Chapter 161: Has Prince Yanping’s Hair Grown Back Yet?

Dogs track by scent. It’s an effective method, but very direct—like a full-frontal assault. Still, that wasn’t an issue.

Mo Jiang didn’t need a leash. He walked half a step behind Xiao Li, staying close with his gaze fixed forward. Though he wasn’t very big, he somehow managed to project an imposing, majestic air.

’Is this what an innate pedigree looks like?’

Xiao Li rode out with him, and her first stop was the Prince Yanping Mansion.

The guards at the Prince Mansion tried to stop her. "Halt, Princess. Without the Prince’s permission, you are trespassing."

After speaking, they quickly bowed. "Please, Princess, do not make things difficult for us."

Draw their weapons on Princess Xuanyang? They wouldn’t dare. Someone had tried before and had died a very... peaceful death.

Xiao Li produced a golden token and flashed it. The men were so frightened they immediately dropped to their knees.

"Now, may I go in?"

The guards scrambled to get out of her way.

The Emperor’s Golden Order. Even their Prince would have to kneel before it. How could they possibly stop her?

Jia Ruo knew Xiao Li had arrived, but she hadn’t expected her to just swagger in so brazenly.

"What do you think you’re doing? This is my brother’s Prince Mansion! Who let you in?"

Xiao Li strode right up to her, looking down at her for a moment before speaking. "I was a bit far away and couldn’t quite hear you. Why don’t you say that again?"

Jia Ruo slowly took a step back, her bluster deflating by half. Especially when she saw the imposing guard and remembered the times Xiao Li had beaten her, she felt a trauma response kicking in.

And yet, she truly hated Xiao Li and refused to back down in front of her. "Xuanyang, this is my brother’s Prince Mansion, not a place for you to run wild!"

"Is that so?"

Xiao Li lifted Jia Ruo’s chin with the tip of her riding crop. Her eyes were cool, her smile filled with contempt. "So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?"

She tapped Jia Ruo’s cheek with the crop, an utterly humiliating gesture. "I come and go from the Imperial Palace as I please. What makes you think a mere Prince Mansion can stop me?"

Unable to bear the slightest humiliation, Jia Ruo raised a hand and lunged at Xiao Li.

Without so much as blinking, Xiao Li parried the blow and simultaneously lashed out with her riding crop.

CRACK!

The lash struck her arm, making Jia Ruo grimace in pain. Fury burned in her eyes, her face flushing red. "Xuanyang! You’ve gone too far!"

The Prince Mansion’s guards rushed over and separated Jia Ruo and Xiao Li.

In the heat of the moment, one of the guards reached for his sword, but a figure in purple stepped out and kicked the blade back into its sheath with a single motion.

The tall man’s calm demeanor held a sharp edge, and his Chief Eunuch’s uniform was unmistakable.

"Are you planning a rebellion?"

The grim, cold voice and the man’s violent, intimidating aura made all the guards retreat two steps. No one dared to touch their weapons again.

The Emperor’s own Chief Eunuch was here. Who would dare make a move?

Jia Ruo roared, "You’re all being completely unreasonable! She was the one who barged in here!"

Lou Yan said, "His Majesty has ordered the Patrol Camp to assist the Princess in her search for Doctor Cen An. No one is to obstruct her."

Jia Ruo retorted hatefully, "Who asked you? What business is this of a eunuch like you? She’s a princess, but so am I! Don’t you dare try to throw your weight around in my home!"

That slur was extremely insulting, but the man didn’t react in the slightest, as if he hadn’t even heard it. ’What powerful self-control,’ Xiao Li thought.

"What is all this?"

A sharp shout rang out. Xiao Jingzhao had returned.

Xiao Li turned. "Prince Yanping, you’re back. Perfect timing. I suspect you’ve kidnapped Cen An. Hand him over."

Xiao Jingzhao was stunned for a moment before letting out a cold laugh. "Absurd. Are you throwing a tantrum at my mansion just because you can’t find someone? Why would I kidnap him?"

Xiao Li glanced at his hatted head.

"It’s spring already. The grass is starting to sprout. Has Prince Yanping’s hair started to grow back yet?"

Xiao Jingzhao—whose hair wouldn’t be growing back anytime soon, even after the poison was neutralized—felt his expression twist in an instant.

"Xuanyang, even your foolishness should have its limits. I won’t deign to argue with you, but don’t think for a second that I’m afraid of you. You should learn to leave yourself an out!"

He deliberately lowered his voice on the last sentence, making it sound both like a threat and a declaration.

Xiao Li glanced at him, her gaze slowly drifting downward. The wolf pup circled him once, then sat and looked up at her.

Because the pup was so small and showed no aggression, Xiao Jingzhao paid it no mind.

Xiao Li chuckled. "I couldn’t agree more with your sentiment, Prince Yanping. One must always leave oneself an out. Otherwise, you won’t even know what killed you."

Xiao Li held out her hand. The little wolf pup got up and trotted over. She scooped him up and turned to leave.

Watching the whole retinue withdraw in a rustle of movement, Jia Ruo asked in confusion, "She’s leaving? Just like that?"

Xiao Jingzhao found it strange as well, but his pride suppressed that flicker of doubt. "She’s just throwing a tantrum because she can’t find who she’s looking for. Ignore her."

Jia Ruo fumed, "She hit me! It’s already swelling up!"

Xiao Jingzhao frowned. "She’s in favor right now. Don’t provoke her."

Jia Ruo almost fainted from sheer indignation. "*I* provoked *her*? I was in my own home, I haven’t even stepped out the door! She’s the one who barged in here and hit me! She..."

A single look from Xiao Jingzhao cut her off. Jia Ruo stopped, took a deep breath, and said, "Fine. I’ll endure it. But one day, she’ll fall into my hands. I’ll make her beg for death but be unable to find it!"

Xiao Jingzhao went inside, and Jia Ruo followed, clutching her arm. "Brother, who do you think actually captured that Cen An? I was planning to grab him myself to treat your... condition. But someone beat me to it."

Xiao Jingzhao remained silent. Jia Ruo sat down, muttering to herself, "That Cen An... they say he’s the successor to the Divine Doctor, but he’s basically just a quack. For Xuanyang to be so anxious—a city-wide search isn’t enough, she has to come storming our gates. To be this concerned... could they have some sort of shameful relationship?"

She let out a scornful laugh. "Then again, the whole world knows she’s desperate for a man. Lu Yanzhi rejected her, so she killed him. She deserves to mess around with some low-life nobody. It’s disgusting!"

Xiao Jingzhao sighed. "That’s enough. Does your arm not hurt anymore?"

Of course her arm hurt, but Jia Ruo was even angrier.

She didn’t want Xiao Li to have an easy time, and an idea suddenly occurred to her.

"Brother, why don’t we send people to look for him, too? She cares so much about that Cen An, right? If we find him first, we can kill him and throw his head at her feet! Haha, she’ll be so mad she’ll cough up blood!"

Just thinking about it was satisfying!

SLAM! Xiao Jingzhao slammed his hand on the table, his expression dark. "Can’t you ever just be quiet?"

Jia Ruo was stunned. "Brother, why do you keep yelling at me today? What did I do now?"

Xiao Jingzhao warned, "You had better stay out of this business with Cen An. If you don’t, I won’t forgive you!"

Jia Ruo stomped her foot in anger. "I was just saying! What right do you have to be so harsh with me? I’m your sister!"

His face a mask of fury, Xiao Jingzhao glared at Jia Ruo for a moment before abruptly flicking his sleeves and storming off. "Don’t you go anywhere for a while."

Jia Ruo froze in anger, then began stomping her feet on the spot like a madwoman. "AH! I’m so furious! Xuanyang, this is all your fault! I’ll get you for this!"