Chapter 141 Another Turbulence

Zhong Min was very depressed. How lucky was she? It was already enough to have a housekeeper like Xier. Could it be that even Xiao Mingzheng had to control her in everything? What kind of thing was this?

"If you really want to cut it, I have no reason to stop you. From now on, just do whatever you want." Xiao Mingzheng said as he stood up and took the scissors from Zhong Min's hand. "Let me help you. It's not easy for you to cut it yourself."

These words did indeed dissipate a lot of Zhong Min's frustration, but Xiao Mingzheng's excessive enthusiasm also gave her a wave of indigestion. He wasn't a barber, so why would she need him to cut her hair? Zhong Min guessed that Xiao Mingzheng must have drunk too much tonight and was a little confused, otherwise he would have been like a completely different person all night. His personality was really too strange.

"No need, I can do it myself. Besides, even if it's difficult for me to cut my hair, I can ask Xier and the others for help. How dare I trouble Your Highness?" Zhong Min was naturally unwilling to let Xiao Mingzheng do it. How could a haircut turn out like this, and Xiao Mingzheng even got involved?

"How long do you want to cut?" But Xiao Mingzheng acted as if he didn't hear Zhong Min's objection. He walked straight behind her and gently pulled one of the strands of hair while asking.

The soft, fragrant black hair in his hands reminded him of the first time Zhong Min had dressed him. He'd expected her to be a little shy, but she wasn't the least bit uncomfortable, as if she didn't even consider him a man. She even asked him what he used to wash his hair, which left him feeling rather amused.

Zhong Min was also clear about Xiao Mingzheng's personality. Seeing that he didn't seem to want to negotiate, she had no choice but to let him do it: "Just about waist-length will do." After all, it was an ancient environment, so she naturally didn't plan to cut it too short.

After hearing Zhong Min's words, Xiao Mingzheng responded and then stopped talking.

Zhong Min sat up a little straighter, waiting for the person behind her to start cutting. This was really baffling. A prince came to cut her hair out of nowhere. Should she feel honored, or honored, or helpless?

A moment later, Zhong Min didn't hear the sound of scissors cutting her hair, but instead felt a comb gently brushing through her hair. She froze, feeling an indescribable sensation for a moment.

Xiao Mingzheng was actually combing her hair. His movements were gentle, each stroke extremely careful, as if he was afraid of hurting Zhong Min if he used too much force. He had a happy smile on his face. It turned out that combing someone's hair could be such a happy thing.

After a while, Xiao Mingzheng reluctantly put down the comb in his hand, picked up the scissors and started cutting Zhong Min's hair.

It was not until he heard the crackling sound that Zhong Min relaxed a little. The room was very quiet. Neither of them spoke, only the intermittent crackling sound could be heard.

Xiao Mingzheng cut for quite a while, and Zhong Min didn't dare to ask him if he was done. She probably thought that it was because he was not familiar with this job, and the cutting was very delicate, so it would definitely take more time.

"I'm done." Finally, he put down the scissors, smiled at the neatly cut hair, and continued, "This is good, you're right, it's not a big deal to cut it shorter occasionally."

Zhong Min didn't turn around, but just cleared his throat slightly and hummed softly.

"It's getting late, go to bed early." Xiao Mingzheng finally stroked the shorter black hair on the back of Zhong Min's head, and without waiting for Zhong Min's reply, he prepared to leave.

"You should go to bed early too." Zhong Min turned his head to look at Xiao Mingzheng's back as he walked out, and said subconsciously.

Hearing this, Xiao Mingzheng immediately stopped, turned around and smiled at Zhong Min, then said: "If you want to go out and play in the future, just go ahead. I have arranged for secret guards to protect you. After all, Jiaxing has his own things to do, so it would be bad to trouble him all the time. Of course..."

Having said this, Xiao Mingzheng paused, then smiled and said, "Of course, if you're willing, I can also go out for a walk with you when I have time."

After saying that, he didn't stay any longer and just opened the door and left, leaving Zhong Min alone there in a daze.

"Hey, why did you cut it so short?" Xi'er walked in at some point. Seeing how much shorter Zhong Min's hair was, she shook her head in sorrow. "Why did you cut your hair for no reason? Wasn't the prince here just now? Why didn't he say anything to you and let you do whatever you wanted?"

"It's just a haircut, not a big deal. How can it be considered a joke?" Zhong Min finally came to her senses and quickly became excited. Did Xiao Mingzheng mean that she could enter and leave the palace freely from now on? This would be great news. At least she wouldn't have to wait for the occasional day out like she was in prison.

"You said you weren't kidding, but look at you..." Xi'er suddenly stopped talking, then looked around on the ground, and soon asked curiously: "Jin'er, where did you go with the long hair you just cut off?"

Hair? Shouldn't the hair be on the ground? Zhong Min immediately looked down at the ground, but after searching for a long time, apart from a few small strands of hair, he couldn't find the large bunch of hair that should have been about 20 centimeters long.

She instantly looked towards the door, realizing that Xiao Mingzheng must have secretly taken her hair. But what did he do with that part of her hair? It wasn't wolf hair, so could he use it to make a brush?

"What's going on? How did the hair I cut off disappear?" Xier said in surprise, as if she had thought of something. "Could it be that the prince took it away? He took this..."

"Forget it, forget it. Maybe he just took it out and threw it away." Zhong Min interrupted Xier, not wanting her to think any more. "Alright, don't act like you've lost hundreds of taels of silver. It's getting late, so go back to your room and get some rest."

"Just took it out and threw it away?" Xier felt that something was still wrong. After muttering to herself, she didn't say anything more. She turned around and prepared to go out, but when she saw the neatly arranged hair behind Zhong Min again, she suddenly understood something in her heart.

It seems that the prince must have cut Zhong Min's hair, otherwise how could it be so neat if she cut it herself? It seems that the prince really does treat Zhong Min differently, but why would he use the hair for no reason? She doesn't think he just took it out to help her and threw it away.

Shaking her head, Xier didn't think about it anymore. Whatever, it was none of her business anyway. As long as it didn't have any bad impact on Zhong Min, there was no need to figure out other things too clearly.

For the next few days, Prince Mu's mansion was peaceful. Xiao Mingzheng was very busy, often returning late and leaving early in the morning. For several days, he wasn't even seen. Zhong Min naturally enjoyed the quiet time, occasionally going out for a walk, and sometimes taking Ruyi out for a walk. Life was no longer as difficult as before. Having freedom or not having it was truly two different states of mind. Although Zhong Min didn't spend all day outside after obtaining the free access pass, he felt different and more relaxed.

Jiang Xiyan, on the other hand, wasn't feeling particularly happy. Perhaps it was because she hadn't seen Xiao Mingzheng for days. Even when they did, they were always rushed, barely able to exchange a single word. Consequently, her temper was rather volatile, and not only was it taken out on the servants around her, but even the concubines in the back garden suffered as a result. Anyone with even the slightest temper, someone who disliked Jiang Xiyan, naturally became a target for Jiang Xiyan's venting, a way to scare the monkeys.

Even if those people were dissatisfied, it was useless. The prince had already issued an order to hand over all matters in the back garden to Jiang Xiyan, and he also said that everyone should treat her with the courtesy of a princess. Naturally, the servants in the mansion did not dare to disobey Jiang Xiyan's order.

A few days ago, someone, dissatisfied with Jiang Xiyan's tyranny, waited for Xiao Mingzheng at the palace gate to file a complaint. Instead of impacting Jiang Xiyan's position, Xiao Mingzheng reprimanded him and grounded him for three months. As a result, no one dared to provoke Jiang Xiyan, and for a time, Jiang Xiyan's arrogance naturally surpassed Zheng Ruyu's by a factor of several.

Fortunately, Jiang Xiyan still had some concerns about Zhong Min for the time being. Firstly, Zhong Min wasn't from the back garden, so naturally she wasn't under her control. Secondly, Zhong Min was officially a distinguished guest at the mansion, so she wouldn't bother him casually. Zhong Min also tried to avoid that vicious woman. Good deeds will eventually be punished, and she wasn't afraid to meddle in other people's affairs at this time.

The weather has turned cooler, but Ruyi has started to feel sleepy all day long. Seeing that Ruyi is getting bigger and bigger, Zhong Min is worried that if she continues like this, she will be so fat that she can't even walk. So she coaxes Ruyi into the yard and plays with her, hoping to let her exercise and control her weight.

Just as they were having fun, Zi Yan ran in breathlessly. Seeing Zhong Min and Xi Er in the yard, she said quickly, "Oh no! Oh no! Something happened again."

"What are you yelling about all the time? It's like the sky is falling. Can't you be more steady? Stop embarrassing Jin'er." Seeing this, Xi'er scolded Zi Yan with a stern face. This was not the first or second time. Zi Yan never learned her lesson, which really made her worried.

When Zi Yan heard this, she subconsciously covered her mouth. Although Xier's tone was not very good, she also knew that it was for her own good. A few days ago, a servant in the mansion was punished by Jiang Xiyan for being reckless.

She hurried over to Zhong Min and looked around. Seeing that the maids who had been outside were no longer in the courtyard, she whispered, "Miss Min'er, Miss Jiang ordered Xu Ji in the back garden to be beaten with thirty sticks, and she didn't allow anyone to call a doctor. I just saw her. She was a bloody mess, so pitiful. I think she's almost dead."

"Jiang Xiyan is becoming more and more rampant. If he continues to do this, Xu Ji's life will be in jeopardy." Xier couldn't help but complain when she heard this. Zheng Ruyu was cruel before, but not to this extent. She didn't expect that Jiang Xiyan, though young, had a heart more vicious than anyone else.

Zhong Min frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. He just asked Xier and Zi Yan to mind their own business and take care of themselves to avoid getting into trouble.

Zi Yan nodded when she heard this, but after hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but lower her voice and said, "Miss Min'er, in fact, Xu Ji's punishment today has something to do with you."