Chapter 26 The fox has become a little more perceptive, but not much. "I just have a few..."

"I told you to eavesdrop on Pei Jiqing, why did you return so quickly?" The Crown Prince did not put down his pen, but slightly raised his eyes to glance at the kneeling people, his tone slightly amused.

"Tell me, what happened this time?"

"Your subordinate is incompetent... His Highness the Thirteenth Prince discovered it." The shadow guard kept his head bowed tightly.

"He found out about you?" The crown prince finally put down his pen and looked up in surprise.

"You are all quite skilled in the palace, how did Pei Jiqing manage to discover you?"

"Your Highness may not know this... Pei Jiqing's lightness skill is extraordinary."

The crown prince lowered his head and sized them up. "A bunch of good-for-nothings. Now that he's discovered you, why did he let you go so easily?"

“I pretended to deliver a letter… but it was indeed strange that His Highness the Thirteenth Prince did not ask any further questions after reading the letter.”

"Oh, I didn't ask any further questions..." A smile appeared on the Crown Prince's lips. "I already know. Go and receive your punishment."

He had already discovered the person eavesdropping, but hadn't immediately apprehended or interrogated them...

It seems Pei Jiqing is a clever man; this is an attempt to curry favor.

Supporting the future new emperor, or currying favor with a eunuch—which path leads to a brighter future? The answer is so obvious that it doesn't even require much thought.

It seems we can move on to the next move.

*

The winter sun shone brightly, and Ji Qing lay comfortably in the backyard of the Directorate of Ceremonial, basking in the sun in the form of a fox.

She rolled over, squinted her eyes, and put her four little paws under her belly.

It's still more comfortable like this.

Yay! I'm a free and easy fox.

Ji Qing slept like a soft, fluffy fox cake, making one really want to touch his smooth fur and then stroke his soft, fluffy tail.

Some faint noises came from afar, as if someone was walking this way on the dry grass.

The fox lazily pricked up one ear.

A pair of hands gently touched his head, and the person's tone was soft, "Why did you decide to come see me today? Did His Highness not feed you?"

Tinglan's technique was already very skilled; she squatted down and scratched the fox's chin.

The fox didn't even open its eyes, it rubbed its head against Tinglan's hand, and then it was picked up and carried.

"It's cold outside, why don't you come inside and sleep?"

The fox opened its eyes and struggled slightly in Tinglan's arms, indicating its displeasure.

My sunshine, I don't want to go back, I want to bask in the sun!

Tinglan felt as if she had a freshly caught carp in her arms. "Stop fooling around. How about I share half of the roast chicken I prepared for His Highness?"

Upon hearing this, the fox immediately stopped struggling, blinked, and obediently lay in Tinglan's arms.

Hehe, roast chicken.

Tinglan chuckled softly, looking down. This little fox, like His Highness, was easy to coax. If it got angry, a little food would be enough to appease it.

It's true that things resemble their owners.

I couldn't resist pinching the fox's ears, and they felt surprisingly good.

Inside the Directorate of Ceremonial, Pei Yue was looking worried as he flipped through the letters in his hand. When the door opened, he was about to look up and say something.

Then they saw Tinglan come in carrying a white fox.

Pei Yue immediately forgot what he was supposed to do and looked pleasantly surprised. "Where did you get this? It's so comforting. Let me touch it."

"It was raised by the young prince, and it's very intelligent."

Pei Yue poked the fox's paw, "It's pretty, but I didn't see any intelligence in it."

It seems silly and goofy.

The fox, not to be outdone, slapped Pei Yue with its claws.

Feeling patted by the fox's little paw was a strange sensation. Instead of being angry, Pei Yue laughed, "Oh, this one is indeed clever. Could it understand human speech?"

The fox pricked up its ears excitedly and proudly raised its head. "Do you think I'm just an ordinary fox like those outside? I'm a fox spirit!"

Pei Yue played with the fox for a while before remembering what he was supposed to do.

“I almost forgot, this is what the Grand Secretary asked me to investigate: the Crown Prince’s properties and shops outside the palace. But what do you need this for? The Prince of Wei has just been defeated. Even if the Crown Prince wants to make a move, he won’t do it so quickly.”

The fox pawed at the dessert plate on the table.

Tinglan smiled, picked up a piece of chestnut cake, bent down and handed it to the fox, "That's not necessarily true."

The fox smacked its lips and took the pastry in one bite, its canine teeth rubbing against Tinglan's fingers.

Pei Yue couldn't help but change the subject again, "This little fox is nice. Look, he doesn't bite much when he eats from your hand, he's afraid of biting your hand."

Tinglan smiled and patted the fox's head. "The Crown Prince sent a letter to His Highness yesterday."

"What could the Crown Prince possibly have to say to Xiao Jiqing? He wouldn't be trying to use Pei Jiqing to deal with you, would he?" Pei Yue frowned, then chuckled softly.

"The Crown Prince has miscalculated. Little Ji Qing was willing to jump into the water to save you, so why would he help the Crown Prince deal with you?"

Although Tinglan didn't say anything on the surface, the corners of his mouth betrayed his inner thoughts.

"So that's why you kept quiet about how the Prince of Wei caused you to fall into the water. You were planning to set a trap for the Crown Prince."

Pei Yue clapped his hands and laughed, "The palm print is quite the schemer."

"It wasn't to scheme against the Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yue was taken aback. "Then why is that?"

The fox also raised its head, its eyes wide as it listened intently.

Although he didn't understand anything the two of them were saying, he still wanted to know why Tinglan would hide the truth when it was clearly someone else who had harmed him.

The fox stood up and pawed at Tinglan's leg with its front paws.

The palm print's eyes were filled with complex emotions. He bent down and touched the fox's ears. "I can only tell you this."

Ji Qing chuckled.

Actually... there's another person here, no, a fox.

"When I fell into the water, it was His Highness who risked his own safety to save me."

The fox scratched its head, looking slightly embarrassed, though it wasn't that it was reckless.

Swimming may get your fur wet, but it's not dangerous and the water isn't very cold.

It is certainly more capable than a fox in terms of intelligence!

“A prince risked his life to jump into the water to save a eunuch. If word got out, what would outsiders think of him? If this matter reached the emperor's ears, it would be even more complicated. We can only keep it hidden.”

"It's just... Your Highness has been wronged."

Pei Yue was silent for a moment, then said, "You've put a lot of thought into this."

Tinglan chuckled softly, "How could I possibly let Your Highness down with such affection for me?"

The fox forgot to chew the pastry in its mouth, and the whole fox became dazed.

His mind was blank; he hadn't quite figured out how this matter was related to him.

Also, what does his saving Tinglan have to do with anyone else...?

Pei Yue turned his head away, thinking, "Who wants to hear your sarcastic remarks? You should save those words for Xiao Jiqing."

"Your Highness need not know these things."

The fox, clutching its paws, thought, "Sorry, I already know."

Hmph, you can't fool a clever fox.

Although still unclear about what was going on, the fox leaped onto the table and nuzzled Tinglan's face with its head.

Thank you, my dear friend.

This made Pei Yue very anxious, and he immediately pressed his face close to hers, saying, "Little fox, you can't be biased. I am your master's brother."

The fox tilted its head, gave his hand a perfunctory pat with its paw, and scurried out the door.

A moment later, the young prince, dressed in a light blue robe, emerged from behind the tree.

The fox, resting his chin on his hand, plopped down beside the tree; there were some things he simply couldn't understand.

"Huh? You're asking me?" Zhou Yiqing had just finished frying a pot of pills and was covered in soot. Upon hearing the fox's question, he immediately wiped his face with the towel draped over his shoulder, looking very excited.

"Then you've come to the right person. Let me analyze it for you."

So the Taoist priest, who had never had a romantic relationship and was still single, began to analyze the problem for the fox with great interest.

"What is your current identity?"

"A vixen," Ji Qing answered honestly.

"Oh dear, that's not what I was talking about. I was referring to your disguised identity. You are a prince now."

The fox nodded. He didn't really understand what "yellow seeds" were, but chestnuts were delicious anyway.

"Whether you're faking it or not, you're now a member of the royal family, and you need a good reputation in public."

The fox looked dazed.

Zhou Yiqing scratched his head, "I just can't let people talk badly about you outside, saying you're a bad person."

The fox suddenly realized.

"The Grand Secretary is very powerful, but he is a eunuch and has a bad reputation. If you get close to him, people outside will also criticize you."

The fox stood up abruptly, puffing out its cheeks, "Who said Tinglan is bad? He's perfectly fine."

"Don't worry, don't worry, it's just that outsiders are saying bad things about him."

“The people outside don’t know Tinglan well, so why are they saying bad things about him? I know him well, so if I say he’s good, then he’s good.” The fox rested his chin on his hand, sat cross-legged, and looked sullen.

Zhou Yiqing sighed and concluded, "In short, he did this because he was afraid of implicating you."

The fox lowered its head, pouted, and drew circles on the ground with its finger. "I'm not afraid of what outsiders say about me."

"But the Chief Secretary is afraid you'll get scolded."

The fox felt a tightness in its chest and was very upset. It kicked small stones as it walked along the road.

He still didn't understand what made him different from Tinglan, and why Tinglan was being spoken ill of for no reason.

How annoying! This is so unfair! I'm not having it!

As dusk fell, the fox headed towards Changqiu Palace. Inside, the lights were on, and Qiuyuan would prepare a hot meal. Tinglan would come to tell him stories and keep him company while he slept.

The fox dragged its feet and pushed open the door, only to see Tinglan sitting at the table, the warm candlelight filling the room, and the aroma of food wafting out.

Tinglan smiled and stood up, helping him take off his outer robe. "Where did you go today? Why are you only just getting back?"

The fox hugged Tinglan tightly and buried its head in the crook of his neck.

Tinglan braced herself on her hands on either side, paused for a moment, and then gently hugged the little prince back.

"What's wrong?" Tinglan's whole body stiffened, and her ears turned completely red.

The fox shook his head, his voice a little muffled, "No, I just miss you a little."

If being with you will lead to people talking badly about you, then let them talk, it doesn't matter anyway.

I am a bad fox, and bad foxes are not afraid of being talked about badly.