Eldest Princess
I patted Muli on the shoulder and suggested, "Go back and treat your wound first, and also tell people to stay away from here as much as possible."
"Okay." Mu Li clasped her hands and left.
I went back to the well and called out, "Little devil? Little devil?"
The well was silent; no one responded, and no one reappeared.
I jumped down into the well to look for it, but I couldn't find the little devil anywhere. I climbed back up and sat on the edge of the well to wait for Ah Shi to bring the osmanthus candy...
I don't know how the imperial kitchen made it; they've never been able to make a single osmanthus candy.
I waited until the afternoon before Ah Shi came running over, panting, carrying a wooden box in his hands.
I walked over and took the box, complaining, "Why does it take so long to make osmanthus candy?"
"Ugh...don't even mention it..." Ah Shi took a few breaths to catch his breath before continuing, "That old man in the imperial kitchen is so stubborn. I told him that as long as it's osmanthus sugar, it's fine. He just wouldn't listen. First, he had someone pick osmanthus flowers, then he dried them, then he preserved them in honey. It took him almost a whole day to make this osmanthus sugar...Oh dear, I was so anxious..."
"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on it. Give the candy to the little devil first." I opened the wooden box and was immediately greeted by the fragrance of osmanthus. It smelled sweet and refreshing without being cloying. What excellent craftsmanship!
I took the box and approached the well. I first heard the water in the well ripple, and then there was no more movement... Wow, it can really hold its breath!
I walked to the well and called out loudly to Ah Shi, "Ah Shi, you've been guarding the imperial kitchen for so long, you probably haven't tasted this candy yet, have you? Come, have a taste."
"Okay!" Ah Shi had just nodded and taken two steps when the little devil in the well scurried out again, crouching on the edge of the well and baring its teeth at Ah Shi...
Ah Shi was startled and dared not approach any further. He kept giving me meaningful glances. I rolled my eyes at him, took out a piece of candy, and unwrapped it. The sweet scent of osmanthus instantly filled the space, immediately attracting the little devil's attention... The little devil turned his head, his dark eyes fixed on the osmanthus candy in my hand...
I shook the candy and asked him, "Want some?"
He swallowed hard without saying anything. I raised an eyebrow: "Don't want to eat? Then I'll eat..."
I put the candy in my mouth, but before it even touched my lips, I heard a weak voice say, "Yes."
He spoke up, that's good.
I took the candy away again and offered it to him, tempting him, "Come and take it!"
"I'm not going! You're lying to me!" The words flowed more smoothly, but the tone was worse.
A little embarrassed, I apologized, "Oh dear, it's my fault, I forgot, it's all my fault, please don't be angry, okay?" I opened all the little wooden boxes for the little devil to see, "I had the imperial kitchen make a lot of osmanthus sugar, it's all for you, okay?"
The kid's eyes lit up, and he took two steps toward me. I was just getting excited when, in the next second, the box in my hand was knocked over...
I frowned and saw a haughty palace maid standing in front of me. Before she could even point at me, the little devil flew over and bit her. Mortals can't see the little devil, so they only felt a sharp pain in their hand. The next second, she fainted because of the ghostly aura surrounding her...
Things happened so fast, I didn't have time to react. I only managed to grab the little devil after the palace maid collapsed, and patted its head to comfort it: "Don't be angry, don't be angry, I'll have someone make it for you again."
I was comforting the little devil when a young woman adorned with gold hairpins came over and raised her hand to hit me. I stood up, still holding the little devil, and dodged, asking only, "Who are you?"
She didn't speak, but the two palace maids behind her pointed at me again: "Where did you come from, you lowly servant, daring to ask the princess such a question?"
"Princess?" That's my niece? This emperor really knows how to have children...
"That's right, this is His Majesty's most beloved third princess. You'd better kneel down and pay your respects right now..."
The little devil in my arms was struggling incessantly, and I could barely hold him anymore. And this palace maid was just making things worse...
I didn't mince words: "I'm from the Imperial Observatory, and I'm currently handling some matters. I hope you two will step aside for now."
Mu Li also ran over at this moment, his hands still wrapped in strips of cloth. He walked over and bowed to the Third Princess: "Greetings, Third Princess. This is Xiao Baigu from the Imperial Observatory. He has been invited by the Imperial Guards to handle some matters. Why don't you come down with me for some tea and wait until things are settled here before coming back?"
"Who do you think you are? How dare you obstruct me?" The woman was incredibly arrogant, and slapped him across the face, making Mu Li's head tilt to the side...
Oh, so arrogant? I was just about to see how Muli would retaliate when I saw Muli clench her fist at her side and then smile again, advising, "Yes, yes, I misspoke. May I ask what brings the princess here, so that I may share her burdens?"
"That's more like it..." The woman waved her hand dismissively, then pointed at me: "She stole the osmanthus flowers from my palace. She's caught red-handed. Now that General Mu is here, arrest her!"
Hmm? Osmanthus? Did she pick these osmanthus flowers from her yard?
"Did you pick these osmanthus flowers from your yard?"
The palace maid next to her stepped forward again: "How dare you! You don't even use honorifics! Although these osmanthus flowers weren't picked from our courtyard, all the land under heaven is covered with yellow earth, and this all belongs to us!"
Is the royal family now so prone to sophistry?
The little devil in my arms was too heavy to hold, so I could only beckon to Ah Shi, who was frowning beside me, and say, "Ah Shi, come here, you hold it for now."
"Huh?" Ah Shi was surrounded by the Third Princess's guards and couldn't get over. He was also afraid of the little ghost, so he could only laugh awkwardly: "Auntie, I can't do it. It only behaves when you hold it!"
What should I do? I can't deal with the Third Princess in front of me while holding the little devil, and if I put the little devil down, the Third Princess will faint...
I'm conflicted. I'm torn about whether or not to let the little devil go...
However, the Third Princess clearly didn't give me time to hesitate. She waved her hand and pointed at me: "Arrest her and give her thirty lashes first."
So... you really can't blame me?
I loosened my grip, and the little devil jumped down, first slashing at the two guards who were coming towards me with two quick claw strikes, hitting them squarely on the neck, and the two of them fell to the ground one after the other. Then she rushed towards the Third Princess, but the Third Princess was obviously wearing a defensive magical artifact, and the little devil couldn't hurt her, so she just slammed her head against the ground... Then she turned to the palace maid who was delivering the message next to her and knocked her unconscious with a single slap...
This whole process took less than ten breaths. By the time the Third Princess reacted, she could no longer see the person standing there. The two guards surrounding Ah Shi also realized something was wrong and took two steps back, drawing their swords...
But now that the little devil had vented his anger, he slowly sat down on the ground and started eating osmanthus candy...
Having experienced what happened at Qingli Palace, Muli had a general idea of what was going on, so he quietly stepped aside. I went over to him and asked to borrow a whip: "Do you have a whip?"
"I don't……"
Ah Shi, however, became quite lively at this moment, running over to my side and saying leisurely, "She has her own whip."
I looked at the pale-faced young woman lying on the ground, walked over, squatted down, and looked her in the eye: "You have a whip?"
"What? What are you talking about? What just happened?"
Do you have a whip?
The third princess propped herself up and shook my arm: "Tell me what just happened!"
My patience had truly run out, so I slapped her across the face and demanded sharply, "The whip, take it out!"
She looked at me in shock, and said indignantly, "You dare hit me?"
"I'm not hitting you, I'm teaching you!"
I reached out my hand: "The whip, give it to me!"
Perhaps intimidated by my imposing presence, she shakily pulled a small, red whip from her bosom, brimming with wild abandon...
"What a fine whip!" I exclaimed, then swung it and lashed her once: "The royal family, the royal family, are the model for all people. This whip is for your lack of manners and knowledge of etiquette!"
The whip struck her calf, and she burst into tears from the pain...
"As a princess of the royal family, you bully others without knowing the reason. Is this how your teacher taught you?" After saying that, I whipped her hard again. She cried even more miserably. The two guards surrounding A-Shi were about to come over to stop her, but after taking only two steps, they heard a sharp 'hissing' sound and instantly dared not move...
"General Mu kindly offered you a way out, and you humiliated him? You're foolish and don't even realize it!" With that, I lashed her twice with the whip. She cried, covering her head and shrinking tightly into herself…
"Ignorant of etiquette, uneducated, foolish and stubborn, she is a disgrace to the royal dignity!" I lashed her three times, leaving her body covered in bloody welts...
Just as I was about to throw away the whip, I saw a grand procession of an imperial concubine approaching from afar. As soon as the magnificent carriage came to a stop, a noblewoman adorned with jewels rushed out. The woman glared at me fiercely, then rushed over with a look of heartache to help the Third Princess up, repeatedly asking, "Jiaojiao, how are you, Jiaojiao?"
Alright, the main character has arrived. I glanced at the whip in my hand; looks like I don't need to throw it away after all…
I walked straight over to the woman, pointed my finger at her, and asked, "Is it you who raised such an arrogant and domineering princess?"
She was taken aback by my imposing manner and instinctively pulled the third princess into her arms, her gloomy eyes looking at me: "Who are you, daring to speak to me like that?"
"Who am I?" I scoffed. "You should ask your husband on the throne!"
She asked tentatively, "Who are you?"
"I am Xu Yi, the thirteenth princess of the previous dynasty, and the eldest princess of the current dynasty, a member of the royal family." I slowly raised my head and looked down at her: "You should call me: Princess Changling."
"Impossible!" the woman exclaimed, her face ashen. "The Thirteenth Princess is dead!"
“Yes!” I slowly tilted my head: “Do you think the person standing in front of you is a human being?”
I startled her, and she took a step back. Even the Third Princess's urgent calls couldn't stop her from fleeing...
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