Chapter 6 The fox picks up its brother: "Wouldn't it be so easy for someone to...?"

Tinglan looked at Ji Qing's hand holding the reins.

It was a pair of slender, fair hands with rounded fingertips, and faint blue veins visible on the back of the hands.

You would never guess that such hands could conceal such chilling power.

Tinglan's gaze was hard to ignore. The fox, sitting on his horse, chuckled awkwardly, his voice slightly guilty, "I do have a strong grip."

Ji Qing is just a little dim-witted, but as a pure fox spirit, he is still quite strong.

After the initial surprise, Tinglan said, "Your Highness is indeed... extraordinary."

It's not just the prince's astonishing strength that's just been displayed, but also his personality, demeanor, and even his appearance, all of which subtly reveal something different.

Unlike the people in the palace.

Unlike... ordinary people.

I wonder where the little prince grew up to develop such a temperament.

Upon hearing this, the fox lowered his head, vaguely sensing that it was a compliment. He felt rather embarrassed, as he was constantly being praised by his good friend.

I'm not that great either, hehe.

Following the principle of reciprocity, the fox tightened its grip on the reins, carefully lowered itself, and whispered in Tinglan's ear.

The fox wasn't good with sweet talk; all she could come up with after racking her brains was "yes," "Hmm...you're very nice too. You gave me so many things and treated me to delicious food."

Tinglan fell silent.

The fearsome, ruthless, and bloodthirsty Nine Thousand Years Old was speechless in the face of the fox's crude praise; he could only nod haphazardly.

He was initially delighted, but the joy was fleeting, replaced by a jumble of chaotic thoughts weighing on his mind.

What kind of "good" is this? Does someone think that if they give him some food or give him some gifts, he'll consider that person a good person?

Such gullibility! Even a three-year-old knows that unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft…

If it were someone else, would he be the same? Wouldn't he be so easily fooled?

Tinglan felt a strange surge of anger, but for some unknown reason, a dark glint appeared in her eyes. She chuckled to herself, her expression remaining gentle, and said softly, "Your Highness, are you tired? Would you like some tea?"

The fox didn't want tea, nor was he tired, but there were snacks at the teahouse, so he nodded hurriedly, took Tinglan's outstretched arm, and jumped off his horse.

The emperor saw from afar that his most trusted eunuch was walking with his newly recruited prince, and the two seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

He smiled and said to those around him, "Tinglan is truly my confidant. I only casually mentioned that he should take good care of him, and he has really done his best."

The emperor did not mention Ji Qing's name, perhaps because he simply did not remember what this "new son" was called, but that did not stop everyone's eyes from being drawn to him.

Inquisitive gazes, curious gazes, gazes like those for prey—all were fixed on the fox, but the fox didn't even turn its head, heading straight into the tent to eat and drink.

Of all things, eating is the most important!

He wiped his hands clean with the handkerchief Tinglan handed him, excitedly picked up the snack plate, carefully selected the prettiest-looking one, and placed it on his good friend's plate.

He did it so effortlessly, as if this was how he and Tinglan should interact.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

On the plate was an ordinary chestnut cake, a common sight in the palace. Seeing the little prince eating it with relish, Tinglan thought that it was only because the little prince was new to the place that he found it strange. Once he got used to it, he wouldn't find it so special anymore.

The fox happily finished eating the two pastries and drinking a cup of milk when a servant from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs rushed in with a message.

The letter was to be burned immediately after reading, and the fox was itching with desire. He even stopped eating his snacks and secretly tugged at Tinglan's clothes under the table.

What happened? Why was it burned?

Tinglan cleanly and decisively poured out the ashes. It was just that an important prisoner had escaped from the Imperial Guard prison, and nothing serious had happened. He smiled down at the young prince, "It's nothing. Would Your Highness like a cup of milk?"

The fox raised its cup, grinning as it leaned closer, "More!"

After running around all day, the fox curled up in the carriage and fell asleep on the way back. He returned to the palace in a daze and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already late at night.

He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed.

The palace was dimly lit, with only a lamp lit by the bedside. The fox took the lamp and prepared to go out to hunt for food.

Sigh, I fell asleep and didn't get to eat the meal Tinglan was treating me to.

The small kitchen was outside the room. The fox dragged his shoes out, yawning and sleepily wondering, "Where is Qiuyuan?"

But he didn't pay much attention. He walked to the door, unbolted it, and pushed it open. The door frame creaked, which was very noticeable in the quiet night.

Almost as soon as he pushed open the door, he saw through the crack that a man was standing in the courtyard, a dagger pressed against Qiu Yuan's neck.

Ji Qing instantly regained her senses.

The night wind blew the wooden door open with a bang, then slammed it against the wall, making a noise that was neither too loud nor too soft.

He took two steps forward and threw the lantern aside.

A faint blue light seemed to flash in his eyes, but it was not very clear in the dark night.

Then you see the guy who bullied Qiuyuan fall to the ground against the wall.

Huh? The fox's eyes widened.

It collapsed before anything was even done.

Trash.

And they're even trying to kidnap people like this.

"Qiuyuan, are you alright?" The fox ran over and tried to help Qiuyuan up.

Qiu Yuan clutched her neck and waved her hands frantically. She scrambled to her feet and staggered over to stop Ji Qing. "Your Highness, don't go over there. This person is dangerous." As she spoke, she pushed Ji Qing into the house.

The person on the ground struggled to crawl forward a few times, raised their head, and asked in a hoarse voice, "She called you Your Highness? And who are you?"

Qiu Yuan was furious upon hearing this, "Our Highness is Thirteen."

"Thirteen?" The other person sounded very puzzled, staring straight at him.

The fox patted Qiu Yuan on the shoulder, picked up the lantern from the ground, and walked over. Qiu Yuan was so frightened that she pulled out a hairpin from her hair, gritted her teeth, and followed him.

The fox crouched down, picked up a small stick from the ground, and poked him. "I am Pei Jiqing, and who are you?"

The lantern light illuminated the man's face, revealing a young, handsome face tinged with weariness. He said weakly, "If that's the case, then I'm your seventh brother."

The fox suddenly realized what was happening, and immediately bent down to help the dirty, blood-covered person up.

Thank goodness I didn't make a move, or things would have been terrible. The fox breathed a sigh of relief.

When his "younger brother" took his arm, Pei Yue froze completely.

Qiu Yuan let out a silent scream behind the two of them, tugged at Ji Qing's sleeve, and whispered, "Your Highness, this Seventh Prince... has been demoted to a commoner by His Majesty and is under house arrest in the Imperial Prison."

The fox blinked, unsurprised; he hadn't understood at all.

What does "tree person" mean...?

This thing doesn't feel like it's made of wood; it's soft. It probably isn't a tree.

The fox nodded reluctantly and helped his cheap seventh brother back home.

Qiu Yuan was stunned.

Pei Yue, perhaps because of shock, walked awkwardly and limped into the door.

That night, the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, and Embroidered Uniform Guard laid a massive net outside, searching for the escaped special prisoner. The emperor didn't care much, since he had long considered this son as dead.

But no one expected that this former seventh prince would actually enter the palace.

Inside the palace, the fox sat on the bed wrapped in a blanket, holding the porridge that Qiu Yuan had cooked for her.

On the chair in front of him, Pei Yue was bandaging his wounds, exposing most of his chest.

“My dear brother, the medicine you have here is really not very good. I’m about to die, so don’t hide the good stuff from me.”

The fox, his legs dangling off the bed, leaned forward and said quite seriously, "You won't die." He had already checked; they were just superficial wounds, nothing fatal.

Pei Yue chuckled softly, raised his head, and looked at the handsome young man in front of him by the candlelight. "Are you really my brother? You don't seem like someone from my family."

It's not just that they're not very similar; they're completely different.

His family would never produce such a good child.

Ji Qing muttered to himself, turning his head away and whispering, "Anyway, I'm the thirteenth prince."

"Good brother, do you know what will happen if it's discovered that you've left me here?"

The fox was terrified and pulled the blanket tighter around itself, asking, "What...what will happen?"

"You are no longer a prince."

The fox breathed a sigh of relief. He was never a prince to begin with. If he wasn't a prince, he could just be a fox spirit. What was there to be afraid of?

He lowered his head and slurped up a mouthful of hot porridge; it tasted delicious.

The next morning, Tinglan, who had just finished court, was mysteriously pulled to the front of the palace by the fox.

Tinglan was tilting her head and smiling as she spoke to the little prince when she looked up and pushed open the door to see an escaped prisoner sitting casually at the table, eating and drinking heartily.

They were eating the same food he had given to the young prince.

Tinglan's knuckles cracked as he squeezed them, he sneered, turned and closed the door, then looked down at Ji Qing and said softly, "Thank you, Your Highness, for such a generous gift."

Then she looked up at Pei Yue.

The moment their eyes met, Pei Yue burst out, grabbed the fruit plate and held it in front of him, wailing, "Good brother, how could you be in cahoots with this guy!"

"And Tinglan, you bastard, you call him a servant?" Pei Yue, holding the fruit platter like a warrior carrying his shield, circled the table. "Who are you trying to fool with this groveling act?"

“Good brother, did this person lie to you about something?” Pei Yue asked righteously, pointing his finger at Ting Lan’s nose.

"Your Highness, this man is very eloquent. What tricks did he use to deceive you into letting him stay?" Tinglan bowed to the fox and asked softly.

Sure enough, anyone can deceive you... Tinglan looked at the little prince's bewildered profile, his brows furrowed, and a dark light flashed in his eyes.

Fortunately, he arrived first.

With him watching over things, no one can fool them.

The fox was completely dumbfounded, standing there looking at Tinglan, then at his adopted brother.

What's wrong?

He just wanted Tinglan to help him find a doctor who could heal people, since fox spirits couldn't heal humans, they could only treat snakes, foxes, rabbits, chickens...

A note from the author:

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