The beggar who died a violent death
Chapter Six
Judging solely by appearance, this eldest prince of Bozhou is worlds apart from my crown prince of Eastern Chu—the crown prince is like heaven, while this…
I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but he does have naturally yellowish-brown skin, as if a handful of seeds could be sown on it and sprout new shoots would appear the following spring.
The eldest prince had large, round eyes with deep-set sockets, high cheekbones, and a broad, square jaw, but his forehead narrowed abruptly. I don't know much about physiognomy, but this appearance was really unsettling.
Now, those big eyes were blazing with a terrifying light as they stared intently at me, looking down at me from a superior position—yes, if there's any advantage to this, it's that this eldest prince is taller than the crown prince, probably by a head. When he looks at me, it's as if Mount Tai is pressing down on me.
I almost couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and glare back, thinking that I shouldn't be misunderstood as all women of Dongchu being shrewish. I took a deep breath, swallowed my displeasure, and bowed to the eldest prince: "This humble woman is Zhao Xi, a maidservant of the envoy from Dongchu. I greet the eldest prince of Bozhou."
The eldest prince suppressed his raging anger, his gaze softening as he looked at her for a long while before finally saying, "A maid? Wasn't it a younger sister? Or a concubine?"
This prince seemed to have a knack for irritating people. I was so annoyed that I could only gasp for breath and force a smile: "Your Highness is joking."
“Zhao Xi…” He seemed to understand something and pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, pointed at me and said, “You! Your surname is Zhao?”
Yes, my surname is Zhao. No matter what my relationship is with the older brother who also has the surname Zhao, I can't possibly be his wife. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, no longer needing to waste my breath explaining. At the same time, I thought that the eldest prince knew this Han custom, so he must have had quite a bit of contact with Han people.
"So that's how it is." The eldest prince nodded, a contemptuous smile spreading across his lips. "No wonder the second prince and Lan Feiyu are so attentive to you, ha, ha."
I had nothing to say, so I just stood there silently, confused. I wondered why the way the eldest prince addressed those two people sounded so strange, but I couldn't quite grasp the hidden meaning behind the prince's words.
He could very well guess that I was from my uncle's family, so he deduced that the second prince, whom I had not yet met, and Lan Feiyu, whom I had already kissed, were both trying to curry favor with me.
This thought made me feel like caterpillars were crawling down my spine. Looking at the prince who had thrown caterpillars at me, I used all my composure to suppress my rude words and force out a laugh, finally managing to say, "I must thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
The eldest prince rolled his eyes twice: "Miss Zhao, where are you going now? Would you like to come with me to see your brother, Prince Xinan?"
This abrupt change of topic caught me off guard. I opened my mouth and involuntarily said "Ah," and then I heard Lan Feiyu's laughter behind me: "Your Highness! My accounts will be settled soon. You can wait in the palace. I'm about to go to the palace with Xi'er."
Huh? Why is Lan Feiyu speaking in such a strange way?
Even if they aren't biologically related, shouldn't they be considered siblings? Why are they so distant from each other?
The eldest prince did not laugh; his eyes were cold as he glanced at Lan Feiyu: "I've been waiting so long I'm practically buried in the ground, I just couldn't wait any longer."
I turned to look at Lan Feiyu, and was surprised again: Why did she call me "Xi'er"?
Lan Feiyu smiled slightly at me, stepped forward, and took my hand affectionately. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, but her words were directed at the eldest prince: "Eldest prince, please don't say that. Two of our Lan family members have just passed away. If there is any more trouble, it will not be a blessing for the people of Bozhou."
Hmm, why are they speaking Mandarin to each other? Is it because I'm here?
But I'm clearly not an important person.
When Lan Feiyu smiled at me, I couldn't help but smile back, completely ignoring the eldest prince.
But the eldest prince wouldn't let me have my way. His gaze was so intense that I couldn't ignore it, but I couldn't fake a smile for him. Fortunately, he didn't say anything more, just let out a heavy nasal "humph" and gave me a very difficult smile: "Well then, Miss Zhao, I'll be waiting for you in the palace."
As soon as he finished speaking, his face stiffened, and he hurriedly walked past me and Lan Feiyu. The little girl who bumped into me quickly followed behind.
Once the figures of the master and servant had completely disappeared, Lan Feiyu breathed a long sigh of relief and smiled at me, saying, "Xi'er, did I scare you? My brother here is as bear-like in appearance and temperament as bear-like."
I burst out laughing and quickly covered my mouth with my palm.
Lan Feiyu glanced at me, then chuckled and hurriedly covered her mouth.
I looked into her eyes, and at this distance, I could clearly see the brilliance in them, like stars shining in the long, dark night, igniting the homesickness of every weary traveler.
“Xi’er,” Lan Feiyu bit her lower lip. I thought she was about to say something shocking, but she said instead, “Let’s go to the palace to see the prince.”
I was somewhat disappointed, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. I nodded, regaining some semblance of normalcy: "Okay, let's go."
Lan Feiyu smiled brightly, shook my hand, and then let go.
She summoned several male and female attendants, as well as Ami, and instructed them to prepare a sedan chair and horses. She was about to leave the clinic with me. I was only planning to ride a horse instead of a sedan chair, but when we reached a long corridor, I saw a young man dressed in a square scarf and blue robe leading two strong men carrying a stretcher.
The man in the blue robe bowed to Lan Feiyu and said with his head down, "Master, another beggar has died violently in the street today."
Lan Feiyu's expression changed. She glanced at me quickly before saying to the man in the blue robe in a deep voice, "Understood. Please handle this, Mr. Tao. Miss Zhao and I, who are going to court, still need to rush to the palace."
Mr. Tao, the man in the blue robe, glanced at me. Although I pride myself on rarely judging people by their appearance, I couldn't help but notice that Mr. Tao had delicate features, red lips and white teeth, and a complexion that surpassed that of all the women here. He was simply a handsome and charming man.
Is this man also one of Lan Feiyu's subordinates? But judging from his appearance, he is clearly a Han Chinese. Why would he go to Bozhou to serve?
"Your subordinate obeys. Your subordinate takes his leave." Mr. Tao avoided my gaze, lowered his head again, gestured to the two men carrying the stretcher, and brushed past our group.
I couldn't help but stare at the stretcher. The yellow tarpaulin covered it in the shape of a straight barrel, except for a small part on the left side, which looked like a human hand, but it was the color of charcoal and was very frightening.
"What illness did that person have?" I swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask Lan Feiyu, "This isn't the first person to die, is it? Is there some kind of plague in Bozhou City?"
“If it’s a plague, when the King of Hell takes people, who can escape? Why would he specifically target beggars?” Lan Feiyu smiled faintly, then deepened her smile. “Xi’er, let’s go. Don’t keep our brother waiting.”
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