Qin Hao's reaction was hardly surprising.
In feudal Tianqi, any novel treasure instinctively prompted one thought:
Offer it to the Emperor first.
Especially for Prince Li Manor—its political sensitivity demanded extra caution.
Should rumors spread that the Prince possessed luxuries even the palace lacked—
Accusations of overstepping boundaries or harboring ambitions might follow.
The Emperor might dismiss such trifles initially—
But resentment accumulates through a thousand papercuts.
Gu Yanshu, though not native to this era, understood these nuances perfectly:
"Glass production, while complex, isn't prohibitively difficult. For His Majesty, we're preparing a full set—not just this cup."
Qin Hao's eyes sparkled—
"In that case, perhaps I could—"
Clink.
The teacup lid's abrupt rattle cut him short.
Qin Hao turned to find Qin Lu sipping tea—
His gaze locking onto Qin Hao with lethal calmness.
A full-body shudder seized Qin Hao. Survival instincts overrode desire:
"On second thought, a single cup is useless! I'll wait for mass production!"
"As you wish," Gu Yanshu conceded, amused.
Qin Hao exhaled covertly, then—noting Qin Lu's lingering stare—
Bolted upright with a hasty bow:
"I've... urgent matters at my manor! Farewell!"
He fled before anyone could respond—
The study door slamming behind his undignified retreat.
Gu Yanshu arched a brow at Qin Lu:
"Must you terrify Fifth Brother so?"
Qin Lu set down his cup, innocence perfected:
"Terrify? When?"
The audacity almost convinced Gu Yanshu he'd imagined it.
But he prioritized the real mystery:
"Why begrudge him one cup?"
Qin Lu met his eyes directly:
"Has my consort ever gifted me anything?"
Gu Yanshu choked.
The Crown Prince of the Northern Frontier—
Jianghu's most feared war god—
Was pouting over a teacup?
Laughter bubbled up—
Stifled only by Qin Lu's dangerously soft expression.
Still, his smirk betrayed him.
Cornered, Gu Yanshu teased:
"I gave you 600,000 taels days ago!"
"That was payment," Qin Lu countered. "Not a gift."
(And since when did cold hard cash rival a heartfelt present?)
Those 600,000 taels weren't truly Qin Lu's—
They belonged to his starving garrisons.
He couldn't keep them even if he wished.
But a glass teacup?
Something small, personal—
His consort hadn't gifted him a single such treasure.
Yet dared offer one to another man first?
Qin Lu was many things—
A doormat wasn't one of them.
Gu Yanshu knew, upon reflection, the silver indeed didn't count as a gift.
Nor had he given Qin Lu anything else.
That realization—coupled with his earlier oversight—
Sent a twinge of guilt through him.
"Ahem, well..."
He began drafting an apology—
Until Qin Lu's gaze darkened with that look.
(The one that made Gu Yanshu's spine tingle and thighs clench.)
Survival instincts kicked in. The apology morphed midair:
"Why blame me? That silver—gift or payment—was still given. What has Your Highness ever gifted me?"
Qin Lu's eyes narrowed—but to Gu Yanshu's triumph, he paused.
Silent.
Cornered.
Seizing the advantage, Gu Yanshu rubbed his sore lower back discreetly—
Mentally thanking his past-life assistant for those "Relationship Survival Tactics" lectures.
Qin Lu wanted to play the neglected spouse?
Two could dance this tango.
Just as Gu Yanshu preened at his victory—
Qin Lu stirred.
"An oversight on my part."
He rose, crossing to a bookshelf's shadowed recess—
Returning with a lacquered box.
"For me?" Gu Yanshu eyed the jade-sized container.
Qin Lu nodded, flipping the lid open himself.
Inside lay a simple white-jade pendant—
Its value modest, but its preservation impeccable.
A handwoven tassel dangled beneath—
Its threads faded with age, yet the intricate knots remained flawless.
"My birth mother gave this before her passing," Qin Lu murmured.
(Consort Hui, posthumously honored as Imperial Noble Consort Jingxian.)
"She said to gift it... to the one I'd share my life with."
His fingers brushed the tassel—
"I meant to present it at our wedding, but..."
The unspoken but hung between them.
Gu Yanshu traced the jade's cool surface, smiling faintly:
"If I accept this, don't expect me to return it later."
"It's yours," Qin Lu said simply. "Though the tassel needs replacing if you wish to wear it."
"Did your mother weave this?"
Qin Lu shook his head:
"A palace elder did. The design was hers—one of the few things surviving the fire."
Understanding dawned.
This pendant wasn't just a gift—
It was Qin Lu's childhood.
His mother's legacy.
And now—his heart.
Imperial Noble Consort Jingxian passed when Qin Lu was three.
A child too young to grasp loss—
He'd clung to this tassel, pretending it carried his mother's touch.
Even later, understanding its true origin, he'd kept it.
A relic of the love he barely remembered.
Gu Yanshu traced the aged threads, words failing him.
What could possibly soothe a wound that old?
Misreading his silence, Qin Lu offered gently:
"If you admire the design, I'll commission a new one from the palace weavers."
His tone was calm—proof he'd long made peace with the past.
Gu Yanshu's melancholy suddenly felt excessive.
He nodded briskly:
"It's exquisite. Have them weave a replica when convenient."
"As you wish."
Then—fingers brushing the jade's carvings—Gu Yanshu frowned:
"Why a deer?"
Mothers typically gifted auspicious symbols:
Clouds for safety.
Carp leaping gates for ambition.
Bats for fortune.
Even mythical beasts like qilin—
But a common deer?
Qin Lu's silence was telling.
Gu Yanshu glanced up—
To find the famously icy prince's ears tinged pink.
"Your Highness?"
"A... childhood nickname," Qin Lu admitted after a weighted pause.
The pink deepened.
"Nickname?"
Tianqi's princes received official courtesy names—
But with the crown unsettled, none had been bestowed.
Then Gu Yanshu connected the dots:
"Lu... as in deer?"
Qin Lu coughed sharply.
Those crimson-tipped ears confirmed everything.
"Little deer?"
Gu Yanshu couldn't resist teasing.
Qin Lu's glare could've frozen hell itself—
Yet Gu Yanshu only pictured a wide-eyed fawn blinking innocently.
He called again, softer:
"Little deer?"
"Return the jade if you insist on mockery!"**
Qin Lu reached out, already regretting his choice of gift.
(Why this one? Why not a sword, a seal—anything but this childhood relic?)
Gu Yanshu dodged, tucking the pendant inside his robes with impish speed:
"No take-backs! Besides..."
A daring smirk:
"What a naughty deer you are."
"Naughty?" Qin Lu's voice dropped to a predator's purr.
"Yet my consort seems... fond of this deer."
That tone—
That darkening gaze—
Suddenly, Gu Yanshu remembered.
The wedding night.
The consequences.
His bravado evaporated.
"Ahem! Since Your Highness gifted me jade, I should reciprocate—"
Too late.
Qin Lu's arm hooked around his waist, hauling him flush against a granite chest.
"No need. I'll collect my gift... personally."
Outside, Zhi Ge—arriving to report—froze mid-step.
His retreat was swifter than a fleeing hare.
As the study's shutters slammed shut behind him, Zhi Ge exhaled:
Marriage has made His Highness... unpredictable.