Chapter 25 The Illiterate Fox: "Your Highness truly loves me."
Ji Qing sat at the table, muttering to himself, humming some little fox song.
"Is Your Highness very happy today?" Qiu Yuan brought over dinner and bent down to place it on the table.
"Yes, I'm so happy." Thanks to my favorite friend.
The fox put the chicken leg in its mouth and chewed it, but now there was still a problem.
My sister mentioned before that he was facing some kind of tribulation, though we don't know exactly what it is. This was one of the reasons he came down the mountain this time.
But what does it matter? Just eat well. With his little brain, he won't be able to figure it out anyway.
The fox continued to devour the chicken leg.
After finishing his meal, he hugged his knees, waiting for Tinglan to come and play with him.
But before he could meet his good friend, he encountered several uninvited guests.
The footsteps were faint and scattered, landing on the roof tiles. They might not be easily heard by others, but they were very clear to the fox.
Why would someone be squatting on his roof?
The fox went outside in confusion, looked up, and saw a kitten that had jumped onto the roof and couldn't get down. Should they run to rescue the kitten?
The winter night was pitch black, except for the red lanterns under the eaves. The trees in the front yard rustled in the wind.
The shadow guards sent by the Crown Prince to eavesdrop on them were on the roof. They had just arrived and hadn't even settled down yet. They had only heard a snippet of the little fox's song and hadn't managed to glean any information.
"Why did our master order us to eavesdrop on this guy?" the shadow guard whispered to his companion.
"Don't talk, concentrate. Don't let your guard down. The Thirteenth Prince is definitely not simple. If you underestimate him, you'll lose your life."
Another shadow guard tilted his head with a hint of disdain. "That guy humming a song down there?"
That's really something, why am I so skeptical?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder.
There was no sound behind him, so the shadow guard assumed his companion was in trouble and casually turned to the side to ask, "What's up? Didn't we agree not to get distracted?"
But his companions all looked at him as if he were an idiot.
The shadow guard suddenly shuddered and stiffly turned his head.
He saw the hand, and the owner of that hand.
It was a hand with well-proportioned and slender joints; if it were anywhere else, everyone would say it was beautiful.
The person behind him wasn't even wearing shoes properly; he was dragging his heels on the ground. Even so, none of the several highly skilled shadow guards noticed that he was standing behind them.
In the cold wind, the shadow guard's back was soaked with cold sweat. He had already recognized that this was the thirteenth prince himself.
What terrifying lightness skill... it's simply inhuman.
The fox, dressed in a light red robe, stretched out its hand and looked at the group of people in front of it with a surprised expression.
Why are they on my roof, but they look so helpless?
"Um... what are you doing here? Do you need my help?" the fox asked very politely.
But the people in front of them suddenly panicked, as if they had seen a ghost.
Should we fight, run away, or simply kneel down and admit defeat?
Option one was immediately ignored by them.
This is the Thirteenth Prince; they can't afford to compensate for any injury or damage he might suffer.
So the shadow guard could only take a deep breath, try to remain calm, and make up some excuses to hand over a letter, "Your Highness, we... are here to deliver a letter."
"Huh, it's a letter." The fox took the letter and tore open the envelope.
The letter was written in semi-cursive script, with powerful and vigorous strokes, but unfortunately, the fox was uncultured and found it very difficult to read.
The fox handed the letter back, asking, "Could you read it to me?"
The shadow guard on the other side suddenly felt like he was about to die.
He clearly saw the Thirteenth Prince in front of him, and his lips twitched slightly.
What does this mean? Are you dissatisfied with the contents of the letter?
But this was a secret message from His Highness the Crown Prince; how could a shadow guard possibly be allowed to see it...?
"...Your Highness..."
The fox was very understanding and realized his predicament.
I know what's going on; you can't read.
Don't worry, I won't laugh at you.
The fox tucked the letter into its pocket and said, "I got the letter. It's so cold outside, you should go back now."
It was resolved so easily... The Thirteenth Prince is actually so easy to talk to...
Probably not.
But the shadow guards didn't have time to think much and immediately got up, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, we'll take our leave."
They didn't dare ask another question, fearing the fox would change its mind, and leaped into the darkness along the eaves.
The fox, clutching the letter, jumped off the roof and went back to examine it closely under the lamplight.
This character is much easier to recognize under the light.
Um... it's roughly saying...
No, I still can't understand it. I seem to recognize each character individually, but when they're put together, I have no idea what they mean.
The fox casually folded the letter and tossed it onto the table.
She continued to hug her knees and wait for Tinglan.
When the moon rose high in the sky, the Ninth Prince finally arrived. He carried the chill of the night, wearing a black cloak and black sheepskin gloves, carrying a midnight snack for the young prince.
"There's been a lot going on at the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs today. Is Your Highness getting impatient?"
The fox obediently shook its head, its eyes fixed on the food box he was carrying.
Tinglan chuckled, placed the food box on the table, turned around, and took off her cloak and outer robe.
His clothes felt a bit too cold; he should take them off quickly.
Tinglan stood in front of the mirror, looked at herself quietly for a few seconds, then turned around and asked, "What books does Your Highness have to read today?"
The fox rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment, as if he had remembered something. He then picked up a piece of folded paper from the corner of the table.
"this."
Tinglan was somewhat puzzled. She smiled and unfolded the paper, but after glancing at it briefly, her brows furrowed.
"Where did Your Highness obtain this letter?"
The fox blinked and said, "The people on the roof gave it to me."
The Ninth Prince was clearly familiar with the fox's way of speaking, and he continued to press, "Did they tell you who they were delivering the message for?"
But actually, it's quite easy to guess: if any court official could reach into the inner palace, there would only be one or two of them.
If it were someone in the palace… the only one who would have the inclination to do such a thing would be the Crown Prince.
Judging from the motives, only the crown prince could have done such a thing.
The Crown Prince misjudged the bond between the young prince and me; trying to sow discord between us is simply wishful thinking.
He looked at the young prince sitting across the table, his gaze more profound than he had imagined.
The fox looked puzzled and shook its head.
"Your Highness has read this letter, hasn't you?" Tinglan's tone was slightly helpless. It was better not to get involved in these matters, otherwise it would dirty His Highness's hands.
The fox nodded. He had seen it, but he couldn't say he had seen it all, since he hadn't understood anything.
"What does Your Highness think?"
The fox was rather hesitant.
He didn't want to admit that he didn't understand it; it would be too embarrassing, making him seem like an uncultured fox.
My best friend reads so many books... that's amazing.
He could only stammer, "Uh... I guess..."
He stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with a coherent explanation.
He didn't understand the letter at all and couldn't say anything.
Tinglan lowered her eyes, secretly delighted. "Since Your Highness has already given this letter to me, I naturally understand Your Highness's intentions and will certainly not let you down."
He looked up and saw that the young prince was bowing his head, clutching the hem of his robe, looking quite troubled.
He couldn't help but chuckle. The question was too direct; it seemed His Highness was shy.
It's his fault, though. He already knew His Highness's feelings, yet he still forced His Highness to say them again.
Tinglan smiled, folded the letter in his hand, and put it into his sleeve. "What reward does Your Highness desire?"
Upon hearing about the reward, the fox immediately stopped worrying about whether it was cultured or not, raised its head, and climbed behind Tinglan with a grin, putting its arm around his shoulder. "You're so kind."
Tinglan found it hard to accept such intimate physical contact.
The young prince raised his hand, his sleeve slipped down, and a warm arm pressed directly against his neck. He shuddered violently, his nails digging into his palms, and his breathing became heavy.
"Your Highness..."
He waited for the fox to reveal the gift he wanted, but the prince never spoke.
Tinglan's heart suddenly trembled.
The reward Your Highness desires... is it me?
But today, today... we're not ready yet...
The fox had no idea what his friend was thinking; he was still pondering what gift he wanted.
Tinglan has given me so many things that I don't really want anything else.
He lowered his head and heard Tinglan's voice tremble slightly as she said, "Your Highness, please choose another one. This... I will give it to you."
The fox blinked, somewhat puzzled.
What should I change? I haven't said anything yet.
Despite his confusion, he obediently nodded, "Okay."
Whatever Tinglan says goes, hehe, I listen to my good friend.
He turned and lay down on Tinglan's lap, tilting his head back and grinning, reaching out to touch Tinglan's face. "Then how about you come have dinner with me tomorrow? I want to eat roast chicken and roast lamb chops."
I don't want any gifts. I just hope you can spend more time with me. I'll be happy just being with you.
Tinglan forcefully suppressed the urge to turn her head away, and nodded with her ears turning red, "Your Highness, do you not want anything else?"
He probably hasn't had as much physical contact with anyone in his entire life as he has with the little prince in the last few days.
He was not used to it, but he was also very happy.
Even want more...
"Didn't you just say there was another reward? Well, I'm waiting for that." The fox grinned, her hand reaching insidiously towards his chest again.
It feels so good, I can't get enough of touching it.
But I always feel that this is very impolite.
The bad fox and the good fox inside the fox are fighting each other, after a struggle.
The fox obediently put its wicked little paws back.
I'm a good fox; I don't do such impolite things.
But Tinglan couldn't care less about such details after the fox uttered those words.
Tinglan's face instantly turned bright red, and she couldn't hold back any longer, so she abruptly turned her head behind her.
A tingling, numb sensation spread from my heart to my fingertips.
He thought, "Your Highness... truly loves me."
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