I..." Qin Jiao stood there, stunned, completely at a loss as to what Xie Nai meant.

Just as Qin Jiao was frozen in shock, Cong Shuang opened the chest and gasped, "It's the Fengxue Bracelet!"

Qin Jiao's heart jumped, and he turned to look.

In the antique chest, the beautiful deep-blue Fengxue Bracelet gleamed faintly in the bright sunlight.

"Might as well put it on."

Cong Shuang picked up the Fengxue Bracelet and fastened it back onto Qin Jiao's wrist. The dark hue of the bracelet accentuated the young master's fair and slender wrist.

Qin Jiao looked at the Fengxue Bracelet, then at the shop's prized treasure, a whirlwind of emotions churning within him.

After Luo Yue left, Qin Jiao remained mostly silent. By dusk, they finally arrived at the capital.

Having been away from the capital for so long, Qin Jiao had nearly forgotten what it looked like.

The city gate area was as lively as ever. City guards in imposing armor kept a vigilant eye on everyone entering and leaving, while hawkers and laborers pushed their carts back and forth. An elderly flower seller, basket in hand, peddled red plum blossoms to every passerby.

A thin layer of ice coated the surface of the moat outside the city. The setting sun cast its glow upon the icy surface, and wisps of white mist rose slowly.

"We're finally back."

Cong Shuang looked at the familiar scene before her, her eyes sparkling with uncontainable joy. But her happiness didn't last long, for she spotted two figures.

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