Chapter 24 Deep Affection: "Am I very important to Tinglan?"...
All eyes turned to the thirteenth prince.
The fox swallowed the pastry in its mouth with a gulp, took a deep breath, and tried to comfort itself haphazardly.
My good friend isn't there, so I won't embarrass myself in front of him. It's not a big deal.
"Master, aren't you looking down on people a bit? Didn't we agree to debate scriptures with a humble Taoist? Why did you invite the Thirteenth Prince again?"
At the critical moment, Zhou Yiqing proved to be reliable. He stood up from the prayer mat and immediately came to the aid of the stunned Ji Qing.
Great monk, why are you making things difficult for the fox? It's already impressive that he can read, let alone debate scriptures. He probably hasn't even read a single scripture.
But the monk insisted, and he bowed to the fox.
"It's actually His Highness the Thirteenth Prince! My apologies. This humble monk is skilled at reading auras, but I have never seen anyone with such an aura as His Highness. If I miss this opportunity today, I fear I will regret it for the rest of my life."
Zhou Yiqing pursed his lips and thought to himself, "He's a fox spirit, not a human. If you see him often... what kind of demons and monsters are you surrounded by? It's really unbelievable. I need to exorcise them."
The monk bowed to the fox again, saying, "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."
That one sentence immediately made the fox arrogant. Hehe, no one has ever asked me to teach him.
Am I really that amazing?
The fox cautiously approached and sat down on the cushion.
"This humble monk will not discuss scriptures with Your Highness, but I have a question to ask Your Highness: If Heaven warns that you will face great calamity, what should you do?"
As soon as this question was posted yesterday, it immediately sparked a lot of discussion.
Some said to quickly pray to the gods and Buddhas, offering sacrifices of cattle and sheep; others said to find a wise person to save them; still others said to quickly pack their bags and return to their hometown.
Taoist priests, who can also divine a good outcome, are not entirely superstitious but rather a blend of materialism and idealism, making them quite unique...
The fox pondered for a moment, then answered confidently, "Then we should eat well."
We'll eat even more than before, and the dishes will be better, but the price doesn't matter.
The monk was surprised, wondering how a perfectly good question could have gone off on such a tangent. "Why?"
"If we can escape, it's not a loss to eat a little more; if we can't escape, it doesn't matter either." The fox smiled foolishly at the monk, his expression unchanged.
Why doesn't it matter?
The young and handsome prince lowered his head slightly, a strand of black hair falling behind his ear. His face showed surprise, as if he was quite taken aback by the question. He said in a relaxed tone, "Everyone dies, but if you die, you won't have anything to eat, so you should eat more."
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
The Taoist priest silently turned his head away... Ji Qing still loves to eat so much; his appetite is truly enviable.
The monk was speechless for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed, "Your Highness is indeed an extraordinary person."
The fox scratched its head sheepishly and smiled, unable to bear the stares from the sidelines any longer, and decided to quietly slip away.
The monk stood up, took off a string of Buddhist beads from his hand, and handed it over, saying, "Your Highness has a karmic connection with Buddhism; few are as insightful as Your Highness."
Zhou Yiqing snorted heavily, clearly dissatisfied.
You think you have a connection with Buddhism? I haven't even said he has a connection with our Taoist tradition.
What, you want to abduct him to become a monk? See if the Ninth Prince will come after you.
Unsurprisingly, the fox didn't understand the last sentence. What did "thorough understanding" mean? And what was the purpose of "Buddhist affinity"?
He knew that Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was a very expensive dish; a good friend had treated him to it, and it was delicious.
But he is extremely happy when others give him gifts.
They happily accepted it right away.
Hehe, a string of red beads, I'll take it back to show Tinglan.
The Crown Prince chuckled and whispered to his younger brother, Prince Ning, "This monk is really interesting; whether it's good or bad, it's all just a casual remark from him."
Prince Ning's thought process was already unusual, and he had previously seen a fox walking to deliver food to Tinglan.
He immediately slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Oh no!"
Is it possible that Tinglan is deliberately mistreating him and not feeding him because he is so obsessed with eating?
His face immediately showed a hint of worry. "Brother, do you have any good cooks? Could you send me one?"
We're brothers, after all. We can't just stand by and watch Little Thirteen get bullied by a eunuch.
The crown prince glanced at his simple-minded brother, sighed, and turned away without saying a word.
...I have a younger brother born to my mother, and I can't just abandon him. What can I do but endure it?
The fox happily hopped down, carrying his red bead.
Prince Ning turned around and leaned closer, saying, "Let me see it. That old monk must have given me something good."
The fox generously handed it to him, saying, "Here, take a look."
Taking advantage of the opportunity to return the pearl to him, Prince Ning asked in a low voice, "Give me a hint, did Tinglan bully you or not? Don't be afraid, your brother will back you up."
The fox blinked. "No, he doesn't bully me."
"real?"
The fox nodded vigorously, "Really."
"Then... what's going on with you two?" Prince Ning said, indicating that he was no longer able to understand.
The fox whispered, with a hint of pride in his voice, as if showing off, "We're very close; we've even slept together before."
Upon hearing this, Prince Ning groaned as if he were about to die.
You must have misheard...
You must have misheard.
He turned his head stiffly, determined to forget everything.
Help! I didn't hear anything! What's going on? Could it be that Thirteenth Brother has really fallen for that eunuch...?
Even if you like men, you can't... you can't, oh dear, what's all this about?
Prince Ning picked up the cup on the table and poured himself a glass of water.
A moment later, the Crown Prince whispered to him and asked, "Is Pei Jiqing on good terms with the Ninth Prince?"
Prince Ning shifted his gaze, not wanting to answer the question for the moment, and said, "Probably."
He sensed something was wrong and hurriedly asked, "Did you hear us talking just now?"
"I heard a little bit, what's wrong?"
"Just a little bit is fine." Prince Ning covered his forehead, as long as he didn't hear the crucial sentence.
Your Majesty, this is for your own good. Their situation is truly baffling.
And Ji Qing, I'll keep it a secret from you, I won't tell anyone outside.
The Crown Prince turned his head and looked at the Thirteenth Prince, who was staring blankly at the sun while looking at his prayer beads. He chuckled softly.
This younger brother is not very useful and doesn't get in much trouble, but he could be used to deal with Tinglan.
That would be different...
What can a eunuch offer him? Nothing more than money and power.
What I can offer is a promise to the future emperor. Even a fool could tell which is more important.
The fox watched with amusement, while the Indian monk and Zhou Yiqing engaged in a verbal battle for three hundred rounds.
He packed up all the dried fruit and pastries he had brought, carried them in his hand, and went to find the sedan chair sent by Tinglan.
He was completely oblivious to the meaningful look in the Crown Prince's eyes.
Upon entering the Directorate of Ceremonial, the fox went straight to the study and skillfully rested its head on Tinglan's shoulder.
"How was Your Highness's day?" Tinglan knew who it was without turning around, put down his pen, and patted the fox's head.
“Great, that mage was very kind; he even gave me a bracelet.”
The fox was overjoyed and handed the bead to Tinglan to see.
"Oh? Then why did he give you Buddhist prayer beads?" Tinglan coaxed, going along with his words.
The fox picked up the plate of snacks prepared for him on the table, took a piece and chewed it. "That monk said I'm smart."
Tinglan couldn't help but laugh out loud, "And then?"
"Then he asked me the same question I asked yesterday." The fox continued eating.
Chestnut cake is delicious, and glutinous rice cake is delicious too, but I still think the glutinous rice cake in my dream that day was the best.
It was big and soft, and felt the best, although I've forgotten what it tasted like.
"And how did His Highness answer?"
“I said if we’re going to be finished, we have to eat well, because every meal we eat is one less meal we’ll ever have.”
"That's all?" Tinglan turned around.
The fox, with some crumbs of pastry on its mouth, nodded somewhat blankly.
"Does Your Highness have any other concerns?" Tinglan asked with a smile, but one could sense that his smile was not to his liking.
Her long hair fell over her shoulders, casting a shadow on her face.
The fox put down the plate, looked up, and stared blankly, somewhat hesitant.
My sister might be a little sad if I weren't here, but she's lived so long and should be used to these things, so it won't bother her.
The chickens in the garden should be happier since no one eats them.
So you're right, there's nothing to worry about.
Tinglan's eyes were deep and she seemed to be gritting her teeth, but her voice remained slow and unreadable.
He asked, "What about this servant? Doesn't Your Highness care?"
The fox looked extremely confused. "Am I... am I that important to Tinglan?"
The Ninth Prince chuckled softly, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, and carefully wiped the crumbs from the corners of his mouth.
"Your Highness is truly... How heartless."
The fox jumped up from the chair with a thud, extremely anxious. She grabbed Tinglan's sleeve and shook her head, afraid that he would misunderstand her. "I didn't. I care about you a lot."
Tinglan didn't say anything more; he had already gotten the answer he wanted... even if it might have been obtained through coercion or enticement.
The fox lowered its head, still somewhat dazed, repeating its previous words, "Am I that important to Tinglan?"
"Your Highness saved my life, how can I not be grateful?"
The fox was still somewhat bewildered. He tugged at Tinglan's sleeve, refusing to let go. "That's not what I meant. It's just... if I suddenly died, would you be extremely sad?"
Tinglan quickly covered the little prince's mouth, "These words are inauspicious, Your Highness, you should not say such things."
The fox didn't think there was anything wrong with what it said.
He continued, "Then am I the most important one to Tinglan?"
The Ninth Prince's ears turned red instantly, all his previous dissatisfaction vanished in an instant. He turned to the side and slowly nodded.
The fox jumped up on the spot, grabbed Tinglan's arm, and started spinning around in circles.
Yes, I did it!
I have successfully completed my trial of descending the mountain!
I'm now the most powerful fox spirit! La la la la!
Tinglan's breathing suddenly became heavier, and his heartbeat quickened. He thought: Your Highness, you are indeed deeply in love with me.
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