Chapter 73: The Cunning Male Fox Spirit

She’d been discovered!

Qin Wanru wasn’t surprised. Even though there didn’t seem to be anyone in the courtyard, that didn’t mean there was no one nearby.

She had come here to find him, after all. Seeing that he was still here, she breathed a sigh of relief—it was just as she had guessed, he was indeed staying at one of the estates near Jingxin Nunnery.

“Your Highness!” Qin Wanru walked up to Chu Liuchen, stopped before him, and offered a respectful sideways bow.

“Is there something you want?” Chu Liuchen raised an eyebrow and opened his eyes. He didn’t seem surprised that she’d found him, and idly rummaged about the armrest of his chair.

Little Xuanzi appeared from somewhere, carrying a small side table, which he set down in front of Chu Liuchen. Chu Liuchen glanced at the little table with amusement.

Qin Wanru sensibly took a seat.

She was short to begin with, and sitting down made her look even smaller. She blinked twice and had to tip her head back to look up at Chu Liuchen—she remembered that just moments earlier, when standing, she’d been looking down at him.

“Your Highness, I have a matter to discuss…” Qin Wanru decided it was best to be direct.

But Chu Liuchen cut her off with practiced indifference. “Don’t you think you have a lot of business? Even if I wanted to help, I couldn’t possibly handle it all for you!”

“This time is different!” Qin Wanru bit her lip, her gaze falling on the medical book in his hands, her resentment clear. If he hadn’t taken her book, she wouldn’t have had to trouble him now.

“You want this book?” Seeing her longing look, Chu Liuchen lifted the book in his hand and asked.

“Your Highness, that book is mine!” Qin Wanru raised her wet, shining eyes to him and stated her claim.

“So, what do you intend to do…” Chu Liuchen closed the book and tapped it twice against the armrest, giving her a sidelong glance of complete nonchalance.

“I’d like to ask Your Highness to return my book!” Qin Wanru blinked her bright eyes and steeled herself to meet his gaze.

“What if I don’t feel like it?” Chu Liuchen smiled, his beauty almost otherworldly. But was this sort of domineering behavior truly befitting his rank?

Qin Wanru was left speechless.

“Your Highness, the book is mine!” she stressed again.

“So?” Chu Liuchen set the medical book down and reached out to tug playfully at a strand of her falling hair.

Her hair was so smooth and soft—it felt pleasant to the touch. Lately, whenever Chu Liuchen saw her hair, he couldn’t help but want to touch it. Even if he couldn’t touch it, pulling it a little felt nice too. It reminded him of petting the soft fur of the cat he kept at home.

He didn’t bother to restrain himself and gave her hair a tug.

“Ow!” Qin Wanru hadn’t expected him to be so mischievous, yanking her hair like that. She yelped in pain and reached up to slap his hand away.

But Chu Liuchen’s hand was too quick, slipping away from her grasp and, on the way, giving her slightly puffed cheek a pinch, laughing in delight.

This girl was truly amusing!

He loved seeing her with that mixture of anger and helplessness, unable to do anything about him.

At this moment, she pursed her upper lip inward, her cherry lips pressed tight, cheeks puffed up like she was about to blow bubbles in anger—it was a delightful sight.

“What must I do for Your Highness to return it?” Qin Wanru reached out again to slap his hand away but missed, so she simply slid the little table farther away, putting more space between herself and Chu Liuchen before sitting down again.

“And what about the seal?” Seeing her distance herself, Chu Liuchen made no move to stop her and was clearly in a cheerful mood.

“What about it?” Qin Wanru sat up straight, suddenly on guard.

“We’ll trade,” Chu Liuchen said lazily.

“But… but I got that seal as a reward for looking after your Hall-front Swallow,” she said.

“Has the Hall-front Swallow bloomed yet? How is it doing?” Chu Liuchen raised his handsome brows, giving her a meaningful look.

His question left Qin Wanru at a loss. The flower hadn’t bloomed, but at least it wasn’t dead—though it wasn’t exactly thriving either. Before heading up the mountain, she’d especially asked Nanny Yu to look after it. She had no idea how it was doing now!

“The soil and water here don’t seem to suit it,” she explained uneasily.

“So, you mean it will do better once we return to the capital?” Chu Liuchen asked with a smile.

That made Qin Wanru even more uneasy. She had assumed he’d lose interest after a few days and then it wouldn’t matter to her whether the plant lived or died. “Your Highness isn’t planning to look after the flower yourself?”

“You can do it for me,” Chu Liuchen replied with mock seriousness, stroking his chin. “Just make sure it blooms.”

So, she couldn’t just not kill it—she had to make it flourish, to make it bloom beautifully. Qin Wanru felt enormous pressure, her long lashes fluttering as she lowered her gaze in dismay.

“And… my medical book?” she asked, resigned. After all, as long as the flower didn’t die, maybe one day it would bloom—she’d just have to keep working at it.

“Trade me the seal,” Chu Liuchen said, eyes sparkling with lazy mischief.

“Fine, I’ll give you the seal,” Qin Wanru agreed after only a short hesitation, then asked tentatively, “And the flower?”

“You still have to tend it well, or else how will you get your seal back?” Chu Liuchen pressed.

In other words, the seal would remain his, and she’d have to make the difficult Hall-front Swallow bloom, all to get back her medical book—which had been hers to begin with, and which he had taken from her.

She was being forced to use her own possession to bargain for something she’d have to do for him, and yet it was made to seem as if she was getting the better deal, as if she was trading the seal for two things from him.

Qin Wanru was deeply frustrated, truly frustrated.

But she absolutely had to get that book back.

“Fine, Your Highness, I’ll remember. I’ll take good care of the flower for you,” she said. She refused to believe she couldn’t manage it herself. Worst-case scenario, she could hire a skilled gardener when they returned to the capital—it was just a plant, after all.

“Good!” Chu Liuchen seemed quite satisfied, his smile foxlike despite his youthful face.

A sly and cunning fox!

“Then, may I have my book now?” Qin Wanru drew a deep breath, forcing the resentment from her eyes and spoke seriously.

“And will you give me the seal?” Chu Liuchen extended a hand, mirroring her earnestness, even managing a hint of aggrievement, as though he were the one being wronged. He looked at her with feigned suspicion. “You’re not trying to pull a fast one on me, are you?”

Qin Wanru kept reminding herself not to get angry.

Grinding her teeth in secret, she swallowed her frustration. “What does Your Highness want?”

“The seal, of course. Don’t tell me you’re not carrying it. Such an important item—you wouldn’t just leave it somewhere, would you?” Chu Liuchen looked her up and down, as if trying to guess where she might be hiding it.

Qin Wanru blushed scarlet at that.

“Why won’t you give it to me?” Chu Liuchen asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“You… want it right now?” she asked, glancing nervously around.

“Don’t tell me you plan to owe me? I’ve already suffered such a loss, and you’d still treat me this way? That’s just too much!” Chu Liuchen looked utterly aggrieved, as if she were some heartless rogue.

“I’ll fetch it from my room!” Qin Wanru suddenly stood, unable to endure any more—she wore the seal on a cord around her neck and couldn’t possibly unbutton her collar here.

This time, Chu Liuchen didn’t make things difficult, waving her off with a smile to let her go inside.

Qingyue followed her into the room, helped her unbutton her collar, took out the seal hanging around her neck, and fastened the buttons again.

Once she was all put together, Qin Wanru returned to the courtyard with Qingyue, handed the seal over—though not very willingly—and said, “Here!”

Chu Liuchen smiled as he reached for it.

But just as he was about to take it, Qin Wanru pulled her hand back. “When will Your Highness return it to me?” The seal was crucial to her—she couldn’t bear to part with it.

“We’ll see about the flower,” Chu Liuchen replied, his handsome features relaxed and cheerful.

“And if the flower never blooms?” Qin Wanru decided she had to be clear.

“Then the seal will be mine,” Chu Liuchen replied with an inscrutable smile, leaning back in his chair in no particular hurry.

He was truly impervious to reason!

“What does Your Highness want with this seal? It doesn’t really have any use for you, does it?” Qin Wanru managed a strained laugh. This prince was so difficult to deal with; she felt dizzy just trying to keep up with his twists and turns. She couldn’t understand why Chu Liuchen was so intent on getting her seal.

“Whether it’s useful or not, only I need to know,” Chu Liuchen said, watching her closely. Seeing the way her lips puffed out, a hint of contentment flickered in his eyes. He tapped the medical book on the armrest. “Don’t you want your book?”

“Yes!” Even though she knew he was using the book to threaten her, Qin Wanru had no choice but to accept. She gritted her teeth and finally relinquished the seal, placing it in his hand.

In her reluctant gaze, Chu Liuchen gracefully took the seal, waved it in front of his eyes with a hint of triumph, glanced at her, and then pushed the medical book toward her. “Here you go.”

As the book nearly slid off the edge, Qin Wanru scrambled to catch it.

“This is quite a fine medical text. I wonder who gave it to you?” Chu Liuchen asked carelessly.

Afraid of damaging the book, Qin Wanru barely glanced up, missing the glint in his eyes as he spoke. She answered offhandedly, “It was given to me by the abbess at Jingxin Nunnery.”

“You wish to learn medicine from her?” Chu Liuchen studied the small, lowered head before him. He couldn’t help himself; he reached out to tug at her double bun.

“Ow! That hurts!” Without even raising her head, Qin Wanru swatted at the offending hand.

But, as always, his hand slipped away with ease.