Forty-One

Chapter Forty-One

After hearing those words, I quickly wake up more, what’s this, may I ask which emperor wanted to capture Imperial Sister, yet the person they sent have such bad eyesight, capturing me – this innocent passer-by – instead?”

Over here, I close my eyes, acting like I haven’t woken up yet, over there, that man once again speaks, “Why aren’t you answering? Lost your tongue?”

At this time, a slightly guilty voice answers: “Your majesty, this subordinate, this subordinate was following Fourth Princess’ palace maid in returning, personally hearing her call this lady Princess, and at the time, this lady was trying on an outfit, this subordinate thought……”

“Thought she is Fourth Princess?” The man sounds a deep laugh, but it gives people the feeling of unease, “Kun Lun ah, Kun Lun, zhen really don’t know whether to say you’re honest or frank. Could it be that you’re unaware Yun Mi has more than one princess? Everyone knows that Yun Mi’s Fourth Princess is a national beauty and heavenly fragrance, the number one beauty of Yun Mi, you take another look at this one you captured, five features yet to rid of its childishness, does that look like the beauty-that-overpowers-other-flowers sort of a person?”

“But, your majesty, this lady is not bad in appearance either ah!” That person cannot hold back in saying: “This subordinate saw that she looks so delicately radiant and pretty, hence……”

“Forget it, forget it, it was zhen who had a moment of silliness, clearly aware you have not come in contact with a girl since young, yet I still send you to carry out such task. Now this is great, nevermind ruining zhen’s plan, you even brought back such trouble.” The man sounds helpless, “Looks like zhen should give you a lady.”

“Lady?” That person fearfully says: “Your majesty, this subordinate knows wrong, how about this subordinate go back for another capture?”

“Your thinking sure isn’t bad, go back for another capture? Don’t see you think about whether they’d still give you the chance to go for another capture.” The man coldly says: “Sometimes zhen really suspect whether your head had been knocked silly.”

That person falls silent for a while, then says, “This subordinate remembers your majesty had once accidentally pushed this subordinate onto the ground, when younger……”

“Your memory sure is good, to have not forgotten this matter.” The man’s tone suddenly turns serious, “No need to say more, tomorrow, pick a lady of your liking, go through with the wedding.”

“Your majesty……”

The man laughingly says: “This is zhen’s compensation for knocking your brain silly.”

“……”

Hearing up to here, I secretly start to laugh, this emperor and Kun Lun sure are funny, looks like their friendship isn’t bad.

This emperor wants to capture Imperial Sister and conveniently eat her up, then become Yun Mi’s son-in-law, just that he ran into an accident along the way, Imperial Sister who is rich in ‘dowry’ has been replaced with the worthless me……

En, this is approximately how the situation is. Then, what are they planning to do with me?

“Your majesty, then what to do with this lady?” Kun Lun asks: “Oh right, who exactly is this lady?”

“Yun Mi’s Fifth Princess, An Ke Lan.” The man softly laughs, voice low and mellow, “What to do? Keep an eye on her for zhen, don’t let her escape.”

“Your majesty, if this subordinate hasn’t remembered wrongly then this Yun Mi’s Fifth Princess is a……fool?”

“Keep a close eye on her for zhen, even if she’s a fool, should anything go wrong, it’ll be on your account.”

“This subordinate shall abide by the edict!”

Just like that, the two people collectively neglects me – this unexpected person. I wait until the two of them leave, before opening my eyes and observing my surrounding, only seeing that the room I’m in is big, but the decoration is very simple. I rub my head and get up, sighing with great dejection.

Without needing to guess, I know who this emperor is, if it isn’t that He Lian Chen of Yun Zhan? Was even pranked by me the last time he came to Yun Mi, disguised as an envoy. Now this is great, I just lightly played a little prank like that, and now I have become the opposition’s prisoner, this really is karma ah, karma.

I stick up three fingers, blabbering to myself, I will never prank people again, it is very easy to be met with retribution.

I then recall the matter of him saying I’m a fool just now, may I ask, it’s so late already, has the news still not spread ah, or perhaps it is just a matter of time?

I cover my eyes and lie back on the bed, how am I so unlucky, tragic, this is definitely tragic.

Fine, let us just go with the flow.

After lying there for a long time, someone enters, I sneakily open my eyes and glance over, it’s a lady that appears to be a palace maid. I powerlessly sigh inside, heavens ah, my profession as a hostage is about to start.

Three days later, I sit on the grass in the courtyard, dazing out: to speak the truth, these past days really doesn’t feel like being held captive.

After waking up that day, I hazily look at palace maid Xiao Cui, asking in puzzlement: “Where is this place?”

Xiao Cui warmly answers: “This is Yun Zhan.”

“Oh.” I nod, after a moment of silence, I ask again: “Why am I in Yun Zhan?”

Xiao Cui is still smiling gently, “Because Master has invited Princess over as guest.”

“En.”

And then, I and Xiao Cui peacefully coexist in this courtyard that has a small patch of grass.

These past days, I have not seen anyone other than Xiao Cui, that He Lian Chen seems to have forgotten about me, I too, seem to have forgotten about myself, too lazy to think about escaping and matters of that sort.

I don’t like using my brain, especially for matters that seems to have a very small probability.

And so I rest my chin in hands as I continue to daze off ––– I must say, dazing off when bored is an extremely boring thing.

But this time, I hear some rustling noises, I stick out my ear to carefully listen, finally fixing my focus on the southeast corner that is covered in luxuriant vegetables. I lightly pace towards the source of sound, just as I was about to move aside the small vegetable leaf to confirm what is there, I happen to meet a pair of big and glimmering, black-like-grape eyes.

……eh?

What appeared before me is a pure and tender face of a child, although his face is smeared with dirt and mud, it cannot hide the air of nobility from him. He is currently half lying on the ground, struggling to crawl out, and the other half of his body is still inside the little hole in the corner wall.

From afar, could that be the dog hole told in stories……?

Whilst I was thinking all over the place to myself, that child has already fully climbed up, wiping his face with his hand and shyly smiling at me, “Greetings [Older] Sister.”

I stand motionless, as though struck by lightning.

This expression!

This voice!

This tone!

This smile!

Why is it so familiar……?

I say nothing, looking straight at the dull eyed boy. Seeing how blurred those pretty and big eyes are, how ignorant, how soulless. He practically made me suspect the smart shine from before was fake. This child’s skills aren’t shallow, skills aren’t shallow ah. I suddenly feel playful, simply not doing anything, ignoring his words, maintaining my original posture as I stare at him eye to eye.

That child is around ten years old, after seeing my response, he also maintains the posture he held after greeting, unmoving, and so the both of us silently, blankly stare at one another.

One minute……three minutes……five minutes……

The boy slightly tilts his head, looking at me in puzzlement, “Sister?”

Deep inside, I simply am thoroughly stunned, this one is far too talented this one, and so, I also tilt my head as I look at him, reaching up to point at myself.

The boy nods, “Sister?”

I once again point at myself.

“Why is Sister not speaking?” The boy blinks his dull eyes.

I point to my throat: don’t get the wrong idea, what I mean is my throat is dry, don’t want to talk.

“Oh.”

Silence, he and I continue to look at one another.

After a long while, he finally cannot hold back from asking: “Is Sister new here?”

I nod, I am indeed new here, only been here for three days.

The silence continues.

After another while, he once again asks: “What is Sister’s name?”

I pick up a little stone and write on the ground: Ah-Lan.

“Oh.”

Still silence.

In the end, he finally reveals a mischievous smile, “Sister Ah-Lan, are you still wanting to compete foolishness with me?”

I hook up the corners of my lips, smiling at him, “Ninth Prince?”

“You’re not a mute ah?” He widens his eyes, then says: “How do you know who I am?”

“This servant has long heard Ninth Prince is a pretty fool ah.” Yun Zhan has Ninth Prince, the youngest son – He Xing Yan – said to have become a fool after a fever damaged his brain at a young age, but this fool is very clearly the same as me, it’s all an act.

He Xing Yan smiles, revealing two cute canines, “Sister and I are the same type of person, hence why you were able to see through me.”

Which also means, he can of course see through me too.

Fine then, I admit I have no resistibility against this pretty little child. I point at the hole behind him, asking: “Eh, this is……?”

“Dog hole.” He bluntly answers.

I make a 囧 face, “Ninth Prince has come for a reason or……?”

He reaches out to pull at my hair, “I’ve come to see you.”

I raise my brows, see me?

“I’ve heard people in the palace say Imperial Brother has brought a stunning beauty of a generation back to the palace, extremely dotes on and pampers her, cannot bear letting anyone else see, said to be appointed as a consort in a few days.” He seems to be speaking the truth. “I have never seen Imperial Brother hold any woman with such importance, hence coming over to take a look.”

After hearing all this, I really don’t know whether to laugh or cry, look at this, gossip is the source of troubles, the rumours has already gotten to that point. “Then what do you think now……?”

He resolutely spits out four words, “A bunch of nonsense.”

I get mixed feelings, seeing this child answer so bluntly, one can see that I am clearly not related to the one in the rumours. I’ll just explain it plainly, “Ninth Prince, to tell you the truth, I was captured here by your imperial brother.”

“Captured?”

I solemnly nod, “That’s right, and even captured the wrong person.”

He Xing Yan’s eyes flashes with surprise, “Then you are……?”

“Yun Mi Kingdom’s Fifth Princess, An Ke Lan.” I add another phrase, “I’m also a fool.”

“I can see that.” He bursts out laughing, then suddenly smiles at me wickedly, “Why are you telling me this, aren’t you afraid I’ll tell my imperial brother?”

I pluck at a vegetable leaf, mindlessly saying: “If you want to say it then say it.”

“You’re not afraid?”

“Afraid.” I am so serious, “But I’m so bored.”

The corners of He Xing Yan’s lips twitches, “I feel that the one Imperial Brother captured isn’t half bad either, at least you’re really fun. Rest assured, I won’t be telling anyone.”

I think to myself ah, what can you tell others, tell them I’m not silly? Tell them I’m no fool?

I am basically Liu Hu Lan, I have no fear ah, I. ╮(╯_╰)╭ (Liu Hu Lan – a female spy – a symbol of courage in communist china)

After going through this little episode, I finally have a companion to play with, He Xing Yan – this brat – is incredibly sneaky, accurately picking times when Xiao Cui isn’t here to come in every time, and mess around with me. Digging up earthworms today, burying earthworm tomorrow, children that grow up in the imperial palace are indeed all very bored.

Look at this, today, this brat drags me along to climb trees and find eggs.

I look at my own hands, it’s not that I can’t climb trees, but such matter of finding eggs, no matter how one looks at it, it’s not something someone of my age should be doing ah?

“Ah-Lan, don’t be so slow, let me tell you, there are a few nests of eggs here, it’s so tasty when fried with fire.” He Xing Yan scurries up like a monkey, and even yelling back at me.

I start producing a lot of saliva, eggs ah, ever since coming here, I really haven’t eaten a good meal of it, I cannot deny, this is a huge temptation.

He Xing Yan’s voice once again sounds, “Quickly come, once Xiao Cui is here later, you wouldn’t be able to snatch some even if you want to.”

Hearing this, I roll up my sleeves and steadily climb up, fine, for the sake of eating today, I shall also go wild for once.

When He Xing Yan and I were above the tree, we fix our gazes on those few nests of eggs, I reach out to hold the bird nest, very happily, “I haven’t eaten anything nice for so long already.”

He Xing Yan rolls his eyes at me, “You’re a hostage captured here by Imperial Brother, having food to eat is already considered good.”

Just as I was wanting to speak, I instead find my hand feeling strangely itchy, looking down, I reflexively toss away the bird nest, patting the back of my hand, then jumps to the side……

Heck……a bug! A big and soft bug! A wet and warm bug!

I hate bugs!

In the next second, I don’t hate bugs anymore, I close my eyes thinking, An Ke Lan, I hate you, who told you to jump aside whilst above the trees? Who is to blame if you fall to death?

Up in the trees, He Xing Yan loudly calls out my name, whilst I’m vertically falling down, I wait for the dull pain to come with incomparable sorrows, but before I fall to the ground, I was grabbed by the waist, the one leaning down to me, lightly bites my ear, a low and mellow voice carries satire as it says: “Having not seen you for a few days, Fifth Princess sure is living well, also getting along very well with Imperial Brother, just don’t know whether Princess still remembers who zhen is?”

I grab the clothing at his chest, raising my head to meet the man’s deep and handsome eyes, of course I remember who he is, isn’t it precisely He Lian Chen – Great Master He?