Chapter 33 I told you not to be greedy!

The Third Prince gripped Lin Ruoxue's wrist tightly, pulling her towards him. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "You crazy woman, how dare you send someone to assassinate Father Emperor?"

Lin Ruoxue struggled and said irritably, "I don't have that many people under my command right now. I only have one spy who discovered traces of thieves in the mountains."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince released her hand.

Lin Ruoxue continued, "No matter what happens, you just need to protect the Emperor so that he can realize that you, the inconspicuous third son, are useful."

The Third Prince snorted and slowly brushed the weeds off his clothes. "Alright, I know what to do. You don't need to say anything more."

The two disliked each other and eventually left together.

Before turning around, Lin Ruoxue seemed to catch a glimpse of pink in the grass, but it vanished in an instant. Thinking that the small patch of grass couldn't possibly hide anyone, she followed the Third Prince.

"Ah!" Xie Mianmian was very surprised to see that woman. Was this the same bad woman who had framed their family that she had seen in the footage after falling into the lotus pond?

At the banquet, Lin Ruoxue wore a veil, and the child didn't know who she was. But this time, Xie Mianmian, hiding in the bushes, could see clearly that she was that wicked woman!

Remembering the tragedy that befell her family, Xie Mianmian frowned as she stared at the departing figures of the two people. Her small hands gripped the wooden carving tightly, and her light fingernails carved crescent-shaped marks on it.

As expected, bad people always hang out with other bad people.

Xie Mianmian returned indignantly to the tent belonging to the Xie family and told them about the thieves in the mountains.

"Okay, Mianmian, don't worry, your brothers will be careful."

Xie Huaijin ruffled the child's hair in a carefree manner, "Look! What did your third brother find for you?"

Xie Huaijin bent over and, as if presenting a treasure, stretched out his right hand, which had been behind his back.

Xie Mianmian looked over curiously.

In the boy's hand lay a fluffy, snow-white creature, trembling and curled up into a white ball.

"It's a little rabbit!" the child exclaimed with delight, his eyes shining.

"That's right, it's a poor rabbit that's been lost. Mianmian, can you please take good care of it?"

That way, the child won't be bored and run around everywhere, Xie Huaijin thought to himself.

Xie Mianmian reached out her hands and carefully took the little rabbit in her arms. "Don't worry, Third Brother, Mianmian will raise it well."

After lunch, everyone set off on the hunt one after another.

The men, surrounding the emperor and other imperial relatives, went hunting in the inner area. The women, in twos and threes, took their children on a spring outing in the outer area.

Xie Mianmian squatted down beside the grass not far from the tent, propping her face up with her hands and looking at the little rabbit on the ground.

The little rabbit twitched its mouth, and strands of emerald green grass quickly disappeared into its tiny three-lobed lips.

The child stared intently at it, then chuckled and patted its furry back, saying, "A greedy rabbit."

In order to take good care of it, Xie Mianmian even refused the invitations from the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Prince.

Before leaving, the two men looked at the pile of things on the ground with resentment and left unwillingly.

Wen Shuwan sat in front of the tent, embroidering a purse with her head down, and said softly to the child, "Mianmian, don't go too far."

"Okay, sister-in-law." A childish voice came from not far away.

Wen Shuwan felt relieved and focused on studying the purse in her hands, carefully embroidering it stitch by stitch. It was a design of cranes and deer in spring.

When Xie Linyuan returned home after his shift last time, he brought her a pair of exquisite kingfisher feather earrings and put them on her by hand in front of the dressing table.

At that moment, she not only saw the turquoise earrings swaying gently in the hazy bronze mirror, but also the cold, handsome jawline.

Even a blurry half-face was enough to move her, so she embroidered this purse by hand as a return gift.

The design was just too complicated. Wen Shuwan was so engrossed in embroidery that she didn't even notice Xie Mianmian's voice gradually fading away.

Xie Mianmian squatted next to the little rabbit, watching the little dumpling munching on grass with fascination.

Lin Ruoxue hid behind a large tree, watching the child with a sinister look in her eyes.

The one who was eavesdropping on their conversation while crouching in the bushes was indeed that brat Xie Mianmian; the style of the child's clothes was exactly the same as the one she had glimpsed.

Lin Ruoxue looked around and found that Xie Mianmian was all alone, which was a good opportunity to make her move.

She tiptoed behind the tree closest to the child, took out a sachet from her sleeve, took out the spices inside, and scattered them in the grass.

The rabbit, which was enjoying its meal, seemed to have been tempted by something.

Its pink nose sniffed the air intensely as it hopped and skipped toward the grassy patch that was there to lure the rabbit.

The child exclaimed and squatted down beside him.

A triumphant smile appeared on Lin Ruoxue's lips. Her hands did not slow down. She half-squatted down, scattering spices as she retreated until she reached the deserted inner forest.

Xie Mianmian only knew that the little rabbit was hopping and skipping around, eating more and more happily, and then its squatting little figure moved along with it.

Before they knew it, the child had moved away from the noise of the crowd and was surrounded by trees, where it was very quiet.

Lin Ruoxue watched from behind as Xie Mianmian squatted further and further away until she disappeared into the depths of the forest. She clapped her hands and left with satisfaction.

As the sounds of insects and birds gradually filled her ears, Xie Mianmian dazedly raised her head and realized that she had found herself in an unfamiliar place.

The child picked up the rabbit, which was drowsy after eating, and stood up.

"Ouch!" After squatting for so long, Xie Mianmian suddenly stood up and felt dizzy, and her vision went black.

The child pressed one hand against his forehead, frowned, and it took him a while to feel better.

She opened her eyes groggily and looked around.

"Huh? Where am I?"

Why are all the trees exactly the same in all directions? The tent is nowhere to be seen, and the child can't tell the way they came.

The trees in the dense forest were extremely tall. Xie Mianmian tried hard to look up at the trees, but she couldn't see the tops at all.

All you can see is that the branches and leaves growing between the trees do not interfere with the branches and leaves of the adjacent trees, leaving a narrow gap.

Bright sunlight streamed in through the gaps, shining into Xie Mianmian's light brown eyes.

The child couldn't help but squint, feeling the warmth on his face and the scent of grass carried on the breeze.

Xie Mianmian lowered her head and stroked the back of the little rabbit in her arms, scolding, "It's all your fault for being greedy; we got lost!"

Just then, a rustling sound came from the right.

Great, it seems someone is nearby! Xie Mianmian thought.

So the child, carrying the rabbit, walked step by step toward the direction from which the sound came.

"Roar!" came a hoarse, fierce warning.

A wolf with glowing green eyes, baring its sharp teeth, stared fiercely at Xie Mianmian, its long, powerful limbs slowly approaching her.