A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace Chapter 1391 - 1389: Heart Fluttering

"You..."

Yue Er was a bit angry.

"You are simply unreasonable. You saved me, I thank you, and yet you still don’t admit it!"

"I don’t understand what the Princess is saying!" Shih Shaoling still wouldn’t admit it.

Yue Er was left speechless.

She suddenly felt a bit angry.

She took out a piece of agate button from her sleeve and placed it in front of him.

"Look, what is this?"

Shih Shaoling glanced down, somewhat puzzled.

"A single button? What’s wrong with the Fourth Princess today?"

"First it’s the cape, now it’s the buttons, you might as well just say what you mean clearly!"

He looked at her with a half-smiling, half-baffled expression, his whole demeanor returning to his former state.

Actually, he felt guilty and panicked inside.

But... so what? He could hide it and hid it well.

At least the person in front of him hasn’t discovered anything, right?

Yue Er’s anger rose again.

"Shih Shaoling!"

People need face, while trees need bark. Now this person in front of her, he was totally shameless, unrivaled in the world!

She just didn’t believe it!

Yue Er picked up that button, angrily stating.

"Earlier this year I encountered a group of bandits north of the city and fought them off. In the end, I was outnumbered and nearly in danger!"

"It was a masked man in black who saved me!"

"This button belongs to that masked man, and it is exactly the same as the buttons on your cape!"

Yue Er spoke with certainty, her eyes full of determination.

She pondered: don’t you like to play tricks? Let me see how you trick your way out this time!

Yet Shih Shaoling smiled calmly without turning a hair and said.

"The Princess is really joking!"

"But with just a small button, what does it prove?"

"Such buttons..."

He lowered his eyes to take a closer look, thinking of an appropriate lie to concoct.

However... he was so unfamiliar with such things!

Even if it was his own, he had never paid attention to it.

What man would look at his own buttons every day.

So... Shih Shaoling stammered and couldn’t say anything.

Yue Er sneered.

"What’s the matter...weren’t you quite good at making things up before? Go on, make something up!"

She took a deep breath and continued.

"These buttons aren’t widely sold in the market. I had someone inquire, and it’s your family’s craftsman who polishes them himself!"

"Your mother loves them, so she specifically bought a large quantity of precious agate and had him carve them into exquisite buttons one by one!"

"Your mother has them, your father has them, and all the masters of your house have them, only with slight color and style differences between them!"

"Because they’re all made from the same type of agate, their appearance doesn’t differ much!"

Yue Er held up two buttons for comparison, confirming.

"I can even be sure that these two buttons are cut from the same agate stone!"

Ever since childhood, Yue Er had handled countless gems.

Since she was one year old, she started wearing gems, up till now, the little storeroom had gradually filled with a variety of them.

Her eye for gems naturally became much more precise than others.

Yue Er held the two buttons, moving them slowly, and the agate textures coincidentally matched, having exactly the same thickness and color.

She looked directly at Shih Shaoling.

"What else do you have to say?"

Shih Shaoling’s mental state began to crumble.

He calculated everything, yet never expected to be defeated by a trivial button.

The calm and unruly expression on his face gradually vanished, replaced by a flustered and at a loss demeanor as if he’d been exposed by someone.

Yue Er’s gaze became increasingly sharp.

Shih Shaoling dared not meet her eyes more and more, in his life, he had never feared anyone, yet unexpectedly fell into the hands of a young girl.

The more he thought about it, the more flustered he felt, growing more and more at a loss.

Finally, with a turn of his head, face flushed, he stubbornly exclaimed.

"Don’t ask me, I don’t know what’s going on!"

After that, he picked up his hem and stood up, leaving in great strides.

Previously so unruly and untamed, now leaving in such a disgraceful hurry.

Yue Er: "..."

She raised her eyebrows with a faint smile: "Then I will take it as you admitting it!"

It was indeed him!

She exhaled a long breath, relieving the heavy burden in her heart, then rose to leave as well.

Ying Luo caught up to her and asked.

"Princess, what should be done with these things?"

The table was piled with stuff, none of which he had taken with him.

Narrowing her eyes in thought, Yue Er replied.

"Let’s leave them here for now. I’ll have my brother pass these on to him later!"

"And this button, let’s keep it ourselves!"

The agate is of excellent quality, and it looks very beautiful as well.

Most importantly: this little button is Shih Shaoling’s weakness; it can instantly make him rein himself in.

If he dares to argue with her again, she’ll just bring out this button.

Let’s see if he dares anymore.

Ying Luo, being the Princess’s confidante, naturally understood her master’s thoughts and praised with a smile.

"The Princess is wise!"

...

After ’escaping’ from the palace, Shih Shaoling’s heart was pounding.

His feelings were mixed.

There was both the nervousness of being ’exposed’, and annoyance, yet simultaneously, a trace of secret delight.

He liked her, quietly liked her.

Afraid she’d know, and afraid she wouldn’t know.

Throughout the journey, he was incredibly frustrated inside.

Returning to the manor, he took a sword and went to the bamboo forest in the back garden.

Within the verdant bamboo forest, his dark figure flitted like a cold, indifferent butterfly, moving with agility and grace.

The bamboo leaves beside him were picked up one by one with his sword, drifting in the air before falling gracefully, the scene so fast it was almost a blur.

He was venting, wanting to clear his mind, trying desperately to expel this incident from his thoughts.

But the more he practiced, the more he found the petite, red figure, lingering persistently in his mind.

Her voice, her expressions, her laughter – they echoed like an enchanting melody, lingering in his memory, refusing to dissipate.

Finally, after what felt like eternity, he stopped.

The shattered green bamboo leaves turned to powder, drawing an arc in mid-air, gradually settling down.

Breathing hard, he knelt on the ground, supported by his sword.

Beads of sweat as big as peas fell to the ground, shattering into petals, soaking the earth.

Yet his heart remained increasingly restless.

...

After dinner, in the study room.

He had just calmed down, casually opening a military book to wash away his thoughts.

A knock came at the door by the servant boy outside.

"Young master, the Fourth Highness sent something for you!"

"Come in!" he looked up, though he had already anticipated it in his heart.

The servant boy placed the tray down and withdrew, while he stared at the cape on the tray, a helpless, bitter smile appearing on his lips.

"You are too clever!"

"How will I hide anything from you in the future?"

His gaze settled on that Rosemallow-fragrance Sandalwood Fine Box, recalling the scene from today.

"Thank you for saving me, a small token for you, hope you don’t mind it!"

Closing the book, he extended his hand with distinct knuckles and gently opened the small box.

A delicate snuff bottle was revealed before his eyes.

His pupils suddenly enlarged, and his heart was shocked. The argument from the store was still vividly in his mind.