26.Fighting Back

After An Gui and the third prince arrived at the princess's place, they opened the deer-patterned double-eared pottery jar they brought.

"Mother, I heard that you were not feeling well. This is the red orchid porridge that I asked the kitchen to make early in the morning. The witch doctor said that this red orchid is good for your health." He said as he put some in a bowl, tasted a few mouthfuls carefully, and then asked the palace maid to put another bowl in front of the princess.

"Mother, I have tasted it, so you can eat it with confidence." Even though he was deeply loved by the princess, he did not forget the rules of dining here, and did not neglect the details at all.

The princess smiled, "An Gui, it's hard for you to be so thoughtful. In fact, I am not feeling unwell, but--" She pointed to her right cheek with some distress, and saw a few faint black spots there. Although it was not too obvious, it was very annoying for the princess who pursued perfection in everything.

An Gui laughed, "Your son naturally knows what you are worried about. The biggest effect of this red orchid is to eliminate spots, especially this ruby ​​red red orchid, which has the best effect. After you drink it for about half a month, the black spots will naturally disappear."

The third prince also interrupted, "Mother, this color of red orchid is rare and precious. My second brother found it for you with great difficulty."

The princess was very moved and said with joy, "After all, An Gui, you understand my feelings best. This kind of delicate thought is really rare. I will tell your father about your filial piety. An Gui, you have worked hard this time."

An Gui smiled slightly, "As long as mother is satisfied, it is worth it for your son to work hard."

The princess has been worried about the spots on her face these days. Now that this problem is expected to be solved, she is naturally very happy. She specially allowed the two princes to stay and share breakfast together.

The princess' breakfast here is nothing more than some common food in the palace. Today, she also added a dish of An Gui's favorite sweet cheese. The second prince loves sweets, so the princess has a special sugar jar here, which can be added according to the second prince's taste at any time. At that time, honey and maltose were mostly used for seasoning in the folk, but the palace preferred to use refined white sugar. This method of making sugar cane was spread from India to the Western Regions at that time, and only the princes and nobles could afford it.

Na Luo added almost half a can of sugar as usual before serving the sweet cheese. She noticed that An Gui was looking at her with an ambiguous look, as if he saw a more distant void through her, and his ice-green eyes revealed a deep and cold look. But in just a moment, he had retracted his gaze, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "It's sweet cheese, or mother and concubine are sympathetic to the son."

As he said this, he took a spoon and scooped a mouthful into his mouth. Just when the tip of his tongue tasted the taste of sweet cheese, his movements paused slightly, and then he put down the spoon.

"What's wrong? An Gui? Doesn't it suit your taste?" The princess noticed his unusual behavior.

"Oh, I suddenly feel a little thirsty, I want to drink some water." He answered calmly.

Na Luo quickly poured a bowl of water and handed it over. An Gui took the bowl and drank several mouthfuls, and said with a smile, "I ate a lot of snacks before going out this morning, and now I seem to be a little unable to eat."

The princess showed concern, "Then don't force it, just leave it there."

"It's really a pity. Mother, do you mind if I give it to someone else?" After seeing the princess nod, An Gui glanced at Na Luo with a smile, and his voice seemed to carry an irresistible charm, "Come, Na Luo, this bowl of sweet cheese is for you."

Na Luo's heart skipped a beat, and she felt something was not right. But since the other party said so, she could only pretend to be grateful and took the bowl. As soon as she took the first bite, she was choked and coughed violently several times, almost choking!

This is no longer sweet cheese, but salty cheese that can choke people to death! What's going on? She clearly put sugar in it before, how come it turned into salt in a blink of an eye? No wonder An Gui was so kind to give it to her!

"Why? Is it too delicious?" He raised his eyebrows and chuckled leisurely.

"Reply... Second Prince, it is indeed... delicious." Na Luo could only swallow the bitter pill and admit it. Otherwise, if the princess knew that she had mistaken salt for sugar, she would be punished, and it would give those palace servants an opportunity to take advantage of it.

"If it's delicious, eat it quickly, but don't waste it." A mischievous smile floated across his eyes, as if he was waiting to see a good show.

"Thank you, Second Prince." Na Luo forced a smile, and scooped the second spoonful into her mouth with great entanglement. She was immediately shocked by the saltiness, and tears came out of the corners of her eyes... Compared with slapping and scolding, it turns out that eating salty cheese that chokes people to death can be regarded as a terrible torture!

"Mother, you see, this maid is so moved that she cries when she rarely eats such delicious food." The second prince's explanation of the facts made Na Luo even more depressed. But in front of everyone, she had to bite the bullet and continue to eat.

After eating half a bowl, her mind finally started to work after a blank. This thing is too wrong. Because she didn't sleep all night last night, and she was drenched all over her head and face early in the morning, her spirit has indeed been sluggish. But she would never mistake salt for sugar, and that sugar jar is obviously often used... No! She suddenly noticed that the court lady exchanged glances with the people around her, and suddenly realized... Needless to say, they must have switched the food! Alas, why did she neglect it for a moment? She should have tasted it herself before adding sugar! It's too late to say anything now...

After finally finishing the bowl of salty cheese, her throat was choked and she couldn't speak. Her throat was burning and she needed a lot of cold water. But the annoying second prince drank the remaining water in front of her.

"An Gui, your father's birthday will be coming soon after this summer." The princess seemed to suddenly remember this matter, "Your Majesty attaches great importance to this birthday. The palace will hold it very grandly, and envoys from various countries will be invited to participate. Your Majesty has never paid much attention to his birthday before. I wonder why he is making such a big fuss this time?"

An Gui smiled, "My Loulan Kingdom is located at the transportation hub of the Western Regions, and its geographical location is very important. Although the country is small, it is still prosperous even if it survives between the two powerful countries of Xiongnu and Han. Your father also wants to take this opportunity to show our country's strength to other Western countries, so that those countries will have awe of our country and dare not act rashly."

"I, a woman, don't understand these things, but you have to spend some thought on the gift for your father this time." The princess fiddled with the toys in front of the table with an indifferent expression, "This is a good opportunity for you to show off in front of His Majesty."

"Thank you, mother, for your reminder. I will pay attention to it." An Gui showed gratitude.

A few days ago, your Majesty came to me and praised you highly in his conversation. The princess paused, "An Gui, don't let me down." An Gui bowed his head, with a dark light in his narrow and long eyes, "Please rest assured, your son understands your painstaking efforts." The princess seemed very satisfied with his answer, and she was in a good mood to play with the white cat at her feet. This cat from Persia has shiny snow-white fur all over its body, and is the princess's new favorite recently. "By the way, mother, I want to go to the Hot Spring Palace later. The maids here are smart and sensible. I want to borrow them. Is it okay?" Seeing that she was in a good mood, An Gui made a small request. The princess naturally agreed, "Of course, no problem, just pick a few at random. " Na Luo was feeling uncomfortable with the salty taste at this moment, and just wanted to go back and drink some water. But after the princess finished speaking, she saw An Gui's green eyes turn and fall on her. Na Luo's body stiffened, and she secretly thought it was not good. Sure enough, the next second she heard that beautiful and pleasant voice coming into her ears, "One is enough. Let Na Luo accompany you." "

The Hot Spring Palace is located to the east of Loulan. It was built as a royal palace for the royal family because of its unique hot springs. It is used by the royal family in the palace for all seasons. Na Luo had been here several times with Princess Dana before, so he was familiar with it. Although it is common to take a hot spring bath in winter, there is a rare cold mist hot spring in the Hot Spring Palace. The water temperature is close to human body temperature, and the hot spring emits cool cold mist, which is especially suitable for summer.

As soon as Na Luo entered the palace, he could feel a heat wave, and it was not until he walked to the cold mist hot spring that he felt a little cool. This bath is almost entirely made of white jade, which is gorgeous and majestic, and exudes a royal style everywhere. It is said that these stones were transported from the distant Great Qin Kingdom thousands of miles away, and the manpower and material resources spent are incalculable. The milky white spring water is steaming, and the white mist is lingering like a fairyland of floating clouds.

An Gui bent down to test the water temperature first. His dark golden hair casually draped over his shoulders. His eyes seemed to be warmer. His perfectly shaped neck extended to his slightly open collar, revealing his delicate collarbone...

Na Luo dared not look up at him, and kept staring at the ground with her head down.

"Why do you look like you have done something wrong?" He glanced at her, "Could it be that just now..."

"Second Prince, that bowl of sweet cheese... I didn't mean it." She was anxious to explain, but when she looked up, she saw his bare chest. She quickly lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Of course I know you don't have the guts." He raised his eyebrows and showed a look of understanding, "If you did it on purpose, do you think you can still stand here safely now?"

"Then why did the second prince... punish me?" She asked puzzledly.

The expression on the other person's face was a little strange, "You mean... serving this prince is a punishment for you? "

Na Luo knew that he had spoken out of turn, and he quickly smiled innocently, "What I mean is... I am clumsy, and I am afraid I can't serve the second prince. If I don't serve well, won't I be punished?"

An Gui had seen this girl's ability to lie with open eyes, so he didn't expose her sophistry.

"It is precisely because you are clumsy that I give you this opportunity to practice more." He also gave a perfect reason, and untied his bathrobe while speaking... When Na Luo looked up again, he saw that the other party was already naked, and he was shocked. He quickly turned his head and blurted out in a panic, "You, what are you doing!"

He looked at her with amusement, "What to do? Of course, take off your clothes and take a hot spring bath. Have you ever seen a hot spring bath with clothes on? Okay, go and get the glass bottle with wine. "

When Na Luo brought the wine, An Gui was already in the milky hot spring water. His long dark golden hair was wet, and strands of it floated on the water like a golden dream. He reached out to take the green glass cup filled with wine and shook it gently. The blood-red color revealed an indescribable weirdness in the dim light.

Na Luo's eyes accidentally swept across his back, and she couldn't help but gasp. There was actually a very long scar there, like a centipede with fangs and claws almost occupying his back. She couldn't help but be shocked. Seeing that the scar was also a very serious injury at the beginning. But he was a prince, who in the world dared to hurt him?

"This is what I left when I was five years old." Even if he didn't look back, he knew what she was looking at.

Na Luo hurriedly looked away, "I didn't mean to look." She couldn't help but see him like this.

"One thing you must remember in the palace is that you must not be curious. The more curious you are, the faster you will die. Do you understand?" He seemed to be teasing casually, but there was a fierceness hidden in his words.

"I understand." She responded weakly, "What does the second prince want me to do? Please tell me."

"Just sit next to you, I will tell you if there is anything." To her surprise, An Gui did not give her a difficult question.

His face was not clear in the mist. From a distance, it looked like a mandala blooming by the Sansheng River, with a dazzling and enchanting color in the mist.

"How have you been studying recently? I heard that the eldest brother taught you a lot of words?" He spoke calmly as if he was chatting.

When talking about the eldest prince, Na Luo was obviously much more active, and the expression on his face became lively, "Yes, the eldest prince also taught me a lot of stories."

"Oh, what story? Tell me one." He seemed a little interested, so Na Luo told the story of the Lion Country again, and this time she spoke much more fluently. An Gui leaned against the wall of the pool and listened quietly, with a light arc at the corner of his mouth, and his expression was unprecedentedly relaxed. The peaceful atmosphere in the hot spring pool also made Na Luo unconsciously let down his guard and said a few more words about the eldest prince.

An Gui took a sip of wine and said casually, "It seems that the eldest brother has spent a lot of time on you. When he becomes the heir of Loulan in the future, he can naturally take you back. By then, he can teach you more stories, right?"

Na Luo was happy to hear this, and was about to agree with him, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt something was wrong. If she accidentally agreed to his words, wouldn't that mean that the eldest prince was determined to win the throne? And on the other hand, it would also mean that she had already tacitly accepted that the eldest prince would be the heir? The second prince called her here alone today, was there actually another purpose? Could it be to get some information from her? If her response was a little inappropriate, it would probably be very troublesome, right? After all, she and the eldest prince had always had a close relationship.

It was hard to believe that her mind had turned several corners in such a short time.

"Who will be the heir is not something I can discuss." Na Luo showed a look of fear and blocked the topic. Before the other party continued to ask questions, she suddenly covered her throat and said in a hoarse voice, "My throat was just injured by salt, and I really can't say more at this time. Second Prince, can you allow me to go out for a drink of water?"

An Gui opened his eyes slightly and raised his hand, "Go. Take this cup by the way."

Na Luo responded and leaned over to take the glass cup. Just as her fingers touched the cup, she was shocked to see the other party's hand pinching her wrist, and then a strong force pulled her down--

Plop! She fell into the pool like a heavy stone! She was not used to swimming and immediately gulped down several mouthfuls of hot spring water. Water rushed in from all directions and pressed her body, making her dizzy. She couldn't open her eyes or breathe. It seemed that there was a huge whirlpool around her, spinning and dragging her into the deepest part... She was not pulled out of the water until she was about to lose consciousness... The water drops on her face blurred her vision, but she could still vaguely make out the pair of ice-green eyes full of mockery.

The other party suddenly stretched out his other hand, gently stroking her wet hair, and his fingertips brushed her cheek intentionally or unintentionally. If you ignore the malicious sneer in his eyes, the gentle tone is just like asking his beloved, "Now - are you not thirsty?"

Na Luo seemed to be a little confused after being drunk, and did not respond. Suddenly, she felt a pain in her scalp. It turned out that the other party grabbed her long hair and pulled it back to force her to raise her face. It was blurry before because of the mist, but only at this close distance did she see clearly that the corners of his eyes had been slightly reddened by the hot spring, and his thin lips were also bright and juicy. The strangeness flashing in his ice-green eyes was even more creepy.

"What I hate most in my life is those smart people." His elegant smile was cold from the depths of darkness. Perhaps it was because her unresponsive look was really boring, An Gui let her go and said lightly, "Go back, you don't need to serve here."

While he let go of her hand, Na Luo quickly climbed up the pool wall and said woodenly, "Then I'll take my leave first."

An Gui waved his hand impatiently, turned his head back and ignored her.

The moment she walked out of the room, Na Luo breathed a sigh of relief, and her eyes returned to their original spirit. After spending so much time with the second prince, she had some understanding of this guy's character. If she had reacted more intensely and angrily, he would have been more excited and intensified. But if she hadn't reacted at all, he would have felt quite bored and just let it go.

Her already fragile throat was filled with several gulps of hot spring water, and now it was burning and uncomfortable. How could Na Luo not be angry in this situation? She was already furious. All along, in order to survive, she had always been patient with him, and she had endured all the bullying, but patience was limited, and all the resentment and depression would explode after a certain period of time! She lowered her head and glanced at the clothes of the second prince that she had just taken out, and a barely noticeable smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

The two strong and sturdy guards standing outside the door looked like two stone statues. Usually, An Gui would bring a few confidants here, but this time he came on a whim, so he didn't bring any other attendants except her. The soundproofing effect of the hot spring room is quite good. Even if someone shouts inside, the outside can't hear it, so every once in a while, the guards will go in to patrol to ensure the safety of the princes and nobles.

Na Luo looked at the clothes in her hand, her eyes turned, and a bad idea came up.

"By the way, two guard brothers, His Royal Highness the Second Prince is in a good mood today, and he should stay in there for a long time. His Royal Highness has just ordered that no one is allowed to go in and disturb him for the time being, so the two brothers should wait for two or three hours before going in, otherwise-" She showed a frightened expression, "You know the temper of the Second Prince, and I am doing this for the good of the two brothers."

The two guards had met Na Luo several times before, so they naturally did not doubt her words and nodded to show that they understood.

Na Luo then went to the resting place next to the servants to change her clothes, and packed all the clothes of the second prince to carry with her. Look, she was very "kind" to take his clothes back to wash.

After Na Luo returned to the palace, it was already late. But it was impossible to rest on time, and there was still a lot of work waiting for her. These jobs were carefully selected by the female officials of the month. They were not too laborious but very time-consuming. For example, today I went to the kitchen to help them sort sesame seeds.

Na Luo was not surprised. Mixing black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds or other beans together and asking her to pick them out was an old trick to bully her. It only took a little time to waste her eyes and spend a whole night. It was no big deal.

On the way to the kitchen, she heard the whispers of the palace maids.

"It's really strange. Why did His Highness come back wearing the clothes of a guard? I have never seen His Highness look so embarrassed."

"Hey, did you see it too? The second prince's face was really ugly just now, as if someone had offended him."

"Then I think the person who offended him is in trouble."

"By the way, I see that His Highness's skin is particularly white today, as if he has been soaking in the water for a long time. This hot spring is really good... I also want to become whiter."

"Don't dream about it..."

Listening to this, Na Luo felt like laughing a little. For some reason, she was not afraid, nor was she worried about how the other party would punish her. Perhaps at the moment of counterattack, she had already expected the consequences.

Near midnight, she finally managed to sort out the white sesame and black sesame in the first jar. But there were still three jars in the cupboard. It seemed that it would be dawn when all the sesame was sorted out. Na Luo turned her sore neck, raised her hand and looked up, just in time to see a figure appear outside the door at some point.

The moonlight shone obliquely, covering half of the visitor's face. The wonderful light and dark shadows made him bathed in the moonlight have a special charm. Bright elegance and dark evil beauty blended together harmoniously.

She stretched out her hand to rub her swollen temple, stabilized her heartbeat that began to lose its rhythm, and showed an innocent smile, "Second... Second Prince, you are back? It's so late and you're not going to bed yet?"

"Naro, you are so brave." The corners of his mouth curved up, and his ice-green eyes were hidden in the shadows, unfathomable, and no emotion could be seen.

Na Luo felt a little uneasy when he was so calm. She simply let it go and looked him in the eyes and said, "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken the initiative because I was worried that someone would disturb your rest, and I shouldn't have brought your clothes back to wash in a hurry. Please punish me, Your Highness."

"You can find a crooked reason to defend yourself." He narrowed his eyes and looked at her, and his tone didn't sound so angry.

She lowered her head and said nothing, as if she was a well-behaved person who had done something bad with good intentions.

"I soaked in that pool for three hours. How do you think it felt?" Thinking of the embarrassing situation just now, he finally couldn't hold back. Since he was born, this was the first time he was teased by a servant.

Na Luo blinked his big eyes and tried to look confused. She could imagine the scene at that time. The second prince finished bathing calmly and was surprised to find that he had no clothes. He called the guards but they couldn't hear him. He couldn't go out naked like this. He could only wait in the water for the guards to come in. In the end, he was forced to change into the guards' clothes before returning in a mess. This breath was unbearable for anyone to swallow. Thinking of what the palace maid said before, she couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth and forced herself to hold back her smile. An Gui naturally noticed her subtle changes in expression, and reached out to her with a frown.

Na Luo thought he was going to do something violent, so she hid back in fear, but her heel just tripped and her buttocks fell heavily to the ground, causing her to grimace and gasp in pain.

Seeing her embarrassment, An Gui, who had been gloomy, relaxed his mouth and laughed out loud. Under the bright moonlight, his smile was like a tree of flowers, blooming all night long.

He bent down, his ice-green eyes staring at her coldly, "Na Luo, I've always been curious about when you, who always pretend to be humble and cowardly, will show off your stubborn wings. It seems... it seems to be earlier than I guessed."

Na Luo was stunned, and her two arcs of light tea feather eyelashes like butterfly wings trembled slightly. She vaguely felt the danger hidden in the tone.  

"But... I hate stubborn children the most." His fingers covered her face like a breeze, "No matter how tough the wings are, I can easily break them. Do you understand?" His voice was very pleasant, but it also carried a sense of end.

When Na Luo came back to his senses, he found that he had left. The moon in the sky also disappeared into the thick clouds at some point. The night without the moonlight became gray, and the air around was so depressing and dull, as suffocating as a nightmare in the dark night. After a few minutes, Na Luo's extremely depressed voice rang in the room, "Asshole! Why did you kick over the sesame seeds that I had finally distributed!!!