Chapter 15：Did You Have Fun with XX?

"Master, is the little princess alright?"

The first to come up to Xia Lian Bei was his closest attendant, Shai.

Prince Feng didn't even glance his way as he snorted.

The small dumpling took a peek from her father's shoulder to look at the young man with honey-like skin.

"Sai! Sai!" Her brilliant eyes said hello to him.

Shai's lips involuntarily twitched as his line of sight travelled from the small girl to the collapsed horses and lamenting coachmen on the street in front of them.

The little princess was formidable, ah! After such an accident, she was still lively as ever.

Of course, the coachmen of the two carriages weren't blind. They saw the person who was now carrying the child they almost accidentally ran over.

Turned out the child was related to this buddha! There was really no medicine for regret!

Cold sweat further drenched both their clothes which were already wet by the rain but no one stepped up to speak on their behalf.

That person was still standing by the Gao Le palace gates donning bright (quite hurtful to the eyes) clothes, narrowing his eyes on them. There was a sharp contrast between his facial expression and the mismatched orange and green robes making him look quite comical but one would rather die than to laugh at his face.

Pale hair, sanguine eyes, straight nose, thin pale lips and a dainty body that would seem to fall and break any minute.

The rain had stopped and some sunshine peeked from the thick clouds. If not for this reminder that it was still daytime and the strange color combination of his robes, that person would be called a ghost.

The capital didn't see this man for almost three years but who could forget such unique appearance?

The one people secretly called a demon because of his aberrant physique, way of clothing and temper, Feng wang.

Both the coachmen fell on their knees with a thud but none of them dared to speak. In their profession, they tended to have noble people as customers too. And whenever these customers' conversation strayed to this demon prince, it was said that the best option was always to shut up.

Less words, less mistakes.

It wasn't as if one could casually speak in his presence.

Xia Lian Bei stared for a few more seconds, "Have someone pay for the dead horses."

When the two coachmen heard this, their faces blanked for a moment then immediately kowtowed in gratitude the next. They didn't even mind the damp dirt meeting their foreheads.

"Thanking his Highness, Feng wang! Long live his Highness, Feng wang!"

They were just praying not to die today but who would have thought prince Feng would even pay for their lost livelihood? Good thing, his Highness had discerning eyes.

It was truly an accident! Who would want to purposefully run over someone? Much more an innocent child?

Xia Lian Bei boarded his own carriage and set off to his palace while still holding on to his daughter. But he was quite absent minded.

The moment he stormed inside princess Gao Le's chamber, the scene that greeted him was the two cuddling and having a pleasant conversation.

The image of that hateful woman embracing his child with a soft and almost loving gaze had a profound effect on his mind more than he let on.

He didn't know if he should regret going back to the capital.

"Poppa?" Large inquisitive eyes met his and Xia Lian Bei also felt warm small hands on both sides of his face.

"Yes?" Xia Lian Bei patiently answered while absentmindedly caressing the dumpling's hair the same way that hateful woman did earlier.

His adorable daughter only laughed as a response. The inside of the carriage was filled with the melody of her toddler voice.

Shai who was silently standing inside the carriage was relieved by this. Good thing the little princess was unaffected by the accident. His master's actions were getting stranger by the day.

He clearly knew that someone inside the wangfu was scheming against the little princess but didn't prevent it. Probably, his family's master was finding excuses to kick those people out.

But the little princess was exposed to danger, ah! If Gao Le princess wasn't there... Shai shivered not wanting to think anymore.

Xia Lian Bei let his attendant think whatever he wanted.

He was focused on looking at his daughter's face. This little fluffy face greatly resembled his.

Xia Tiandi got the shape of his eyes, nose, lips and face. She was a little replica of Xia Lian Bei except for the color of her hair and eyes.

When Xia Lian Bei had pale hair and red wine eyes, the little girl had ebony hair and inky black eyes.

Xia Lian Bei stared into those eyes and found them to be lovable and disdainful at the same time. But he couldn't bear to hate his daughter.

Like her name, she was his heaven and earth. Hmph, he admitted that scornful woman had good naming sense!

Conflicting emotions colored Feng wang's face. In the end, he nuzzled his cheeks against his daughter's.

Feng wang's reputation was after all that of a pretentious wimpy looking, gaudy prince who turned out to be a demon capable of mass murder while smiling like a maniac.

But Shai almost died of shock when he heard his master's next words.

"My sweet, did you have fun with mommy?"

This side had a troublesome father and daughter pair and a servant who almost fell from the carriage while back at the Gao Le palace...

It took a while for Yin Hua Lei to compose herself. Her face was pallid and she could only be described as a fish out of water.

Just how did this happen?

Xin Tao and Xin Ling silently watched their mistress. They knew how much of a shock the events of today had caused.

Three years ago, imperial daughter Gao Le reportedly had a serious illness and needed to recuperate in a province outside the capital. That's what the gentry knew but the truth was the Emperor passed a secret decree as a test for the first Yin daughter.

To investigate the unrest in the northeastern border.

Yin Hua Lei's first ranked maidservants weren't normal servants either for they also travelled with her as her subordinates. Yes, like Zhao Gang, the maids closest to Yin Hua Lei were also part of Xiu.

Two groups started their journey. One was out in the open and acted as imperial daughter Gao Le's envoy but the carriage was empty. There were only servants and no master. The other was Yin Hua Lei's Xiu unit using their qinggong.

A normal travel of two weeks from the capital (three days for them), there would be a small town. In that small town, there was an inn with natural hot springs.

Unfortunately, the seemingly normal inn was actually owned by a large dark sect from the jianghu. Even, Yin Hua Lei's intel didn't know this so they were caught unprepared.

The inn was a cover-up for the sect kidnapping young maidens to sell as prostitutes in different parts of Da Xia. And Yin Hua Lei just happened to be their target.

As people of the jianghu, the inn staff had strange techniques and she unknowingly fell for their trap.

Yin Hua Lei who was still sitting on the arhat couch almost snapped the hand rest into bits as the memories she buried with great difficulty came back like a flood.

Back then, how would anyone suspect that her food was drugged when out of her numerous companions (open or secret), only her plate was affected? The inn staff was very thorough with their actions. They didn't know the group's identity and relations to each other but they knew that the guests were all proficient in martial arts.

It was a slow-acting and special type of aphrodisiac. So effective it was, that Yin Hua Lei only felt she'd been drugged at midnight.

Her mind was muddled and she was also having hallucinations. She only felt someone's warmth and it was as though she lost control of her body.

Her people were too late. The deed had been done and the man gone. But that night, not a single person from that inn was left alive.

If it were any other pampered young lady of the capital, she would have resulted to suicide immediately. But Yin Hua Lei had a mission. Even her own body was insignificant to her greater cause.

So despite her subordinates' protests, they continued the mission and they swore secrecy until death.

The northeastern border was a month and a half of travel away from the capital even when they used their qinggong most of the time.

It was also then that Yin Hua Lei saw the symptoms of a life growing within her. She was always decisive in her actions but when it was confirmed, she felt like her world stopped and her heart faltered.

Nobody must know this secret so in the guise of investigation, she stayed in the northeastern border for almost a year carrying the baby of a stranger.

Zhao Gang took the helm while she controlled everything from the shadows. They slowed down the elimination of the cause of unrest as pitifully slow as they could until Yin Hua Lei could give birth so that no one would suspect back at the capital.

It was a good strategy because the Emperor only thought of this as Yin Hua Lei's first big mission as the lead so it was within expectations that it would take her some time.

"Mistress, should Zhao Gang investigate and get the little miss back?" Zhao Gang suddenly appeared inside Yin Hua Lei's chamber, looking menacing even though his face was half covered by the mask.

"What are you saying? We should tread carefully lest we cause trouble for our mistress." Xin Tao reprimanded.

"But sister, don't you think it's really strange? Three years, we've also been investigating but because of the secrecy of the matter we can't make big movements. But still, how... how can it be Feng wang shu? Do you think that matter was all planned long ago or can such a coincidence really take place?"

Yin Hua Lei woke up from her deep thoughts when she heard Xin Ling say this. She straightened her back and looked at her subordinates with determined eyes.

"That year, my..." She still had troubles saying it. "My daughter, this princess abandoned her-"

"Mistress! You didn't abandon the little miss! You diligently planned for her future, even leaving our two sisters and ten Xiu brothers with the little miss. You did what you had to protect her." Xin Ling didn't allow her to blame herself.

"But who knew that the little miss would suddenly disappear from the face of the earth without a trace only months after..." Xin Tao grew thoughtful again.

"Back then, we thought that the father was a man of jianghu and it was him who probably took the small miss Yin. Now, an even more troublesome guy appeared, tsk. Should our Xiu just attack his wangfu?"

Xin Tao glared at Zhao Gang.

"Are you deaf or what? Do you think that Feng wang's a herbivore? He even dared to strut here in Gao Le palace and stake his claim on the little miss, do you think we can easily get her?"

"Yes, that prince might have very little fashion sense but he is Northern Chu's honorary king after all." Xin Ling sighed.

"Enough. We won't solve this matter in a day. For now, we need to know his intentions." There was no mistaking Yin Hua Lei's grave tone. "There are also other things we need to take care of."