"Don't be angry." Xi Xizhi noticed that An Honghan was in a bad mood, so she tugged at his sleeve, hoping that he wouldn't get sick from anger.
An Honghan gave a cold smile, "This little thing is not enough to truly anger me..."
Glancing at the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs, An Honghan whispered in Xi Xizhi's ear, "One of the arts of emperors is called fear. What I want is for them to be afraid..."
As the ruler of a country, prestige is essential.
Although the word 'brutal' might make people think of someone as terrifying, it's not without its merits. At least by making others fear you, they'll be more wary of you.
Xi Xizhi tried to process those words, then nodded in agreement.
"I see."
Sitting quietly in An Honghan's arms, Xi Xizhi nodded emphatically to him.
To outsiders, An Honghan might seem cold-blooded and ruthless, but in Xi Xizhi's eyes, he was kind to her in every way. No matter what happened, he doted on her. Although the two hadn't explicitly stated it, Xi Xizhi clearly remembered all the kindness he showed her.
The palace maids and eunuchs were very efficient, and in no time they had cleaned the floor until it was spotless and shiny.
"All of you, step back." An Honghan pulled Xi Xizhi to her feet and dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs.
The palace doors slowly closed, and the enormous Panlong Hall was illuminated by lights.
Xi Xizhi lifted the black cloth covering her head, revealing a pair of bright, clear eyes.
The moment the black cloth was lifted, An Honghan's eyes flickered slightly, as if he were very surprised.
Xi Xizhi, puzzled, asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"
An Honghan's gaze made Xi Xizhi feel uncomfortable. That intense gaze seemed capable of burning everything.
"Go look in the mirror." An Honghan's voice was cold, with a hint of amusement, as if he was really looking forward to something.
Xi Xizhi was even more puzzled, thinking to herself, what does this have to do with the mirror? Nodding with some doubt, Xi Xizhi lifted her foot and walked step by step toward the bronze mirror that was as tall as a person.
The bronze mirror is yellowed, yet it can still clearly reflect the things inside.
The mirror and the reality are always opposites.
Xi Xizhi looked in the mirror, and her expression was even more exaggerated than An Honghan's.
The person stammered, pointing at the mirror, "My ears... my ears are gone."
An Honghan raised an eyebrow and pinched Xi Xizhi's ear next to her cheek. "Aren't there two more here?"
Xi Xizhi defiantly slapped away the large hand, "I wasn't talking about these two ears, but the ears on the top of your head?"
Xi Xizhi touched her head back and forth with both hands, and the pair of furry ears were really gone.
Without those ears, Xi Xizhi no longer had to wear a black cloth every day. Looking at her silvery-white hair, Xi Xizhi immediately felt dejected again, "Although I don't have ears anymore, the color of my hair hasn't changed. If I go out like this, I'll still attract attention."
Xi Xizhi was most afraid of other people's strange looks. If she went out looking like this, she would definitely become the focus of everyone's attention.
An Honghan, however, did not think so. He liked anything that a child had.
He picked up a strand of Xi Xizhi's silver hair and stroked it repeatedly with his fingers. "I like your full head of silver hair. There's nothing wrong with being different from others."
With him standing behind Xi Xizhi, no matter how others look at her, they still have to keep their eyes to themselves.
"But... wouldn't that be too weird?" Xi Xizhi was still worried. Who would have silver-white hair? Even if a young man had white hair, it couldn't be like Xi Xizhi.
"With me here, who dares to say it's strange?" An Honghan pulled Xi Xizhi's hand and walked towards the bed. "Don't you get tired of wearing a black cloth every day?"
Xi Xizhi had long been annoyed, so whenever there was no one in Panlong Palace at night, she would wear her silver hair down and not wear the black cloth.
"In that case, don't wear it." An Honghan snatched the black cloth from Xi Xizhi's hand and threw it on the ground without the slightest hesitation.
Xi Xizhi watched the black cloth slowly fall to the ground, and then nodded.
As dawn broke and rays of sunlight streamed into the room, the palace maids and eunuchs in Panlong Hall soon began to bustle about. A group of people helped An Honghan dress, some fetched water and folded handkerchiefs for him to wash his face, while others kept bringing in and out dishes.
This scene plays out every day, because An Honghan needs to attend the morning court session, so these palace maids and eunuchs naturally have to get up even earlier.
Xi Xizhi peeked her head out from under the covers, sighing to herself that the difference in social status always seemed to determine the fate of many. She let out a soft sigh, realizing she was becoming sentimental, and slapped her head hard to banish those thoughts.
Although the ears on its head have disappeared, the tail behind its rear end still remains.
However, everything takes time. Since the ears can disappear, the tail will surely disappear in the near future as well.
Xi Xizhi felt no discouragement whatsoever. She shook her fluffy tail in the quilt, hid it under her clothes, and walked out confidently.
When she stepped out of the golden tent, the busy palace maids and eunuchs all stopped what they were doing, and many of them were so surprised that they couldn't close their mouths.
Previously, whenever Xi Xizhi crawled out of bed, she would cover her head with a black cloth. But when she appeared in public without the black cloth, everyone was instantly captivated by her incredibly cute appearance.
Her silver-white hair made Xi Xizhi look even more dreamlike.
If this person weren't actually standing in front of them, they would definitely think they were hallucinating.
Everyone had only one thought in their minds: Are there really such incredibly cute kids in the world?!
Feeling embarrassed by everyone's stares, Xi Xizhi quickly walked towards An Honghan, took his hand, and hid behind him.
From the moment she stepped out of bed, she was prepared to face the strange looks from everyone. However, she did not expect that the gazes from everyone would be so intense that Xi Xizhi dared not raise her head to look.
Knowing that the little brat was easily embarrassed, An Honghan put on a stern face and said coldly, "Have you all finished? What are you all standing there for? Don't you want to live? I can send you on your way."
The palace maids and eunuchs, recovering from their shock, were so frightened that they knelt down and begged for mercy.
An Honghan merely snorted coldly, his voice flat and monotone, "Why aren't you hurrying up and helping me change? Are you all going to miss the morning court session? Don't you all want your heads?"
This was also the first time Lynn had seen Xi Xizhi's full appearance. His slightly open mouth gradually closed. He didn't know why, but he felt that this child was familiar, especially his silver hair, which reminded him of the missing Phoenix Cloud Sable.
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