Chapter 118 The Sleeping Palace
She stared blankly at the crown of the seventh prince's hair, the cool dampness falling on his chubby little feet as he carefully wiped away the dust, bit by bit.
Feeling a slight itch, Xie Mianmian couldn't help but shrink back, but the Seventh Prince forcefully grabbed her calf, saying, "Don't move."
Her small, rounded toes were inexplicably curled inwards, and watching him calmly wipe her feet was a sight Xie Mianmian had never seen before.
She chuckled, "Seventh Prince, you're so kind, just like Mianmian's own brother."
But even her eldest brother and third brother had never wiped her feet, so how could it be her father? No, her father hadn't done that either. Oh dear, this is so hard to think of. Xie Mianmian scratched her head.
That's... my older sister?
Xie Mianmian's mind conjured up the image of the Seventh Prince with a cold face dressed in women's clothing, and she burst out laughing.
Upon hearing Xie Mianmian's words, the Seventh Prince was taken aback. Brother? Before he could figure it out, he heard her laugh strangely.
The Seventh Prince helplessly continued what he was doing, shaking his head. She was always like this, so strange.
Xie Mianmian tilted her head and said, "Seventh Prince is so handsome." He looks good even in girls' clothes.
The Seventh Prince slipped his large, soft shoes onto Xie Mianmian's feet, without responding to her words, though his face was slightly flushed.
Hmm... Xie Mianmian is also a little... cute.
Xie Mianmian's attention returned to the painting hanging high above, and she asked in confusion, "Who is the person in the painting? Could it be that His Highness the Seventh Prince brought this painting back later?"
He even hung up the painting and stayed up late at night to look at it.
The Seventh Prince washed his hands at the washbasin beside him, his eyes darkening slightly. "I did not bring the painting back. As for this painting..."
He dried his hands, gazed at the figure in the painting, and said, "I was just awakened from my sleep, and when I opened my eyes, this painting was quietly hanging here."
"Huh?!" Xie Mianmian was startled by the information contained in those words. She jumped up from her chair and shuffled towards the Seventh Prince.
"What on earth is going on? Could it be... that some kind of ghost is haunting us?"
When his third brother came to pick him up from school, he would often tell him strange and supernatural stories about the palace to scare him.
Xie Mianmian clung tightly to the Seventh Prince's arm, pressing her face against it, her voice trembling, "Has the girl in red come to claim my life?"
Don't come looking for Mianmian, she's just an innocent sugar-coated coconut glutinous rice ball.
A warm, strong hand covered Xie Mianmian's nervous little hand. "Don't be afraid. It's not supernatural or mysterious. It's man-made. Someone wants me to see this painting."
Xie Mianmian breathed a sigh of relief, putting her mind at ease. She believed everything the Seventh Prince said.
She said angrily, "Who did this? It's awful! What if it scared someone? Speaking of which, the Seventh Prince does look somewhat like the person in the painting."
Xie Mianmian leaned closer to him and looked intently into the Seventh Prince's eyes. Although he was still young and hadn't fully matured, his features were very handsome.
Those were peach blossom eyes, deep-set, with clearly defined eyelashes and a smooth, distinct eye shape.
Her eyes were clear and bright, reflecting the image of a chubby-cheeked little girl. Xie Mianmian was mesmerized by her gaze.
Her long, dark eyelashes fluttered, then she turned to the side. "I don't know who the person in the painting is, but she should be my birth mother."
Xie Mianmian stared in surprise, her mouth agape. She only knew that the Seventh Prince had been raised by the Empress since he was three years old. "But why would that person want the Seventh Prince to see this painting?"
The Seventh Prince shook his head. "The matter of my birth mother is a closely guarded secret in the palace. No one is willing to tell me. I'm afraid that person is trying to lure me into knowing something."
Xie Mianmian put her hands on her hips and said, "What a strange person. Why didn't you just tell the Seventh Prince directly? Why scare people like this? It's really annoying."
The child patted her chest and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. No one in the palace is willing to talk about it. Mianmian will help Your Highness investigate. I'll ask people when I get home."
In the candlelight, a glint flashed in the Seventh Prince's eyes. "It's late. Go back and rest."
I just hope you'll be safe and sound this time, and continue being your strange self; I don't ask for anything else.
The Seventh Prince was about to take the child back to the main hall, but Xie Mianmian pouted and said, "Don't go back, Mianmian is scared. Do you think that girl in red might be hiding under the bed?"
The more the child talked, the more frightened he became, and he snuggled into the Seventh Prince's arms.
The Seventh Prince steadied her shoulders and stepped back, "Should we have a palace maid accompany you?"
"No, Mianmian isn't sleepy. Seventh Prince, go to sleep. Mianmian can sit beside you and keep watch over you!"
"Nonsense." How could he possibly let a child suffering from a rare poison stay up all night to guard him?
The Seventh Prince firmly led Xie Mianmian out, and when they reached the outer room, they found Eunuch Li slumped on a small couch, unconscious.
The seventh prince went up and pushed his shoulder, but the person on the bed did not move, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
"Eunuch Li, wake up!" Xie Mianmian called out as she observed him. She saw that Eunuch Li was breathing evenly and even snoring softly. "He's sleeping very soundly."
The Seventh Prince pursed his lips and led Xie Mianmian toward the main hall. Along the way, the palace servants on night duty were all, unsurprisingly, fast asleep.
"They've probably all been drugged."
Finally realizing something was wrong, Xie Mianmian covered her mouth and whispered, "What should we do?"
The Seventh Prince, holding Xie Mianmian's hand, hid in the shadows where the moon couldn't reach and hurried towards the main hall.
The Seventh Prince walked quickly ahead, while Xie Mianmian, wearing oversized shoes, stumbled behind him. With a muffled groan, the child almost fell.
The Seventh Prince's palm, which was holding Xie Mianmian's wrist, was slightly sweaty. He slowed his pace, but still walked very fast.
The only sounds were the silent chirping of cicadas and the croaking of frogs. It seemed that in this vast palace, all the palace servants were asleep, leaving only the two children awake.
The Seventh Prince had a bad feeling.
Finally, they reached the main hall, slipped through the crack in the door, and then closed the door tightly. The heavy, carved wooden door creaked, a muffled sound that was particularly noticeable in the quiet palace.
The next moment, the Seventh Prince bent down, picked up Xie Mianmian, and quickly walked into the inner room.
Xie Mianmian, not understanding what was going on, hugged his neck and bounced up and down, not daring to speak.
Beside the bed, something the Seventh Prince touched caused a crack to appear in the bed, revealing what seemed to be a small, shallow, enclosed space, just big enough for a person to lie in.
The Seventh Prince gestured for Xie Mianmian to lie down quickly. She nodded like a chick, and in one swift motion, she slipped her feet out of the large shoes and scurried inside.
The seventh prince gritted his teeth, thinking to himself, "What an idiot!" He picked up the shoe from the ground and nimbly crawled inside. Then the mechanism closed.
The bed above was restored to its previous state, and in the hidden compartment under the bed, two children lay side by side.
Xie Mianmian felt the softness of the mattress beneath her. Wow, it was even more comfortable and relaxing than the Seventh Prince's bed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
