Little Pink Starfish

Her Highness the Princess, Please Take Us In

Xiao Wei didn’t even spare the former pirates a glance. As far as he was concerned, all he heard was “cooking”—what of it?

“Princess!” the second-in-command, kicked to the ground by Xiao Wei, still cried out mournfully to her.

“Let’s go home,” Yu Xiaoxiao turned and said to Gu Xinglang. After all, she couldn’t really lead this bunch in a rebellion against her own father. Whatever they said was pointless. Her Highness decided it was best to head home for dinner. She hadn’t caught any fat rabbits, but at least she’d netted three bears, hadn’t she?

Li Yuanle asked, “Princess, how do you intend to deal with these pirates?”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at him and said, “Brother Li, people only live once. Life is precious.”

W-what did that mean? Li Yuanle glanced at Gu Xinglang. Was the princess planning to let these pirates go?

Gu Xinglang said, “Princess, they’ve committed crimes after all.”

Yu Xiaoxiao glanced down at the bandit leader who was still smirking at Li Yuanle like he was asking for a beating. She raised her foot and knocked him out cold. “There, I hit him. Can we go home and eat now?”

“Thank you, Princess, for sparing our lives!” the second-in-command shouted gratefully.

“Princess…” Gu Xinglang was getting a headache. If they didn’t kill these pirates, the Li family might not live to see tomorrow. The lives of a few pirates versus the lives of his sworn brother’s entire family—this was not a difficult choice for Gu Xinglang.

Li Yuanle steadied his nerves, nearly overwhelmed by Yu Xiaoxiao’s unpredictability, and whispered to Gu Xinglang, “Take the princess and go back first.”

Xiao Wei also tried to persuade Yu Xiaoxiao. “Princess, let’s go. Don’t keep Madam Wang waiting.”

At the mention of Wang Momo, Yu Xiaoxiao sighed. Where was she supposed to find a companion for her nanny? “Fine, bring the bears. Let’s go,” she said with a pout, turning to leave.

The second-in-command panicked when he saw the princess getting ready to leave. If she left, wouldn’t Li Yuanle just slaughter them all? “Princess, how about I take you to catch some rabbits now? Nice, fat ones,” he swore to hug the princess’s thigh for dear life.

“Princess, can we… follow you from now on?” Another pirate, even sharper than the second-in-command, stepped forward and pledged his loyalty. “We don’t eat much and we’re good workers. We know martial arts—we can do anything.”

The former pirates all looked at Yu Xiaoxiao with hopeful eyes. Your Highness, please take us in.

Uh… Yu Xiaoxiao was surprised. She went into the mountains and didn’t catch a single rabbit but came out with a bunch of new little brothers? “Can I take them in?” she asked Xiao Wei, unsure.

Xiao Wei said, “Princess, you’d better ask the Prince Consort.”

Yu Xiaoxiao walked over to Gu Xinglang and asked, “Xiao Gu?”

Under Li Yuanle’s very expectant gaze, Gu Xinglang said to Yu Xiaoxiao, “It’s not that we can’t… but they’re all injured. Who’s paying for their medical expenses? Princess, you can treat them, so we can save on doctors, but what about medicine?”

Yu Xiaoxiao immediately felt a pang of financial pain. Right! These people even tried to skip out on paying for half a pig’s head—there’s no way they had money for medicine. That’d be a massive grain expense!

Gu Xinglang looked at his wife and said sincerely, “We really can’t afford it.”

“But…” The princess hesitated. These people looked like they really needed her. How could humans abandon their comrades?

Gu Xinglang pressed on, “There are so many of them. If each eats four buns a meal, Princess, do the math—how many buns a day is that?”

“Uh,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, “Can I not do the math?”

Gu Xinglang added, “And we can’t feed them just buns every day—they’ll need vegetables too.”

“So what are you saying?”

“We really can’t afford them,” the Prince Consort said with grave seriousness.

…

In the stunned silence, Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei both dropped to their knees before the Prince Consort. Your Highness, have you finally been assimilated by the princess?!

The second-in-command wanted to curse Gu Xinglang out loud. The Gu family could afford to support all those injured old soldiers, and he claimed he couldn’t feed just a few dozen men? Shameless!

“We don’t need the princess to feed us,” the bandit leader suddenly spoke up.

Yu Xiaoxiao turned to him. Looks like this guy had some real resilience—he’d woken up already. She said to him, “You couldn’t even afford pork. You’ve got money?”

The bandit leader looked frustrated. Can we not bring up that damned pork again?!

“Stolen loot, huh?” Li Yuanle sneered.

“Taxpayers’ blood and sweat,” the bandit leader replied. “It’s dirty money no matter whose hands it’s in.”

“I don’t mind dirt,” Yu Xiaoxiao said with a slight rush of excitement in her heart but kept her face expressionless. “Where’s the money?”

“Princess, if you spare my brothers, I’ll hand it all over,” the bandit leader promised.

Hearing that she still couldn’t see a single coin, Yu Xiaoxiao immediately said coldly, “Trying to scam me again?”

The bandit leader exclaimed, “When have I ever lied to the princess?”

“Rabbits!” Yu Xiaoxiao retorted.

Please, spare me!

The bandit leader felt like banging his head on the ground and sobbing. Can we drop the rabbit topic already?!

“Hmph,” Yu Xiaoxiao saw him fall silent and said, “A bunch of failed bandits who had to take up farming. How much money could you have? Do you take me for a fool?”

“I never farmed…” The bandit leader wanted to yell it out, but decided against it. A person like Princess Linglong—if not a fool, then what? “Go catch rabbits for the princess!” he barked at his men. “Catch as many as you can! Let her see we’re not lying!”

Yu Xiaoxiao eyed him doubtfully. “Really?”

“If we don’t bring back rabbits, I’ll die to atone!” he swore fiercely.

“They better be fat,” Yu Xiaoxiao pressed on.

“Fine!” The bandit leader was desperate. If it means survival, what wouldn’t he do? He’d even warm the princess’s bed if she asked!

“I want rabbits,” Yu Xiaoxiao looked at Gu Xinglang.

Now Gu San-Shao was faced with the ultimate dilemma: Wife or brother—who’s more important?

“Could you all at least look up?” Just then, a voice came from the crooked-neck tree above them.

Gu Xinglang looked up in shock. “Second Brother?!”

Second Young Master Gu was furious. You finally noticed me?!

Gu Xinglang suddenly turned to Xiao Wei. Earlier, he had noticed Xiao Wei was carrying a child, but with everything going on with the Li family, he hadn’t paid much attention. He had assumed it was just some pirate’s kid. But now, seeing his second brother in the tree, Gu San-Shao’s voice faltered, “T-that’s the Seventh Prince?”

“Yup,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied. “Little Seventh and Second Brother were kidnapped by the Xiongxiong gang.”

Gu Xinglang asked Xiao Wei, “What happened?” In this critical moment, Gu San-Shao still chose to trust Xiao Wei.

But even Xiao Wei didn’t really know. If these pirates were after money, Second Young Master wouldn’t have had any visible wealth while fleeing with the Seventh Prince. And with all the merchant caravans traveling the outer roads daily, why target them? Xiao Wei shook his head at Gu Xinglang and said, “Prince Consort, Second Young Master didn’t say, so I don’t know what happened either.”