"I don't know!" Qingyun sobbed as she knelt on the stone pavement. "Your Highness, I really know nothing!"
Xie Jianshen sat on one of the cushioned chairs in the inner courtyard. His gaze fell on the plum blossom tree that stood tall and strong like a lone mountain amidst the green, neatly trimmed grass field.
He extended his hand in front of his chest catching a flower petal as it drifted by.
"Qingyun, I am not a patient person," Xie Jianshen said as he rubbed his thumb against the flower petal. It curled up in his hand easily from the repetitive motion.
"You are one of my brother's favored maids. I do not want to do anything that I might regret in the future."
Qingyun broke into a wail.
"But Your Highness, I really... I really don't know where His Majesty went off to! Please, please spare me!"
Xie Jianshen squished the plum blossom petal in his hand. Face distorted in fury, he glared at Qingyun.
