Help! The Frosty Noble's Son Is in Love With Me!-Chapter 391: Something Just Feels Off

"Cou-Cousin..."

To say the person Zhou Baiying fears most in this life isn’t his father, but the silent and taciturn cousin who became famous at a young age.

He is someone who can educate him in place of his father, and as long as it doesn’t kill him, his father would say he deserved it.

So every time Zhou Baiying contemplated mischief and saw Cousin Xiao, he turned as obedient as a grandson, afraid of being taught a lesson.

When he was caught teasing a respectable woman on the street, he didn’t know how he was going to be punished. Admitting his fear might just earn him his cousin’s mercy.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as hoped.

"Zhou Baiying, you’re becoming more and more audacious, terrorizing citizens by riding your horse in public, and then teasing virtuous women," Xiao Shiqing said with a stern face, enunciating each word carefully.

Zhou Baiying’s face looked stiff, and he forced a smile, "We were just joking around, just playing a joke, yes, just a joke..."

"Yes, yes, we were just joking with them."

The people around Zhou Baiying echoed.

Xiao Shiqing’s expression did not improve, and with a composed face, he said, "Guards, Zhou Baiying was causing a disturbance by riding his horse loudly and teasing a virtuous woman on the street. Take him and those with him away, give each fifty lashes with the military rod, and imprison them for a month!"

"Cousin!" Zhou Baiying’s expression changed drastically. Fifty lashes could be managed, as those executing it wouldn’t hit too hard out of respect for his being Xiao Shiqing’s cousin, but a month in jail, though not deadly, would be worse than death.

Xiao Shiqing didn’t listen to any explanations, "Take them away!"

Now Zhou Baiying was helpless, with no one responding to his pleas.

His servant returned to the Zhou Family to report the incident, and Mrs. Zhou looked as though the sky had fallen, secretly blaming Xiao Shiqing for making a mountain out of a molehill, and sobbing to her husband, only to be reprimanded instead.

"It’s because you all have spoiled him too much usually that he has become this way, riding a horse wildly on the street isn’t enough, he even teased respectable women. If the Imperial Censorate gets wind of this and criticizes me, will you be pleased? In my opinion, Shiqing did the right thing, not only shutting the mouths of the Imperial Censorate but also giving Zhou Baiying a lesson so he won’t make the same mistake again."

Thus, Zhou Baiying’s situation was settled.

Meanwhile, at the tofu bun shop, Prince Xiao rendered justice for them, and the shop’s staff couldn’t help but express their heartfelt gratitude to him.

As for the person involved, Li Hua, she also met Xiao Shiqing.

After all, he did help her, so it was only right to thank him in person.

Li Hua did indeed express her thanks in person, albeit nervously, speaking softly and stuttering a bit, "Thank you, Prince Xiao."

Her eyes were cast to the ground, avoiding his gaze.

Her face was devoid of expression, as if reluctant to thank him.

After expressing her thanks, before he could respond, she bowed to him and turned back into the shop.

Xiao Shiqing watched her departing back, feeling something was amiss.

The shop staff, noticing this, worried that her health hadn’t fully recovered and was afraid she might be discourteous in front of Prince Xiao, explained, "Miss Li took a fall not long ago, today is her first day back at the shop, she might not be fully recovered yet, please, don’t mind, Your Highness."

Xiao Shiqing was only then informed of her fall and instinctively asked, "Did she see a doctor? What did the doctor say?"

The staff didn’t know, but since she returned to work, she must be fine, so they said, "Thank you for your concern, Prince Xiao, she has seen a doctor, and she’s fine now."

Inside the shop, Li Hua overheard the conversation outside, her fingers tightening and loosening inside her sleeves, unsure of her feelings. She bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and resumed her work.

Outside, Xiao Shiqing bought a few tofu buns and didn’t linger, as he never did. At most, he’d find a place to watch from a distance, and that was that.

But today, he couldn’t stay long; the emperor’s orders still required his attention.

The staff watched Prince Xiao leave, and whispered among themselves, "What happened to Miss Li today? She seems upset about something, not smiling all day, she’s never been like this before."

"Maybe she’s still recovering from her injuries, she did hit her head after all."

"Possibly, we shouldn’t talk about this in front of her in case she overhears and takes it the wrong way."

...

At night, Li Hua laid alone in bed, with no lights on, only moonlight streaming through the gauzy window, the tranquility of the night imparting a profound solitude.

She couldn’t remember how many nights had passed like this, only felt it had been a long, long time, long enough to forget the date. She

was not unable to sleep, but afraid to, for as soon as she fell asleep, she would dream, as if she were back in that hopeless and lonely time.

But one cannot avoid sleep, and she couldn’t remember when she’d fall asleep.

Then, she’d struggle painfully in her dreams.

While Li Hua was afraid to sleep, Qu Fulan was too excited to sleep.

The success of the department store was as she expected, and looking at the calculated accounts made her too excited to sleep.

"If the emperor saw you like this, he would probably want to empty the state treasury for you," Pei Ji’an teased her.

Qu Fulan shook her head, "Taking that money would feel uneasy, and I wouldn’t dare take it. It’s more comforting to earn money by one’s own means."

"I’ve heard the Empress Dowager is interested in ’Dream of the Red Chamber’ and eagerly anticipating the continuation of the story," Pei Ji’an said.

The department store’s fame was no small thing, and even people in the palace paid attention, though they were interested in its size and offerings, the Empress Dowager’s interest was different, she had someone recount the storytelling each time, and became hooked.

"That’s really unexpected."

"Perhaps one day, the Empress Dowager won’t be able to resist and will summon you to the palace to tell her stories."

"Wouldn’t that be a bit over the top?"

As it turned out, indeed it was a bit over the top.

The next day, Qu Fulan was summoned to the palace to tell stories to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager had her curiosity piqued all night long and couldn’t eat in the morning, so she urgently summoned Princess Mingzhu to the palace.

"I heard you ghostwrite the story, you should know the later plot. Is Xue Baochai’s jade really a match with Jia Baoyu’s Spiritual Jade? What about Lin Daiyu? What’s the later plot, you must tell me, or I won’t be able to sleep at night,"

As soon as she saw Qu Fulan, the Empress Dowager eagerly plunged into the plot discussion.

Qu Fulan thought inwardly, she didn’t expect the Empress Dowager to be a supporter of Daiyu.

The Empress Dowager wanted to hear the story, so she couldn’t withhold it, only to narrate the content of the next Chapter to her.

"After Baoyu and Xue chat about the jades, they talk about the incense. As they finish discussing the incense, Daiyu enters, and guess what Daiyu’s first words were when she entered?"

Knowing the Empress Dowager favored Lin Daiyu, Qu Fulan even omitted the "Lin" and referred to her directly as Daiyu.

The Empress Dowager was stumped and couldn’t answer, "You little girl, don’t tease me, quickly tell me what Daiyu said, did she misunderstand anything seeing the two of them in the room?"

Qu Fulan smiled and said, "Daiyu said, ’Oh dear! I’ve come at the wrong time.’ Xue Baochai was bewildered and asked what she meant. Daiyu responded, ’Had I known he was here, I wouldn’t have come.’ Xue Baochai said, ’Now I’m even more confused by this.’"

The Empress Dowager was puzzled too, "I don’t understand what Daiyu meant by that, is she jealous?"