Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2(92)

As he griped, he threw the basket on the ground and motioned for everyone to surround and attack.

Xie Lian couldn’t watch anymore and shouted, “Stop!”

The trainees were all shocked at the sound of his voice. They turned their heads and called out, “Your Highness!”

Xie Lian and Feng Xin approached. By then, Zhu-shixiong had already grabbed Mu Qing by the collar and pushed him against the trunk of a tree, though the brawl had not yet started. If they really did fight, Mu Qing would’ve gained the upper hand, even one against twenty. Nevertheless, if he wanted to stay at the Royal Holy Temple, he knew he must never raise his fist.

Xie Lian smiled. “What’s everyone doing?”

Zhu-shixiong was a decent, plain-looking young man who looked up to the crown prince. Hearing Xie Lian’s inquiry, he froze and quickly let go of Mu Qing.

“Um, this, we were…”

Xie Lian continued to smile. “Although I don’t know why everyone is quarreling, Mu Qing is my personal attendant. Anything he does is generally under my command. I didn’t realize offense would be taken if I had him pick some fruit for me?”

The trainees all bowed. “No, no! So it was His Highness who asked him to come! We misunderstood!”

On the side, Mu Qing leaned against the tree, at first taken aback to hear Xie Lian say he’d come under His Highness’s command. He quickly fixed his collar, lowered his head, and didn’t speak. Cold sweat was rolling down the backs of the trainees as they profoundly apologized to Xie Lian, then to Mu Qing, and finally picked up their baskets and hurried away, escaping the cherry wood.

Xie Lian saw the basket Mu Qing had brought on the ground and bent to pick it up, passing it to him. “Want some help?”

Mu Qing didn’t take the basket, but he raised his head and watched Xie Lian with an unreadable expression for a moment before he spoke. “Your Highness.”

“What is it?” Xie Lian asked.

“Why must you always show up at times like these?”

Xie Lian only made a sound of confusion, but Feng Xin grew upset. “What do you mean? Is it wrong to come and save you?”

Mu Qing cast him a glance and took the basket.

Just then, Feng Xin stiffened his neck and said rigidly, “Listen up! What happened before was my fault! I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything, I just made some offhand comments. There’s no need for you to overthink it or suspect anything. I don’t care for anyone other than His Highness, and I’m not interested in gossip. That’s all I have to say, so stop being so difficult!”

“PFFFT!” At first, Xie Lian thought his tone was too aggressive, but toward the end, it became strangely funny. Mu Qing glared at Feng Xin, and Xie Lian waved his hand. “All right, all right. Everything Feng Xin said is true. Let’s just forget what happened. Nothing’s happened.”

A moment later, Mu Qing said begrudgingly, “I’ll look for that red coral pearl again later. Maybe it was dropped on the street.”

Xie Lian thought it might be a bad idea to appear that he didn’t care, so he replied, “All right. If you have the time, then thank you. But if it was dropped in the streets, somebody will have picked it up by now.”

It seemed Mu Qing had nothing more to say, so he collected the bunches of cherries that had fallen on the ground and put them back in his basket. He hadn’t picked that many in the first place. As he moved to leave the woods, Xie Lian saw many more enticing fresh cherries and casually picked a bunch, dropping them into his basket. Mu Qing was slightly taken aback.

Xie Lian said, “Next time you want to pick fruit for your mother, just say you’re picking them by my command and no one will say anything. The State Preceptor told me to return to the palace for a few days, so I plan on leaving tomorrow. Why don’t you make a trip down the mountain too? But let’s head back for today.”

It took a while, but at last Mu Qing muttered in a quiet voice, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

The next day, Xie Lian descended the mountain with Feng Xin and Mu Qing in tow.

The moment they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw a shining, golden carriage right outside the huge mountain gates. A young man, dressed in a collared brocade top with a whip in hand, was lying in the front seat of the carriage; his legs were crossed, and he looked smug and important. The second he saw Xie Lian exiting the gates, he leapt to his feet and ran toward him in a mad dash, shouting in obvious joy.

“Cousin Crown Prince!”

This youth was of course Qi Rong. Only he would have the free time to wait aimlessly for Xie Lian at the foot of Mount Taicang.

He skipped over and happily exclaimed, “My patience has finally paid off!”

Xie Lian grinned and ruffled his hair, laughing. “Did Qi Rong grow taller again? How did you know I was returning to the palace today?”

Qi Rong giggled. “I didn’t. I just waited and knew you’d have to come out sooner or later. I refused to believe I couldn’t catch you.”

“Free, aren’t you?” Xie Lian said helplessly. “Are you studying properly? What about sword practice? If Mother asks me to check your studies again, I won’t make excuses for you.”

Qi Rong blinked, his eyes shifty, and suddenly he jumped up and down. “Never mind all that! Look at my new carriage! Cousin Crown Prince, come inside, ride my carriage back to the palace!”