LoT Phoenix 1

Chapter 27: Hidden Intention

The Crown Prince sends a eunuch to escort you back when you finish buying.

Little Eunuch: [Smugly] The Crown Prince sure treats you well. You better remember to be grateful!

Xiu Ying: Absolutely.

You put on a fake smile and hop off the carriage. Unfortunately, you meet Yin Zhen who's just getting out of his carriage. Your carriage has a clear Eastern Palace brand. Being seen by Yin Zhen like this makes you feel like you've made a mistake.

Little Eunuch: [Quietly] The Fourth Prince is not one to be trifled with. Stay away from him.

The eunuch passes you a hint and leaves. You see Yin Zhen standing still, but looks at you coldly. You try to greet him.

Xiu Ying: [Forced] Greetings, Fourth Prince.

Yin Zhen: What's that?

Xiu Ying: [Looking at the dessert box] Dessert for the Empress Dowager.

Yin Zhen: Did you buy any extra?

You pass him some, and he takes it without any thanks.

Yin Zhen: Go ahead.

You look at him and see that dessert is all that's on his mind, so you leave. Two days of peace. You bump into one of the eunuchs during the eagle incident.

Eunuch: [Calls you] Man, I thought things would be done after bringing in the eagle, but Ms. Zhuxi found out...

Ms. Zhuxi is one of the Crown Prince's guards. She's been in love with him for a long time. Even without your previous life's memory, anyone can see the love in her eyes.

Xiu Ying: What did Ms. Zhuxi say?

Eunuch: I had to tell her everything after her interrogation. Ms. Zhuxi helped to cover it up, but...

Xiu Ying: What?

Eunuch: She should be coming for you.

That's not hard to imagine. The Crown Prince wants to use you. That's why he's been nice to you. With Zhuxi however, your existence is miniscule. Zhuxi doesn't want the Crown Prince to pay too much attention to you, so she wants to keep everything under wraps.

As for you, you want the same thing. The black eagle is a sensitive existence. If the Crown Prince knows, it would be more difficult for your future plans. Zhuxi gets to you soon.

Zhuxi: Serving the Crown Prince isn't just pretending to be fragile.

Xiu Ying: What do you mean, Ms Zhuxi?

Qiu Ying: You think you're smart, but the Crown Prince and I can see right through you.

Xiu Ying: You can try to be more direct, Ms. Zhuxi. Do you want to say, don't talk about the Crown Prince?

You are already being very indirect. It's about the black eagle.

Zhuxi: [Calms] Good. You're smart enough to know that. If anything comes up later, just tell me, and don't bother the Crown Prince.

Xiu Ying: You force your way in here and now you keep saying such odd things... Doesn't the Crown Prince are what you do?

Zhuxi looks down. She's a martial artist and carries that fighting force. You are not phased, and just look at her calmly.

Zhuxi: Just a bit of tenderness from the Crown Prince and you're already getting cocky.

Xiu Ying: I don't understand, Ms. Zhuxi. What are you trying to say? Should we ask the Crown Prince to clear it up?

Zhuxi: You want to see the Crown Prince? Dream on!

Yin Zhen: [Suddenly appears] Dream what?

A tall figure appears. Zhuxi face flushes, then looks for an excuse and leaves. You want to leace as well. But Yin Zhen's stare makes you very nervous. You greet him instead with a smile.

Xiu Ying: What a coincidence, Fourth Prince.

Yin Zhen: Being tough isn't the only way to solve problems. Sometimes it's important to back down for a while.

Yin Zhen's sudden remark makes you a bit startled. It's probably his suggestion on how to deal with Zhuxi. With someone like Zhuxi it's best to agree with her first, then figure things out. However, these days you became much more aggressive, which makes Zhuxi hostile towards you.

Xiu Ying: You are right, Fourth Prince.

Yin Zhen: You can easily defeat your opponents by using their personalities against them. It's so simple. There's no need to figure out all kinds of plans.

You start to suspect that Yin Zhen knows what you want to do, but he isn't hostile towards you...