Chapter 39 Favoritism
Xie Huaijin knelt on one knee, bowing his head to obey.
"Tomb raiders are rampant. We hereby order the three sons of the Xie family to apprehend them immediately."
Xie Huaijin bowed deeply in the direction of the Emperor.
General Xiao smiled and helped the young man up, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "This matter must be handled well; the Emperor values you highly."
Xie Huaijin cupped his hands in thanks to General Xiao, saying, "Thank you for your recommendation, General. I will certainly not fail you."
General Xiao looked at him with satisfaction and nodded, hoping that this promising young man would not disappoint him.
Xie Huaijin knew that this opportunity was secured for him by General Xiao, and he would definitely seize it to get his name on the Emperor's radar.
Xie Huaijin clenched his fists, determined to become someone who could shield the Xie family from bloodshed.
As evening approached and darkness fell in the forest, the group gradually returned to camp.
Xie Mianmian borrowed a handkerchief from her older brother. Xie Linyuan, not understanding why, thought it was a child blowing her nose, so he took out a handkerchief embroidered by the family's nanny from his sleeve and gave it to her.
Taking the handkerchief, Xie Mianmian walked up to the wolf, squatted down, and applied the wound medicine to its injured leg.
The wolf had gone into the river and run at full speed before, and the wound on its hind leg still looked gruesome, with faint traces of tearing and bleeding.
Xie Mianmian tenderly applied medicine to the wolf, then carefully bandaged it with a handkerchief.
She patted the wolf's back. "Okay, don't go into the water this time, okay? Stay away from here these days, okay? I had so much fun playing with you today, but Mianmian has to go back now."
The wolf remained silent, gazing intently at its cub.
It felt no pain, only that its heart felt empty.
Xie Mianmian took a few steps back and waved to the wolf, "You should go back too, see you later!"
Then the child ran to the adult, and they mounted their horses together and gradually disappeared into the distance at the edge of the forest.
As darkness fell, the wolf remained standing silently in its place. Perhaps a lone wolf like it didn't deserve to have its own cubs.
It glanced at the handkerchief tied to its hind leg, couldn't help but lick it, and then swallowed it, tasting the bitter medicine. After a while, the wolf turned around and walked into the depths.
The camp was brightly lit, and palace servants were bustling about preparing food for the night banquet.
Xie Linyuan stopped in front of the tent with the child in his hand. He hesitated for a moment, then finally said only, "Go and talk to her."
After saying that, he stood outside the door and only let Xie Mianmian in.
Inside the tent, Wen Shuwan sat blankly on the footstool, a tear occasionally sliding down her cheek and disappearing behind her temple.
Caught off guard by the embroidered crane and deer purse, Wen Shuwan gave a bitter smile. It was because of embroidering this purse that she lost Mianmian, such a well-behaved and adorable child.
She shook her head, realizing she was a terrible sister-in-law, and then casually stuffed her purse under her pillow.
"Sister-in-law~ Second sister~" Xie Mianmian's voice trembled as she ran in, "Mianmian is back, hehe."
Wen Shuwan stared in surprise at the suddenly appearing child, momentarily frozen in place.
Xie Mingyi hugged the child tightly, her voice filled with the joy of surviving a disaster, "You little rascal!"
She raised her hand as if to spank the child, but stopped halfway, finally stroking Xie Mianmian's back instead, "It's good that you're back..."
After a while, Xie Mingyi put the child down, pushed her toward Wen Shuwan, and said the same thing as her older brother, "Mianmian, go and talk to your sister-in-law."
They didn't blame her for the child's disappearance, but the sister-in-law felt very guilty. Xie Mingyi understood her feelings and only hoped that the child could help her resolve her inner conflict.
Xie Mingyi let out a long breath, left the tent, walked slowly to the side, knelt down, and kowtowed to the bright moon in the sky.
Thank God for protecting Mianmian and bringing her back safely. I, the faithful daughter, am willing to accept the punishment for keeping my promise.
Inside the tent, Xie Mianmian ran over and hugged Wen Shuwan, "Sister-in-law, don't be sad, Mianmian is fine!"
Wen Shuwan hugged her tightly, gently resting her head on the child's thin shoulder, her voice choked with emotion, "It's my fault, I lost you."
Xie Mianmian shouted, "No, it's not that! Mianmian lost her own!" As she spoke, she proudly raised her head.
She left Wen Shuwan's embrace, reached into her bosom, and pulled out a small white rabbit. "Ah, no, that's not right." She put the rabbit aside.
He reached into his sleeve again, chuckled, clenched his fist, and held it up in front of Wen Shuwan, whispering, "Sister-in-law, guess what Mianmian has in her hand?"
Her tiny hands were clenched full, with a hint of red visible through the gaps. Looking into the child's expectant eyes, Wen Shuwan shook her head. "I don't know."
"Ta-da! These are incredibly delicious wild fruits!" Xie Mianmian said in a soft but exaggerated voice.
The child, seemingly afraid of being overheard by those outside the tent, whispered, "Mianmian is only for Sister-in-law, no one else gets any. Try some!"
Wen Shuwan felt favored by the child. The bright red wild fruit in her little hand seemed to have great magic. She couldn't help but reach out, take one, and put it in her mouth.
Xie Mianmian was gesturing wildly as she recounted the adventures of the day, her eyes sparkling with vibrant life in the lamplight.
As Wen Shuwan savored the rich, sweet flavor on her tongue, she seemed to see how the child outwitted and outmaneuvered the thief, and she was so moved that the corners of her mouth turned up.
"Thank you, Mianmian," Wen Shuwan said, thanking the child for not blaming her and for comforting her instead.
She rallied herself and took Xie Mianmian's hand, saying, "Are you hungry? Let your sister-in-law take you to eat."
The sharp-eyed child noticed a blue object under the pillow, with a delicate white crane peeking out from it. Curious, she picked it up and exclaimed, "It's so pretty!"
Wen Shuwan's eyes darkened. "Mianmian likes it? I'll embroider one for you as a girl tomorrow."
"Oh~" Xie Mianmian covered her mouth and laughed like a little devil, "This is for my big brother! He'll definitely like it!"
Wen Shuwan took the purse and put it in her bosom. If he knew that she lost Mianmian because of this purse, would he still like her?
The banquet began, with the emperor still seated on his high throne, flanked by his ministers and their families.
A bonfire, as tall as a person, was placed in the middle, burning brightly, with specks of orange-yellow sparks flying in the air.
Today's hunt was plentiful; every table was laden with roasted pheasants, roasted pigs, and roasted deer prepared by the palace servants, along with sweet and sour fruit wine to cleanse the palate, and wild fruits picked in spring.
Xie Mianmian picked up a plump-looking fruit and happily put it in her mouth. "Sizzle~" It's so sour!
The child's face contorted from the sourness, his tongue lolling out, as if his soul had been wandering for a while.
She put the fruit on the table; the wild fruit that the wolf had led her to pick was the sweetest and tastiest.
Xie Mianmian winked at Wen Shuwan, trying to convey that it tasted awful and she shouldn't touch it.
Wen Shuwan looked at the child with amusement, intending to taste all the fruits and pick out the wild fruits that Xie Mianmian could eat.
At this moment, Lin Ruoxue stepped out from her seat and gracefully walked to the center of the banquet.
The Xie family had only one thought: what was she planning to do now?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
