Chapter 15 The Fox Strolls the Street: "They Are Prisoners of War"
The fox woke up very early today, and as soon as it opened its eyes, it scrambled up to eat.
"Your Highness, you've gotten up a little too early today..." Qiu Yuan tilted her head to look at the sky outside, which was just beginning to brighten, and was quite surprised.
The fox, with a steamed bun in its mouth, looked in the mirror and held a hairpin to its head, saying, "We're going out to see the lanterns today."
“But Your Highness… the lanterns are for viewing at night.” Qiu Yuan hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. No matter what, there was no need to get up so early to get dressed.
The fox, with its mouth full of steamed buns, swallowed with difficulty before muttering, "But I can't just eat Tinglan's food for free."
You must dress up beautifully.
I promised to make a living with my looks, and I'll make a living with my looks!
That's how dedicated I am, little fox! I won't take a single grain of rice from my good friend for nothing!
Ji Qing laid out all his sparkling hairpins and held them up to his head one by one, but they all looked the same, and he couldn't tell which one looked better.
Sigh, it's better to be a fox. Just jump into the river for a bath and groom your fur until it's shiny. There's no need to hang so many things on your body with all that jingling and clanging.
Qiu Yuan didn't understand what the fox was saying, but that didn't stop her from suddenly feeling a lump in her throat and almost bursting into tears.
Why is it worth making such a big deal out of just going out of the palace to see the lanterns? Your Highness came from outside the palace, and this behavior... is it because you miss home?
Entering the palace alone, without any relatives or friends by your side, Your Highness must feel incredibly lonely.
The fox had no idea what Qiu Yuan was thinking. He was still happily picking out hairpins, turning back with a smile to ask, "Qiu Yuan, which one do you think is better?"
Qiu Yuan suppressed her bitterness and picked up a white jade hairpin from the table. "This complements Your Highness's complexion."
The fox tilted its head to look, "This is the one Tinglan gave me... Not bad, not bad, my good friend has good taste, this is it."
Meanwhile, in the mansion of the Ninth Prince, Pei Yue, wearing an outer robe, paced back and forth in the front hall, his tone suspicious, "You really want me to see him?"
Tinglan slightly raised her eyes and said casually, "What's wrong with that?"
"I am very grateful for the favors I have received from Your Excellency, but you don't seem like such a kind person... If I don't ask clearly, who knows what pitfalls await me in the future."
"Don't thank me, go thank Pei Jiqing." Tinglan looked away without offering any further explanation.
"What does this have to do with him?" Pei Yue shuddered, his gaze shifting to Ting Lan. "He...begged you because of me?"
"Don't flatter yourself." Tinglan looked like she couldn't be bothered to talk to a fool.
"What could it be?" Pei Yue plopped down in the chair, leaned back, and stared straight at the eaves.
Tinglan ignored him, stood up, walked through the wooden corridor, and headed towards the bedroom.
On a small, carved rosewood table sat a mercury mirror, but this priceless Western mirror was covered with a cloth, completely blocking its reflection.
He hesitated for a moment in front of the mirror, then lifted the cloth and, using the faint morning light from the window, examined his face.
He hadn't looked at his face closely in a long time, and the face in the mirror seemed increasingly different from the boy he remembered.
He hardly recognizes himself anymore.
Tinglan opened the box, picked out a hairpin she didn't usually wear, and carefully tied her long hair back up.
This time, the mirror was not covered up again.
At the hour of Si (9-11 AM), a carriage from the palace brought two people: Ji Qing, who was openly traveling outside the palace, and a Taoist priest who was smuggled out among the goods.
The fox finally emerged from the palace, and he was overjoyed. He spent the entire journey looking out the window without taking a break. When he saw people selling chickens along the way, he was incredibly excited.
As soon as they arrived at their destination, before the car had even come to a complete stop, the fox jumped out of the car and waved to Tinglan from afar.
How about it? Pretty, right? I didn't eat your food for nothing, did I?
The fox chuckled to himself, ran over, and reached out to grab Tinglan's wrist.
Pei Yue, disguised, stared wide-eyed to the side, tilting his head and coughing.
My dear thirteenth brother, it's been so many days since I last saw you, how come you're progressing so fast? My heart can't take it...
With so many officials in the court, why would you take a fancy to a eunuch... No matter how handsome he is, he's still a eunuch.
Another box was unloaded from the carriage outside and placed on the ground, making a loud noise.
As soon as the box was brought in, it groaned, "Imperfect Heavenly Venerable! I almost died from being jostled to death, but you guys really did shake me to death!" Zhou Yiqing poked his head out from inside and gasped for breath.
Pei Yue immediately stopped coughing and sighing. He rushed to the box, pulled Zhou Yiqing up, and whispered, his voice trembling with tears, "Why did you have to take such a risk for me..."
Zhou Yiqing was shocked. "Brother, who are you? Why are you so familiar with me?"
Tinglan deliberately looked away. "When old friends meet, there are probably many things to say. Your Highness and I will excuse ourselves for now." He glanced at the excited little fox beside him, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
The fox had already stood in front of the two men, staring at Pei Yue's face for a long time, then twitched its nose and said, "Seventh Brother, you still look better the way you used to."
Tinglan's surprised gaze suddenly focused on him, her brows furrowing slightly. How did the little prince... see through the disguise?
Zhou Yiqing also turned around abruptly, looked her over carefully, and asked incredulously, "Pei Yue... is that you?"
The moment those two left, Zhou Yiqing and Pei Yue faced each other and asked in unison, "Did you know that Ji Qing and Ting Lan are together?"
Seeing that the other person said the same thing, the two of them gasped, looked at each other in silence, and sighed in unison.
*
The fox was strolling down the street, and everything he saw was new and interesting; he had never seen this before, nor that before.
This is the first time the fox has ever strolled down the street.
The last time he went to a street, he bought two steamed buns, and before he even started shopping, he was tricked into coming to the capital. It was really heartbreaking.
But the fox was indeed a naive and inexperienced fox.
He gazed at the bustling crowds on the street and the various novelties sold by vendors, feeling that he couldn't take it all in.
"Tinglan, what's that for?" The fox tugged at Tinglan's sleeve.
"That's a sugar figurine."
Then he had a sugar figurine in his hand.
The fox was happy, the fox was satisfied, and the fox asked him about all the things he wanted to eat.
Winter has arrived in Beijing. The slightly chilly wind carries the scent of sweet chestnuts, mixed with the faint fragrance of cosmetics sold on the street, creating a unique, rustic aroma.
Passersby's gazes would occasionally drift across the fox's face, but when they landed on those around him, they would immediately look away as if burned, and walk properly.
Tinglan lowered his head slightly and whispered in the fox's ear, "Your Highness, what would you like to eat for lunch? There's a restaurant called Huixianlou here that's pretty good."
The fox was happy as long as he had food to eat. He had no idea which restaurant was good and which was not. He just kept nodding and saying, "Then let's eat at this one."
I deliberately ate two fewer steamed buns this morning, just to make room for a big feast.
The Huixian Restaurant in the capital entertained dignitaries, but the Ninth Prince was the most distinguished of them all, so naturally no one dared to neglect him.
The waiter carefully led the two to a private room upstairs. Among the people sitting in the lobby downstairs, some recognized the Ninth Prince, but their eyes were fixed on Ji Qing with ill intent.
"Look who the young boy next to the Chief Inspector is!"
"I don't recognize him. He's very handsome and well-dressed. Is he some young master from a wealthy family?"
"...I doubt it." The man scoffed. "He's probably the Ninth Prince's little male favorite."
Ji Qing's ears were incredibly sharp; he heard those words and, quite puzzled, turned to look at the man.
What does "difficult to pamper" mean? I don't know. What is this person saying? But judging from their tone, it doesn't sound like they're saying anything nice. Are they secretly cursing me?
The man, who had been smug, suddenly fell silent after being glared at by the fox. A sense of physical fear gripped him, and he even broke out in a cold sweat in the warm room.
The man waved his hand, panting, and said he wouldn't drink anymore. He then staggered away.
The fox turned and continued upstairs, completely ignoring the little incident. Once upstairs, he sat down at the table, and as soon as the waiter left, he awkwardly tugged at Tinglan's sleeve, "Do I look good today?"
Tinglan's gaze paused slightly. "Your Highness naturally possesses the appearance of a divine being."
The fox raised its head in satisfaction. I couldn't understand what it meant; it must have been a compliment.
It has to look good, otherwise how will I, a little fox, make a living?
As the dishes were served one by one, the restaurant owner was the one who was serving them. The more I listened, the more terrified I became... I wished I could hide myself in a crack in the ground, afraid that I would hear something I shouldn't have.
But while he was afraid, he was also puzzled. Who was this prince? He had such a big attitude, making the Ninth Prince serve him. Could he be the newly crown prince? But his age didn't match up.
"Your Highness, this is Wensi Tofu, a famous dish from Huaiyang." Tinglan placed a small cup in front of the fox.
The fox took it and drank it all, tofu and soup in one gulp. It was quite good, with both tofu and soup.
"This is Longjing shrimp."
The fox scooped up a spoonful and chewed it. Not bad, it tasted like shrimp.
After more than twenty famous dishes were finished, he lazily slumped in his chair.
Tinglan asked, "Which dish does Your Highness like the most?"
The fox patted its belly and answered without hesitation, "Roast chicken!"
A commotion came from downstairs. Curious, the fox walked to the window, lifted the curtain, and looked down.
There was a row of wooden cages, and it looked like there were some people inside.
The fox asked, puzzled, "What are you doing?"
"They are prisoners of war, and now they are slaves of a conquered nation." Tinglan's gaze was empty; he glanced downstairs once, then turned away.
The scar on my back seems to be hurting again.
A note from the author:
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I'm so sorry [crying emoji] My update schedule has been unstable lately. I'll try to write more during the day from now on.
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