Chapter 18 Who said the fox was having a miserable time? How come both of them are...?

This morning, as soon as the fox opened the door, a biting cold wind blew across its face, giving it a familiar feeling of returning to its hometown.

Yay! Is it going to snow?

The fox excitedly rushed out and ran wildly around the yard.

Qiu Yuan was startled by the fox when she saw it. She grabbed a thick outer robe and chased after him, saying, "Your Highness, please put on your clothes, or you'll catch a cold."

"I won't wear it." Ji Qing turned her head away.

I am a free fox in the cold wind, chasing snow-capped mountains, sunsets and roast chicken. I have absolutely thick fur, hmph, I'm not like you humans.

"Your Highness, after running around like this, you'll be covered in sweat. If you get chilled by the wind, you're more likely to catch a cold." Qiu Yuan continued to hold up her outer robe and followed behind the fox, clearly very worried.

The fox had no choice but to stop and sigh. "You humans are so fragile. Why do you get sick just from a gust of wind? We foxes can run, jump, and roll around in the snow as we please."

But he still compromised because he didn't want Qiu Yuan to worry, "Okay, then I'll put it on."

The fox reluctantly put on her outer robe, clutching the breakfast she had brought for Tinglan, and darted out. Standing at the door, she waved and said, "Qiuyuan, I'm going out now."

Tinglan had already arranged a car for him, but Fox preferred to wander around outside on his own.

Because he was a free and unfettered fox...

But to onlookers, the scene appeared rather tragic.

It's so cold today, freezing cold, and water turns to ice instantly. The poor thirteenth prince, carrying a food box in his arms, walks against the cold wind, his face reddened by the wind.

A horse-drawn carriage sped past the roadside.

"Stop the carriage!" Prince Ning frowned, lifted the curtain and jumped out of the carriage, immediately asking a series of questions, "Where are you going, Thirteenth Brother? Why aren't you riding in a sedan chair in this cold weather? Are some ignorant servants bullying you?"

The fox quickly shook its head. "No, I just wanted to take a walk by myself."

"I'll take you. It's so cold. How are you being served in your palace?" Prince Ning was always straightforward. He reached out and, without saying a word, pulled the person into the carriage.

"It's none of their business, I just like it this way," the fox muttered.

Once inside the carriage, Prince Ning poured Fox a cup of hot tea and placed it in his hand to warm him up. "Look at you, your face is all red from the wind. Where are you going with that food box?"

"I'm going to bring breakfast to Tinglan." The fox, holding a teacup, obediently placed the food box on his lap, looked up, and said with a smile.

Prince Ning nearly dropped the teapot in his hand, his eyes widening as he repeated, word by word, "You, go and deliver breakfast to Tinglan?"

In this freezing weather, you're going to walk to deliver food to that eunuch?

How could I not know that the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was short of food or just putting on airs? Why would I need you to deliver meals there? Are their kitchens just for show?

The fox smiled and nodded. "Brother Prince Ning, would you like some side dishes? I've been holding them in my arms, they're still warm."

My good friend sometimes skips breakfast and then gets a stomachache, but don't worry, I take good care of him and will make sure he eats properly.

Prince Ning nearly choked to death, then waved his hand, saying, "No need, I... I'm not hungry."

What kind of nonsense is this? Treating a prince like a servant? The head of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, a high-ranking official, actually did such a thing...

I originally thought Tinglan was at least a decent person.

"What else did he ask you to do?" Prince Ning asked through gritted teeth, suppressing his anger.

Even if you're not listed in the family genealogy, you're still a child officially recognized by the Emperor. How can you allow a eunuch to humiliate you like this?

The fox thought for a moment, "He told me not to eat too much rice, and not to stuff the fruit I found directly into my mouth..."

The Prince of Ning pinched his thigh hard, his bitter and resentful thoughts abruptly ceasing, leaving only endless questions.

ah?

Is that correct?

Prince Ning tentatively asked again, "He...didn't he ask you to do anything else?"

The fox continued to ponder, "Tinglan told me to read more books." He read them, but he couldn't understand most of them. Some were interesting, but the books were full of strange and bizarre phrases.

He bought a lot of fun books and is reading them very diligently.

Prince Ning turned his head to one side, clearly not wanting to continue this ridiculous question.

But being young, he couldn't resist his curiosity and asked again, "What does Thirteenth Brother think of the Ninth Prince?"

"Great!" the fox shouted, raising its hand.

Prince Ning gasped, and two words immediately flashed through his mind: It's over.

With Tinglan's cunning, manipulating a simple and naive Pei Jiqing would be incredibly easy. Pei Jiqing would probably be selling him out and still be counting the money for him.

I clearly warned you, how could Pei Jiqing still fall for it?

Forget about having bad intentions; how could Tinglan possibly bear to bully such a naive and clueless child...?

Prince Ning turned his head and sighed deeply.

Changqiu Palace and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs were not far apart, and they arrived in no time.

The fox happily jumped off the carriage, clutching the food box, and waved to Prince Ning, "Thank you, Fifth Brother, for bringing me here."

Prince Ning waved to him with a pained expression, saying that the child had suffered because he entered the palace too late and had not seen much of the world, which made him easily deceived.

The fox had just arrived at the entrance of the Directorate of Ceremonial when Chen Yu rushed out from inside. "My little ancestor, why are you running outside in this cold weather? Come in and sit down."

As Chen Yu approached, he noticed the Prince of Ning's carriage nearby. His bright smile vanished instantly, and he gave a slight bow, displaying a flawless smile. "Greetings, Your Highness Prince of Ning. May I ask what brings you here?"

"You may excuse yourself, Your Excellency. It's nothing. I was just passing by."

Prince Ning's gaze was now blank, completely bewildered. Judging from Chen Yu's attitude towards Pei Jiqing, it didn't seem like the Directorate of Ceremonial was bullying him...

What exactly happened? I just can't figure it out at all.

The fox hopped and skipped after Chen Yu into the house. "I brought some of those delicious snacks you mentioned last time. Would you like a plate?"

"The young prince still cares about me." Chen Yu couldn't help but smile as he lifted the curtain and entered the room. "Master, the young prince has arrived."

Within the Directorate of Ceremonial, there is only one person who can be directly addressed as "Your Highness."

The charcoal fire inside was burning very hot, and as soon as you entered, you felt warm all over. A scarlet felt was laid out on a rosewood chair, and the Ninth Prince, dressed in a python robe, sat there. He put down his pen and looked up.

"With such a strong wind, why has Your Highness come today?"

The fox didn't answer. Instead, he preemptively slammed his lunchbox on the desk and said menacingly, "If I hadn't come, were you planning not to eat?"

"That's not true..."

Chen Yu was very perceptive. He brought out the breakfast, took his snack, and slipped away as soon as he could.

Oh dear, the only one in the entire palace who still cares about him is the little prince. He's so endearing. I'm sure the Grand Master feels the same way.

“It’s freezing cold. If Your Highness needs anything, you may summon me.” Tinglan’s voice was somewhat stiff as she spoke.

The fox proudly displayed his flushed face, "I come from the north, I'm not afraid of the cold at all, I get quite warm after walking around."

“Your Highness… you walked here, why didn’t you take a sedan chair?” Tinglan stood up.

Sensing that Tinglan's tone was off, the fox's arrogance vanished instantly, and he shrank back like a quail. "No, I ran into Prince Ning on the way, and he brought me here."

"Oh? Prince Ning?" Tinglan walked out from behind the desk, approaching step by step.

Why do you ride in his car instead of my car?

The Ninth Prince stared at the young prince for a long time with a complicated expression, but didn't say anything. He then flicked his sleeves and sat back down.

Looking down at the food on the table, feeling a little guilty, he realized he really didn't intend to skip breakfast. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

The fox finally breathed a sigh of relief, then eagerly approached, lowering its head and whispering, "Are you angry?"

"No, this servant wouldn't dare." Tinglan turned her face to the side.

The powerful and influential Prince Jiuqian rarely referred to himself as a servant. In fact, very few people in the entire palace had ever heard him speak in this way. Yet, he often referred to himself as such in front of the powerless and insignificant young prince. What he was thinking was truly unfathomable.

"Then can I ride in a sedan chair from now on? I'll ride in the sedan chair you prepared." The fox tugged at Tinglan's sleeve and began to whine.

“I want to see you soon, but if I take a sedan chair, they’ll take a long time to prepare, and it won’t be as fast as me walking here myself…” the fox said softly, adding in an even softer voice, “Of course, I quite like walking.”

Tinglan had already ignored the last sentence and no longer cared about being angry. Her face immediately flushed red. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

"You're not angry with me anymore?" the fox asked cautiously.

"I am not angry with Your Highness."

"Now I'm angry with you." The little fox changed tactics, immediately putting her hands on her hips, her arrogance palpable. "You're not eating properly!"

"Why would someone not like to eat? It's delicious, and you need to eat to grow."

“Your Highness… I’m twenty-seven years old, I won’t grow any older.” Tinglan couldn’t help but turn around and laugh.

"Twenty-seven years old?" The fox repeated blankly, his face full of disbelief.

Tinglan did not answer.

I am indeed much older than the young prince.

Seventeen and twenty-seven... a full ten years apart. Your Highness's surprise is not surprising at all...

However, as long as he continues to hold power, what does the age difference matter? His Highness needs his power and will not leave over such a trivial matter.

But no matter what, it did bother him... after all, it was ten years.

The fox turned its head and carefully examined its good friend.

My good friend is only 27 years old? So young, so young!

When I was twenty-seven, I was like a tiny little fox, with no magic, poor speech, and not very bright. All I knew was to chase my own tail in circles and then pull up carrots to eat.

Sigh, I was just a silly fox back then.

My good friend is only 27 years old and he's already so amazing. He can read, write, and ride horses. But no matter how amazing he is, he's still very young.

I will definitely take good care of you!

The fox smiled, revealing its dimples, and patted Tinglan on the shoulder.

...But then again, if Tinglan knew he was a fox spirit, and much older than him, she would be terrified.

The fox sighed, the fox was worried, the fox prepared to keep the secret to the death.

A note from the author:

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I'm late again, feeling guilty and shifting my gaze... I'll definitely be on time next time!