The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 24
by Little PandaThe Dog Riding Its Master
“Where on earth did you go all this time?” Murong Wan questioned testily as he ate his lunch.
“I went out of the city on a mission,” Ming Qin said indistinctly, her mouth stuffed with a massive chicken leg.
Watching Murong Wan poke at his food with his chopsticks as if venting his frustration, Ming Qin swallowed her mouthful and asked, “Did someone bully you while I was away?”
Murong Wan shook his head.
While Ming Qin was away, she had been replaced by a man named Cao Yun.
Cao Yun was a highly competent Shadow Guard who always managed to eliminate all danger before it could start. Not only did he mimic wild cats to scare off Zhang Yurong and his gang before they could cause trouble, but during sparring sessions at the martial arts hall, he would also use small pebbles to perfectly assist Murong Wan’s punches, helping him hit his mark.
Furthermore, he treated Murong Wan with utmost deference, never snatching his meat or roughly clapping him on the shoulder.
Yet, Murong Wan simply missed Ming Qin.
“Was Ah Yun-ge too quiet to keep you company?” Ming Qin guessed. “Ah Yun-ge doesn’t like to talk much, but he has a warm heart, never plays pranks, and is a really good person.”
“I don’t need anyone to chat with me!” Murong Wan’s childish cheeks flushed red as he vehemently protested. “Cao Yun never speaks. That’s perfect for me!”
“Is that so?”
Indeed, I’m still not cut out to be a guard for nobility. In this world, only Murong Yan can probably tolerate me, Ming Qin thought, continuing to gnaw on her chicken leg.
Fearing he had hurt her feelings, Murong Wan flusteredly wanted to explain himself, but his tongue-tied mouth couldn’t squeeze out a single word.
Ming Qin didn’t mind either; she merely patted her stomach and let out a massive yawn.
As the two of them passed under the corridor to return to the classroom, they ran straight into the Crown Prince and Xiao He.
Murong Wan’s face turned instantly pale. He couldn’t help but glance upward to check if the Shadow Guard protecting him was still there. He took a deep breath, hiding his small hands inside his sleeves, clenching them into tight fists.
“Well, if it isn’t Eleventh Brother,” Murong Xiao said, his white, snake-like face splitting into a hollow, artificial smile as he feigned surprise. “What a coincidence.”
“Taizi-gege,” the boy said, bowing to his elder brother. Swallowing hard, he asked, “What brings Taizi-gege to the Imperial Academy today?”
“Is the Imperial Academy a place this prince cannot visit?” Murong Xiao remained smiling, his tone cold and sticky. He reached out with his right hand and rested it on the hilt of the sword at Xiao He’s waist, his fingers tapping against it one by one.
Terrified, the boy scrambled to explain, “Taizi-gege can go anywhere he wishes.” He kept his head lowered, staring intently at the wooden planks of the corridor.
“Quite so.”
“This prince may go anywhere he pleases,” Murong Xiao’s tone sounded rather pleased, seemingly satisfied with the boy’s answer.
“And this prince can do whatever he wants, too!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the man drew the sword at his side with a sharp metallic ring. Silver light flashed, pointing straight at the boy’s fragile neck, ready to strike.
Clang!
A masked Ming Qin swept down through the air, her dagger raised to parry the lethal weapon in Murong Xiao’s grip. Sparks flew as the blades clashed.
“Tch.”
Murong Xiao clicked his tongue in irritation. He withdrew his weapon and handed it back to the guard beside him, complaining—whether genuinely or not—”Look, Xiao He, this prince told you Imperial Father sent Shadow Guards to protect my little brother, but you wouldn’t listen.”
Xiao He sheathed his sword, bowed deeply, and said with utmost respect, “It was this subordinate’s recklessness in insisting on testing whether the Eleventh Prince’s surroundings were secure, thereby alarming His Highness. Please punish me, Your Highness.”
“It is good that you acknowledge your mistake. This prince shall sentence you to one hundred military blows1.”
Murong Xiao tucked his hands into his sleeves, his cold, snake-like gaze fixed on his little brother as he asked casually, “Eleventh Brother, is this prince’s punishment to your satisfaction?”
Shielded behind Ming Qin, Murong Wan had still not fully recovered from the sudden flash of steel. He could only say with trembling lips, “Yes… Yes. Thank you, Taizi-gege.”
Murong Xiao seemed pleased with his brother’s tact. Just as he was about to turn and leave, his gaze was drawn to a flash of dark red.
The bizarre smile on his face vanished in an instant, leaving him expressionless, save for his eyes which were filled with a biting chill.
“You…”
Though he held no sword, his aura was far more oppressive than before. Like a snake locking onto its prey, he pointed at the garnet on Ming Qin’s right ear and asked slowly, “That… that earring on your ear, where did it come from?”
Oh, no.
Ming Qin knew things had taken a turn for the worse. Keeping her masked face lowered as she bowed, she forced herself to count the grain of the wooden floorboards. “This subordinate purchased it from the market.”
“This prince did not know that such an exquisite piece of jewelry could be casually picked up at a common market.” Murong Xiao’s face grew dark as he resisted the urge to snatch it off her. Unbelieving, he growled, “Speak! Which market? And when did you obtain it?”
“Replying to Your Highness… it was at the Eastern Market, purchased on Lunar New Year’s Eve2,” Ming Qin said, forcing her voice to remain calm.
Murong Xiao let out a cold snort, staring at her as he barked, “On Lunar New Year’s Eve, every market in the Capital is closed! You have the absolute audacity to lie to this prince.” The man’s eyes were bloodshot, looking as though he might tear the woman to pieces at any second.
“Your Highness has resided in the palace for a long time and may not be aware, but even on Lunar New Year’s Eve, a small number of vendors in the Eastern Market remain open.” Speaking of a subject she knew thoroughly, Ming Qin suddenly felt a surge of confidence. She raised her head and looked straight back into Murong Xiao’s grim face.
“Xiao He!”
The man glared at Ming Qin warningly, then ordered the guard beside him through gritted teeth, “Watch the Eleventh Prince here. Without this prince’s permission, he is not to take a single step away.”
Without waiting for the swordsman to reply, he swept his sleeves3, turned, and strode out of the Imperial Academy.
“To Cangyue Tower!” Once inside his carriage, Murong Xiao roared, veins bulging on his forehead. “Someone, go check if what that woman said is the truth!”
His vision swam with a blood-red haze.
He would never allow it. He would absolutely never allow Jiejie to escape his grasp.
When Murong Xiao burst into the room, the woman merely gave him an annoyed glance, as if displeased that someone had interrupted her quiet reading.
“Jiejie!”
Murong Xiao rushed forward in a panic. Seeing that the woman’s earlobes bore no ornaments, he frantically began rummaging through the jewelry boxes lined up before her dressing mirror.
“To think Your Highness the Crown Prince would take an interest in jade and jewelry—how novel,” Murong Yan said, putting down her book with a mocking tone.
“Impossible, this is impossible.” Having failed to find what he was looking for, Murong Xiao turned to Murong Yan, his eyes bloodshot. “Who is she? That bitch wearing Jiejie’s earring.”
Murong Yan’s breath hitched for a split second, her limbs turning icy cold. A moment later, she recovered her composure and asked with feigned confusion, “Who is Your Highness speaking of? What earring?”
Incensed with rage, the man lunged forward and choked her slender neck with both hands, growling, “Don’t play dumb and lie to this prince, Jiejie! That garnet ear stud is one Jiejie wore constantly.”
The force in his hands tightened involuntarily.
She was on the verge of suffocating, yet Murong Yan showed absolutely no intention of begging for mercy. She let out a strained chuckle and gasped out, “The… garnet ear stud… was lost… long ago…”
“Lost?” Murong Xiao seemed skeptical, though his grip loosened.
“It was lost… back when Your Highness sent men… to search this tower…” The woman sneered, then listed them off one by one, “Besides the… ear studs, a few gold hairpins went missing as well…”
“Impossible, impossible…”
The man first mumbled in disbelief, then suddenly roared in fury, “What absolute audacity! How dare they steal Jiejie’s things!”
“…Who’d fear a… crippled, imprisoned woman anyway?” A mocking smile played on Murong Yan’s lips, and she stared directly at Murong Xiao. “Why doesn’t Your Highness… grant them their wish… and just choke me… to death right here?”
As if realizing he was clutching a red-hot brand, the man abruptly let go. The slender woman fell onto the low tea table like a snapped bowstring, landing with a heavy thud.
Murong Xiao seemed entirely oblivious to her pain. He simply knelt beside the couch, begging her with what seemed like deep affection, “How could this prince ever choke Jiejie to death? This prince has wronged Jiejie. Will Jiejie please forgive this prince?”
Even as she throbbed with pain, Murong Yan’s face remained cold. Unmoved by the man’s pathetic words, she merely gasped for air and sneered, “…Why would the esteemed Crown Prince… ever need the forgiveness of a weak, defenseless woman?”
“Jiejie, this prince was wrong, this prince was wrong.” Just as he seemed to sincerely beg for her understanding, his pleading expression instantly turned venomous, his tone growing violent. “This prince will go punish those audacious scoundrels this instant.”
With that, he turned and rushed downstairs, completely lacking his usual composure.
“Your Highness.”
An attendant who was waiting stepped forward, reporting in a low voice to the panting man, “Though we have not yet identified which shop sold the Commandery Princess’s earrings, we have confirmed that the Eastern Market indeed did not close completely on Lunar New Year’s Eve.”
Hearing this, Murong Xiao’s fury flared even hotter. Suppressing his rage, he ordered, “Select several chests of earrings and gold hairpins and send them to the Commandery Princess. Remember! You must only send the most exquisite ones.” He added, “To the Capital Governor’s.”
“This prince will personally deal with the dogs that dare to ride their master.”
The author has something to say:
Your Highness the Crown Prince, how could the Commandery Princess, who has so many tricks up her sleeve, ever let you find the things she hid?
Actually, in a way, the Commandery Princess is the person who knows best how to handle the Crown Prince.
P.S. Which little angel actually bookmarked my author profile?!
This is really going to make me want to write a second book… (crying-laughing)
Footnotes
- A traditional form of physical punishment in ancient Chinese militaries, where the offender was struck on the back or buttocks with a heavy wooden staff or cane, often causing severe injury or death.
- Also known as Chuxi, this is the final night of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar year, celebrated with family reunions, feasts, and late-night vigils.
- A dramatic gesture in traditional Chinese culture where a person sharply flings their wide sleeves back to express anger, annoyance, or a cold dismissal.
Someone needs to give that piece of shit a Prince Albert. With a greatsword. A dull and rusty one. Preferably performed by someone with Parkinsons.
When will this scumbug be ki*led 😵
When will this scumbug be ki*led 😵
That was some quick thinking from our FL. Wonder why she wasn’t wearing her earrings that day?
Probably because she’s too cautious also because there’s only one earring
That was some quick thinking from our FL. Wonder why she wasn’t wearing her earrings that day?
Probably because she’s too cautious also because there’s only one earring
Disgusting scum
Ugh this guy makes me want to vomit. I hope he has a significantly terrible ending. Something very terrible and painful
Ugh this guy makes me want to vomit. I hope he has a significantly terrible ending. Something very terrible and painful
Disgusting scum