10⚫The Deal for An Xiao

By morning, basking in warm sunlight everyone already assembled by the palace's gate. Twenty soldiers lined up in order with the lead of Baili Haoyue.

The twins donned simple male clothes which looked rather comfortable to move with. Qing Lian and Qing Youya were still a child who has yet to reveal their gender physical characteristic. The both of them looked cute and androgynous, if Qing Lian wore male clothes she would look handsome, if Qing Youya wore female clothes he would look beautiful.

Qing Rui were also present, however there's two variables which left the crew dumbfounded. One, it's the attendance of An Xiao. Qing Rui didn't inform anyone of it because he found it troublesome to deal with people who would oppose the idea, thus he kept it quiet regarding An Xiao who would be joining the trip in order to apply as Shen Yang's disciple. Two, it was Ren Xiu's half swollen face.

Looking at that swollen half of her graceful face, everyone was simply dumbstruck. They have never saw a princess with a face that messed up. After all who would hit a nobility in the face, a female to boot.

"What.. What happened to you?" asked Qing Rui, everytime they meet his wife always surprises him, he thought this time is a particularly exceptional surprise indeed.

Yamato scratched the back of his head, he low laughed while glancing nervously aside, "Y-You see, i fell from a tree and my face hit a rock." Yamato wanted to avoid needless conflict, he got the bruise in the market yesterday, while he was in fact forbidden to leave his courtyard without permission. He wouldn't want to be excluded from a trip with cute twins at all cost.

Qing Rui was again surprised, he didn't expect for his supposedly smart wife to make impractical lousy excuse. He was quite curious yet wasn't worried in the slightest, he knew Ren Xiu was lying however he decided not to pursue the matter further as he lacked interest.

An Xiao knew the cause. Since she caught a glimpse of Ren Xiu in front of the palace gate, she kind of followed her around. She was after all curious and uneasy with her lover's legal wife.

Actually yesterday after eating their fill in the restaurant, An Xiao saw Ren Xiu went out and saw a man who seemed to be rich scolding a depressed looking huge slave. The slave was arbitrarily accused of stealing his money. The huge slave denied weakly, contrary to his bear like build, the slave actually comport himself like a meek rabbit, however no one believed nor cared even when the slave was heavily battered in broad daylight.

Coincidentally Ren Xiu found the purse which the rich man might have accidentally dropped on his way. Intending to clear the ugly misunderstanding, she approached them, however the moment she raised her voice to give a notice, a child ran pass her and accidentally made Ren Xiu trip. As though fate was messing with her, she fell right in front of the slave and got kicked as well, in the face. It was quite a powerful kick as one of her tooth fell off afterwards.

The rich man was flustered, he felt guilt for accidentally hitting a passerby. However, the moment he kneeled to ask for her condition, Ren Xiu glared and threw the purse she picked up earlier to his face. She threw it quite hard. And calculating all the gold stored inside, it was practically no different than throwing a fist sized rock.

The man fell on his butt and complained in pain, "W-what do you think you're doing!?" however he found that the thing that just hit his face turns out to be his own lost purse, "Eh?? How.."

Ren Xiu spat the blood from her torn gum, then she smiled smugly, "Now we are even!"

"Why are my purse on... You.." as he continued to protest and glared towards Ren Xiu, he just realized that the woman was very beautiful he became captivated.

"What? You want to accuse me as well? I found that damned dirty purse in front of that restaurant!" Ren Xiu puffed her cheeks, "Anyway you apologize to me and to him."

The man refused to yield and instead got angered again, his short-temper blinded him, "why should i? You hit me as well and he's just a slave!"

A blue vein popped up on Ren Xiu's forehead yet her face was still smiling, "I hit you but i returned your lost purse, meanwhile you hit me for no good reason, and this man-"

The man cutted, "You might be the real culprit who stole my money! And it's my purse to begin with thus it's a given that it would come back to me!"

Ren Xiu widened her eyes in surprise, however she burst out in crisp laughter a second later. The rich man was dumbstruck, thus he didn't have time to react when Ren Xiu suddenly robbed his purse off of him.

"Wha-" the man really wasn't given any time to react when Ren Xiu opened his purse and scattered the gold all over the street. This time not only the man who were stupefied, but also everyone present. People on the street have faster reaction upon the opportunity which presented itself so suddenly, be it beggars, thieves, drunkards, everyone picked the gold up with nimble movement and disappeared just as fast. The rich man simply gaped.

Still laughing with arms propping her waist, Ren Xiu smiled facing the street, "See? I didn't steal it, and your money didn't come back like what you said. When i found your money, you should be grateful that i returned it, have it ever crossed your mind that i could just take the money with me? Have it ever crossed your mind that i could do something like this? Hahahahaha!"

Without any exact reason, some people from the street laughed along with her, directing it to the rich man as a ridicule.

The man felt humiliated and angered, his face was beet red as blood boiled up to his head. However even before he got to shout in rage, Ren Xiu gathered his shoulder.

"Hahahaha! Now, now, let's drink! My treat! You slave! Come! You, the man over there, you come as well!" Ren Xiu pulled the hand of the man and the slave, the both of them was stupefied they basically wasn't spared the time to muster any proper reaction. The man across the street she called had followed as well, he laughed along with Ren Xiu most naturally and the five of them entered a tavern.

An Xiao didn't know what happened after, but Ren Xiu's image on her head had changed considerably. She had thought that Ren Xiu was a spiteful scary nobility, however she turns out to be a.. very unpredictable person. But even that unpredictable side was included as her charm. Because the moment she caught the five of them finishes drinking and out of the tavern, they all looked like friends, the rich man no longer harbor rage, the pitiful slave was all smile, and the other man joked around with all of them. An Xiao have no slightest idea about what kind of magic Ren Xiu sparks, but it made her uneasy. If she's that charming, maybe one day she'll steal her lover's love. An Xiao couldn't help but to feel inferior and pathetic.

Qing Lian approached Ren Xiu, however just when she got close enough and about to ask of her condition, the girl became overpowered by shyness and ran back toward her twin.

Yamato slightly giggled, "I'm fine, thank you for your concern Princess" and he revealed a very warm smile, though it wasn't as captivating with her swollen face.

Qing Lian widened her eyes in surprise, she whispered to her twin, "Brother, does she have supernatural telepathic power? How does she know what i'm thinking?"

"Hahahaha yes i have telepathic power!" and the crown princess laughed from afar as though she could hear what Qing Lian was whipering about. To read what's going on in the mind of a shy little girl were a piece of cake for Yamato, and he loves them.

However Qing Youya frowned in displease, not at Ren Xiu, but towards An Xiao instead. He ignored his twin and walked up to Qing Rui, "Royal brother, i don't want to bring her with us" he glanced with irritation towards An Xiao's direction.

Now it's Qing Rui's turn to frown, "State your reason."

"No brother, you state your reason." Qing Youya announced with a solemn expression and voice unbefitting his cute appearance.

In fact, the moment Qing Youya voiced his opinion regarding An Xiao, everyone who got complains in their head began to nod in unison. After all An Xiao wasn't even Qing Rui's concubine, yet the soldiers here were elites guards right under the great general whom were the emperor's right hand. They were ordered to protect the twin prince and princess in this journey and not some unrelated peasant.

Yamato was amazed at Qing Youya. He had thought that Youya were just an ordinary indoor calm type little kid, however he turns out to be a clear headed and reasonable smart kid who know how to work his mouth.

Qing Rui was actually quite mad and troubled, but he couldn't bear to yell towards his little brother. Meanwhile An Xiao stepped up in front of Qing Rui, mustering her every courage. The girl then kowtowed to Qing Youya, with a slightly trembling yet confident voice she said, "This humble servant beg his highness for his permission to join the journey to the goddess mountain. This humble servant promises that she wouldn't make trouble and that she would take care of herself. Please."

Qing Youya replied with a calm and cold voice, his eyes clearly belittling the girl, "Why do you think begging is enough? Aren't you getting too spoiled? Who do you think you are talking to? And who do you think yourself is?"

Still deeply kowtowing, An Xiao's small face turned beet red from shame. She recalled life really wasn't that easy before she met Qing Rui. Yet right now she was getting too carried away because all this time Qing Rui had spoiled her rotten. She finally remembered that Qing Youya was a prince to this country, a really big person, meanwhile she herself was only a measly peasant. She couldn't possibly beg like this towards the country's prince, it would be lucky enough to return with her neck intact. She finally realized she was really getting too full of herself. She subconsciously thought being the crown prince lover had earned her a status, but reality slapped her hard.

On the other side, Qing Rui was staring intently with a frown towards Ren Xiu, those eyes were desperately asking for assistance and help. As a brother and lover at the same time, he couldn't possibly side with one of them. He originally thought no one would dare to oppose. Given how shy Qing Lian was and how indifferent Qing Youya was, he had thought that they would just ignore An Xiao. He never expected his indifferent little brother to care and oppose this much. Thus his last resort was to ask help from Ren Xiu.

Noticing the clear desperate signal, Ren Xiu heaved a sigh and lifted the corner of her lips. What a helpless guy, she thought. Ren Xiu came forward pridefully, everyone was bewitched, they all expected this goddess to aid Qing Youya on swiping An Xiao aside. However contrary of any normal thing that could possibly happen, Ren Xiu kneeled and stuffed a candy into Qing Youya's small mouth.

The little prince was terribly surprised, hence he didn't let the thing enter his mouth.

"Open up, it's candy," Ren Xiu presented a lax warm smile capable of putting off any alert sign.

Conceded to the friendly smile, Qing Youya ate the candy. However he was a little creeped out as he lacked understanding of Ren Xiu's meaning and intentions, he was indeed slightly calmed down though, "What's the meaning of this?" he questioned with a less cold voice.

Ren Xiu smiled wide, she kneeled beside An xiao then patted the girl's kowtowing arched back, "Rise up, average girl."

An Xiao rose and kneeled instead, confused and scared at the same time.

"I shall bring this average girl as my temporary maid. I guarantee she wouldn't make problem, if she did, i will take full responsibility."

Everyone was shocked and some even gaped. It was all beyond their wildest expectation. They would be shocked less if she ordered the girl to be beheaded, however she actually choose to support and help her biggest rival to this extent. Everyone thought Ren Xiu hated An Xiao, but reality seemed to betray them.

Qing Rui let out a breath of relief. He never have thought that Ren Xiu would offer such delicious deal which would again spoil his lover. He had thought that maybe this was one of her way to get along with him, and Qing Rui counted this as he owe her one.

Looking at the relieved face Qing Rui made, Ren Xiu slightly giggled and continued her sentence, "I will take full responsibility, i would divorce His highness Qing Rui and marry you, Qing Youya, and give you full support to get the throne."

Everyone was again dumbstruck they no longer know how to react, especially Qing Rui and Qing Youya.

Qing Youya was shocked beyond belief, however he then laughed like an amused child, "Very well! Let her in!"