The joy of Xuanran is in it
Prince Qi Xuan of Huainan, protected by his attendants, arrived in the Northeast. At this moment, one of the attendants roughly threw a woman to the ground, and the woman cried out, "Ouch!"
Qi Xuan and the other servants looked at them with suspicion. The woman slowly stood up, looked at them, and said, "Who are you? You're not here to take advantage of our misfortune, are you?"
The servant who brought him asked, "Hey? Who are you?"
...
Everyone was speechless. The woman said, "You don't know? Then why did you capture me?"
The servant honestly replied, "Mainly because I saw that everyone else was pulling a woman along when they ran, but our master had nothing, which made him stand out, so I just grabbed someone randomly."
...
Everyone fell silent again. Qi Xuan tapped him on the head and bowed to the woman, saying, "Miss, I'm sorry, it was my fault for not managing my subordinates properly."
The woman understood and said, "It's alright, it just so happened that it saved my life. My name is Tao Yuran, what's yours?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Xuan and his attendants were stunned. Qi Xuan immediately straightened up and changed his words, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness. I am Qi Xuan, the Prince of Huainan."
Tao Yuran entered the palace through the imperial concubine selection in May, holding the rank of Cai Ren and residing in Zhongcui Palace. Today is the first time the two have met.
Upon hearing this, Tao Yuran immediately exclaimed excitedly, "So you are the Prince of Huainan! I've heard that you are gentle and kind, with a mild temperament, and a refined and elegant person. Seeing you today confirms it. I admire you greatly!"
Qi Xuan was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Your Highness is too kind. I have heard that Your Highness is as beautiful as a flower and kind and approachable. Seeing you today, I can confirm that it is true. I have long admired you."
As expected of royalty, the two were evenly matched in their praise. The servants whispered among themselves, "The prince's smile is so fake."
"Yes, yes, after following the prince for so long, I've already figured it out."
Qi Xuan still smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please don't worry about it. This subordinate is often out of his mind. I'll see a doctor another day."
...
Tao Yuran said, "It's okay, I think it's great. It's fun to have them with me."
Qi Xuan looked at her and said, "It's good that Your Highness doesn't find them offensive."
Tao Yuran suddenly said, "Your Highness, may I travel with you?"
Qi Xuan thought about it and felt that it was indeed a bit dangerous for her to be a weak woman alone. If she came with him, at least she would have someone to protect her, especially since it was his subordinate who brought her here.
Qi Xuan said, "Of course."
The group then arrived at the inn, where a servant placed the silver on the innkeeper's table and said, "Stay here!"
The shopkeeper was startled and quickly said, "Okay, okay."
Qi Xuan laughed and said, "Be more polite, you've scared the shopkeeper."
The servant scratched his head and said in a strained voice, "Innkeeper~ I'd like to stay at the inn~"
The sound disgusted everyone. The other servants got goosebumps after hearing it and immediately hid behind Qi Xuan, pointing at the servant and shouting, "Change back! You pervert!"
The servant turned to look at Qi Xuan and said, "Young Master~"
Qi Xuan slowly covered his mouth and said, "Shut up."
The servant had no choice but to reply in his original voice, "Yes, young master."
Seeing this, Tao Yuran pounded the table and laughed loudly, "Hahahaha! What a talent! Hahahaha!"
Qi Xuan helplessly slapped his forehead, thinking that it would be good if he knocked himself unconscious.
The truth is that Tao Yuran kept laughing, and no one knows how long she laughed, until her stomach hurt from laughing so much.
Qi Xuan asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Tao Yuran clutched her stomach, laughed, and waved her hand, saying, "Hahaha, I'm fine, hahaha."
Qi Xuan was speechless, then suddenly wondered if he should get something to stop her.
Then he pinched her chin and deliberately said, "Woman, you have successfully piqued my interest."
Tao Yuran laughed even harder after hearing this, saying, "Hahahaha! Young Master, you really are a fan of storybooks!"
Actually, the main reason was that Qi Xuan didn't have much to do in the Prince's mansion, so he often went to buy storybooks to read. The more he bought them, the more they spread.
Qi Xuan let go of her hand, a little embarrassed, and said, "Let's eat first..."
Unfortunately, his servants weren't very bright. One servant pinched the chin of another servant and, mimicking Qi Xuan's manner, said, "Woman, you have successfully piqued my interest."
Then the servants couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha, you didn't act very well, you don't have the young master's demeanor, hahaha."
Qi Xuan felt ashamed and somewhat regretful.
I should have kept quiet.
He rushed forward and punched each of the servants on the head, then said, "Everyone's monthly allowance will be halved."
Upon hearing this, the servants immediately pleaded, "Young master, please don't! You're the best!"
Qi Xuan angrily went upstairs and said, "If you say another word, I'll deduct everything."
The servants quickly regained their composure and replied, "Yes, young master."
After a long while, Tao Yuran finally stopped laughing. She carried a plate of pineapple cakes to Qi Xuan's door, knocked on the door and said, "Young Master, it's me, Tao Yuran."
Qi Xuan opened the door and asked, "Miss Tao, are you done laughing?"
Tao Yuran smiled slightly and handed him the plate, saying, "It was my fault. This plate of pineapple cakes is my apology."
Qi Xuan really liked pineapple cakes, but it would be too inappropriate to accept them directly. He forced himself to remain calm, made a fist and put it to his mouth, and said, "Ahem, since you sincerely apologize, I am not one to hold a grudge, so I won't make things difficult for you."
Qi Xuan quickly took the pineapple cake, took a bite, and said with satisfaction, "Delicious."
Seeing this, Tao Yuran chuckled and said, "Young Master is really like a child now."
Qi Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Miss Tao's mouth is as sharp as ever."
Although they had only known each other for less than a day, Tao Yuran was indeed very sharp-tongued and had probably never lost a verbal battle.
Tao Yuran wasn't annoyed. She picked up a pineapple cake, turned around, and said, "Since that's the case, I'll just use the pineapple cake to shut my mouth."
Qi Xuan watched her figure recede into the distance before finally realizing, "Ah! My pineapple cake!"
Tao Yuran walked happily down the street, looking around, and finally stopped at the martial arts arena, where two men were fighting hard.
Tao Yuran skillfully tossed the coins onto the stage and clapped, saying, "Go for it!"
Seeing this, the man fought even more fiercely. Qi Xuan followed and asked in confusion, "Why are you starting a fight?"
Although Tao Yuran was startled, she quickly calmed down and explained, "In this way, they can continue to perform. The longer they perform, the more anxious everyone will be, and the more money they will invest, so they can earn more money."
Qi Xuan understood and said, "I see. But you seem to know a lot about these things, so you must do this often, right?"
Tao Yuran did not hide anything and said, "I am Tao Yuran, the daughter of the village chief of Yanming Village in Jizhou. I was born and raised in the countryside, so I should know about these ways of making a living."
Qi Xuan asked curiously, "Then why did you participate in the talent show?"
Tao Yuran replied without hesitation, "Because being a concubine means you'll never have to worry about food or clothing."
Qi Xuan looked at her and said earnestly, "I understand that you have heavy thoughts and don't want to talk about these things with outsiders. I was being presumptuous."
Tao Yuran looked back at him and smiled, "Young Master, your thoughts are different from what you show. It seems you're not afraid of being next."
Qi Xuan was shocked; he hadn't expected Tao Yuran to think of this.
Qi Xuan calmed down and said, "Miss Tao is indeed perceptive, but I am just an ordinary person, not worthy of being mentioned, so I won't trouble Miss Tao."
"..."
Tao Yuran turned around and said, "Young Master knows his own affairs. How could I, an outsider, dare to concern myself with them?"
Tao Yuran didn't want to get involved in Qi Xuan's affairs; she just wanted to test him and give him a heads-up. As for what happened afterward, it was none of her business, since she had more important things to do.
When we returned to the inn, it was already evening, time for dinner.
As Tao Yuran ate her meal, she pondered how to bring it up. Just then, a drunken servant whispered in her ear, "Miss Tao, let me tell you a secret: the Empress Dowager is having an affair!"
Tao Yuran frowned and asked, "Which Empress Dowager?"
The attendant whispered, "It's that Empress Dowager from the Shi family."
Tao Yuran's eyes lit up for a moment, and she said, "Oh? Empress Dowager Shi loved the late Emperor deeply and was always very proper. How could she do such a thing? You'd better not talk nonsense."
The servant, slightly drunk, said, "I'm not making this up. That night, when our prince passed by Cining Palace, he saw her reading letters. There were many letters on the table, and she always sent her own personal items with her letters."
Tao Yuran pondered for a moment and said, "What if it was written for family?"
The attendant thought for a moment and said, "No, that's not right. One night we saw her holding someone. Although we couldn't see their face, we could tell at a glance that it was a man."
Tao Yuran understood and asked, "Why do you always enter the palace at night?"
The attendant said, "Because His Highness likes the night. He says the night can cover up all injustices and make people relax."
Tao Yuran then asked, "But aren't there more assassinations at night?"
The servant blurted out, "Everyone knows that during the day, who knows what dangers there might be? At night, it's obvious there are dangers. Compared to each other, the night shift is definitely more reliable."
After hearing this, Tao Yuran looked at Qi Xuan, who was focused on eating. She said, "Why does your prince love pineapple cakes so much?"
The servant, dazed, slumped onto the table and said, "Because pineapple cakes are what the Prince and his mother like, they've come to like them after eating them so much."
The servant then became completely drunk. Tao Yuran slowly got up, went to the counter, said something, and then came back. After Qi Xuan finished eating, the shopkeeper brought over two plates of pineapple cakes.
Qi Xuan looked at the shopkeeper with a puzzled expression. The shopkeeper smiled but didn't say anything. He could only look at Tao Yuran, who smiled and pushed two plates of pineapple cakes to him, saying, "They're all yours."
Qi Xuan was stunned for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Why...why?"
Tao Yuran smiled and said, "This is a dessert after dinner, and thank you for taking me in, young master."
Qi Xuan knew there was more to it than that, but he didn't want to expose Tao Yuran, so he could only play along and say, "Then I won't be polite."
Tao Yuran said, "Mm."
That day, Qi Xuan was still reading a storybook when Tao Yuran glanced at it, covered her mouth, and laughed, "Oh? 'The Prince's Doting Love'?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Xuan immediately closed the book and said, "You've mistaken me. This is my subordinate's. Yes, my subordinate's."
Tao Yuran said, "If you've seen it, don't be shy. Besides, it's not like I haven't seen it before."
Qi Xuan asked, "You've seen it?"
Tao Yuran sat down calmly and poured tea, saying, "Hmm, I've seen it. It's just things like (Your Highness, let's cut ties from now on.) (No! I won't allow it!)."
Qi Xuan seemed to have found a kindred spirit, and immediately grasped Tao Yuran's hands, saying, "My kindred spirit! You also find storybooks interesting, right?"
Tao Yuran tried to pull her hand away and said, "Actually, it was fine when I was watching, but it felt weird when you said it out loud, and it made me want to laugh."
Qi Xuan slapped the table and said, "How could I be funny? I am clearly handsome!"
Tao Yuran suppressed a laugh and nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, you're handsome."
Qi Xuan felt this was a perfunctory response. He grabbed Tao Yuran's hand and said, "Haven't I captivated you?"
Clearly, it was something from a storybook. Tao Yuran couldn't help but laugh and said, "Pfft! Hahahaha! You're doing this again! Hahahaha!"
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