Chapter 28 The Fox's Seduction Techniques! No wonder King Zhou was bewitched by Daji...
The fox went out of the palace and ate until its belly was round and full. It led the horse around, taking a walk to digest its food.
Seeing the bustling scene ahead, with crowds of people, he asked Tinglan with great curiosity, "What place is that? It looks so interesting."
"The Xiangguo Temple is ahead. Would Your Highness like to go and draw a fortune stick?"
The fox was stunned; that was a temple, and he dared not go.
If some shrewd monk discovers he's a fox spirit in disguise, then I'm doomed...
"The vegetarian noodles inside taste good and are very popular in Beijing."
The fox wavered slightly, but still shook its head. "Let's go somewhere else."
Never mind, I don't really like vegetarian food anyway.
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone called out to him, the voice sounding somewhat familiar, "Your Highness, please wait."
The fox turned its head and saw the Indian monk who had given the prayer beads earlier. He looked delighted and hurried over, carrying his robe. "May I invite Your Highness inside for a cup of tea?"
The fox looked at the monk in front of it, who was so eager to please, then looked up at the temple, then at Tinglan, and finally nodded after gritting its teeth.
Zhou Yiqing didn't say that a monk chanting scriptures couldn't recognize a fox spirit... so that should be plausible, right?
Since entering the temple, the fox has been following closely behind Tinglan, looking around nervously.
He was afraid that a muscular, white-bearded old monk might suddenly appear and shout at him, "Hey, you demon, don't run away!"
However, the flow of people was slow, and nothing happened.
The fox relaxed a little, but still kept its eyes down, not daring to look at the statues of gods enshrined in the temple.
I haven't done anything wrong. You are all powerful deities, please don't take me away!
"The front hall is for seeking marriage. Your Highness is of good age. I wonder if you have someone you like?" the monk introduced with great interest.
Tinglan also turned her head and looked at the little prince, her gaze carrying a meaningful and knowing look.
The fox quickly shook its head.
Although he didn't know what marriage meant, he could guess from the monk's posture, and hurriedly waved his hand, "No, no."
His romantic relationship might be like that of Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian. Currently, he has only been interested in roast chicken, roast duck, roast lamb chops, and roast tendons.
We foxes are different from you humans. A fox will only love one person in its entire life. You can't just do this casually. You have to wait for a really good one.
"It doesn't matter if you don't have one. Your Highness can go and light incense, make a wish, and maybe you'll have one in the future," the monk said with a smile, his hands clasped behind his back.
Tinglan's eyes flickered. "I'll accompany Your Highness."
So the fox dawdled around, took a few sticks of incense, and then dawdled around again as he walked to the front of the hall.
He hesitated, not daring to look up, then tugged at Tinglan's clothes and whispered, "Will you beg?"
I can give you my wish.
Tinglan chuckled and shook her head. "This servant is only here to keep Your Highness company."
He noticed the man's helplessness and a smile appeared on his lips.
The young prince is shy.
After all, His Highness is too embarrassed to express his feelings in front of me, let alone in front of outsiders.
Tinglan turned her head to look at the little prince, unable to suppress the urge to guess what wish he would make.
The fox hurriedly took the incense and bowed several times, his mind filled with all sorts of random thoughts.
Should I ask for a marriage partner? But I feel that things are fine as they are now. I play with Tinglan every day, and Tinglan tells me bedtime stories.
I thought about it for a long time, but I still couldn't figure out what wish to make.
As he raised his hand and placed the incense stick into the incense burner, he murmured only one sentence: "I hope I can always be with Tinglan."
I should have made a marriage proposal, but the words just came out like this.
The fox scratched its head.
He doesn't care about marriage; having good friends is enough for him.
The monk stood behind, watching the two figures standing side by side, a slight sense of confusion rising in his heart.
Even when offering incense, he had to accompany him; it seems the Ninth Prince cares quite a bit about the Thirteenth Prince.
After offering incense at the temple, the fox ate two bowls of vegetarian noodles. Seeing that no one had come to catch him yet, he became more confident and bold.
Hehe, I'm a powerful fox spirit! No one in this temple recognized me. I'm really amazing.
“Your Highness looked worried just now, but you’re finally in a good mood.” Tinglan glanced at him and took a water pouch from his waist, handing it to the young prince.
The water pouch contained sweet fruit tea, as the young prince disliked drinking bitter, clear tea.
The fox took the water pouch, gulped down a mouthful, and then chuckled to himself without saying a word.
"You two have been waiting for a long time. Please draw a lot first."
The monk invited a monk from the temple to interpret the divination slips and handed over the divination slip container.
The fox blinked. He had never seen this thing before, so he imitated Tinglan by closing his eyes and shaking the bamboo tube.
A wooden skewer was shaken out and fell to the ground.
"Ah, I've got it!"
The fox happily bent down to pick it up and handed it to the monk, asking, "I drew this. What does it mean?"
The inscription above reads eight large characters: "A beautiful couple, what more could one ask for?"
That's it, no need to interpret the divination slip anymore.
The monk beside him clapped his hands and laughed, "Your Highness's request just now was so effective!"
The fox was still confused. He took back the slip of paper, looked at it again and again, and felt that it should be a good omen. Not bad, not bad, the fox liked it.
If my wish comes true, I can be with Tinglan forever. Yay!
The fox grinned and turned to look at the fortune slip Tinglan had drawn.
The inscription on the slip read, "In February, heavy frost kills peach and plum blossoms."
The monk who came to interpret the divination slips was terrified. He knew that sitting in front of him was the powerful and influential Ninth Prince, and if things went wrong, his life could be taken easily.
Why did they even draw a marriage fortune stick for the eunuch...?
It's bad enough that it's a marriage fortune slip, but it's not even a good one. The slip is so clear that there's no chance to explain it.
The monk trembled. What kind of fortune sticks were these? Did they even have one like this in their temple's fortune-telling box...?
The fox frowned, utterly puzzled. Peaches were delicious, and although he didn't particularly love plums, they were still quite tasty. Why would he kill both peaches and plums out of the blue?
He subconsciously felt that this was not a nice thing to say, and when he looked up and saw that Tinglan's expression was not good, he immediately reached out and pulled the bamboo stick away. "Zhou Yiqing said that if you draw a stick that you don't like, you can draw another one. Only the one you like counts."
Zhou Yiqing is a very famous Taoist priest on our mountain, so what he said must make sense.
The fox handed over his own fortune-telling container again, saying, "Shake one more, and choose your favorite."
Tinglan smiled and shook her head, then shook another lot.
This time it's much better.
The slip of paper reads, “The moon moves the shadows of the flowers, I wonder if an old friend has come.”
The monk breathed a sigh of relief and gave Ji Qing a grateful look. "This is a very auspicious sign. It signifies loss and recovery, and the reunion of old friends. What you desire most, sir, will surely be obtained."
The fox leaned closer and whispered, "Do you like this one? If not, we'll draw another one."
Tinglan smiled and shook her head, "If you like it, there's no need to smoke anymore."
The fox was then pleased.
When he returned to the palace, he rode happily on his horse and looked back at his good friend.
Seeing that he still looked worried, I couldn't feel happy either.
What does that fortune slip mean? Does it mean my good friends can't eat peaches and plums anymore?
That was really heartbreaking.
Tinglan looked ahead, holding the reins, still thinking about the half-line of the divination slip.
February's heavy frost kills peach and plum blossoms; the first half of the saying is already bad enough, but the second half is even worse: "If you want to marry next year, you'll die this year..."
"Forget it, just take it as a casual remark, don't take it seriously." He raised his hand and gently pinched his temple, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air.
As expected, the Ninth Prince is staying in Changqiu Palace again today.
Qiu Yuan and the other palace maids had a long holiday that night.
After changing her clothes and letting her hair down, Tinglan's black hair fell over her shoulders, making her face appear even more beautiful.
He sat cross-legged on the couch, preparing to tell the young prince a bedtime story, but suddenly realized that he couldn't find him.
"Your Highness?" Tinglan called softly, but there was no response.
He looked down and found a note tucked inside the storybook in his hand, with the young prince's handwriting on it.
Each stroke is so neat and precise that it is very easy to recognize.
A short line of text: I've asked the fox to play with you.
Tinglan smiled immediately, got off the bed, walked to the door, pushed the door open, and found the courtyard empty, with no sign of the little prince or the white fox.
Just as he was wondering what was going on, something soft touched him from behind.
When he turned around, he saw a soft, white fox standing behind him. Today, instead of poking him with its paws, it simply circled around his calves.
It looks much fluffier than when we last met.
Tinglan lowered her head. "You actually came." She bent down, hugged the white fox in her arms, and weighed it in her arms for a few moments.
She must have eaten quite a lot today, because she felt a bit heavier than usual when I picked her up.
The fox was much more obedient than usual today, staying still and well-behaved in Tinglan's arms, with its head resting against his shoulder.
A scent of rose balm wafted over.
Tinglan scratched the fox's chin, "You really do resemble the little prince."
With His Highness absent, he couldn't bother playing with the fox. He turned and put the fox on the couch, then went out to look for the missing prince.
Unexpectedly, the fox pressed down on his hand with one paw, and its large, fluffy white tail wrapped around his wrist.
Good heavens, that's a whole fox tail!
It's soft, fluffy, and fragrant.
No one could resist such temptation, so Tinglan had to stop and use both hands to gently stroke the fox's head.
The fox lay down in his hand, its belly was pink, warm and soft, its ears were very elastic, and its paws were soft and easy to squeeze.
"Little thing, no wonder King Zhou was bewitched by Daji."
The fox was very pleased to hear this. Daji was a formidable predecessor of us fox spirits. Hmph, now you know how powerful fox spirits are.
"Then shall I carry you to His Highness?" Tinglan had no choice but to discuss it with the fox.
If we're talking about things resembling their owners, then this white fox is perhaps a little too much like the young prince.
Even their personalities are exactly the same: obedient, but with a bit of a temper.
It is very endearing.
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The author says: February's heavy frost kills peach and plum blossoms; if one wishes to marry next year, one will die this year.
From Bai Juyi's "Jianjian Yin"
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