Chapter 35 The fox gives his best friend a massage. The word "best friend" is disjointed, the fox...

"Really that good?" The fox looked up, clutching the hem of its clothes, and asked uncertainly.

The fox knew the snacks weren't very pretty. It was the first time he'd given someone something he'd made himself, so he was naturally a little nervous. He stared at Tinglan expectantly, hoping his good friend would like it.

From Tinglan's perspective, the little prince's eyes looked so pitiful that she couldn't care less about anything else and hurriedly comforted him.

Ever since the little prince brought that bag of pastries, Tinglan felt guilty. It wasn't the little prince's choice to go with the Ministry of Rites to receive the envoys, but how could she disobey His Majesty's arrangements? She had worked hard to make some pastries early in the morning, but she was afraid he would find them unappetizing...

Your Highness has truly been wronged; it was truly inappropriate of you to have overthought things.

"Really, it's beautifully made, and it smells delicious too." The palm print began to lie through his teeth.

Ji Qing is easily flattered; his fox tail immediately perks up. This simple, foolish fox from the mountains has no idea that there are such things as praise that goes against one's conscience.

He immediately unfolded the paper bag, revealing several crooked, crumbly fox-head pastries.

"I've tried it, and it actually tastes pretty good," the fox immediately began praising himself, saying happily.

"Is this... a puppy?" Tinglan examined the pastry, staring at what looked like an ear, and tentatively asked, choosing a possible answer.

The little prince's bright eyes immediately dimmed, and he hung his head dejectedly.

My desserts really did turn out terribly...

But the fox, bursting with confidence, quickly put together his own logic.

No, my friend just complimented my desserts on how beautiful they were. If you only look at the heads, the puppy and the fox actually look quite alike, so they're not ugly at all! I'm awesome!

Oh no, I misspoke... When Tinglan saw the little prince's expression change, he immediately knew something was wrong.

The Ninth Prince was so worldly-wise that he didn't even need to observe him carefully; the young prince's emotions were so readily apparent that he was very easy to understand.

He immediately tried to cover it up, saying, "It should be a fox, I was wrong earlier."

Finally, I guessed the correct answer.

The fox was even happier now, and said excitedly, "It's a fox, and a little white fox at that!"

Tinglan nodded in agreement, picked up a piece with her hand, and put it into her mouth without hesitation, though her movements were somewhat resolute.

The fox tilted its head, eagerly watching its friend's reaction, and asked expectantly, "How is it? Is it delicious?"

Tinglan was prepared to bite down, but the taste was surprisingly good. It was sweet but not cloying, and a little crispy.

He looked down at the pastry in his hand, his face full of disbelief. It seemed that it really was just a little lacking in appearance, but tasted very good.

"It's delicious."

As soon as he finished speaking, the fox started happily circling around him, muttering as it did so, "I didn't lie to you, it really is delicious."

Looking at the beaming little prince, Tinglan couldn't help but smile as well.

His Highness is really easy to please.

Tinglan shook her head, then picked up a small fox-shaped pastry and put it in her mouth.

Ji Qing was very pleased to have supervised his best friend to finish the fox's secret-recipe snacks.

It was a very fulfilling day. I not only brought food for my good friend, but I also got to eat fruit for free.

He sat properly in the chair, holding an apple and eating it.

Tinglan had no interest in reading the official documents at this moment, but fortunately, the important matters had already been taken care of.

He would look up every now and then and see the little prince munching on an apple, then a crisp pear, and then peeling an orange and handing it to him.

The little prince stood beside him, eagerly waiting for him to eat the orange.

Tinglan put down her pen and reached out to tidy the stray hairs from the young prince's forehead. "Your Highness, you can eat by yourself."

After finishing the snacks and then the fruit, I really couldn't eat anymore...

Upon hearing this, the fox broke the orange in half, put one half into its own mouth, and handed the other half to its friend without saying a word.

Tinglan couldn't refuse, so she lowered her head and, using the little prince's hand, took the half of the orange into her mouth.

There's a certain allure to this scene.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the palm print's lips gently brushed against Ji Qing's fingers.

After the fox withdrew its hand, it hugged its arm and stared blankly.

I've had similar interactions with close friends before, but for some reason, this time I felt a little strange, even though I hadn't eaten anything unusual.

The fox's face suddenly turned bright red. Just as it was about to turn and run away, it looked down and saw a small blanket covering Tinglan's legs.

It's so hot in here, and I'm only wearing a single layer of clothing. Why does my best friend need to cover herself with a blanket?

I don't quite understand.

The naive fox immediately forgot that she had just blushed and felt her heart race, and immediately squatted down and poked Tinglan's blanket.

It's soft and doesn't seem any different; it's just an ordinary blanket.

Before Tinglan could stop him, the fox lifted a corner of the blanket and reached out to test Tinglan's knee.

"So cold," he said in a low voice, surprised.

Seeing the mischievous young prince, Tinglan smiled helplessly and asked, "What is Your Highness doing?"

"Your knees are so cold. Why are they so cold?" the fox asked, looking up at the fox.

"Was it because of that scoundrel King Wei? He pushed you into the water!" The fox asked angrily, leaping up like a cannonball.

He then started demonstrating his uppercut on the spot, saying, "I should have punched him then. I did this, then this, and finally kicked his ass hard."

Tinglan couldn't help but chuckle, "This is an old problem that has been around for many years, and it has nothing to do with Prince Wei."

The fox was even more surprised, thinking, "You're so young, how come you already have old ailments? I'm all grown up, and I don't have any old ailments."

They must have lied to me about something, I don't believe it!

Foxes are clever foxes, and I'm not so easily fooled.

But he couldn't help asking in a low, concerned voice, "What happened? Can it be cured?"

Did you drink a lot of that old man with the white beard's bitter soup?

"It's not a big deal, it's just that my knees tend to hurt more in winter."

The fox covered its head, feeling like the sky had fallen.

My good friend has a knee problem! Even the old man with the white beard can't cure it!

No, I must heal him.

He carefully tucked the blanket around Tinglan. "Do you want to hug the little fox? The fox is very warm and comfortable to hug. You can use the fox to warm your knees."

"Hey, I, the little fox, am definitely warmer than your blanket," the fox proudly raised its head.

"Thank you, Your Highness. It's nothing serious. As long as I don't get cold, I won't feel any pain."

Tinglan lied. His knee was an old injury he sustained as a child, and he hadn't taken care of it since entering the palace. Whenever winter came or it was windy and rainy, he could feel a chill from all directions, like a needle drilling into his kneecap.

No matter how many layers are added, it only provides some slight benefit, but the pain that seems to penetrate to the bone marrow is unavoidable, like maggots clinging to the bone.

Tinglan watched as the young prince bent down, rubbed his hands together to warm them, and then placed them on the prince's knees. He looked up, his eyes full of concern.

The young prince asked, "Will this make you feel any better?"

"It will be alright, Your Highness, don't worry, I'm not in pain."

The fox had never experienced the feeling of cold before; the winter wind was cool and refreshing.

The winter wind and the winter snow are both comfortable; foxes love winter the most.

But winter doesn't seem to be so kind to good friends.

He lowered his head, feeling somewhat sad, as if his good friend had suffered a lot of injustices in places he couldn't see.

Damn it, if I find out who did this, I'll give them an uppercut and then a backflip!

Because of these things, Ji Qing remained listless until he finished lunch, even though he still ate a lot of food.

The fox was worried, but the fox had a huge appetite.

When it was time for his afternoon nap, Tinglan lay on his side on the couch, and the fox quietly crept up to him.

He reached out and touched Tinglan's knee. "Does it hurt when I touch your knee like this?"

Tinglan smiled and shook her head.

The little prince's body temperature seemed to be a bit higher than normal; his hands were warm and comfortable on his knees.

The fox breathed a sigh of relief. He lowered his head, and his long hair fell down beside his ears, obscuring part of his vision.

This also prevented him from realizing the deeper meaning behind the way the Ninth Prince looked at him.

The fox clumsily massaged Tinglan's legs.

Tinglan rubbed her forehead and said helplessly, "How can Your Highness serve a servant like this?"

The fox raised its head and blinked, indicating that it didn't understand. "Would this make you feel better?"

Tinglan nodded, but to be honest, his attention was not on his legs at the moment, but entirely on the little prince.

Having received an affirmative answer, the fox continued to gently massage its friend's legs.

He was originally sitting cross-legged on the side, but since it was a difficult position to exert force, he simply plopped down in front of Tinglan.

The little prince pressed down on her, and perhaps because of the warmth of his palm, or perhaps because her meridians were unblocked, her hands and feet were no longer as cold as before.

In that moment of distraction, before Tinglan could react, the little prince was already sitting lightly on his lap. There was no real physical contact, but the physical contact was undeniable.

This was far too much of a shock for Tinglan. Since birth, the most intimate thing he had ever done was for the little prince to kiss him, and then for that fox to crawl into his collar...

A surge of heat immediately rushed to his face.

The fox looked up and saw that its good friend was full of energy and was very satisfied. Hehe, my massage was so effective.

I'm awesome! I'm a genius!

With that in mind, the fox massaged even more diligently.

“Your Highness…” Tinglan breathed heavily and weakly raised his hand from his forehead.

The fox, seemingly unaware and confused, continued pressing upwards.

The fox shifted its rear end with effort, diligently pressing down on the inside of Tinglan's knee.

Tinglan could barely control his breathing; he even suspected that the little prince might hear his heartbeat…

But he did not stop him, his right hand on his forehead and his left hand tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, letting the young prince do as he pleased.

The fox's hand began to move upwards; there seemed to be several acupoints on its thigh.

But I can't remember exactly where it is... After all, it's too much for a fox's brain, so maybe I should just press them all.

My friend's inner thighs feel soft to the touch, and it takes a lot of pressure to find the acupoints.

The fox was working with great enthusiasm and energy.

Tinglan felt a tingling sensation spread from her knees throughout her body.

The young prince's hand continued upwards.

Tinglan gasped for breath, then sat bolt upright, stammering, "Your Highness, not there..."