Unexpectedly, halfway there, Yuan Xiao suddenly shook its head and ran off like an unbridled wild horse, refusing to come back no matter how I called. I guessed it was lured by the aroma of some meat bone soup, and quickly chased after it with Que’er. After following it through several small alleys, the view suddenly opened up to the Jing De Gate with its double-eaved hipped roof.
At this moment, a neat row of guards stood in front of the corridor, with another circle of attendants inside. Many elegantly dressed nobles were standing and conversing, apparently the distinguished guests from Xi Liang and Nan Rui. Several small carriages with vermilion doors and canopies were lined up outside, seemingly waiting to transport these nobles.
Yuan Xiao, clearly lacking any sense of crisis, rushed in without hesitation, darting into the circle of guards and causing a small commotion among the nobles. Que’er said nervously, “Madam, perhaps we should hide…” As I hesitated, I saw some guards about to strike with their spears, and I rushed over to stop them without thinking. Before I could get close, I was blocked by the guards. That’s when I noticed Yuan Xiao was frolicking adorably next to a noble’s knee. The noble, wearing a garment adorned with blue sapphires, slightly bent down and pinched its ear. It had indeed come to find him. I felt an inexplicable heartache. I had raised it for years, and though not to the point of exhaustion, I had certainly cared deeply for it. Was it still not enough compared to its original owner? Que’er, unaware of my inner turmoil, tugged at my sleeve. “Madam, Yuan Xiao seems fine. We should retreat.” The guards blocking us looked wary and ordered us to back away and leave Jing De Gate. I glanced at Yuan Xiao rolling on the ground, feeling discouraged and about to leave, when I heard a soft call. “Thirteen?” I froze and turned to face the nobles. The Xi Liang Emperor, elegant and refined, raised his eyebrow, his slightly longer light brown eyes showing surprise. “This servant greets Your Majesty,” I bowed, my heart in turmoil.
He seemed about to speak but hesitated, and I kept my head lowered, creating an awkward atmosphere. The Nan Rui cavalry general I had seen before, and a woman wearing a gold-embroidered headband with a solemn demeanor, were also present, silently observing.
The macaw on the general’s shoulder suddenly turned its head and clearly spoke: “Stupid dog, stupid dog!” This immediately broke the tense atmosphere. Yuan Xiao, probably understanding the bird’s attack, quickly flipped up and barked fiercely at the parrot. The cavalry general stepped back, and the bird, startled, flew up, circling above our heads before landing precisely on my shoulder.
Startled, I tried to shoo it away. It flapped its wings, gripping my shoulder’s clothing and refusing to leave. Que’er tried to help but was sharply pecked. Finally, the Xi Liang Emperor quickly reacted, grabbing its wings and pulling it down.
“Princess, princess!” it cried piercingly, spreading its wings and flying towards the woman with the gold headband. She extended her arm, and it settled comfortably, continuing to cry, “Princess, princess! Save little Huang!”
This must be the second princess of Nan Rui.
I couldn’t help but give a meaningful look to the stoic general who hadn’t changed his expression throughout. The second princess, noticing everyone’s gaze on little Huang, looked slightly embarrassed. “This is the parrot of the Fifth Princess. We brought it this time to try and find her whereabouts.” So this talkative parrot belonged to the princess who had run away from an arranged marriage. If it could indeed help locate the Fifth Princess, it would save An Jin some trouble.
The second princess approached me and smiled, “It seems little Huang quite likes your dog.” I was stunned.
These two princesses do not seem to look alike from our brief encounter. Her cheekbones were slightly prominent, with full and naturally upturned lips. When not smiling, she seemed aloof and unapproachable, but when she smiled, she became somewhat cute and much more approachable.
I smiled at her and bowed properly. The parrot named Xiao Huang stared at me with its green bean-like eyes.
The Second Princess looked me over and asked, “May I ask which family you are related to?
“
Just as I was about to answer, the new Emperor of Xiliang brought Yuan Xiang to my side and said, “Thirteen, take Yuan Xiang back first. I’ll come find you later.”
His tone was gentle, but I felt something was off.
The Second Princess’s gaze became somewhat ambiguous. The Cavalry General remained stern, only glancing our way briefly.
I frowned and said, “Your Majesty, I thought I made it clear before that we should not meet unless absolutely necessary. As for Yuan Xiang—” I glared at it, meaning we would settle this later. “I will have someone bring it to see Your Majesty.”
“Thirteen…” His expression was slightly sad.
“A Yao!” My husband An Jin had already arrived by my side, looking anxious. “How are you here? You had me worried.”
Before I could explain, he looked at the Emperor of Xiliang and smiled, bowing, “My incompetent wife has troubled Your Majesty. I am truly ashamed.”
The Emperor lowered his eyes, very humble. “Not at all. An Daren works hard, and it is only right for this ruler to look after your wife.”
An Jin’s smile grew, but his eyes were cold.
“Your Majesty has many affairs, so my wife will not trouble you further.”
Yet—their auras were strangely tense.
An Jin put his arm around my shoulder and patted Yuan Xiang’s head. “Let’s go home.”
Yuan Xiang looked reluctantly at its original owner but truly followed us with its tail tucked.
What a realistic and bullying dog.
Chapter Thirty: Ming Xi Embroidery House
Because Yuan Xiang committed a fundamental error, under the leadership of our household head An Jin, it gnawed on corn steamed buns for three days—no bones, no meat, not even a drop of oil. After three days, Yuan Xiang’s eyes were bright green, and when I took it out for a walk, neighbors would flee in terror, thinking I was walking a wolf.
I realized that in my husband’s eyes, Yuan Xiang and I were treated the same: after making a mistake, the punishment was either house arrest or meat deprivation. Perhaps with an additional clause: being dealt with, dealt with doubly, dealt with in a way too miserable to describe.
I thought my performance facing the new Emperor of Xiliang was commendable, with absolutely no behavior or expression that could touch my husband’s jealousy. However, An Jin returned home that day, silently throwing me directly onto the bed.
As a result, he sneered and indeed did not touch me that night.
I hugged the blanket, feeling sad for a while, and fell asleep in a daze. When I woke up in the morning, I was lying in his arms, tightly wrapped around him with both hands and feet. He raised his hands, claiming this was entirely my voluntary personal action and had nothing to do with him.
I kicked him in anger.
He caught my foot, his fingers sliding upward.
It was a beautiful, gentle morning, perfect for morning exercise. His lips moved from bottom to top, then top to bottom, finally joining the beasts and thoroughly touching me. When I was dizzy and feverish, he whispered in my ear: “Don’t see him again.”
“Who?”
“Yan Huo.”
I looked at him suspiciously. “Who is Yan Huo?”
He was stunned, then laughed like a cat that had stolen cream, covering me with countless kisses and adding several more red marks on my neck.
Of course, I knew the Emperor of Xiliang, Yan Huo, was the “merchant” Zheng Huo who had once sparked a small flame with me. However, playing dumb at the right moment was indeed effective, even my clever husband would fall for it.
