"Ziqi, is that your courtesy name?" Fang Ruotang, completely oblivious to the exchange between the two men, leaned forward with a curious expression.
Last time, Prince An only told her that his name was Cui Shixu.
“Yes, my surname is Cui, my given name is Shixu, and my courtesy name is Ziqi. You can call me by my courtesy name from now on.” Prince An paused, then deliberately said, “I am a few years older than you, so you can also call me Brother Ziqi. You saved my mother, and I will treat you like a younger sister from now on.”
Calling him "Brother Ziqi" feels weird. Are we that close?
Fang Ruotang was internally complaining to the little mirror, but she didn't hide it on her face.
Prince An lowered his eyes slightly, a hint of disappointment creeping over him. "I was rude to you, Miss Six, and I've put you in a difficult position. I just felt a little closer to you because you saved my mother, and I wanted to befriend you."
"Uh, no, not really!" Fang Ruotang was someone who responded to both gentle persuasion and force, especially since this noble prince was suddenly looking at her with a pitiful expression, like a drowning puppy. If she didn't yell at him, he would look quite pathetic.
Fang Ruotang tilted her head and stared at Prince An. Then, because she tentatively called him "Brother Ziqi," he raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled again.
[That's a good nickname, I'll give you ten points.]
[You should have said so earlier! You should have told me you'd give points. My hesitation just now was disrespectful to those points.]
Prince An looked down at the little girl whose thoughts were written all over her face. His eyes were full of smiles. He was used to seeing the dignified and proper noble ladies in the capital. It was the first time he had seen such a lively little girl, and he found it quite interesting.
"Brother Ziqi".
"Sixth Sister".
Fang Ruotang called out again, and gave her a bright smile.
It's just a title.
It's not shameful to do this for the sake of points.
The crown prince scoffed, "Doesn't she have an older brother? You expect her to call you brother?"
Prince An raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's because I don't have a younger sister."
"Then remember this, she is your sister." The crown prince warned coldly, without any expression.
The Crown Prince is jealous; try to appease him.
Does it exist?
Fang Ruotang finally noticed the low mood emanating from the Crown Prince. Remembering that the Crown Prince and Prince An were the same age, she hesitated and called out, "Brother Crown Prince?"
The Crown Prince gave a soft "hmm" in response to Fang Ruotang.
【I also called for the Crown Prince, so you give me ten points.】
No, one task only earns one point. Otherwise, you'd have to do it six times, with each person calling once, which is cheating.
[Who do you think you are? Do you look down on the Crown Prince? Why does the Prince of An have things the Crown Prince doesn't? Do you believe I'll tell the Crown Prince and have him smash your head in?]
I am currently within your consciousness. To attack me, you must first attack me. Don't do anything that results in self-inflicted damage while injuring the enemy.
Fang Ruotang, fuming, started arguing with Xiao Jingzi again, oblivious to everyone else.
Although Prince An was unhappy that the Crown Prince had hitched a ride with him, he couldn't help but laugh at the Crown Prince's embarrassed look.
The Crown Prince glanced at Prince An, "Why aren't you going to the palace?"
Prince An raised an eyebrow, "You're really entrusting me with the task of handling the new grain?"
"Otherwise what?" the crown prince asked expressionlessly.
That was the original intention, but this was just an opportunity to bring it up, with the best course of action being to get all these people out of the capital.
"This is a great opportunity to build prestige among the people. Aren't you going yourself?" Prince An reminded him again.
A hint of impatience flashed across the Crown Prince's cold face, indicating his dislike for Prince An's excessive talking.
Prince An chuckled.
Seeing that Fang Ruotang and Xiao Jingzi were still arguing over ten points, he chuckled and patted her head.
"Little Six, your brother has to go to work now. I might be a bit busy for a while. Let's go fly kites after we finish dealing with the new grain."
Prince An did not have a sister, but that did not mean he had no social life.
He had seen girls fly kites at banquets in the past, which he found uninteresting, but seeing how brightly they smiled, he figured Fang Ruotang would like it too.
"Great! I've never flown a kite before."
Fang Ruotang's eyes lit up.
She used to be in poor health and couldn't run or jump. Whenever her sisters flew kites, she would sit and watch. Whenever she asked to play with them, her three older sisters would react as if facing a formidable enemy.
Seeing their reactions, Fang Ruotang felt embarrassed to keep asking to play.
The Crown Prince reached out and tugged at Fang Ruotang's sleeve, pulling her away from Prince An's grasp. He said coldly, "How come I never noticed before that you were so lacking in manners?"
Prince An raised his eyebrows slightly and was a little surprised to see that the Crown Prince was only pulling on the sleeve of the person. After all, they all knew that they could hear Fang Ruotang's thoughts and that physical contact with Fang Ruotang could earn her points.
Prince An understood the Crown Prince's meaning, and his gentle smile froze slightly.
He was being presumptuous.
He silently withdrew his hand and placed it behind his back.
He patted me on the head, so I got points.
Prince An: ...
He couldn't keep any of the rules.
This put him in a difficult position.
The Crown Prince also gave Fang Ruotang a complicated look, but ultimately said nothing, leaving it to her to decide.
They were only after the treasures she possessed; she was oblivious to everything else, yet they couldn't bring themselves to take advantage of her.
In matters of love and relationships, women ultimately suffer more in this era.
"Aren't you leaving yet?" the Crown Prince said coldly.
Prince An chuckled, “Let’s go together! I also have some things to discuss with the Crown Prince.”
As he spoke, Prince An glanced at Fang Ruotang.
The Crown Prince did not refuse. They were going to enter the palace together anyway. After all, he had already escorted the person to his doorstep, so he couldn't possibly follow him into the residence. Besides, he had been in charge of handling the new grain matters before this.
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