Xiao Chaihu stepped out of the room and planned to go straight to the outer courtyard.
Ever since the Pingyang Prince Mansion was built three years ago, he and Xiao Bei have been living in the outer courtyard. After all, they were boys and could not live in the inner courtyard.
But who would have thought that just as he turned the corner of the corridor, he saw a tall figure standing in the corridor not far ahead.
Xiao Chaihu involuntarily stiffened, his face changed slightly, having an inexplicable bad premonition. However, he quickly regained his composure, walked over as usual, and bowed saying, "Your Highness."
Mu Houchu was standing with his hands behind his back at the edge of the corridor, looking at the flowers and plants in the yard with an always indifferent expression. Only when he turned his head to look at Xiao Chaihu, a few strands of coldness could be seen in his eyes.
"Do you think you can pass the Autumn Exam this time?" Mu Houchu asked in a calm voice.
Xiao Chaihu lowered his head and replied, "I do not know yet; let me wait for the announcement."
Mu Houchu’s voice turned a bit colder, "Then you might not make it."
Suddenly, Xiao Chaihu’s heart started to beat faster. He lowered his eyes to hide the alertness in them and fell silent. He didn’t need to lie; he knew this powerful man too well. There was no need to lie in front of him. If he dared to say this today, he must have been certain about something.
In the end, he couldn’t escape after all.
Xiao Chaihu remained silent.
However, Mu Houchu’s gaze was still cold, "I can help you find a good place. When you want to leave, there’s no need for me to go into details."
Xiao Chaihu’s eyes suddenly tightened, his usually placid face showed rare signs of panic and a trace of anger. He moistened his lips, clenched his hand in his sleeve, and slowly replied, "I serve the princess, Your Highness need not arrange anything for me."
Mu Houchu’s eyes seemed to grow colder as he looked at him, "Are you defying me now? Or do you think she can protect you?"
Xiao Chaihu met his gaze squarely, "There is no benefit to arguing with me, Your Highness. If you want to arrange something for me, it would be best to have the princess say it herself. Although I am insignificant and hold no power, I can still recognize who my proper master is."
Once he said this, he bowed and then sidestepped him, quickly walking away.
Mu Houchu fielded a profound gaze at the retreating figure of Xiao Chaihu, an ominous glint flashed across his eyes. How audacious and ignorant this boy is!
It was only when Xiao Chaihu returned to his own courtyard that he realized sweat had soaked his back. This was his first direct confrontation with Mu Houchu in these many years.
Regarding Mu Houchu, he often chose to avoid him as much as he could. On one hand, he didn’t have a good impression of him; on the other, he hoped not to cross paths too often so as to avoid revealing his own intentions.
However, despite his carefulness, Mu Houchu had still detected something.
When Mu Houchu said "I’ve arranged a good place for you", Xiao Chaihu felt unprecedented panic. This feeling made his heart pound and seemed to be on the brink of losing everything.
He was so afraid of leaving. If he left here, he could never find a reason to live. He didn’t know what to do next. Ji Xinhe always overestimated him. He was always an aimless person. His only small wish was to protect her quietly. But if he left, what should he do?
So even if he had to offend Mu Houchu, even if he risked everything, he had to stay.
Although he knew that this was a very dangerous signal. Now that Mu Houchu had set his sights on him, he would probably not hold back and it wouldn’t be long before he would lose the qualification to protect her in silence.
Thinking of this, Xiao Chaihu felt a void in his heart. His usually emotionless face now wore an expression of loss and loneliness.
——
After Mu Houchu took another bath, Xin He had already arranged dinner.
Mu Houchu went straight to eat when he walked into the room.
Ah Guai sat obediently on a stool, swinging her short legs in the air. Her eyes gleamed as she looked at a big crab on the table, "Mommy, this one!"
When Xin He saw where her little finger was pointing, she lightly smacked Ah Guai’s hand, chastising her, "Wait until your father comes to eat."
Ah Guai was young, but she ate a lot. She didn’t need to be coaxed to eat. She could eat two bowls of rice on her own. She especially liked meat; crabs being her favorite. If there was crab on the table, it was often prepared for her.
Ah Guai swallowed saliva, sat down obediently, and stretched her little head out, looking to see if Mu Houchu had come in.
Finally, under Ah Guai’s eager gaze, Mu Houchu, refreshed, entered.
Ah Guai waved her hands happily, her dangling short legs swung even more joyously, "Daddy! Daddy!"
Mu Houchu smirked, picked her up directly, "Ah Guai, were you waiting for Daddy?"
Ah Guai nodded vigorously, and pointed to a crab with one hand while hugging Mu Houchu’s neck with the other, "Ah Guai’s waiting for Daddy to peel the crab for Ah Guai."
Mu Houchu laughed heartily, put her down on the chair, took a seat, picked up a crab, and began to peel it for her, "Good! Daddy will peel the crab for Ah Guai."
Xin He pinched Ah Guai’s little face, "You ungrateful little thing, can’t you say that you are waiting for your Dad?"
Ah Guai blinked, "But Ah Guai is waiting for Daddy. But Ah Guai is also waiting for the crab. Mommy says Ah Guai can’t lie."
Looking at her innocent daughter, Xin He couldn’t help but sigh, ruffling Ah Guai’s little head, "Yes, yes, Ah Guai is right, Mommy knows."
Ah Guai laughed cheerfully.
Xin He couldn’t help expressing her worry, "Our Ah Guai is raised too pure and naive, this child, I always fear that she will easily be tricked due to her naïveté."
Mu Houchu smirked, placing the peeled crab into Ah Guai’s dish, "Why worry? She is our daughter, the little princess of Pingyang Royal Mansion, the most privileged girl in Yu State, no matter where she goes, no one dares to bully her."
"What if we’re not with her one day? This child looks so gullible." Xin He lovingly watched Ah Guai.
This child, who received so much love and care from Xin He, was their only child. From the moment she was born, Xin He couldn’t bear her being wronged in the slightest. She was only five years old now, but Xinhe had already begun to worry about her future at fifteen, and twenty-five.
"We’ll just stay with her then, don’t worry, Ah Guai is very lucky, you don’t need to worry." Mu Houchu seemed not to care. His daughter, whether he was with her or not, no one dared to bully her in the slightest!
Watching Ah Guai happily eating her crab, Xin He smiled, "That’s true."
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