Little Pink Starfish

The Emperor’s Son Got Smacked

No one could say for sure if it was Emperor Xianzong’s voice that had a hypnotic effect, but after a few soothing words from the emperor, little Yu Ziyi—his face still streaked with tears—fell peacefully asleep again.

Xianzong let out a long sigh. This son was clearly more worry-free than that daughter of his.

“You two still standing there?” Gu Xinglang snapped at the two palace nannies.

Xianzong also waved his hand at them. The two women finally withdrew and stood to the side.

The emperor then asked the imperial physician, “Speak. What’s wrong with the Seventh Prince?”

One physician stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, may I examine the Seventh Prince’s body?”

“Examine his body?” Xianzong narrowed his eyes. “Why? Are you suggesting he might have been injured?”

Gu Xinglang and Xiao Wei exchanged tense glances. They were both nervous now.

Xiao Wei hadn’t seen Gu Xinglang pinch the baby’s bottom, but he had seen how hard the Princess had slapped it. Just thinking about his master’s strength made Xiao Wei shudder. The little prince’s backside… surely it wasn’t swollen, right?

“Go ahead,” Xianzong said, unaware of the storm brewing beneath the surface.

Xiao Wei could only wonder—what would the emperor do if he found out his daughter was the one who smacked the prince?

Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoxiao was soaring through the air with one hand gripping the bandit leader and the other holding onto Xiao Wei. They landed atop the palace wall like a pair of birds.

For the bandit leader, it was his first time flying—and his heart pounded wildly while his head spun with dizziness. Standing atop the wall, his legs turned to jelly.

Xiao Zhuang looked at Yu Xiaoxiao with admiration. “Princess, how did you train your qinggong (light-body technique)?!”

Yu Xiaoxiao replied, “Just give me a like.” She was born with this power—how else was she supposed to explain?

“Like!” Xiao Zhuang gave her a thumbs-up on the spot.

The bandit leader glanced nervously around. Not far away were armed palace guards, and these two were chatting?! A royal princess and a palace-raised shadow guard—they had more guts than he ever did as a pirate! Was this really okay?!

“Shouldn’t we, like, move?” he whispered urgently.

“Princess, I can go on my own from here,” Xiao Zhuang assured her.

Still holding onto the bandit leader, Yu Xiaoxiao grabbed Xiao Zhuang as well. “Let’s go.”

The bandit leader felt the rush of wind hit his face again—and just like that, they were inside the palace.

“Princess, do we go to the Buddha Hall first?” Xiao Zhuang asked.

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded and signaled for them to follow her. After surveying the area to ensure it was safe, she took off toward the Buddha Hall, still dragging the bandit leader along.

Back at the Lan Book Pavilion, Emperor Xianzong glared at Gu Xinglang and pointed to Yu Ziyi’s bright red little bottom. In a cold voice, he demanded, “What happened here?”

Don’t think he hadn’t noticed—this was not a rash. This was a spanking.

Gu Xinglang played dumb, shaking his head in “shock.” “How could this be?”

“You don’t know?” Xianzong shouted, leaping to his feet. “He’s been living in your house, and you’re telling me you don’t know?”

Xiao Wei hesitated. Should he tell the truth and implicate the Princess?

“Someone dared to hit my son?” Xianzong paced back and forth, glancing again at the red mark. The more he looked, the angrier he got. His son had been beaten! Who would even believe this if they heard it?!

Chief Eunuch Jingzhong seized the opportunity. “Your Majesty, this must be thoroughly investigated. After all, Her Highness is still young, and the Prince Consort is injured. In the Gu Residence…”

“Chief Jing!” Gu Xinglang cut in sharply before Jingzhong could shift blame onto his family. “This is my fault. I take full responsibility for failing to care for the Seventh Prince properly.”

“You’re right!” Xianzong pointed furiously at Gu Xinglang. “I should punish you! Someone—seize him—”

But Xianzong suddenly hesitated. How exactly should he punish his son-in-law?

Xiao Wei dropped to his knees. “Your Majesty, the Prince Consort is still recovering from his injuries. Her Highness has said he can’t afford to be hurt again.”

At the mention of his daughter, Xianzong’s furious expression turned to one of sheer pain. If he punished the son-in-law, his daughter would undoubtedly come charging in. Wouldn’t this end with him being the most miserable again?

Seeing the emperor quiet down, Xiao Wei quietly exhaled in relief. Thank goodness bringing up the Princess always worked.

At that moment, said Princess had already arrived at the Buddha Hall.

After nightfall, the only light in the temple courtyard came from the eternal lamps at the main altar. All the other buildings were dim and nearly dark.

Yu Xiaoxiao asked, “Which room is Li Xiaomei in?”

Xiao Zhuang shook his head. He didn’t even know what Consort Li looked like, let alone where she stayed.

The bandit leader looked at the massive six-courtyard complex and felt a chill—how were they supposed to search this?

Yu Xiaoxiao ripped a strip off her sleeve and tied it over her face. “If we don’t find her, we’ll ask around. Mask up.”

Xiao Zhuang stared at her missing sleeve with twitching lips, then followed suit and tore off a piece of his own.

The bandit leader copied them too.

Yu Xiaoxiao scanned the area and picked a dimly lit room. She crept inside, followed by the others.

Inside, two women sat cross-legged on their beds. They hadn’t even registered the intruders before Yu Xiaoxiao tossed the woman on the left onto the woman on the right, sandwiching them together.

Xiao Zhuang rushed in, covering both their mouths.

The women finally realized what was happening and tried to scream, but their strength was no match.

“Don’t scream,” Yu Xiaoxiao warned. “Or we’ll violate you before we kill you!”

Both women nodded, tears streaming down their cheeks.

“We’re looking for the daughter of the Li family from Chengzhou,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “Where is she?”

Xiao Zhuang removed his left hand.

Yu Xiaoxiao stared at the freed woman and said, “Talk.”

“Hel—”

Smack! Yu Xiaoxiao knocked her out cold.

“Try yelling again and I’ll kill you,” Xiao Zhuang hissed at the other.

The second woman frantically nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked at Yu Xiaoxiao pleadingly, silently begging for her life.