An Yunyi took a fancy to a hairpin. The hairpin was inlaid with a pearl the size of a fingernail, and the surrounding area was engraved with peony patterns. It was simple but had a touch of nobility.
An Yunyi was about to reach out to take it when someone beat her to it. Following the slender hand upwards, a timid face appeared before her.
An Yunyi stammered, "Sixth...Sixth Imperial Sister."
"You like this hairpin?" Although An Ruoyan used a question, she said it with a confident tone.
An Yunyi hesitated for a long time, then lowered her head in self-consciousness, "If...if Sixth Princess likes it, then this hairpin can be given to Sixth Princess..."
These words instantly enraged An Ruoyan. She gripped the hairpin tightly, her anger rising. "If I like it, do I need you to give it to me?"
An Ruoyan's words were pointed, but An Yunyi's bewildered gaze seemed to indicate that she didn't understand anything.
The argument between the two drew everyone's attention. Taking advantage of their focus, Xi Xizhi stealthily tiptoed across the trays, quickly grabbing any jewelry she saw, such as necklaces and bracelets, and putting them on.
She pushed all the jewelry on the trays together, forming a small pile. Its round body, except for its two bright eyes, was covered with necklaces or bracelets.
At this moment, Xi Xizhi finally understood the meaning of "when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."
Seeing that the hairpin in the Sixth Princess's hand was of pretty good quality, Xi Xizhi slowly moved over, grabbed the hairpin, and suddenly pulled it out.
The sixth princess hadn't expected anyone to dare snatch something from her hand. Only when her hand was empty did she angrily turn away.
"Who doesn't want to live?" Recently, because of An Yunyi's matter, An Ruoyan was extremely angry, like a firecracker that would explode at the slightest spark.
She glanced around. "Who is it? Return the hairpin to me, and I will forgive and forget."
An Honghan watched the show quietly, his gaze shifting to the little mink covered in jewelry.
"Sixth Sister, the hairpin is over there, no one has taken it." One of the princesses saw a pile of jewels on the table, and the hairpin was stuck in it.
An Ruoyan assumed someone had stolen it but dared not admit it, so she secretly inserted the hairpin back into the pile of jewels and reached out to pull it out. However, even with a little effort, she failed to pull it out.
"Chirp chirp..."
When Xi Xizhi moved just now, her eyes were accidentally blocked by the bracelet. She felt a force trying to snatch something from its claws. The little ferret's protective instinct was triggered, and it held on to the hairpin tightly.
The sudden chirping startled An Ruoyan, who took three steps back and pointed at the pile of jewels, shouting, "What...what is that thing? Why is it moving..."
"I...I don't know." The other princesses reacted similarly to An Ruoyan.
Who else but An Honghan is the only person who pays constant attention to Xiao Diao?
He took two steps forward, staring at the little sable's embarrassed state, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. "I've never seen such a greedy little sable..."
Not only did he loot all the jewelry, but he also ruined himself like this.
The things wrapped around her body were too heavy, and Xi Xizhi found it increasingly difficult to breathe. She struggled to break free, but the more she struggled, the tighter the necklaces and bracelets became, making it hard for her to breathe.
"Chirp chirp..." Xi Xizhi kept making noises because she was having trouble breathing due to the weight of the jewelry.
An Ruoyan's shoulders trembled with anger. She had never liked animals, especially this little ferret that kept provoking her.
An Yunyi called out timidly, "Brother, Little...Little Marten seems to be in a lot of pain."
An Ruoyan glared at her secretly. Who was she trying to impress with that pretentious act? She was clearly just a coward, yet she dared to call him "Royal Brother." This little bitch didn't deserve to be a member of the royal family.
An Honghan reached out and brushed aside the necklaces and bracelets on the little mink, taking them off one by one.
"No one will take it from you. If you want jewelry, the national treasury has plenty."
The following sentence aroused the jealousy of the princesses. Although their elder brother would bestow some jewelry upon them whenever a country came to pay tribute, he never allowed them to enter the national treasury to choose from. Moreover... the national treasury was not a place that ordinary people could enter. The things inside were far more valuable than these jewels.
The national treasury?
Xi Xizhi's eyes darted around, and she really started eyeing the national treasury. But then she thought, she hadn't even taken off the jewelry she was wearing, so even if mountains of gold and silver were placed in front of her, she couldn't move them.
Besides, shouldn't we leave An Honghan some possessions? Otherwise, how will we feed so many people in Fengze Kingdom? Feeling incredibly righteous, Xiao Diao nodded heavily. She only needed these jewelry pieces; they would be enough for her to live on for the rest of her life. One shouldn't be too greedy.
In reality, wasn't the little ferret's behavior of clinging to the jewelry a sign of greed? Therefore, the only creature present who could admit that the little ferret wasn't greedy was itself.
As pieces of jewelry were removed from Xi Xizhi's body, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. But then she stood up in front of the pile of jewels, like a bandit claiming his territory.
Even though the other creature was merely a beast, the Emperor's doting affection for it was indeed enviable. An Ruoyan gritted her teeth, adopting a delicate and innocent expression, "Emperor, I really like that hairpin. Could you give it to me?"
Her sweet, delicate words, coupled with An Ruoyan's endearing face, would soften any man's heart.
An Yunyi also stared at the hairpin, really wanting to have it.
Upon hearing this, Xi Xizhi's ears twitched, and she quickly grabbed the hairpin and hid it behind her back.
Compared to An Ruoyan, An Honghan clearly favored Xiao Diao, gently rubbing Xiao Diao's forehead with his fingers, "You two are not young anymore, didn't you learn anything from the Imperial Academy? Don't you know how to write 'humility'?"
His cold words sent a chill down one's spine.
An Ruoyan bit her lip, and no matter how unwilling she was, she dared not ask for it again. "Your Majesty is right to teach me a lesson. All the mistakes are Yan'er's fault. Yan'er has let down our ancestors and disgraced the royal family."
With tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over, An Ruoyan pretended to raise a silk handkerchief and wipe the corners of her eyes.
To think you can fool An Honghan with such a little trick is to underestimate him. He said coldly, "It's best if you know."
Compared to An Ruoyan's assertiveness, it was An Yunyi's timid and cowardly demeanor that made everyone side with her.
We can't let these princesses make a wasted trip, but An Honghan couldn't bear to snatch things from the little sable's claws, so he said, "Lin En, go and get another batch of jewelry to bestow upon the princesses."
After receiving the order, Lynn went out with Wu Jianfeng.
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