Chapter 23 Sharing a Bed (Three-in-One for V-Day Access) "I love you the most..."

The fox pulled Tinglan to the surface and swam towards the shore.

The lake water was icy cold, and occasionally, unfrozen ice floes would drift past as you moved about.

"He's out! He's out!" Chen Yu, who was on the shore, almost cried and jumped into the water to pull the fox out.

When Chen Yu saw clearly the person the young prince was holding, his blood ran cold. "How could the palm print be here!"

He was so shocked that the way he looked at the fox changed instantly, his panic and admiration mixed with... disbelief.

No... really? Is His Highness that amazing? How did he know?

The fox wiped away the tears from its face, lifted Tinglan up a little, and asked in a sobbing voice, "Tinglan, are you alright?"

Tinglan coughed violently, her head weakly resting on the young prince's shoulder. "I'm alright."

The water was icy cold, and he could barely feel his legs. The only source of warmth was the little prince. Tinglan rested on his shoulder, his mind in turmoil, his heart throbbing.

He still can't tell whether all of this was a hallucination before he died.

It wouldn't be so bad if he died here, but the body temperature of his men was a stark reminder of that.

This is not a dream.

After a period of heartache and confusion, Tinglan suddenly realized a more crucial issue.

The young prince was genuinely sincere towards him.

Does Your Highness still think I don't love you enough? How can I ever repay this life-saving grace...?

Immersed in the icy lake water, Tinglan felt a warmth rising in his chest. He had always thought that his relationship with the young prince was mutually beneficial... and had never truly considered it.

After all, he was a eunuch, and he was ten years older than the young prince.

At this moment, his face was deathly pale, his long, black hair was loose and drifted in the water like seaweed, and his colorless lips were upturned in a smile.

Tinglan turned his head, his lips brushing lightly against the little prince's neck. He gently yet firmly embraced the little prince's shoulders, as if holding onto his last lifeline.

Everyone else wants me dead, but you want me to live.

I was absolutely right about you.

The fox carried Tinglan ashore, picked up the cloak it had thrown on the bank before going into the water, and wrapped it tightly around Tinglan.

"Where's the sedan chair? Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

The palace servants on the shore were in a panic, taking off their outer robes and draping them over the young prince.

There was a commotion around the fox's ears, but he didn't do anything. He just lowered his head, hugged Tinglan, and shed tears to himself.

"Why is Your Highness crying?" Tinglan's voice was unusually hoarse.

He wanted to look up and wipe the little prince's tears, but the little prince was hugging him so tightly that he couldn't pull his hands away.

The fox sniffed, then wiped its face with its sleeve, which was also wet; it only managed to wipe its face. "I'm scared..."

Humans are not like monsters. Humans are so fragile that they might drown if they fall into the water. What if something happens to you?

They changed their soaking wet clothes, and the palace servants wrapped Tinglan and the fox in dry clothes and stuffed them into the warm sedan chair.

Of course, they didn't forget Chen Yu, who was shivering from the cold.

"Wait." Tinglan reached out to stop the palace servant. "There's another person in the lake."

The fox suddenly looked up and immediately raised its hand to volunteer, "I'll go save him."

Tinglan smiled, gently pressed down the little prince's hand, shook her head, and whispered in his ear, "He's the one who pushed me down."

The fox couldn't sit still any longer. He was furious. He threw off the clothes covering him and stood up. "What! I'm going to beat him up! How could this person be so wicked!"

Tinglan tilted her head back and chuckled, but her eyes never left the little prince for a moment.

"Your Highness..." He pondered for a moment before finally speaking.

"Hmm?" The fox turned his head, showing off his fist, which was as big as a red bean bun, and muttered that he was going to teach that person a lesson.

"How did Your Highness know I fell into the water?"

The fox immediately became obedient, sat down, lowered its head guiltily, and stammered out the truth, "Well... I heard the sound of water, and I suddenly couldn't smell you anymore. When I got to the lake, I saw that there were traces of you sliding on the snow, so I guessed that you might have fallen into the water."

"Taste? Is Your Highness a puppy?"

The fox turned its head to the side, somewhat displeased. "I'm not a puppy."

I am a fox, and I don't look like a puppy at all.

Tinglan raised an eyebrow, her voice weak, "So Your Highness just jumped in so recklessly?"

Like a fox or a quail, it lowered its head completely, huddled its head in the pile of clothes, and after a while, a muffled voice came out, "But you just suddenly disappeared, I can't find you, I'm so scared."

Tinglan didn't speak again. Perhaps it was the high fever caused by falling into the water and catching a chill, but his cheeks were burning hot and his heart was pounding.

He finally reached out and pulled the little prince out of the pile of clothes, speaking softly and slowly in his usual tone:

"Thank you so much for saving my life, Your Highness. I have no way to repay you."

The fox stared blankly at Tinglan. Perhaps saving people had used up all the little intelligence he had left. His mind raced for a moment, but he still couldn't figure it out. He asked stupidly, "How about we have roast lamb chops for dinner tonight?"

"Whatever Your Highness says goes."

"Yay!" the fox cheered softly, then hugged Tinglan back.

When news of the Nine Thousand Years Old falling into the water reached the Directorate of Ceremonial, there was immediate panic. In this kind of weather, falling into an ice hole would mean certain death, if not death.

If something happens to the position of Chief Seal, there's no need for those above to blame them. Just the matter of changing the Chief Seal's position alone will implicate countless people...

Therefore, whether sincere or not, everyone in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs prayed for the safety and well-being of His Majesty.

Tinglan lay on the couch, and even Chen Yu next door lay on the couch holding a hot water bottle, with bowls of herbal medicine to ward off the cold being brought in one after another.

Only the fox seemed perfectly fine, refusing to lie down on the bed no matter what, and was forced to wear several more layers of clothing.

It's so round and chubby that it's become quite clumsy when it walks.

"Can I not drink this soup? It tastes awful." The fox frowned, holding the bowl, and secretly stuck out its tongue.

How could there be such a terrible soup? My tongue tastes bitter after swallowing it.

"Please, Imperial Physician, take His Highness's pulse again." Tinglan looked at the fox, his expression grave.

The old imperial physician, his beard white, tremblingly placed his hand on the thirteenth prince's wrist, constantly stroking his beard.

"Master, I was right in taking the pulse. His Highness the Thirteenth Prince is in excellent health and has not caught a cold."

Not only did he not catch a cold, the thirteenth prince was as strong as an ox. This young man was truly different; he was in excellent health.

Upon hearing this, the fox was overjoyed and immediately put down the medicine bowl in its hand. "Great, then I won't drink this."

The old physician continued to stroke his goatee and spoke slowly, "On the other hand, His Highness has been in the water once in the dead of winter, so he still needs to take his medicine. This is what is meant by preventing illness before it occurs."

Fox leaned back with a thud, resting his head on the back of the chair, feeling anything but happy.

How could there be such a terrible soup in the world? How could Tinglan drink it without changing his expression? He's amazing.

A young eunuch entered and announced, "Master, Prince Qi has arrived."

Prince Qi was Pei Yue's title. After spending so long in the imperial prison in a cowardly manner, he finally got to hold his head high and was preparing to celebrate properly.

Originally, I planned to find a secret place to invite Tinglan, Ji Qing, and Zhou Yiqing to have a happy get-together.

He had barely strolled around the Prince's residence twice, and hadn't even settled into his seat, when a subordinate rushed in and whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The Grand Master and the Thirteenth Prince have fallen into the water!"

Pei Yue's smile froze on his face. His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "How could both of them have fallen into the water?!"

"Your Highness, this is a secret message from the Directorate of Ceremonial. The specifics are unknown, but it seems that the Grand Master fell into the water first, and the Thirteenth Prince went to rescue him."

"So... was the person rescued?" Pei Yue's heart clenched instantly, and he sat back down, hardly daring to hear his subordinate's next answer.

His subordinate immediately nodded.

Pei Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest in shock. He looked at his subordinate, hesitant to speak, and said, "Next time, please don't breathe so heavily."

Pei Yue, carrying some precious medicinal herbs, hurriedly arrived at the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs and rushed in.

He looked at Tinglan and Jiqing again carefully to make sure they were both safe and sound, and then started talking about random things.

He sat to the side, holding a teacup, finally giving him a chance to give Tinglan a good talking-to: "Why did the palm print run towards the lake in this freezing weather?"

The fox timidly raised its hand, "They came to find me because I was feeding the fish by the lake."

Pei Yue blinked, feeling like he shouldn't be here, but couldn't help asking, "Then how did the palm print fall into the water?"

The fox jumped up and laboriously rolled up his sleeves, one layer after another. "You've reminded me, someone pushed him down! I haven't gone to beat that person up yet!"

"Who did this?" Pei Yue and the fox both looked at Ting Lan.

"King Wei."

The fox immediately stormed out, muttering to itself, determined to settle accounts with King Wei.

I knew that guy wasn't a good person; I should have thrown a hedgehog at his ass back then.

How dare he bully my best friend? I'll show him what a sly fox I am! I'm not one to be trifled with!

Pei Yue quickly got up and chased after him, coaxing and persuading him to come back. "My little darling, if you go, you can at most beat him up. If you let Tinglan take action, he'll suffer more than if he were dead."

The fox was very easy to coax. It seemed to understand but not quite, and sat back down. It didn't understand, but it seemed to be more clever than me.

"Where is the King of Wei now?" Pei Yue asked again.

"They've been fished out."

"He fell into the water too? Was he pulled out dead or...?"

"Alive".

“That’s right. It would be too easy for him to die like this.” Pei Yue’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, and a chilling smile appeared on his lips.

Pei Yue turned and glanced at the sulking Pei Jiqing, then leaned down and whispered to Tinglan, "I didn't believe in your relationship at first, but now I see that Jiqing is truly sincere towards you. Jiqing is a good boy, don't let him down."

Tinglan was both amused and exasperated. He was still lying in a hospital bed when Pei Yue came over and said these things. He was really being very blunt and treating him like a bad guy.

Tinglan chuckled softly, looking past Pei Yue at the young prince behind him. "Betray him? I will never let go of him in this lifetime."

Upon hearing his words, Pei Yue felt a chill run down his spine and turned to look at the innocent-looking Pei Jiqing.

I was secretly relieved.

Good boy, of all people you could have fallen for, why did you have to fall for Tinglan? You couldn't outmaneuver him even if you were a hundred times stronger.

Pei Yue left, and his men came again with a message saying that although the Prince of Wei had been rescued, his brain had been soaked in water and seemed to have some problems, as he knew nothing when asked.

Tinglan nodded slightly, her tone dismissive, "He does have some crooked methods, but they're useless."

The fox lay by the bed, looked up at his friends, trying to understand what they were saying. After failing, he yawned.

Fox has done a lot of work today and is really exhausted.

"Your Highness, please go and rest."

The fox nodded and went to the next room very naturally. "I'm going to sleep now."

He slept in the same room as last night, taking off his clothes layer by layer to reveal a lithe fox, then leaping onto the bed and wrapping himself in the blankets into a perfect fox curl.

Close your eyes and prepare to drift off to sleep.

Just as the fox was about to fall asleep, it suddenly woke up and opened its eyes wide.

wrong!

Humans are very fragile and can get sick. Even a gust of wind can make you sick, let alone falling into the water.

What should we do if Tinglan gets sick?

...He doesn't know how to treat people.

The fox got out of bed again, put on his outer robe, and ran to Tinglan's room in the dark.

Because servants were watching over him all night, the door to the seal-bearer's room was ajar. The fox gently pushed the door open and slipped inside.

He moved a small stool and sat down in front of Tinglan's bed.

He rested his head on the pillow and quietly touched Tinglan's forehead to check its temperature.

It seems quite hot.

The fox's hand snapped back.

He didn't know what to do when someone was sick, so he could only imitate the little eunuch during the day, wringing out a handkerchief from the basin of water and applying it to Tinglan's head.

The Ninth Prince was burning up with fever and his whole body ached. He opened his eyes in a half-dream state and vaguely saw a figure bustling around his bedside.

He opened his mouth with some difficulty, "Water."

The fox went to the table, poured him a glass, carefully carried it over, and helped Tinglan up. "Drink carefully, don't choke."

The water had just been changed by the palace servants, and the temperature was just right for drinking.

Tinglan's voice was hoarse, her eyes unfocused, but her tone was full of surprise, "Your Highness? What are you doing here..."

"I couldn't sleep, so I came to check on you."

Tinglan's heart skipped a beat. The little prince was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, yet he ran over again for him... His Highness really cares about him.

His head was throbbing, and he wanted to get a good look at the young prince, but the fox's hand gently covered his eyes.

"You rest well, I'm watching over you. I'll cover you up as soon as you open your eyes," the fox said domineeringly.

Her long hair fell to Tinglan's shoulders and neck, making her feel slightly itchy.

He could roughly guess the prince's current attire; he probably hadn't put on his shoes properly, had just casually draped a robe over his shoulders, and had his hair loosely draped over his shoulders.

This is an outfit that should not be seen by anyone other than close relatives...

Having met so many times, has he already become a close confidant of the young prince?

Tinglan smiled and said, "Your Highness should go and rest as well. There are servants here."

The fox lowered its eyes and said softly, "I'm afraid they won't be able to cure you."

I'm afraid you'll leave me.

The fox turned and lay down beside Tinglan's pillow, poking his lips with its finger.

She secretly opened her little purse and took out a round, shiny pill.

Based on the principle that eating too little might not be effective, and eating too much might cause a stomachache, the fox very cautiously broke the pill in half.

These are my sister's secret pills. I used to take these pills when I sneezed and had a headache from playing in the snow too much, and they would make me feel better immediately. Although they are for treating foxes, not humans... they should be pretty much the same.

"I'll give you a piece of candy." The fox stuffed half a pill into Tinglan's mouth.

Tinglan didn't ask what it was, and swallowed it without even blinking.

"How does it taste?" the fox asked expectantly.

This medicine is sweet, it tastes delicious.

"I swallowed it too fast, I didn't feel it." Tinglan smiled and curled the corners of her mouth.

Is it really candy...?

One night later, the Ninth Prince's fever subsided the next day, much to the surprise of even the imperial physicians.

The fox, keeping his achievements hidden, secretly smugly put his hands on his hips and said, "I can heal people now, I'm so amazing!"

Where can you find such a powerful fox?!

Unlucky Chen Yu was only in the water for a short time and was not seriously injured. When he came over today, he was surprised to find that the palm print seemed to be more energetic than himself.

As for the young prince insisting that he eat half a strangely colored pill, claiming it was candy, that's another story.

In short, the fox resumed his carefree days of eating, sleeping, playing, and eating again after playing.

But there was something else on his mind.

"What the hell? You want to use some Taoist magic to keep making King Wei suffer?" Zhou Yiqing asked in shock.

The fox nodded vigorously, indicating that he was getting angrier the more he thought about it. "I can't find him anywhere in the palace. He bullied Tinglan. We can't just let this go."

“My goodness, we are a reputable sect, we don’t do such things.” Zhou Yiqing leaned closer and whispered, “Do you really need to do revenge? Didn’t your husband take care of it himself?”

Who could be as professional as the Ninth Thousand Years Old in this kind of thing? The Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were all under his command.

The fox blinked, puzzled, and asked, "Who is my mate?"

Are you talking about my older sister? My older sister is indeed very capable, but she's not here.

Zhou Yiqing slapped his thigh and quickly dodged the question, "I was talking about Your Highness, you two are on good terms, aren't you?"

The fox lowered its head. "You all say that, but Tinglan is such a good person. What if he can't bring himself to do it?"

Sigh, I'll play the wicked fox.

Zhou Yiqing felt a chill run down her spine. She touched her arm and thought to herself, "You're just overthinking it."

No, what is the Ninth Prince usually like in front of you that would make you have such unnecessary concerns...

"Anyway, don't worry about that. King Wei is definitely not having an easy time right now, and he doesn't need any underhanded tactics to make him suffer."

"Oh." The fox lowered its head, clutching the hem of its clothes, and said nothing more.

"By the way, how are things between you and the Ninth Prince?"

When Zhou Yiqing inquired about gossip, he didn't care about being a respectable monk; he was all excited, his eyes were shining, and he was practically cracking sunflower seeds.

"It's fine, just like before."

"Huh, there's no new progress at all?" Zhou Yiqing asked incredulously.

The fox shook its head.

Zhou Yiqing didn't understand relationships very well, so he couldn't really explain it. He chewed on the pastries the fox had given him and said confidently, "Hey, he'll definitely be looking for you these next few days."

The fox nodded.

It's absurd that a Taoist priest would give a fox spirit relationship advice; one dared to speak and the other dared to listen.

The fox returned to Changqiu Palace. Qiuyuan, unaware of his fall into the water, assumed he had gone out to play and excitedly greeted him, "Your Highness is finally back! The Ninth Prince has sent over many things. Your Highness, please go and take a look."

The fox jumped up happily and ran straight to the warehouse. Sure enough, Zhou Yiqing was right. Tinglan would definitely come to see me in the next few days.

"Look at this coral, and this pearl. Not to mention me, even many of the old people in the palace have never seen anything like it." Qiu Yuan opened the boxes one by one and showed them to the little prince.

The glittering, multicolored jewels reflected on the fox's face. He touched this and that, and although he didn't know what they were, he was very satisfied.

Let's keep all of these and play together when Tinglan comes.

Sure enough, the Ninth Prince arrived at dusk.

He was wearing a red robe with an official badge, and his long hair was tied up, but he looked somewhat different from before.

He seems to be even more handsome now.

"Has Your Highness had your meal? The small kitchen of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs prepared your favorite lamb and roast chicken, which I brought along."

The fox shook its head vigorously, full of anticipation. Even if it had already eaten, it didn't matter; it could squeeze out the food in its belly and have another meal.

Although Tinglan only mentioned two items, the table was actually filled with a full array of dishes.

"Wow, I've never seen so many of these dishes before!" Ji Qing exclaimed like a naive country bumpkin, then lowered his head and began to eat heartily, his eyes shining with delight.

Tinglan only ate a few bites of the light vegetarian dishes before putting down her chopsticks, a smile on her lips, watching the little prince eat.

...He has washed that area today, so he should not eat meat again.

However, most of it was... unnecessary.

After dinner, the fox pulled a large stack of storybooks from under the bed and carried them to the table with a clatter.

Who says I, Little Fox, don't read? I read every day, and of course, it would be even better if someone read it to me, hehe.

Looking at the thick stack on the table, Tinglan naturally knew what the young prince was up to. She smiled and randomly picked out one of the books.

"Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing... Hmm?" Just as he was reading, the fox suddenly reached out and tugged at his sleeve. Tinglan looked up and asked, "What's wrong, Your Highness?"

"If a monster is with a human, will it get beaten up?" The fox huddled up, hugging its knees in fear.

I wonder which Fahai in the story is actually who he is. I hope he won't come and beat me up.

The fox looked warily under the table, fearing that someone might suddenly emerge from there, carrying a stick, ready to strike the fox spirit.

"It's just a story made up by people. It's only interesting if there are some twists and turns," Tinglan said softly, stroking the little prince's forehead.

The fox breathed a sigh of relief and nudged Tinglan's hand with its cheek.

Hehe, good friends always know more.

Tinglan glanced out the window; the moon was already high in the sky, it was time to go to bed.

Qiu Yuan and the other palace servants had already asked him to leave ahead of schedule. At this moment, only he and the little prince were in Changqiu Palace.

The Ninth Prince put down the storybook in his hand, looked up and said with a gentle smile, "Your Highness, it's time. This servant will help Your Highness to rest."

The fox loosened its knees, jumped up, and spun around in place. "Yay! I want to sleep with Tinglan."

Tinglan was taken aback upon hearing this, lowered her head, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips.

After washing up, Tinglan turned around and sat behind the young prince, removing his hairpin. His long, black hair cascaded down, falling over his shoulders.

Tinglan picked up a strand of long hair in her hand and combed it carefully, the familiar scent filling her nostrils.

As it was about to be time for bed, most of the candles had gone out, casting dappled light that couldn't clearly illuminate the expression on the Emperor's face.

"Please rise, Your Highness. This servant will help you change your clothes."

The fox looked back at him.

He was a little unaccustomed to Tinglan speaking like this, as if it were different from usual, but the fox was clueless and didn't know what was different about it.

But she still obediently got up.

Tinglan bent down and removed the belt and outer robe from the young prince.

The boy had a slender and strong waist, a tall and handsome figure.

Tinglan's eyes grew even deeper. Just as he was about to say something, the fox, as was its habit, jumped onto the bed.

He didn't jump very far because he didn't have a running start today. If he had, with the fox's agility, he could have jumped from one end of the room to the bed, which would have been quite impressive.

The fox bounced a few times on the bed, then excitedly patted the bed, "Tinglan, come quick, I want to hear you continue telling the story."

Tinglan put down the belt in her hand and chuckled to herself helplessly.

It really is His Highness.

Today, Tinglan lit a pair of red candles by her bedside.

The fox looked up curiously, "Don't you need to extinguish the candles before going to bed at night?"

"No need, it will burn until dawn..."

The fox nodded, seemingly confused.

He turned to look at Tinglan lying flat, swallowed hard, and somewhat awkwardly rested his head on Tinglan's chest.

Wow, just like I imagined, it's so soft and comfortable.

The fox chuckled, rubbed its face against Tinglan's, rolled over, and nestled in his arms, refusing to get up.

Tinglan looked down at the little prince in her arms, then turned her head away, her face instantly turning bright red.

The fox was completely unaware. He raised his head and chuckled, rolled himself into a fox curl with the blanket, and then rolled the round fox curl into Tinglan's arms.

He pressed his head against Tinglan's chest.

The fox was very satisfied; this position was truly comfortable.

"Tinglan, can you sleep like this, holding me in your arms?"

Tinglan looked at the little prince, whose head was the only part of his body peeking out from his arms, and couldn't help but laugh. This was the first time he had ever properly shared a bed with someone. The last time he had slept with someone was with a fox.

He raised his hand and smiled as he tidied the little prince's messy hair.

The fox sat up, also lifting its rolled-up blanket, and reached out to touch Tinglan's collar, asking in confusion, "Do you have to wear two layers of clothes to sleep at night?"

He looked down at his inner garment, which consisted of only one layer. "I think it's more comfortable to wear just one layer."

Tinglan lowered her head, her expression somber. "I'm used to it."

It wasn't out of habit, but rather because he didn't want the young prince to see the scars on his body... and even more so, he didn't want the young prince to see his... imperfections.

The fox gave an "oh" and happily lay back down.

A faint fragrance wafted from the incense burner beside it, and layers of thin gauze, like moonlight, enveloped the carved wooden bed.

"Where is Your Highness's fox?"

Ji Qing shrank further into the blanket and said in a guilty whisper, "I went out to play."

He only showed his eyes, looking timidly at Tinglan, "I mean, if that fox could turn into a human, would you be afraid? But he doesn't eat people, he just eats ordinary food."

"Your Highness should read fewer storybooks. How could a fox turn into a human?"

"Tell me if you're scared." The fox reached out and shook Tinglan's sleeve.

Tinglan smiled helplessly, "Don't worry, he was so well-behaved and cute when he was a fox, he should be pretty good as a human too."

Alright, now Ji Qing has stretched out his entire fox, proudly showing off his face.

You're right, it's really good.

Hehehe, I'm so well-behaved and cute, the fox thought shamelessly.

He chuckled to himself, reaching out to put his arm around Tinglan's shoulder. The two were so close that he could clearly see Tinglan's rosy lips opening and closing, and her snow-white teeth flashing by.

They even breathed each other.

The fox excitedly announced, "I love you the most!" Then it rolled over, lay flat on its back, placed its hands obediently by its sides, closed its eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

Hehe, I have a good friend to sleep with me tonight, yay!

The helpless Ninth Prince couldn't sleep at all. He rubbed his temples and stared at the little prince for a long time.

He sat up sideways, the candlelight filtering dimly through the curtains.

A beautiful woman looks even more stunning under the lamplight.

Tinglan bent down, as if in retaliation, and gently rubbed the little prince's rosy lips with her hand.

The fox grunted twice, his eyes still tightly closed, immersed in his sweet dream, sleeping like a little pig.

Tinglan shook her head and smiled, pinched the little prince's cheek, turned over and closed her eyes.

But the little prince's words kept echoing in my mind.

How can I possibly sleep like this...?

Sleepiness finally came, but in the middle of the night, Tinglan's consciousness returned in a hazy state. He felt a heaviness on his body and couldn't lift his hands. He squinted and looked down.

He saw that the fox curled up beside him had completely scattered. The fox was no longer in its previous obedient sleeping position. It was clinging to him like an octopus, its head resting on his chest.

His hands were also very restless, groping everywhere.

It's unclear what the fox was dreaming about, but a very suspicious smile was tugging at the corner of its mouth.

Hehe, so soft, so nice to touch, such a white and big glutinous rice cake.

Tinglan sighed deeply, raised her right hand to make room for the young prince to do as he pleased.

He suppressed his breathing, and his face grew increasingly red.

Is tonight destined to be sleepless...?

At dawn, when Tinglan opened her eyes, the smiling face of the little prince was right in front of her.

How did you sleep last night?

Tinglan paused for a moment, then suddenly blushed and turned her head away, saying, "It's alright."

"I didn't disturb your sleep, did I?" The fox was very afraid that he was sleeping restlessly and disturbing his good friend.

"……No."

"Does Tinglan like sleeping with me?" The fox grabbed Tinglan's hand, blinked its eyes, and asked expectantly.

"like."

"Yay!" The fox jumped off the bed with a somersault, humming some song, and happily hopped around the room for a bit before coming back up.

"...From now on, can Tinglan continue to sleep with me?"

Tinglan felt her heart was about to jump straight out of its seat; she hadn't felt this nervous when she plotted against the former crown prince.

He sighed, chuckled softly, nodded in agreement, and said goodbye to his good night's sleep...

Ji Qing pounced on Ting Lan like a hungry fox, leaving Ting Lan nowhere to hide, and he pinned her to the bed.

Her clothes and hair were all disheveled.

"You're so nice, I love you the most!" The fox rolled over and lay down next to Tinglan, breathing happily.

Tinglan raised her sleeve to cover her face and began to laugh uncontrollably.

The fox is now a happy fox. Although he has always seemed to be happy, he is especially happy now.

Tinglan went to court early in the morning, while the fox dressed herself up beautifully, brought some delicious snacks, and prepared to go to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

He sat in the sedan chair prepared by Tinglan, and from afar he saw a woman crying in the garden, surrounded by a crowd of people, but no one went up to comfort her.

The fox nudged the guard following beside the sedan chair, "What's wrong with her? Why is she crying?"

"Your Highness, that is the mother of the King of Wei."

The fox gasped. He lifted the curtain and peered through the window to get a closer look at the weeping woman.

The fox lowered the curtain and bowed its head, feeling somewhat depressed.

When they arrived at the Directorate of Ceremonial, Tinglan had not yet returned.

The fox skillfully ran to the side room, kicked off its shoes, lay down on the chaise lounge, picked up the prepared storybook, and happily munched on pastries.

Chen Yu rushed in, "How is Your Highness?"

The fox nodded, indicating that it was fine.

Chen Yu said, "A sorcerer from India has arrived today. The head of the seal will be returning later, so Your Highness may have to wait a little longer."

The fox continued to nod.

Where is Tianzhu? I don't know, and it has nothing to do with foxes.

The fox had just leisurely lay down when it suddenly realized something was wrong and abruptly covered its head.

A monk? No way, here he is again.

The monk sounds a lot like Fahai... Could he be here to beat me up?

No!

The fox hurriedly opened the storybook and found that the story was called... The White Snake Lady Forever Imprisoned in Leifeng Pagoda.

The sky seemed to collapse even further...

Oh no, oh no, I'm going to get crushed by the tower... It'll crush the fox to death.

This was the scene that Tinglan saw when she pushed open the door and came in.

The young prince hid behind the table, only his eyes showing, and waved at him.

Zhou Yiqing followed behind Tinglan, her hand, which was waving to the fox, froze in mid-air, utterly puzzled. "What's going on?"

The fox cautiously poked its head out and whispered, "Is there anyone else here?"

Especially that Fahai... ah, I mean, the monk.

Tinglan shook her head. "There was no one else there."

Only then did the fox feel safe enough to come out.

Zhou Yiqing sighed and slumped into a chair. "You know, a big monk from India has come."

The fox nodded and shook its head nervously.

Who is the senior monk? Isn't he a Dharma Master?

"The emperor sent me to discuss the scriptures with him, but I know nothing about their scriptures."

The senior monk asked, "What should I do if Heaven foresees that you will encounter misfortune?"

The fox looked up and asked, "So what did you say?"

"Throw away the last divination and cast another one. Cast a few more divinations, and you'll surely get a favorable result."

The fox agreed wholeheartedly and nodded vigorously.

Tinglan tilted her head to one side and sighed.

Zhou Yiqing slapped his thigh, indicating that he had met a kindred spirit. "Right? You also think there's no problem, right? But that big monk insisted that I was deceiving myself and wanted to compete with me again tomorrow."

He angrily picked up the fox's pastry from the side and took a big bite.

"You don't want to compete with him anymore?" the fox asked.

"Of course not. Xiaodao and he are not on the same wavelength at all. They can't talk to each other at all."

The fox blinked. Wow, there are chickens and ducks! That looks delicious! What a feast!

That mage wasn't that scary.

The fox nudged Zhou Yiqing and whispered, "Does this person know how to catch demons?"

Zhou Yiqing waved his hand, "Monks who study scriptures don't catch demons, don't worry, and the demons there are definitely different from yours."

You're a local fox spirit from our backwater, protected by the magic weapon your sister gave you. You don't harm anyone, and even the Taoist priest hasn't bothered with you, so why should he?

Bah, that's like a dog catching a mouse.

Seeing that the two of them were getting along very naturally, Tinglan didn't think too much about it like before, and just held her tea and watched.

That's just the young prince's personality; there's no need to worry about it.

Besides, he knew His Highness's feelings all too well...

The fox listened to the Taoist priest's words and felt relieved, immediately deciding to go see Zhou Yiqing make a fool of himself the next day.

The next day, the fox got up early and happily went to see what was going on.

He rarely appears in such occasions, and given his outstanding appearance, many people's eyes are drawn to him.

The monk came out, wearing a kasaya and with a long beard. He did not rush to debate with Zhou Yiqing, but instead looked around the room and fixed his gaze on the fox.

"This young friend has a clear and bright mind, and seems to have great wisdom. Would you be willing to debate with this humble monk?"

The fox looked around excitedly.

Hmm, which unlucky guy is it?

The senior monk's eyes were piercing. "Yes, it is indeed you, young friend."

The fox was dumbfounded, and the pastry in its hand fell into the plate with a clatter.

Really? Me?

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Author's Note: It's burned out... but rounded up, it's still about 10,000 words [crying emoji]