Chapter 14 The fox spirit is just so endearing; the Thirteenth Prince is so clever...

The moment the Crown Prince left, the fox, still thinking about that fresh, plump chicken, dashed off to Tinglan's place, wondering where the chicken was kept at the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, having gone there so many times without ever seeing it.

"Qiuyuan, I won't be home for dinner tonight, so don't bother making my portion. I'm going to eat Big Fat Chicken." Ji Qing lifted her clothes and ran out of the door, waving back as she spoke.

He strolled along the path, occasionally stopping to pick colorful wildflowers and hold them in his hand.

Seeing him like this, the palace maids passing by covered their faces and laughed, "Your Highness, would you like a basket to hold the flowers?"

The fox turned around, waved to them, and grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "No need, thank you, sisters."

After he walked away, the palace maids gathered together and chatted. "I think, of all the princes in the palace, the Thirteenth Prince is the kindest. He's always smiling at everyone. I heard from Qiu Yuan that His Highness often gives her gifts."

Another palace maid covered her mouth and whispered, "Actually, the Seventh Prince in the past was not bad either, but it's a pity..."

Upon hearing the mention of the Seventh Prince, the palace maids immediately fell silent, glanced around, and quickly left.

Upon arriving at the Directorate of Ceremonial, the fox slipped into the main hall with practiced ease and nudged Chen Yu, who was writing at the table, asking, "Where's Tinglan?"

Chen Yu turned around and saw it was him. He exclaimed, "My little master, the palm seal is not here, but he will be back in a moment. Why don't you wait here first, and I will send someone to roast the chicken you like?"

The fox's eyes lit up instantly, and it nodded repeatedly, handing a small bunch of wildflowers to Chen Yu. "Then I'll go inside and wait. These flowers are for you."

Chen Yu took it with a wry smile, "Your Highness, where did you get this from?" He lowered his head and smelled it again, "It smells quite nice."

Chen Yu's lips curled up, and he lowered his head to stroke Xiao Hua again and again. These people were eunuchs, to put it bluntly, castrated men. They were not welcomed anywhere. Only the thirteenth prince was good. He had just entered the palace and treated them as human beings. They had not been tainted by the evil practices in the palace and were like a pure stream.

He turned his head, intending to find a small vase to hold the flowers, but then a thought struck him, and he suddenly realized, "No, I can't take these flowers... I'd better keep them for the Chief Secretary and say they were a gift from the Thirteenth Prince."

The fox trotted into the inner room. This wasn't Tinglan's bedroom, but rather the place where he usually rested and drank tea. The fox had spent the most time here and was most familiar with it.

In the past, when Tinglan was working, he would tinker around here, building little houses with Tinglan's hairpins and jade pendants.

Pulling a blanket from the cabinet next to him, the fox jumped onto the recliner, snuggled up, wrapped himself in the blanket, and then comfortably closed his eyes to go to sleep.

Yay! I'll eat a big, fat chicken as soon as I wake up!

The setting sun outside the window was like blood.

When it was completely dark, Tinglan returned from the imperial prison, his body covered in the stench of blood.

The Lord of the Seal had already taken off and thrown away his cloak, but the stench of blood lingered around him.

This kind of dirty work is usually done by subordinates, but this time some tricky problems arose.

The Directorate of Ceremonial was brightly lit. Tinglan didn't go to the main hall. He first scooped water from the water vat in the courtyard and washed his hands. The feeling of blood sticking to his hands was really unpleasant. He rinsed his hands with clean water many times, but he still couldn't wash away that sticky and slippery feeling.

It reminds one of unpleasant things, such as past events that one doesn't want to recall.

He walked through the rustling bamboo grove, turned into the inner room through the side door, and prepared to change his clothes first.

The inner room was unlit, with only moonlight shining through the window lattice. The night was cool and still, and in the darkness, the embroidered rosewood screen with its flowers and birds faintly glowed, creating an atmosphere that was both solemn and magnificent.

There seemed to be some seasonal fruit in the room, and you could smell a rather refreshing fruity fragrance, but the fragrance couldn't mask the bloody smell emanating from the palm print.

Tinglan did not light a lamp; he only borrowed a sliver of moonlight to walk behind the screen. He tore open his robe, untied his waist sash, and let them fall to his feet. Finally, he removed the hair crown from his head, letting his long, black hair hang down his pale back.

When he bent over, through his long hair, you could see a scar on the back of the handprint, which looked like it had been there for years, as if it had been slashed diagonally by a knife.

I don’t know how dangerous the injury was back then, but it still looks painful to look at now.

Tinglan opened the wardrobe, casually took out a few clothes, draped them over her shoulders, and went to open the window, letting the cool night breeze carry away the smell of blood from the room.

A cool breeze blew in, and two sneezing sounds suddenly broke the silence of the room.

A sleeping fox was awakened by the cold. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked dazed. His cheeks were marked with red welts from being pressed against his skin, and his hair was stuck to his face. He looked around blankly, then looked up at the figure in front of him and smiled, "Tinglan, you're back?"

The Grand Master removed his hand from the short sword at his waist, and the murderous aura immediately subsided.

A sigh came from the dark room.

The lamps were still not lit, and the two of them gazed at each other in the moonlight.

One had just woken up, her collar and hair disheveled; the other had black hair that reached her shoulders and was dressed in thin clothes.

They all seem unable to be seen by outsiders.

With a fox's keen sense of smell, he could easily detect the smell of blood in the air.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with it; Tinglan might have gone hunting or killing chickens.

But my good friend's hunting skills are really not that great. I don't get this much blood on my hands when I hunt, but that's okay. As long as one of us is good at hunting, it's fine.

The fox jumped off the recliner with a clatter and reached for Tinglan's hand, but it felt as if she had grasped a piece of cold jade. She asked in surprise, "Why are your hands so cold? Your body is so cold too. You'll get sick."

My sister said that humans are different from fairies; they are very fragile and cannot get sick.

The fox turned around and picked up the blanket that still held its own warmth. "Use this to cover yourself first, I'll go get you some clothes."

He ran towards the wardrobe, praising himself in his mind as he ran.

I'm really good at taking care of people, I'm awesome.

Tinglan unfolded the blanket the young prince handed her, covered her knees, turned her hands over, looked at her palms, and remained silent for a long time.

The fox lit the lamp and returned carrying the clothes. "Was Tinglan unhappy today?"

"No, I'm very happy." Tinglan reached out and pinched the little prince's cheek, then looked up and smiled. "I'm very happy to have you here."

When he returned, he found someone waiting for him...

After all these years, he finally has this day.

A moment later, the fox finally got to eat the meal he had been longing for.

"The Crown Prince came to see you... What did he want with you?" Tinglan raised one eyebrow, continuing to pick chicken for the fox.

The fox spat out a chicken bone. "He didn't say anything, just asked me if I was used to the place, if I needed anything, and if I wanted to eat fatty chicken or something."

Upon hearing this, Tinglan couldn't help but chuckle softly, then shook her head. "The Crown Prince isn't that kind-hearted. You're the only one who sees everyone as a good person."

...See, I'm a good person too.

After finishing his meal, the fox sipped the grape juice and tilted his head to look at the people coming and going in the Directorate of Ceremonial. "Is Tinglan still busy? I'll be going now. We agreed to go out and see the lanterns tomorrow."

“Then I will have someone escort Your Highness back.” Tinglan looked up from his book.

“No need.” The fox jumped up and said with a grin, “Anyway, it’s close by. I’ve eaten a lot, so I might as well take a walk.”

No sooner had Ji Qing left than Chen Yu cautiously approached and handed over the small bouquet of wildflowers, her expression somewhat reluctant, "This was a gift from His Highness the Thirteenth Prince."

It was indeed a gift from the Thirteenth Prince, but it was given to me.

The palm print raised its hand and fiddled with it a few times, then chuckled, "He just loves messing around with these things. Get a nicer vase and put it in my room."

Chen Yu sighed, his eyes filled with understanding. What had he said? He couldn't possibly take these flowers.

If the Master finds out about this one day, he'll be in deep trouble.

The fox strolled leisurely along the road. He often walked this road and knew all the trees, flowers, and grasses along it, but today there was an extra person by the roadside.

She stood under the lantern with her back to him.

The fox glanced at him curiously, but unexpectedly, the man suddenly turned around. "Is it... Your Highness the Thirteenth Prince?"

He was a young man with raised eyebrows and a smiling face.

Ji Qing stopped and nodded.

A beauty seen under the lamplight is even more alluring. Before the man could speak, he was momentarily dazzled by the fox's handsome face. After much effort, he managed to compose himself before asking, "Your Highness, are you content with the status quo? Do you have any wishes?"

The fox shook its head and answered seriously, "I want to go back and eat two bunches of grapes." Crisp and sweet grapes would be best, and persimmons are also delicious now, but I can't eat too many.

The young man's carefully prepared remarks were completely blocked. He stood there dumbfounded for a long time, unable to utter a single word. What was he supposed to say now? "Your Highness, you certainly have a good appetite, hahaha. Goodbye and best regards."

This thirteenth prince's strategy of retreating to advance is quite impressive; no wonder the palace servants speak so highly of him. We must not underestimate him.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll be leaving." The fox lowered his head and rubbed the stones on the road with his toe. Why were people saying things he couldn't understand all day?

"Your Highness, please wait!" The young man took two steps and hurriedly said, "Your Highness has only just entered the palace, yet you are already thriving. Not only are you on good terms with the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, but the Crown Prince and Prince Ning also speak highly of you. Even the Taoist priest invited by His Majesty said that Your Highness is blessed with great fortune. But Your Highness doesn't even have a title. Are you really content with this?"

The fox blinked, shook its head, and looked confused. "What fish and water?" it asked. "I don't like fishing." Fishing would get its fur wet, and shaking it dry was a hassle.

The young man was stunned and stood there.

What does this sentence mean?

Dislike fishing... Is it like Jiang Taigong fishing, waiting for those who are willing to take the bait? Or perhaps Your Highness doesn't fish because you look down on this small favor and have a bigger plan? After all, Longbo caught six giant turtles with one fishing rod; compared to these, what are these small fish and shrimp?

As expected, the Thirteenth Prince is resourceful and unlike ordinary people; even his words are unpredictable.

The fox sneezed three times in a row while walking down the street... Who was secretly cursing me behind my back?!

A note from the author:

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