novelraw Chapter 681 - 670: The Cuckolded Prince
Chapter 681 - 670: The Cuckolded Prince
Lin Jingxian thought that even if Ye Qiu’s affection had faded, he would at least come to greet her personally when she returned to the estate. Who would have expected that in the end, she was only met by the head housekeeper.
As she watched the twins curiously looking around, she felt a choke of frustration, "Where is the Prince?"
"The Prince has taken the Eldest Young Master out of the estate," replied the head housekeeper respectfully. "The Prince said that if the Princess Consort needs anything, she may ask this old servant."
"Let’s enter the estate first," Lin Jingxian said, holding the hands of the twins and walking towards her own courtyard, but the further she walked, the more she felt something was amiss.
"Why are we taking this path?"
"The Prince said since the Princess Consort does not like the Jiangnan courtyard he had people design and build, he simply ordered it to be sealed off and had this new path constructed here. This will be the way for the Princess Consort to walk from now on," the head housekeeper answered rigidly.
Lin Jingxian’s face darkened upon hearing this, and she didn’t speak anymore. Moreover, she didn’t know what to say, especially since when Ye Qiu presented the courtyard to her like a treasured gift, she indeed had called it just so-so, a statement that could be attested by Shen Xiu and Xia Yixiao later on.
She walked silently to Luoxia Courtyard, and only when she saw the ordinary household items and decorations did she realize just how different it was to lose Ye Qiu’s heart.
"Queen Mother, is this the house where you and Father used to live?" Ye Ling asked with curiosity. "Where is Father? Why haven’t I seen him?"
"He’s out on business," Lin Jingxian could only say that.
Ye Ling nodded sensibly, "I know, Little Lamb’s father is also like that, often working outside and only coming home at night to be with him. So, Father will come back tonight, right?"
Looking at the children’s hopeful eyes, Lin Jingxian could not bring herself to tell them the truth, so she just nodded and agreed, "Yes."
She thought, no matter how disappointed she might have made him, Lingling and Ming’er were still his children in his heart, and he could not be so heartless toward them.
Listening to them calling someone Little Lamb brother, over and over again, she couldn’t help but blame herself. Although she felt she had taught them well, being far out in the suburbs without a similarly aged and family-matched playmate, the son of a tenant farmer had become their elder brother in their talks, which she felt was embarrassing to admit.
"Lingling, Ming’er, you must not call him Little Lamb brother anymore, you understand?" Lin Jingxian patiently taught them.
"Why?" the children asked, not understanding.
"Because you are home now, and Little Lamb is not your real brother, so you cannot call him that anymore," Lin Jingxian said seriously.
"I know, I know," Ye Ming replied cheerfully, bouncing around, "At home, we have an older brother, and if he knows we call someone Little Lamb brother, he will definitely be unhappy. So we can’t call Little Lamb brother anymore."
"Brother, you’re so smart," Ye Ling laughed, revealing a set of tiny white teeth.
Lin Jingxian took a deep breath; she wished nothing more than for the children to be as far from Ye Heng as possible, but at the moment she didn’t know what else to say.
Knowing that Lin Jingxian and her two sons were returning today, Ye Qiu still chose to have dinner outside before returning to the estate. As he expected, it wasn’t long after he sat down that Lin Jingxian sent someone to request an audience.
Three years had passed, and times had changed. The once privileged Lin Jingxian, who could enter and leave Ye Qiu’s chambers without announcement, now found places like Qinghu Court, the storeroom, and the library were no longer hers to access at will.
"Let her in!" Ye Qiuqing took a sip of tea and said.
Lin Jingxian was annoyed at having been stopped just moments ago, but the task given to her by the Crown Prince was of utmost importance, so she had to bear with it for now. She lightly touched her hair bun, then confidently walked in.
Before coming over, she had purposely taken a bath and was wearing a moon-white Fairy dress that best suited her temperament, with a few hairpins he had once given her sideways on her head. Although the material seemed fine, the style was a bit outdated.
But this wasn’t her fault; after all, it had been three years since Ye Qiu had generously given her new jewelry, right? Although, as a Princess Consort, she received a monthly allowance, it also depended on the attitude of him being the Prince—resulting in her receiving items that were not very fashionable.
However, she had a good complexion, and even with old hair accessories, one’s gaze would immediately be drawn to her attractive face and temperament.
"I, your concubine, pay respects to the Prince." Lin Jingxian curtseyed gracefully, showing off her form perfectly in front of Ye Qiu.
While Lin Jingxian was confident, she also felt a bit of panic; she had never considered failing, only how she would extricate herself once Ye Qiu became infatuated with her again.
However, Ye Qiu only glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to the newly acquired antique in his hand. Now, everyone in the capital knew that the once debauched Fifth Prince had stopped loving beauties and started loving antiques, often spending a fortune in antique shops, and not being fazed even when he frequently bought fakes.
As a result, he was recently nicknamed the capital’s "Top Benefactor of Antique Street."
Lin Jingxian had done her homework before coming; she noticed at a glance something was off about the copper Buddha in Ye Qiu’s hand. Thinking of the money he had carelessly thrown away, she felt incredibly pained.
"Rise." Ye Qiu said indifferently, "What brings you here so late?"
Seeing his gaze still fixed on the Buddha statue, Lin Jingxian took a deep breath, feeling a heavy sense of letdown that she couldn’t quickly recover from.
But Lin Jingxian was, after all, Lin Jingxian. Her ability to leave "Ye Qiu" without successors and with a heart full of despair in her past life proved that she had some skills. She quickly adjusted her expression.
"Nothing significant, it’s just been three years since I’ve been back home, and I came to pay respects to the Prince. Lingling and Ye Ming should have come too, but as it got late, I asked them to rest first."
"Oh." After Lin Jingxian spoke, she expected Ye Qiu to say more, but he only responded with that single word, causing the anger she had managed to suppress to become unstable again.
"Is the Prince not going to ask about Lingling’s and Ye Ming’s current health?" she asked with a forced smile.
Ye Qiu looked at her with a bored expression: "Didn’t you say their health has improved? Why would I bother asking superfluous questions?"
Lin Jingxian felt infuriated: "Both children hold the Prince in high esteem. I know you favor Eldest Young Master, but you shouldn’t be so unfair; otherwise, the twins will be heartbroken."
"They have you, don’t they? You’re the one who said they shouldn’t get too close to me." Ye Qiu glanced at her sideways, seemingly mocking her for reaping what she sowed.
"I..." Lin Jingxian was indeed left speechless by his retort, hating in her heart that Ye Qiu truly was a scoundrel who changed his affections so quickly; lucky for her, she had never fancied him.
Since mentioning the children didn’t give her an opening to engage Ye Qiu in conversation, she looked at the Brass Buddha Statue in Ye Qiu’s hand and said, "Could the Prince allow me to look at this Buddha statue? It seems to be from the previous dynasty, but it also appears a bit odd. I hope you haven’t been deceived!"
"No need, what would you know." Ye Qiu said with a face full of disdain, leaving Lin Jingxian feeling as though she was choking on her own blood.