“Ah! Don’t hit me, don’t hit Xiaoxiao!” With a choking sob that seemed to tear his throat raw, the man leapt away, lifting his round eyes to stare warily at Mo Bei, who was close at hand. His pearly teeth bit hard into his thin lips, revealing a face of breathtaking beauty and panic.
Mo Bei found it difficult to describe how she felt upon seeing that face for the first time. Fine sword-like brows, a proud straight nose, peach-blossom eyes, soul-snaring lips—every feature was exquisite and alluring.
His sapphire-blue eyes were bright and dazzling, yet strangely fragile.
Countless indescribable emotions seemed tangled together in their depths.
Or perhaps there was not the slightest trace of emotion at all.
Just that pair of eyes alone could scatter a person’s very soul.
This was the notorious Dunhuang Fool Prince, whose origins were shrouded in mystery—Yelü Qianxiao.
“You…”
“Don’t hit Xiaoxiao. I’ll be good, very good!” As if proving that his words were true, Yelü Qianxiao nodded vigorously, like a child not yet eight years old.
For some reason, the man’s foolish, muddleheaded appearance made Mo Bei think of the first time she had seen Pumpkin. She had been just like this too, a tiny figure curled up in the night, quietly sobbing, like an angel lost in the mortal world.
Eyes clear as if freshly washed, without the slightest impurity, filled with a purity that could make all things pale in comparison.
That was the light everyone trapped in hell longed for.
Suddenly, her throat felt a little itchy. Mo Bei stretched out her arm and made a decision that, every time she recalled it in the future, would make her regret it until she wanted to cough blood.
She would protect this big white rabbit before her, come wind or rain!
“Your Highness, don’t worry. I won’t hit you.” Mo Bei smiled faintly. With her right hand, she pulled Yelü Qianxiao’s arm toward her; with her left, she helped smooth back his long hair. Her usually cold phoenix eyes held a touch of tenderness, the same indulgence she only showed Pumpkin.
With that excessively magnified face so close, Yelü Qianxiao’s back stiffened. He froze for a moment before grinning foolishly. “Hehe, won’t hit, won’t hit!”
“Mm, I won’t hit you!” Mo Bei repeated once more, making him a promise.
As though he truly believed her, Yelü Qianxiao raised his face in a dazed, muddled manner, his large hand clutching tightly at Mo Bei’s clothes. “Hungry. Xiaoxiao’s hungry. Buns, buns this big, this big!” As he clamored, he gestured with his hands, drool spilling from the corner of his mouth, looking utterly wretched.
“Hehe, Your Highness, wait here. Eunuch Rong and I will go to the imperial kitchen and ask for some pastries.” Whenever she saw someone clamoring for food, she would think of that glutton who had gone missing.
In truth, judging from the current situation, even if they went to beg for food, the imperial kitchen might not give them any. After all, Mo Bei had already witnessed what it meant for “when the master is honored, the servant is stronger than others; when the master is lowly, the servant is worse than a dog.” Most likely, no one would take the eunuchs of Zhinuan Palace seriously.
But that was not Mo Bei’s true purpose. Food and drink were minor matters; what she really wanted was to see whether there were any traces of theft there.
Perhaps she could follow the clues and find that little glutton.
But something strange happened. No matter how she tugged at Hua Rong, that fellow simply stared straight at the foolishly grinning Yelü Qianxiao, unmoving.
“Eunuch Rong, Eunuch Rong!” Mo Bei raised her voice. Had this brat fallen into a lovestruck daze?
Sure enough, Hua Rong gave an excited cry, clapped his hands, and shouted, “His Highness is truly handsome, truly handsome!”
“Every morning when this servant gets up and washes his face, I’m always startled by my own good looks. Only after seeing Master today do I understand what it means that there is always someone beyond oneself, and a heaven beyond the heavens. So beautiful!” As he spoke, his wolfish claws reached toward Yelü Qianxiao.
Mo Bei rolled her eyes and, with firm resolve, forcibly dragged a certain someone away, her hands itching so badly she wanted to smack him.