Chapter 21: Her Royal Highness the Princess
"You! Yes! I'm talking about you two! Why are you two little palace maids running around? Do you know that this is where the prince lives? The prince is still sick and hasn't recovered yet!" Zhao Xiaofei said, pointing at the two of them.
"Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before?" asked the shorter of the two girls, who looked about seven or eight years old.
"I was invited by the emperor to rescue the prince! I have the final say in this palace now! Let's go quickly! Be careful not to get infected by the prince's illness." Zhao Xiaofei was about to go over and push the two little girls.
At this time, a tall girl, about thirteen or fourteen, said, "Are you the great scholar Zhao who wrote 'The most outstanding figures in the world are still to be seen today?'"
Zhao Xiaofei quickly raised his index finger and gestured, "Shh! Don't talk nonsense! This is a serious taboo. Be careful, if the emperor hears, he'll snap!" He even made a gesture of wiping his neck. Ever since he'd had Xiao Si find a scholar to explain some of the Ming Dynasty's taboos and the consequences of violating them, he'd been terrified of reciting that poem in Misty Rain Tower. That's why he reacted this way.
Seeing Zhao Xiaofei's expression, the two little girls smiled. The smaller one looked playful and cute, while the taller one looked dignified and generous. The taller one said, "What good is it if you don't want the emperor to know? There's no good in that. If we two tell everyone about it overnight, everyone will know."
"That's right! You want to shut us up without any benefit. It's too easy for you!" said the little girl.
Hey! I'm being threatened by two young palace maids? I'll put up with it! Who knows who these palace maids are close to in the imperial palace? What if they're close to Wang Chengen, and word gets to the emperor, all my hard-earned achievements will be wasted. If I can't get the things, and then get thrown into jail, it's not worth it.
"Okay! Tell me, both of you, how are you going to shut your mouths up?" Zhao Xiaofei asked with a sneer.
"That depends on your sincerity!" said the short girl.
"Yes!" the tall girl echoed.
Zhao Xiaofei had no choice but to dig through his pockets. He found two large bars of Russian chocolate, which he had brought with him when he arrived. He sometimes had low blood sugar, and a small piece would help. He handed them to the two little girls and said, "This is a tribute. There used to be a lot, but a lot was swept away by the sea. Now there are only these two pieces left. Take them back and try them!"
The two girls took it, and the shorter one sniffed it. A sweet aroma filled her nostrils, and the shorter one swallowed a little, but politely put the chocolate away. She said, "It smells good, so it must be delicious. That's all right, we won't say anything!" Then she went to the palace gate to inspect the chocolate in her hand.
"Tell us, how is the prince's condition?" the tall girl asked after putting away the chocolate.
"Did your master ask you to ask?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
The tall girl nodded, and Zhao Xiaofei said, "The prince is much better now, but he's a little weak now. He'll be fine in three to five days."
"Thank you, sir!" The tall girl bowed. Just as she squatted down, Zhao Xiaofei noticed a leaf on her hair. He wanted to reach out and pick it off for her, but just as he was about to reach out, he pulled his hand back. He remembered that the Ming Dynasty was very conservative, and it was already a great honor for someone to talk to him here. If you kindly help someone pick the leaf off their hair, they will probably call you a hooligan.
The tall little girl saw Zhao Xiaofei trying to reach out his hand, then retracted it and asked, "Sir! Is there something wrong?"
"There's a leaf on your head. Let me show you with a mirror!" He took out a small round mirror and handed it to the little girl. The girl took the mirror and Zhao Xiaofei pointed it out to her. The little girl then saw the leaf on her head and took it off.
"Thank you, sir! Please keep this mirror!" said the girl.
"This is a gift for you! Take it!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"This is very valuable. I've seen a big one in Kunning Palace," said the girl.
"That's my tribute to the Emperor. This little one isn't worth much. Take it!" Zhao Xiaofei said. It was just something I picked up from the supermarket, and it only cost four dollars and a half. Zhao Xiaofei was a conceited guy. He had to dress up when he wore Hanfu, and he'd always have a mirror in his pocket to look at himself. He was quite cocky.
The girl looked carefully in the mirror and saw a picture of a yellow-haired child with two wings on his body. He held a bow and arrow in his hand, and one eye was squinting, as if he was about to shoot something. She asked, "Who is this picture of? I have never seen him before!"
"This is the matchmaker from the Western country, his name is Cupid. Whoever he shoots with his arrow will fall in love with the other person he shoots," said Zhao Xiaofei.
The girl blushed a little when she heard this and said, "Sorry for disturbing you, sir. I'm going back to the palace."
"Goodbye! Don't run around next time. It's easy to get lost in this palace so big." Zhao Xiaofei said.
Without even turning around, the girl pulled the little girl who was secretly eating chocolate at the door and left. The shorter girl said, "Sister! This is really delicious and sweet!"
The tall little girl said, "Let's give some to the Queen Mother later."
When Zhao Xiaofei heard this, the plum candy he had just put in his mouth got stuck in his trachea. He coughed hard to get the candy out. Doctor Hu came back and saw him pinching his neck. He knew at a glance that something was stuck in Zhao Xiaofei's trachea. He patted his back hard, and Zhao Xiaofei spent a long time coughing the candy out. The friction of the candy in his throat made him feel a little nauseous, and tragically, he vomited the meal he had just eaten.
Doctor Hu quickly went to get some tea and asked Zhao Xiaofei to drink it. After a while, Zhao Xiaofei recovered and said with a sad face, "Doctor Hu, I'm in trouble again!"
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