Chapter 9 Whose Study Companion Should I Be?
Having changed her clothes, the sixth princess stood with her hands on her hips, her phoenix eyes wide open, seemingly consumed by rage.
You little brat, Xie Mianmian, you did something wrong and dared to hide, making me search for you for ages. I'll teach this brat a lesson...
But then they saw Xie Mianmian, a tiny little girl with big, round eyes glistening with tears, her eyes red and moist, her small nose twitching from time to time, her once smooth hair now disheveled, and her clothes dusty and grimy.
Oh...poor, such a wronged little boy. His blinking eyes look like a cat's. Why do I find him kind of cute? The Sixth Princess felt her anger subside by half.
At the same time, she wondered to herself, "Did I hit her?"
"Hey, even if you pretend to be all wronged, you still splashed ink on me. Don't try to deny it!" The Sixth Princess continued arrogantly.
Xie Mianmian explained softly, "It wasn't me, someone accidentally..."
"It was Xie Mianmian who did it!" Lin Yueji appeared out of nowhere and hurriedly interrupted Xie Mianmian. He was surprised that Xie Mianmian had returned unharmed, but he had no intention of letting her off the hook.
"Xie Mianmian took a fancy to my cousin's hairpin, crying and shouting as she tried to snatch it. When my cousin wouldn't give it to her, she smeared pastries on my cousin's hair, attracting birds to peck at her, almost blinding her!" Lin Yueji said with great indignation. "She even tried to lure me to the Cold Palace to kill me!"
The onlookers were in an uproar, and even the Sixth Princess was taken aback. This was the first time she had ever seen such a beautiful yet truly wicked child.
Wow, Xie Mianmian was so surprised that her mouth dropped open. He was so good at talking nonsense, she wanted to learn.
"Chirp chirp chirp, you're so good at talking, why don't you become a storyteller? How dare you bully Mianmian, I'll teach you a lesson!" The chubby little bird, halfway through chasing his wife, swooped down and grabbed at Lin Yueji with its slender but powerful claws.
"ah!"
"Dead bird, get away from me! Help me!"
Lin Yueji's painful screams mingled with the screams of those fleeing around him, creating a chaotic scene.
The chubby bird flew away with its prize—a hairpin inlaid with jade.
The stern-faced old woman came to arrest people again, and dragged Lin Yueji away with his hair all messed up.
Xie Mianmian said earnestly to the still surprised Sixth Princess, "The birds didn't catch people because of the pastries, they were naughty." She then went on and on about how the two children had bullied her.
The sixth princess listened in silence without saying a word.
"Please, princes and princesses, choose your study companions," Eunuch Li said respectfully in his high-pitched voice.
Only two princes and two princesses present were not yet accompanied by their tutors.
The Seventh Prince pointed at Xie Mianmian and said coldly, "I choose her."
Although he is too small and clumsy, cries a lot, and is dirty, he can still be taken under his wing as a veterinarian. He will not mistreat his subordinates.
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Li broke out in a cold sweat. "Oh my, my young master! On a small scale, this is just choosing playmates, but the bonds formed during their time together are very deep. When they grow up, they may become close friends or trusted subordinates. On a deeper level, it involves the power struggles among the princes!"
This isn't a selection of a young imperial concubine, Eunuch Li thought, wiping away a bead of cold sweat as he pondered how to respond.
The sixth princess snorted, "Men should play with men, of course. Xie Mianmian will be my study companion."
This brat is not to be underestimated. Despite her small size, she's surprisingly strong. Her two cousins who bullied her didn't fare well, and even Xiao Qi, who usually doesn't like to talk to people, is vying for her attention. This shows she has some ability and is barely qualified to be her little follower.
They actually tried to steal her from him? The Seventh Prince stared at the Sixth Princess with unfriendly eyes.
The sixth princess glared back, showing no fear whatsoever.
The two children stared at each other defiantly, sparks flying and crackling.
Eunuch Li patted Xie Mianmian on the shoulder, winked, and said, "Mianmian, say something!"
Xie Mianmian said timidly, "I don't want either of them..."
"Follow me, and no one will dare bully you anymore." The Sixth Princess said proudly, arms crossed. "We'll play together, and you can eat as many pastries as you want in the palace. Would you like to see the new Western kaleidoscope?"
Xie Mianmian's eyes lit up with every sentence she heard, especially when she heard "let's play together." No amount of enticement could entice her anymore; she wanted a real friend!
"Yay!" Xie Mianmian ran to the Sixth Princess's side. "I'll be your study companion, we're friends now."
The Sixth Princess turned her head awkwardly. Friends... who would want to be friends with a five-headed little brat? Just kidding, she is the most noble princess in the entire capital!
The Seventh Prince glared at Xie Mianmian. Very well, this was the first time someone had dared to defy him. Did she even know who she was rejecting?
Seeing that Xie Mianmian ignored him, the Seventh Prince became even angrier, flicked his sleeve, and left.
Xie Mianmian was lost in her own world, covering her mouth and secretly laughing.
"Seventh Prince, you haven't chosen a study companion yet!" Eunuch Li caught up with him.
Amidst the commotion, the selection of companions for the palace came to an end.
Eunuch Li led Xie Mianmian out of the palace. As soon as they stepped out of a palace gate, she knelt down with a thud, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
Eunuch Li even dragged Xie Mianmian to kneel down with him.
"Rise." It was a dignified and powerful voice.
Xie Mianmian looked up curiously and saw a middle-aged man in a yellow robe. He had a beard, was stern and never smiled. The dragons on his robe looked like they were about to pounce on him, which terrified Xie Mianmian.
"This is?"
"Your Majesty, she is the companion chosen by the Sixth Princess, the youngest daughter of the Xie family, Xie Mianmian."
The emperor waved his hand, and the surrounding servants withdrew.
He bent slightly and said in as gentle a tone as possible, "You're Xie Mianmian?"
Xie Mianmian nodded obediently, "Greetings, Uncle Huang." This uncle was wearing yellow clothes and was called Huang Shang, which was a bit strange. Xie Mianmian didn't understand, but she respected him.
The Emperor laughed heartily, "Tell your uncle, did you voluntarily choose to be the Sixth Princess's study companion?"
He knew Xiao Liu all too well; he was arrogant and domineering, but he wasn't a bad person at heart.
"Yes, we are friends."
The emperor seemed to recall something, a slight bitterness rising in his heart. Could members of the royal family still have friends? He couldn't help but pat the child's head. "Child," he said, "there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests."
He specifically summoned Xie's youngest daughter to the palace to give Governor Xie a warning. He could keep an eye on Governor Xie's children at any time, and if Governor Xie dared to have any other thoughts... ha.
How could he have become so ruthless, even willing to exploit the child of his former friend?
Looking into the children's clean and innocent eyes, he thought, "Luckily, they can play together. Luckily, the worst-case scenario hasn't happened yet."
"Uncle hopes you can always be good friends."
Xie Mianmian took out her precious bag, tore open the opening, revealing it full of golden sesame candy.
The child held the bag high, smiling with her cherry-like lips, and said, "Uncle Huang, eat some candy so your face won't look bitter."
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