The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 24

A dog riding on its master’s back

“Where on earth have you been lately?” Murong Wan asked indignantly while eating lunch.

“I went out of town for a mission,” Ming Qin replied, her mouth full of a large chicken drumstick, her words muffled.

Watching Murong Wan almost venting his frustration on the meal in front of him with his chopsticks, Ming Qin swallowed what was in her mouth and asked, “Did someone bully you while I was away?”

Murong Wan shook his head.

In Ming Qin’s absence, a man named Cao Yun had taken her place.

Cao Yun was an exceptionally capable shadow guard who always managed to eliminate all dangers. He could not only mimic a wild cat’s call to scare off troublemakers like Zhang Yurong before they could bother Murong Wan, but he could also skillfully use pebbles to complement his punches during sparring sessions in the martial arts dojo, helping to strike the opponent just right.

Moreover, his attitude towards himself was very respectful, he would never snatch his meat nor rudely slap him on the shoulder.

But Murong Wan really missed Ming Qin.

“Is it because Brother Ah Yun is too quiet and doesn’t chat with you?” Ming Qin speculated, “Although Brother Ah Yun isn’t much of a talker, he’s warm-hearted and isn’t the type to play tricks on people, he’s really a nice guy.”

“I don’t need anyone to chat with me!” Murong Wan retorted with his youthful cheeks flushing red, trying hard to counter, “Cao Yun never speaks, which is precisely what I prefer!”

“I see.”

Truly, she wasn’t cut out to be a noble’s bodyguard. Probably only Murong Yan could put up with her, Ming Qin thought as she continued gnawing on the chicken leg.

Murong Wan, anxious not to upset her, fumbled for words in a fluster, but couldn’t even muster half a sentence.

Ming Qin didn’t care. She just patted her stomach and yawned widely.

When the pair was about to return to the classroom through the corridor, they unexpectedly ran into the Crown Prince and Xiao He.

Murong Wan’s face turned ashen, and he couldn’t help but cast his eyes upwards to see if the shadow guard charged with his protection was still there. He took a deep breath, his small hand hidden within his sleeve, clenched into a fist.

“Isn’t this my eleventh brother?” Murong Xiao’s face, pale as a serpent’s belly, was contoured into a mock-surprised smile. “What a coincidence.”

“Eldest Brother, the Crown Prince.” The boy gave a formal bow to his older brother, and after swallowing nervously, he asked, “What brings the Crown Prince to the Imperial Academy today?”

“Is the Imperial Academy a place that I am not allowed to visit?” Murong Xiao remained smiling, his tone icy yet syrupy, as he laid his right hand on the hilt of Xiao He’s sword at his waist, tapping his fingers one by one.

The boy hurriedly explained in panic, “Eldest Brother, the Crown Prince, can go wherever he pleases.” He hung his head low, staring at the wooden planks of the corridor floor.

“Indeed.”

“I, the solitary one, am free to go wherever I wish,” Murong Xiao’s tone held a hint of pleasure, as if quite satisfied with the boy’s response.

“I, the solitary one, am also free to do whatever I wish!”

No sooner had he spoken than the man swiftly drew the sword at his side with a whoosh. The silver light glinted, pointing directly at the boy’s slender throat, poised to strike.

Clang.

Enshrouded in a mask, Ming Qin launched herself down, intercepting the sharp weapon in Murong Xiao’s hand with her dagger. Sparks seemed to fly as the blades clashed.

“Tch.”

Murong Xiao, with a hint of impatience, clucked his tongue, sheathing his weapon and handing it to a guard beside him. With feigned or genuine complaint, he said, “Xiao He, see? I told you Emperor Father must have assigned shadow guards to protect brother, yet you wouldn’t listen.”

Xiao He sheathed his sword with a bow, and respectfully said, “It was this subordinate’s rashness, insisting on testing the security around the Eleventh Prince, thus disturbing the prince. Please, Crown Prince, mete out my punishment.”

“Admitting your mistake is good. For that, I’ll penalize you with a hundred military canes.”

Murong Xiao slid his hand into his sleeve, his eyes cold as a serpent’s as they fixed on his younger brother. With a mild tone, he said, “Eleventh Brother, are you satisfied with such a punishment?”

Murong Wan, who was still sheltered behind Ming Qin, hadn’t completely snapped back to reality from the sudden flurry of blades and shadows. Trembling lips managed, “Good…good, thank you, Crown Prince Brother.”

It seemed that Murong Xiao was pleased with his brother’s sense of propriety. Just as he was about to turn and leave, his gaze was hooked by a dark red hue.

The eerie smile that had hung on his face vanished in an instant, leaving his expression blank, his eyes filled with a chilling depth.

“You…”

He did not wield a sword in his hand, yet his presence was even more suffocating than before, resembling a serpent fixating on its prey. He pointed at the garnet earring on Ming Qin’s right ear and asked slowly, “You… How did you come to possess the earring on your ear?”

Trouble.

Ming Qin inwardly cursed the turn of events. With her face veiled, her gaze shifted downward as if to bow respectfully, forcing herself to count the wood grain patterns on the ground, “This subordinate purchased it at the marketplace.”

“I was not aware that one could casually obtain such exquisite jewelry at the market,” Murong Xiao’s expression grew dark, restraining the urge to reach out, he growled in disbelief, “Speak! Which marketplace? And when did you acquire it?”

“Replying to His Highness the Crown Prince… it was at the East Market, bought on the eve of the Lunar New Year,” Ming Qin said, feigning composure.

With a cold snort, Murong Xiao stared at the person before him and voiced sharply, “On New Year’s Eve, all markets in the capital city were closed. How dare you deceive me with such boldness?” The man’s eyes were bloodshot, as if he was about to tear the woman apart in the next second.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince has long been in the palace and might not be aware, but even on New Year’s Eve, a small number of stalls in the eastern market still remain open.” Speaking about a realm she was familiar with, Ming Qin instantly felt emboldened, lifting her gaze to meet the brooding Murong Xiao.

“Xiao He!”

The man glared at Ming Qin with a warning in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and commanded the guard beside him, “Stand guard over the Eleventh Prince right here. Without my permission, you are not to let him leave by even a hair’s breadth.”

Before the sword-bearing guard could respond, Murong Xiao flicked his sleeve, turned around, and strode away, quickly leaving the Imperial Academy.

“To Cangyue Tower.” Once aboard the carriage, Murong Xiao’s veins bulged as he bellowed, “Someone! Go verify whether what that woman said is the truth!”

A swath of blood-red clouded his vision.

He would not allow it, absolutely would not permit his sister to slip beyond his control.

As Murong Xiao burst into the room, the woman merely glanced over with annoyance, as if displeased by someone interrupting her tranquil reading.

“Sister!”

Murong Xiao, in a fluster, moved forward to check that the woman’s earlobes bore no jewelry. Then, he frantically began to rummage through boxes of ornaments in front of the vanity mirror.

“It seems His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has taken an interest in jade jewelry, which is quite the novelty,” Murong Yan said, putting down her book with a tone dripping with sarcasm.

“It can’t be, this is impossible.” Murong Xiao, unable to find what he was looking for, turned to Murong Yan with reddened eyes. “Who is she, the wretch wearing sister’s earrings?”

Murong Yan’s breath hitched for a fleeting moment, a sudden chill overtaking her limbs before she regained composure and feigned confusion. “Whom is His Royal Highness speaking of? What earrings?”

Overcome with fury, the man advanced, his hands seizing her slender neck as he roared in a low voice, “Sister, do not feign ignorance to deceive me. The garnet earring, the one you often wear.”

His grip around her neck unconsciously tightened.

Gasping for air but devoid of any plea for mercy, Murong Yan let out a disdainful snort, then her words came out in broken gasps, “The garnet… earring… has long been… lost…”

“Lost?” Murong Xiao seemed incredulous, yet his hands eased their force.

“It was gone… as early as when His Highness the Crown Prince sent people… to search the building…” The woman sneered, listing further, “Not just some… earrings, but also several gold hairpins were lost…”

“Impossible, impossible…”

The man at first murmured in disbelief, then suddenly roared, “They have some nerve to steal sister’s belongings!”

“…Who would be afraid of an… imprisoned… disabled woman?” Murong Yan’s mouth bore a mocking smile, and then she gazed directly at Murong Xiao, “Or His Highness the Crown Prince might as well… conform to their wishes… and strangle… me here, right?”

The man, as if realizing he was clutching a red-hot branding iron, let go abruptly, and the slender woman, like a snapped bowstring, collapsed onto the coffee table, crashing down with a loud thud.

Murong Xiao seemed completely oblivious to all of this, kneeling beside the couch as if with great affection, pleading to the person before him, “How could I dare to strangle sister? It was my mistake—I accused sister wrongly. Can sister forgive me, please?”

Despite the pain, Murong Yan’s expression remained cold and indifferent to the pathetic words of the man, breathing heavily as she retorted with sarcasm, “…His Highness the Crown Prince… why would you need forgiveness from a weak woman?”

“Sister, I was wrong. It was my fault.” It seemed as if he genuinely sought forgiveness, but then his countenance abruptly turned fierce, his tone vicious, “I’ll go and punish those presumptuous scoundrels immediately.”

He then turned and hurried down the stairs, evidently without his usual composure.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

As Murong Xiao waited, an attendant stepped forward and reported in a low voice, his breath short, “Although the specific shop that sold the princess’ earrings has not yet been found, it has been confirmed that the Eastern Market did not completely close for business on New Year’s Eve.”

Murong Xiao, fuming even more upon hearing this, composed himself to give instructions, “Pick out several boxes of earrings and gold hairpins for the princess and have them delivered. Remember! Only the most exquisite ones are to be sent.” Then he added, “Go to the Prefecture Chief of Jingzhao.”

“I will personally deal with the dogs that dare to ride onto their master’s back.”

The author has something to say:

Your Highness, the Crown Prince, how could a princess with so many tricks up her sleeve ever let you find where she’s hidden her belongings?

Truth be told, in a way, the princess is the best at dealing with the Crown Prince.

PS. Which little angel has subscribed to my column?!

This is making me really want to write a second book (teary laughter).

LP: Re-translated on February 02, 2024